TTouch and Reiki at BARC Shelter: A Quiet Connection with Abby

Abby is a dear white senior cat at BARC Shelter. He arrived at the shelter after his owner passed away. He is quite a sensitive kitty, and, though he is friendly with people, he appears to be frightened of other cats and of dogs. He can also become overwhelmed if approached with energy that is too intense. It is easy to imagine that this transition must have been so difficult for him.

So I started out with him in a very gentle way, sending him Reiki energy from a short distance away. He sensed the energy right away and smelled my hands, as though he was smelling the energy. He came closer and closer to me until he was cuddled around my hands and arms, and he stretched out for a snooze. I felt such a deep calm in him, and a bubble of calm energy around us. This was so lovely to feel and see.

The next time I worked with him, the same thing happened, he came forward to sniff the energy, then became entertwined in my hands and arms. I had my elbows bent, resting on the bottom of the cage and my hands facing either side of him, so he had one paw over the crook of each elbow, and was feeling the energy between my hands and arms. In the moments of these intensely special connections, it feels as though I merge with the animal, and I will often feel tears welling up. I try to let that feeling just pass through and focus on continuing to send positive energy coming back to the animal.

After both these sessions, I felt such a profound sense of peace and calm in Abby, and it felt as though there was a bubble of calm around him as well. Best wishes to you Abby, look forward to seeing you soon. And thank you as always to BARC shelter for taking care of all these beautiful animals.

TTouch and Reiki at BARC Shelter: Gentle Energy With Abby

Abby is a beautiful senior cat at BARC. He was surrendered to BARC after his owner passed away. He is an EXTREMELY sensitive being. He is generally comfortable with human contact but is very frightened by the presence of other cats or dogs, which makes the shelter an especially difficult place for him to be. He has a bit of a skin problem, possibly aggravated by stress.

When I open his cage, I speak to him in a very quiet voice. Especially with a very sensitive cat, I want to create a very quiet space around him, to help him feel more comfortable even in the midst of an environment which is not always so quiet. Reiki and TTouch can help to create that quiet, peaceful space. I start to send him Reiki energy from a short distance away (about a food or so), so that the energy will not be too intense for him. Even when not physically touching the cat, it is possible to feel when the connection with and acceptance of the energy happens. I feel it as an energetic connection, and feel the energy being absorbed by the animal.

As Abby relaxed into the energy, I slowly moved my hands closer to him, and eventually was touching him. I put one hand instead of both hands on him, so as not to overwhelm him. He became very peaceful and laid down to take a Reiki nap. I also did some gentle TTouches around his forehead area, which can be a very relaxing area for cats. And indeed, during that time, I felt a calm bubble of energy around us, and a concentration so that our connection was all that was existing in that moment.