My Journey with Natalia and Lulu: Five Years Later

Lulu and Natalia

Natalia and Lulu are my two beautiful, formerly-feral cats who I adopted from BARC Shelter in 2012.  They came into BARC Shelter in December of 2011 – so I have known them for five years now (they are probably about six years old).

When they first came in to BARC Shelter, I had no idea that some months later I would be bringing them home.  They had different names at the shelter, but to avoid confusion I am using the names I gave them.  At that time, I had my 18 year old cat Garbanzo, who would not tolerate any other cats.  They originally were brought in to be spayed and put back outside.  When that plan fell through, they continued to stay at the shelter.  The shelter owners were considering sending them to a sanctuary.  Clearly they were not used to human interaction at all.  

Of course I began working with them once it was clear they were staying at the shelter.  Lulu hid under her cat bed, and Natalia stayed at the back of the cage, but I could tell early-on that they were not aggressive in the least  just scared.

We have been on, and continue to be on, a truly amazing journey.  The process is so heart-opening, and so humbling.  It is a lesson in patience, and in letting go.  It is about really quieting my own being so that I can listen to what they are ready to do.  It is about keeping my mind open, about constantly trying new things with them, and about figuring out how to break things down into smaller and smaller steps until you are just at the place that feels ok for them. I also have a number of ways of connecting with the cats: TTouch, Reiki, play, clicker training, Debono Moves, treats, etc. If one thing is not working that particular day, I try something else.

And all of those small steps really do add up.  Back then, I didn’t know that I would eventually be able to pick up Lulu and give her a good snuggle and head rub, or that Natalia would want me to climb up the stairs to the bed with her for Reiki, giving head butts to me the whole way.  That they would come to me to seek affection.  
Here is a photo of our Reiki routine.  Natalia and Lulu are always in the same configuration.  Most often Lulu will wait at the bottom of the stairs up to the bed.  She waits for my boyfriend to come into the room and tell her it's time for Reiki, but she starts running up the minute she hears him get up from his chair in the living room.  Such a funny routine!  Then she snuggles in next to me.

It is important to keep trying new things.  I think there is always progress that can be made when working with shy, fearful and feral cats.  And that it is always worthwhile to try. 

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A recent example:  Natalia has always tended to be head-shy.  So I generally will stroke her on the back first, as that is where she is most comfortable.  To help her get accustomed to being touched on the head, I would just do a couple of TTouches on the head, and go back to the body, where she is comfortable.  I also found that using the Zigzag TTouches on her head (they are usually done on the body), has been helpful.  Above and below are videos showing some of the ways I have been able to work with her to help her be more comfortable.

Lulu is more comfortable than Natalia with handling in general.  But brushing is something that she has limited patience with, so I am experimenting with different types of brushes to see what works for her.  And I am still continuing to make progress with her as far as handling goes as well. Just to give you an idea of how far she has come from her initial fearfulness/feralness, here is a video I made of her recently, showing some TTouches that are helpful for cats who overgroom:

Moving forward with being able to touch and handle a cat has practical applications as well as being able to feel a closer bond with your animal spiritually as well as physically.  For example, helping an animal to be comfortable being touched on the head, body and extremities such as paws and tail is really helpful if you have to give them medication, or if you need to look at a bump or scrape or the like, or clean the ears, etc.  We have not been able to get to nail clipping, and I think something such as giving eye drops would be really hard, but being able to handle the cats better and better has been a huge help, and we are continually progressing, so that is great!
And keep in mind progress does not always take place in a straight line.  Sometimes there will be a real breakthrough with something, and then the next day you are still back where you were before.  That can happen at times, but don't be discouraged.  Continue to meet the cat where they are that particular day, and find where they are comfortable.  From that place you can gently see what little step you may be able to take that day.

A month or so ago I needed to get Lulu in a carrier to get her to the vet, which I had thought would be such an impossible task.  It did take two of us to do it, but I think she knew we were trying to help her, and it did not end up being such a big deal as I thought it might be.  For me, the best thing I did in that moment was take a deep breath, calm myself, and act as if this was just going to happen. Taking a few seconds even, just to look inward and calm oneself, especially before doing something challenging with an animal, is so valuable. And even when we are getting ready just to try some TTouches or spend a quiet moment with our animals, it is really of value to check in with ourselves first and let go of our tensions and worries as best we can.
Animals have so much to teach us.  We just have to quiet ourselves and listen to what they have to say.  I learn from them every day.  And am continually reminded too, of how valuable it is to start each session with an open mind and heart, releasing expectations.  It is when you can truly be in the moment with the animals that the most amazing things can happen.
Love you Natalia and Lulu!  and look forward to continuing our adventures together every single day. xoxo

The Continued Adventures of Lulu and Natalia: Mouth TTouches and Tooth Brushing/Cleaning

Above: Lulu and Natalia

Tellington TTouch not only has tremendous benefits for an animal physically, mentally and emotionally, it can also have wonderful practical applications.  When an animal is accustomed to having the gentle TTouches done on areas such as paws, around the mouth, or on or near the belly area, this can aid in nail clipping, tooth brushing (or wiping), or picking up the animal, respectively.

My dear cats Lulu and Natalia were brought into BARC as feral cats, and I subsequently worked with them at the shelter and eventually adopted them, going through an extended process of acclimating them to the apartment, etc, which you can see detailed in earlier blog posts if you do a search for their names on my blog (Lulu was originally named Emmylou).

I have done everything with them in small steps, and touching around their mount ha also been a gradual process.  Natalia is particularly head-shy, so I will usually do some TTouches on her body before gradually working up to TTouches on the head, though sometimes if she is relaxed to begin with, she is ok with me TTouching her there.  Lulu is less head-shy but can be hesitant to being touched when she is in certain moods, so I always watch her body language to see what is the best approach.  I may start with her by TTouching her with the back of my fingers, as that is less intense than the front of my fingers.

Lately I have been getting them used to TTouches around the outside of the mouth area, which can be so calming, as they connect with the limbic system, which has to do with emotions.  I started out with these just a little at a time, and they have gotten more and more comfortable with it. 

The next step which I wanted to try was to get them used to me TTouching them inside their mouth, and wiping off their teeth a bit with some gauze. 

 

Above: Raccoon TTouches with Natalia

I started out working with Natalia. First I did some zigzag TTouches and general TTouches on her body to relax her.  Then I put the gauze around my finger, and gradually began to do Raccoon TTouches (circular TTouches with the tip of my finger) all around Natalia's head area -- the top of the head, back of the head and around the outside of the mouth.  I wanted to get her used to the feel of the gauze on my finger before attempting to go inside her mouth with it, as though this is all one cozy process.  Once working along the outside of the mouth, I did raccoon TTouches as well as a few gentle slides with my finger.  She got more comfortable as I continued working with her, so I decided to go to the next step.  Just a tiny bit at a time I slid my finger inside her mouth and along the outside of a few of her teeth.  I did this a few times, paused, and then did it again a few short times and then went back to some general TTouches.  I then gave her a break, giving her a lot of very slow, quiet praise, goooood girrrrl.  The tone of your voice can help to relax the animal as well as the general level of your own energy.

Above: TTouches with Lulu, gauze on finger

Then I tried the same procedure with Lulu, and it worked like a charm with her as well.  It is really key to be sensitive to what they are ready to do in that moment.  If you try this and it feels they are not ready to go to the next step, pause and give them a break, and you may want to wait till later or even another day to try again.  The point is to have it all be part of a really comfortable process, like this is part of a relaxing TTouch session, you just happen to be putting your finger in their mouth and gently sliding over their teeth with the gauze.  The gauze was a tip recommended to me by a vet, it helps to prevent buildup and hardening of plaque.  If necessary you can dip the gauze in something that tastes good, like maybe tuna juice, but I just used it plain and my cats were fine with it.  You will have to experiment a bit!

Above: TTouches and slides with Lulu along outside of mouth with gauze on finger

Bravo Lulu and Natalia! Our journey together continues to be such a moving and beautiful experience as we are continually learning from each other :)

The Adventures of Emmylou (Lulu) and Natalia - Further and Further

Emmylou and Natalia (Emmylou's name actually has now morphed into Lulu!) are my two cats who came into BARC Shelter two years ago as completely feral cats.  Right away I could tell they were extremely fearful, but very gentle, sweet souls underneath their fear.  They have been in our home for about a year and a half now, and I am so pleased to say that they are doing so well.  Our relationship with them continues to grow every day, and nearly every week there is something new that we can do with them that we never thought possible before. 

We are so grateful to have them in our lives, and they help us to begin each day with joy in our hearts - the minute we get up, they come running to us for affection, excited to start the new day.

In speaking about our journey with them, it is hard to know where to begin! I think with this post I will do a bit of a recap about our acclimation process and then I will do a second post about what is happening now with them. 

Some months after they had been in the shelter (they were still quite shy and were never officially put up for adoption), my dear cat Garbanzo passed away, and it seemed meant to be for me to bring these dear girls home.  I was admittedly terrified at first, not knowing what would happen, but in my heart of hearts I felt it would all be fine.

We quickly realized that they would need to be in a cage for a good amount of time, as it was a whole new experience getting used to our apartment.  Thus began  a VERY gradual acclimation process, with the use of a cat condo (multilevel cat cage with wheels), TTouch, Reiki, treats, various other tools, and of course a huge amount of TLC. Each new thing we did with them, we broke down into baby steps, so that the changes would be so gradual that they would feel natural.  For example, to get them used to the idea that the cage moved, we initially just moved it a few inches, then back to where it was.  When we began to let them out of the cage, it was for very short amounts of time, luring them back into the cage with treats. (Initially, being out of the cage was rather overwhelming for them, even though we did it within the confines of a small bedroom.)

Important to remember is how big those tiny steps can feel to a fearful cat.  At first, even moving the cage a few inches was a lot for them to handle.  And sometimes we would do something that was too big of a step, so we would have to take a little step back, then go forward again.

The cage with wheels was great (thanks so much to our dear friends Alexie and Bim for lending the cage to us and giving us great advice!) because it allowed us to move cages to different parts of the bedroom and, eventually, different parts of the apartment, so that they could see the whole apartment first while still being in the safety zone of the cage.  It also allowed us to walk near them and sit near them while they were in their safe space.  And I was able to do TTouches, Reiki etc with them in the cage pretty easily, as the doors were big enough to be able to really reach in.  We worked with them with baby food, too, having them lick it off our fingers, then gradually petting them while they did this.  We had string toys that we could dangle into the cage with them, to get them used to the idea of play.

The result of all of this was that when we did start letting them out of the cage, they didn't immediately try and hide under things.  They really didn't hide at all.  I did block off some little spaces that would lead to places where they could burrow in, and I did some cat-proofing measures similar to baby-proofing in that I got cord covers for most of the electrical cords, even boxes for the surge protectors.  Some cats like to chew electrical cords, or can inadvertently step on the switches on surge protectors, and I didn't want to take that chance!

When we started letting them out of the cage, that was also in baby steps.  We let them out for short amounts of time and would play with them with string toys and the like, and/or offer baby food to them to lick off our fingers.  So coming out of the cage became a fun time for them.  And we would lure them back into the cage with food or treats.  Once they became comfortable with the bedroom, finally we left the cage door open, keeping the cage there as their safe space, keeping the litter and food and a few toys in there. 

Each day they explored more and more territory in the bedroom.  We have a platform bed with some stairs leading up to it.  At first they were scared of the stairs.  But then one day, they started going up and down the stairs to the bed, first more slowly, then running up and down, making it into a game.  It was a joy starting to see them become more active and playful, and to see them exploring. 

And then, little by little, we started opening the door to the living room and letting the cats come in there for short spurts.  We had taken them in there within the cage, but being in the space out of the cage was a whole new experience.  One thing that was so interesting to see was how Lulu reacted to television.  She was both obsessed with and terrified it - staring at it as though the people there were alive.  So when we realized this, I decided that I would change the TV to a music channel for our first adventures into the living room, then later get her gradually used to the TV.  I do recommend the Soundscapes TV channel as being one that generally plays very soothing music, so I have become accustomed to leaving that channel on for much of the day. 



















We got a simple cat tree to put by the window in the bedroom.  At first they seemed a bit daunted by it, but within about a week or so, they began to get up and sit on the platform that is level with the window to watch the birds outside the window.  And now that is one of their favorite things to do - usually one will get on the windowsill and one on the cat tree, but occasionally they will both get in the cat tree.  They adore each other, which is also a joy to experience!

We have a large screen door between the bedroom and living room/kitchen, so that has been very useful.  They can see what is going on in the living room even if they are closed in the bedroom. 

Once they became used to the living room/kitchen area, we finally took the plunge and they were able to explore the whole apartment.  As time went on, they developed their own routines of things they like to do, and we developed a whole routine with their food as well.  They were used to eating their food in the bedroom, so I decided to keep it that way.  The bedroom was kind of their retreat.  And, when we had the cage there, they would eat in the cage in the bedroom.  So I would get the food ready in the kitchen, then say "OK girls go get ready! Go on!" and they go running, parallel to each other, into the bedroom and wait for me (initially they would go back into the cage and wait).  Then I sit down on a low stool while they eat their food.  While I sit with them, I send them calming Reiki energy.  This is still our routine.

We kept the cage in the bedroom with the door open for a few months after they were out of the cage, so that would remain their safe space.  And finally when our friends needed the cage back, it was perfect timing because they really weren't going in the cage any more except to use the litter box. 

And during this whole time, each day we could feel these sweet cats becoming more and more comfortable with us, as they started seeking out our attention more and more - Lulu rubbing her face against my foot, Natalia walking in front of me so I would sit down with her for TTouch.  Each day we felt more of a connection with them, and would see new signs of how at ease they were.

There really is so much to say about this whole experience that I think I could write a book about it.  But the primary feeling that keeps coming back to me is the that with the combination of tools (TTouch, Reiki, treats, toys, Bach flower remedies, calm music, etc), positive intent and unconditional love, so much is possible, more than you could dream of.  It is when you can let go of preconceived notions and expectations, that the most beautiful miracles can happen. 

And to have these two sweet, loving, beings in our home, who have become so much a part of us, is one of those beautiful miracles.