TTouch and Reiki at Bideawee: Quieting the Space with Panther

Panther is a handsome long-haired black cat at Bideawee shelter who was rescued, along with his sister Samantha, when they were being evicted from the store where they were living.  Samantha is extremely outgoing, whereas Panther is very shy.

His beautiful, quiet energy does remind me of a panther, and I have been mindful to especially quiet my own energy down when working with him.

Quieting the space can happen in a few ways.  First comes quieting down my own energy.  Then, in the process of Reiki, TTouch, or both, the energy from these modalities feels like it literally changes the feeling in the space, even the texture of the air.

Panther is in a room (called a "resort") with several other cats.  There are toys, things to climb on (great use of vertical space in these rooms) and some nice little hidey spaces for privacy so he is quite comfortable there.  Bideawee puts a lot of care into how the rooms are set up and which cats are together so that everyone can be comfortable.

When I first started working with Panther, he seemed so scared that I decided that the best way to start with him was to share Reiki with him, at a short distance.  If he was on an upper level in the room, I would sit down and just begin to offer it from where I was, and he would gradually come closer to where I was.  If he was down on a lower level, I would stand a couple of feet from where he was.  Little by little, I would see signs of him absorbing the energy: his eyes closing, his body starting to relax. 

At times, I would then see if I could do TTouches or strokes with him with a paintbrush or feather.  Sometimes, even this remote contact seemed a little much for him, so I would go back to doing Reiki from a short distance.  Other times, he would start to enjoy the contact, especially being stroked under his chin.  Being touched on his body was too overwhelming.  

So I would try to take the cues from him of where he was for any particular day, but then gently see if I could nudge him forward a bit, try something new.  Even if we seemed to go two steps forward and one back at times, I always felt we were continually moving forward and gradually establishing trust. 

I have found in general, that if he is in an enclosed place, he feels safer about being approached and is more apt to be responsive to TTouch. 

Yesterday, he was on a lower level and in the little enclosure you see in the photos that is part of a cat tree in the room.  He was looking out of one opening, and there was an opening on the side that I could put my hand through.  I didn’t want to move my hand towards his face, as that would have scared him. 

I started out by sending him Reiki from where I was (I was kneeling down so I was lowering my body position), and he soon was blinking and closing his eyes.  I spoke to him softly, telling him ahead of time what I was going to try (usually this I would do silently). Then I gently put the paintbrush through the side opening and began to do TTouch circles with him on his forehead.  He immediately began to relax into it, instead of his initial reaction being to pull away.  I would do a little bit, then pause, and then try a little more.  I stroked him underneath his chin with the paintbrush and he started to lean into it a little bit.  For him, this was very good progress.  In the clip above, you will see just a few moments of my work with him.  Such a pleasure to see him start to relax and close his eyes.

Then I decided to try something new.  I began to send him Reiki holding one hand a few inches above his solar plexus chakra (in the middle of the back).  One of the things this chakra has to do with is confidence, sense of self.  I felt a good amount of heat there.  After a bit, I just stroked him lightly, a few strokes, on his upper back, and he was ok with that.  I kept sending him Reiki.  In addition to Reiki near the solar plexus chakra, I also sent him Reiki directed at his heart chakra, which is in the center of the upper back, as I feel this is an area that could use healing. 

Then after a few minutes, I tried a few TTouch circles with him on his upper back. He was a tiny bit tentative but didn't pull away, even settled a bit.  I was doing circular TTouches with much of my hand in contact, either Lying Leopard TTouch or Abalone TTouch (see my youtube channel for demos).  This was the first time that he didn’t pull away and get frightened when I made contact in that area of his body.  Such a delight to feel him start to settle into the TTouches, to feel that connection, to feel that trust.

I didn’t want to push it so I didn’t do this too many times.  Something to always remember is that a little bit can be a LOT for a frightened animal, and generally less is more. 

I worked with a couple of other cats who are in the same room with Panther, then came back to him for a few moments, working with him around his head with the paintbrush, and again he was comfortable. 

Each time I went to work with him again, and each time I have worked with him previously, I have had in my consciousness the idea of quieting the space, quieting the space.

When I left the room, he was relaxed and blinking and closing his eyes.  Look forward to working with you again soon Panther!!!!

And thanks to all the people at Bideawee for all the love and care they give to these special creatures :)

Going with the Flow with Georgie

Georgie is a gorgeous 12 yr old orange tabby kitty who I had the pleasure to meet last Sunday.  Her caretaker, Rachel, had contacted me Georgie has been vomiting just about every day for about four years.  Rachel has taken Georgie to two vets and had weeks of tests done, but nothing conclusive had been found, though she is being given a special diet because there was a possibility of her having IBD.

Apparently she is retaining some nutrition, as she maintains a healthy weight, but of course it is still worrisome to see her do this, to say the least.

Rachel consulted an animal communicator, who told her that Georgie is manifesting her issues.  Rachel has been working on her own issues as well as doing everything she can to try to help Georgie.

I told Rachel that I thought our initial appointment would be best spent working with Georgie with TTouch and showing Rachel how to do some of the TTouches, so that she would be able to do the TTouches with Georgie every day.  That way, at the very least, both their stress levels could be brought down.  Of course, what would be wonderful to see over time would be a shift in Georgie's behavior.

There are two other cats in the household, Ginger, who is Georgie's sister (also an orange tabby, and is is rather rare for orange cats to be female), and Newie, who is a 6 year old male kitty.  Ginger is the shyest of the three, and Georgie is generally very friendly with people.
Rachel had come to meet me at the bus stop, and when we entered the apartment, we discovered that both Georgie and Newie were hiding under the bed, and Ginger, who is usually shy, came out to say hello to me!  Rachel thought it could be that Georgie was resistant to letting go of her behavior, and that Newie was there to support her.  We tried to encourage her to come out from underneath the bed, but she just went further under the bed.
Going with the flow of the moment, the next thing we tried was to have Rachel leave the room, and I sat on the floor next to the bed, sending Reiki energy to Georgie (and to Newie as well, as they were right next to each other).  I could feel a very strong flow of energy coming from my hands, feeling that she was accepting the energy.  Yet at that moment she wished to remain under the bed.
After a while,  I ended the Reiki session and we decided it would be best for Rachel and me to go into the other room, where I could teach her some of the basic TTouches using the stuffed cat I had brought as a model.  I showed her a variety of the TTouches, including ones which will especially benefit her digestive system.
Rachel has a very natural feel for the TTouches, and without knowing it, had already been doing modified versions of a number of the TTouches.  So I know she will do a wonderful job with them. 
All of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I saw an orange blur go by the doorway. 
I quietly went to look, and Georgie had come out from underneath the bed!
I made sure to consciously quiet my own energy, and sat on the floor near her, first approaching her by doing a few TTouches and strokes using the back of my hand.  She started to be quite receptive to what I was doing, so I continued, but made sure to give her frequent breaks.  I found that one of the TTouches she was especially receptive to is the Abalone TTouch, which is a circular TTouch which uses the whole hand.  Since it is using a bigger surface of the hand, it can be very calming and comforting.  I did the TTouches very slowly and with a very subtle circular motion, pausing at the end of each circle and a quarter.  Hair slides were also very comforting for her. 

After a bit, Georgie went to one of her places she particularly likes, the window area pictured above, which is lovely and was flooded with light on this sunny day.  Since Georgie was responsive to the Abalone TTouch, I decided to see what she would think of TTouches done using a Jelly Scrubber.  A Jelly Scrubber is actually a horse-grooming tool, but it is also a wonderful TTouch tool.  (Linda Tellington-Jones, first developed TTouch for horses, then expanded it to include all animals, including people).  The jelly scrubber has two different surfaces, and is very flexible, so I did a version of the Abalone TTouch using the jelly scrubber, as well as doing some longer brushing strokes.  She was very comforted by this, and began leaning and rubbing into my hand.  It was lovely to see her so comfortable and at ease.  I felt completely connected with her and in synch with her energy.  After a while, I took the Jelly scrubber off my hand and also did some TTouches directly with my hand.  It felt like a lovely dance between the two of us, and felt so good with the light coming in the window.

After I finished the session with her, she began to groom herself, looking very comfortable indeed!

The following day, Rachel emailed me that all three of the cats had been very relaxed after I left.  Often after a session, either in a home or at the shelter, it seems the energy of Reiki and TTouch relaxes the atmosphere in general, as well as the animal or animals who I am specifically working with.  Thanks Rachel, Georgie, Newie and Ginger, best wishes to you all and I look forward to hearing from you.  And thank you Georgie, for reminding me to be patient and go with the flow of the moment, that things will develop and flow exactly the way they are meant to :)

Reiki and TTouch with Bonsai and Nilo: Nov. 12

A few days ago, I went to do Reiki and TTouch with Bonsai and Nilo, who I have worked with off and on over the past year or more. Bonsai (above) is a sweet senior Burmese kitty, and Nilo is a very independent, lovely bengal cat (below). Nilo is extremely close with his human "mom", but is generally afraid of everyone else. He initially would run away from me, but we have established a closer and closer connection as time has gone on. Kristin's daughter has been able to have a bit more of a connection with Nilo as well. Bonsai tends to have seizures, which are being controlled with medication, and has been getting more frail as time has gone on. Kristin called me primarily because Bonsai had been seeming to be more frail and lethargic lately, so I spent a bit of time with Nilo, then concentrated most of my time with Bonsai.
Nilo is generally most receptive to TTouch in short spurts, as he is very sensitive and can get easily overwhelmed.


First I did some abalone TTouches with Nilo, working down each side of his back slowly. The abalone TTouches are circular TTouches done with the whole hand. The larger surface of the hand can be comforting to many cats who are unsure of people other than their guardians. I also did some slow zigzag TTouches from the front part of his body to the back, which are helpful in bringing an animal who is a bit scared back into its body. He actually didn't seem scared with me today, he settled into the TTouches pretty well, then decided he was done and walked away.So I then focused my attention on little Bonsai.

With Bonsai, I did a little bit of Reiki with him with my hands slightly off his body, then he got up to eat some treats. Reiki can sometimes stimulate the appetite! While he was in the kitchen, I did some TTouches with him which he was very receptive to, nuzzling sweetly against my hand.
When he was done with this, I thought a nice warm place would be cozy for him so I put him in a sunny patch on the couch and he settled in, curling up for a Reiki nap as I worked with him. I started out by having one hand resting over the solar plexus chakra (about midway down the back) and one hand off. As he is a delicate being, I often just have one hand on his body at a time, so as not to overwhelm him with too much energy.
He settled into this position for a while, then rearranged himself til one hand was on his head and the other was over his base chakra, on the very lower part of the back. Animals will show you where they want the energy to go. I stayed there for a LONG time as he took a reiki nap, I felt him totally taking the energy in. As the heat in these areas began to dissipate, I followed the heat on his body which seemed to work down the back from the heart chakra, to the solar plexus chakra, sacral chakra, and the base chakra again. I felt a lot of heat coming out, but it would start to dissipate as I continued to hold my hand or hands over these areas. I felt him to be sooooooo peaceful. He stretched out on his side and I continued with hands-on reiki near the solar plexus and heart chakras again, following my intuition and his body language as to where my hands should be.
Kristin came in the room to speak to me and as we spoke, I continued to send the energy to Bonsai as he continued to be laid stretched out on his side. When I left, I felt so much calm in Bonsai and a calm energy surrounding him.

Later that night, I received an email from Kristin saying that Bonsai seemed to be much better after our session, that his energy had picked up, and he just seemed to be feeling better. This is always so wonderful to hear, it means the world to me. A few days after the session, I stopped by their apartment to deliver Bach flower remedies for the cats, and indeed, Bonsai looked much more alert, present, and energetic. Thanks so much to you all, sending all the best ..... xo

Reiki and TTouch with Doris: Gentle Energy

Doris is a lovely petite senior kitty, who lives with her guardian Mari and four other kitties (I was referred to them by my wonderful Reiki teacher, Sheryl Berger, http://reikiforyourlife.com). Each of Mari's cats has its own interesting story.

Doris has diabetes and was recently diagnosed with lymphosarcoma. The cancer is terminal, but Mari is giving Doris insulin, a good diet and supplements and doing what she can to keep Doris comfortable. Reiki and TTouch can help the body and mind to be in optimum balance, so can be a great complement to medication, good diet and other types of therapy, in an effort to help give the animal a better chance of remaining stable for a longer period of time.

Today was my second with Doris. Her coat looked better and her energy seemed better to me than last week. Mari agreed and said that the supplements and improved diet have been helping her to feel better.

I started out by doing TTouch at first on her head and a bit on her ears. Then, as she did last week, she ate and drank, then settled behind the couch, though she was close to the edge of it. I sat on the floor rignt next to the counch offered her Reiki from a foot or so away from where she was. I have found her to be most receptive to Reiki from a short distance away, as she is SO sensitive. Reiki for animals is most often best started at a bit of a distance, so that you can see what the animal is most comfortable with. Some animals are comfortable with hands-on Reiki and others are not, or may not be at least at first.

As I continued sending Doris Reiki, she settled in, stretching out and stretching one of her front paws out towards me. I felt her very strongly absorbing the energy: my hands and whole body felt pulled towards her by the Reiki energy, as though she were a magnet.

After a long stretch of time, she took a break, walked around and ate some more, then settled again near a ladder. I sat on the floor near her and held one hand about six inches above her head and neck and the other hand was facing her body. I follow my intuition as to where my hands are most of the time, although sometimes I will focus on specific chakras (energy centers of the body), depending on what is going on with the animal. I felt strong energy, especially coming from my hand which was near the top of her head, where the crown chakra is, which relates to the life force connection with the universe. Again, after she had enough, she walked away. Animals will tell you when they have had enough Reiki energy by moving away, but I always tell them to only take as much or as little as they feel they want and need.

After this, I showed Doris' owner Mari some of the TTouches. I had shown her some last week, giving her a bit of an overview, but this week I honed her on some TTouches that would be useful for Doris or that she would probably be most receptive to. As she is so sensitive, I thought that the LLama and Abalone TTouches on the body, which are gentle and calming, would be good, and that the raccoon TTouches around the head, as well as ear work and mouth work would also be beneficial.

At the end of the session, Doris was sitting in the window, one of the places she loves, looking very content.

Mari emailed me the next day to tell me that Doris felt really good the next morning, that her energy was good and she was giving her head butts, asking for breakfast, which was wonderful to hear. I feel like this outwardly delicate kitty has a very strong spirit. Look forward to seeing you soon Doris!

Connecting with Krishna - Day 5, Engaging in Play

Krishna's human mom and dad were back for a day, and then went off on their honeymoon. So I went back to cat sit for Krishna today, and for the next week while they are away. I wasn't sure how he would react to me today, but he really was quite sweet. After I came in, he started rubbing himself against things, and rolling around on his back. As soon as I enter the door, I start sending him Reiki energy, and he appears to feel it and calm down.

After I fed him, gave him water, changed his litter etc I sat down with him in the living room. He seemed in a rather playful mood so I thought it would be fun to try engaging him in some play. He has a little squeaky mouse he likes, so I threw it toward him. He caught it and threw it back to me, so we continued for a while in a game of catch. So sweet! then I did some Reiki with him, and again was able to touch him with my hands briefly on his head. At one point he got comfortable and stretched his paw out to me, touching my hand.

I was getting ready to leave and took my phone out to take a couple of pictures. Suddenly he sat up and ran towards me, with big eyes. I was sitting on the floor with my legs bent, feet on the floor so there was a space under my legs, which he ran through.

I realized that my phone, when the camera function is turned on, was making a little spot of light that appeared on the floor, so Krishna was attracted by that and started to chase it. So we played chase for a bit, then I gave him one of his "actual" toys so hopefully he wouldn't be too frustrated at not being able to catch the light :)

Each time I see him, I feel like he gets more comfortable with me, but I still keep reminding myself to just take it slow and easy with him. He reminds me too sometimes! At one point I got closer to his paw than he wanted so he batted me with it, but with no claws out :)

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow, little guy!

TTouch and Reiki with Mayor's Alliance Rescue Cats: May 2

Today when I went to work with the Mayor's Alliance Rescue cats through Tavi & Friends' TTouch-in-Rescue program, there were some new cats, as well as a bunch who I have been working with for a while.

Lee was great today, he is making such progress. Today he came right to the front of the cage, purrrrring, to greet me. I was able to do TTouches on his head and his body, and he was comfortable with all of them. He also even was at ease being picked up, which I did to bring him up on the couch with me. He settled in there for a while, as I did abalone TTouches and ear strokes on him. He was purring (and sometimes meowing, a content meow) the whole time.

What a sweet boy! The woman who cleans the cages told me that now he is comfortable being let out of the cage with other cats. Previously, he had been too frightened to be out with the others and needed to be let out alone. He also had initially been referred to by some as a “mean cat”, which of course couldn’t have been more inaccurate!





Talbot and Diyala are two new kittens. Talbot (above) is completely friendly, and came right to me for TTouch. Diyala (three pictures below) is more shy, so I started out with her doing TTouches on her head using a soft toothbrush. She soon became more relaxed. I could feel her ears becoming more soft, and could see her eyes and the rest of her face relax.



As she became more relaxed, I began to incorporate TTouches using the back of my hand.

After she settled into the circular TTouches with the back of my hand, I did some using the front of my hand around the base of her neck, also occasionally incorporating a few TTouches on the body, then going back to the head. I kept the toothbrush in my hand in case she became nervous, in which case I would have gone back to TTouching with the toothbrush. I gave frequent breaks, seeing if she was ready for more or wanted to rest a bit. When I was finished, even though she was still at the back of the cage, her face and body looked much more relaxed, so that was great progress for her.

Next was Pedro (below).

Pedro is hilarious, he gets very excited to come out of his cage for attention. I did raccoon TTouches on his forehead to get his energy a bit more settled. I also did some Reiki with him, and he was absorbing the calm energy like a sponge. Today I noticed the most heat over the solar plexus and base chakras.

Mila is a new, very sweet tortie cat. She began to purr right away when I opened her cage and started to work with her. As I hadn’t worked with her before, I used the gentler TTouches, such as the llama ttouch (uses the back surface of the fingers) and the abalone TTouch (which uses the whole hand). These big TTouches are especially gentle because the pressure is dispersed over a larger area.

Lucky is also new, she was super-friendly and laid right on her side as I did abalone and clouded leopard TTouches going down her side.

Honey is getting more friendly and more brave every time I see her. The TTouch I used most with her today is the chimp TTouch, as it uses the back surface of the fingers. These types of touches can be good for a cat who gets easily startled or scared with too much contact or heat.

Hank is such a love. He laid right on his side. His ears were relaxed and soft as I worked with him. I did abalone TTouches and ear strokes with him..

Kitty (above) and Blackie 2 (below) are coming along really well too. Kitty jumped out of her cage and onto the couch, and Blackie 2 came out of the cage briefly as well, which is great for him, as he didn’t do this before. So Kitty I TTouched while she was on the couch with me and Blackie 2 got TTouch both in and out of the cage. He is definitely getting braver, he just needs time and patience.

Blackie was purring like crazy. I primarily used the jelly scrubber to TTouch her, as she can get a bit overstimulated. I also did very slow abalone TTouches and ear strokes with her, which have a very soothing effect.

Angel is a new cat there and was friendly right away. She was sweet, purring and laying on her side as I did slow abalone TTouches with her.

Marette gets more brave every time. Previously I have mostly used the tools with her, as she can be hyper-sensitive. But today I was able to do some TTouches directly with my hand, doing a circle and a stroke on her body. She began to rub herself right against my hand when I did this, to my surprise!

TTouch and Reiki with Greta

A few weeks ago, my friend Alissa adopted a lovely little dog, who she named Greta. Once Greta feels comfortable with you, she is a very sweet, loving dog. However, she is an extremely shy dog and is very scared of people she doesn't know, which can be extra-hard when she is being walked on the street, as everyone wants to come up and pet her (as you can see, she is adorable!), but that is a scary thing for her. She is also frightened of sudden sounds or movements, and has separation anxiety.

I offered to get together with Alissa to show her some of the TTouches, and show her how to put on and fit a Thundershirt (a wonderful, calming fitted dog shirt which we often use in TTouch, and is so helpful for a variety of anxiety-related issues).

I wasn't sure if I would be able to touch Greta directly, so I brought with me a stuffed dog, so I could show Alissa the TTouches on the stuffed dog, if necessary. When I entered Alissa's apartment, I made sure not to stare at Greta, and to act rather casually, pretty much ignoring her at first. To introduce myself to Greta in a non-threatening manner, we started out with something called the "chair technique", which was taught to us in the TTouch training by instructor Kathy Cascade. I sat with a very neutral attitude in a chair with treats. Alissa walked the dog towards me, stopping a few feet away, and I threw the dog a treat. She then immediately walked the dog back away a few feet. Starting this way gives the dog a choice about approaching you, and lets them know they can retreat as well.

It was clear after doing this a few times that Greta was already comfortable with me, and wanted already to approach me to get the especially tasty sausage treat. I began to talk to Greta in a quiet, friendly voice. I began to do a few TTouches with her using the back of my hand, then gave the dog a break and spoke to Alissa about the touches a bit, demonstrating some of them on the stuffed dog I had brough with me.

Then I tried some more TTouches on Greta. I found that the abalone TTouch (circular TTouch using my whole hand) was especially soothing to Greta, and she began to lay on her side and stretch out. I also showed Alissa how to properly fit a Thundershirt on Greta. These shirts are made of stretchy material, using a number of velcro strips to secure the shirt, and it is constructed so that you basically wrap the shirt around the dog, instead of having to put the dog's head through a hole in the shirt or put legs through, so even the putting on of the shirt is not as stressful as most dog clothing. It has several places in which it is attached, so that it can be custom-fitted to the body of the dog. It is supposed to fit close to the body but not tight, so that the feeling is like being in swaddling clothes, or getting a gentle hug. As I have seen with other dogs, the shirt was immediately calming to Greta -- it was as though I felt the whole energy of the room become more quiet.

Then I started to do some TTouches on her with the shirt on, and she began to stretch out and really relax. I continued to show Alissa more of the TTouches on Greta, who grew progressively more relaxed, and had Alissa try the TTouches on Greta as well. I was even able to do TTouches on her paws, in between the pads, etc. In the midst of the session, I did some Reiki with Greta as well, especially around the heart and solar plexus chakras.

Alissa picked up the TTouches really fast, and I could tell she would be able to do them on Greta on her own with no problem. Another lovely thing that happens with TTouch is that the person doing the TTouch becomes relaxed as well as the animal (or person!) who is being TTouched :)

I also showed Alissa how to do a simple TTouch half-wrap on Greta (this serves a similar function to the Thundershirt), as an alternative way of relaxing the dog. Neither the wrap or the Thundershirt should be left on indefinitely, as the purpose is to give the dog a different feeling. And an animal should always be supervised when it has a wrap on, so that it doesn't try to take it off and get tangled up in it.

It was beautiful to see how relaxed Greta was, especially after Alissa told me how very stressed Greta was when she first arrived at Alissa's apartment, being on such high alert that it was even hard for her to relax enough to eat. Alissa has already come a long way with Greta (she is also working w/a trainer), and I know the TTouches will help to add another dimension of confidence and relaxation.

I am writing this blog post a bit belatedly, but am happy to report that in the meantime I received a lovely note from Alissa, thanking me for my help and letting me know that Greta is becoming more confident every day. Thanks so much Alissa and Greta, for giving the the opportunity to share this work with you, I know it will be of benefit to you both :)

Bonsai and Nilo - Moving Forward Step by Step

Today I went to work with Bonsai and Nilo, two lovely cats who I have been working with for a few months. Bonsai is a sweet senior Burmese kitty who has had seizures from time to time, and Nilo is a young Bengal with a lot of wild in him.

Bonsai had had a short seizure the day before, so I wanted to do some very gentle work with him, and with Nilo, I am little by little getting him used to being touched by a person other than his human "mom".

Bonsai has a very gentle energy and is extremely sensitive, so it took a little bit to get him to feel comfortable enough to really settle in. So I started out by doing a little TTouch with Bonsai, then a little TTouch with Nilo, alternating back and forth, until Bonsai got to a place where he was very cozy and it felt like he was very ready to receive Reiki. He got onto the cat tree where you see him in the picture below. I began to send him some very gentle Reiki energy from about six inches away, and could see his eyes start to close. I moved my hands a little closer and he adjusted his body til my hands were where he wanted them, just about an inch or two from his body, and near his lower back. Often the animals will show you the part of the body where they would like you to send the energy. I stayed in this position with him for a very long time, feeling a lot of waves of energy and heat. After it felt like the energy was becoming more stabilized, I slowly began to move my hands a bit lower on his back, and I felt quite a bit of heat there, so I stayed there for a while. During the session I slowly moved to several locations on his lower back, then later I focused around his throat chakra and crown chakra, where I was feeling quite a bit of heat and energy. He really settled in during the session, closing his eyes and purring. He looked as though he was being very comforted, and I could feel him absorbing the energy.

When he had enough, he got up and walked away, which happened just as I was wondering if this had been enough for him. He did seem more focused and energized afterwards.


Next I went to work with Nilo. Last time I worked with the cats, Nilo began to respond to circular touches using the wand with an Ace bandage at the end, so that is how I started with him at the beginning of the session, when I was alternating between Nilo and Bonsai. He was pretty receptive to this, rubbing his body against the wand a bit and against nearby furniture, but was only ok with it for a few seconds, then he wanted to move on.

After I worked with Bonsai, Nilo was on his bed which is in a bit of a hidden place behind the couch, as you see him below. This seems to be one of his "safe places". I used my long-handled paintbrush and began to do some circular TTouches on his head, and a few strokes down his body. He really started to settle into this and become more at ease, leaning a bit into the brush. I worked my hand down the brush and began to do chimp TTouches and raccoon TTouches sometimes with the front and sometimes with the back of my finger on his head, around his forehead and around the base of his ears. He responded to that as well, looking very cozy. I did a few strokes down his back as well. I gave him a break, then did this again with him in that location. When he had enough, he got up and moved to a different place. I spoke to his owner for a bit and then he got himself in another one of his safe places, a box-like structure with a hole in it on the cat tree. I was able to do raccoon TTouches with my hand on him in that space as well. It was interesting to see that with both Bonsai and Nilo, I was able to pick up where I had left off with them about a month ago, instead of starting from scratch with them again. With Bonsai I had a longer, more focused Reiki session than I had ever had with him, and with Nilo, I had more direct contact than I had been able to have previously.

Thanks boys! You always teach me so much. I am constantly reminded of how important it is to be patient and truly stay in the moment with animals. This requires a similar type of thinking to that which happens when I am creating art, where you are thinking creatively and trying new approaches as you move along, not being attached to the way you think things should go, but exploring and keeping your eyes always open to new possibilities and ways to approach things.

TTouch and Reiki with Macduff and Misty: Sept 14

I went again to work on my friend and animal communicator Eileen's cats Macduff and Misty. They are still mostly keeping quite separate from each other and Macduff can still be moody, but they are making some progress being near each other without incident. There are better days and worse days, but in general, Macduff is starting to go back to places which he previously liked but he had been avoiding for a while, and he is able to have Misty be nearer to him or go in places that are usually his places without putting up a fuss (or less of a fuss). Misty still is having digestive issues, which have been treated homeopathically but Eileen is going to consult a conventional vet as well very soon.

Macduff was acting quite sensitive today. Though when I said hello to him, he stretched out and relaxed, he was reluctant to be touched other than a short spurt of TTouch on his forehead area. I gave him a break, and then decided to see if he would accept Reiki from a couple of feet away. At first his tail was twitching, but the twitching slowed until it stopped, then he put his head down and closed his eyes. I could feel light and energy passing back and forth and felt like we really connected, and that he was able to relax.

With Misty, I began by doing raccoon touches on her head area for a bit, then gave her a break. When I came back to her, she was in a sleepy mode and was on the cat perch as shown below. She was very comfortable with me doing very slow abalone TTouches on her body. She is so sensitive that I used a very light pressure with her, just barely enough to move the skin around in a circle. I did a pause at the end of each touch, and reminded myself to slow myself down and to keep the touches slow. She was comfortable with me doing these TTouches on her for a much longer period of time than is usual for her. I felt her back stretch out and her body really relax. Below you see her afterwards, taking a nap.

I really enjoy working with these two and they are continually reminding me to be patient, to stay in the moment and to truly meet them where they are.