Animals Speak to Me in Dreams

Especially since I began spending more time at Social Tees shelter over the past few months, my dreams are often filled with animals and sometimes animals I know or have known visit me in dreams. My own cat Garbanzo sometimes inhabits these dreams.

One particularly moving experience which I had recently:

There was a Russian blue cat which we had in the shelter whose health suddenly took a mysterious nose dive, her primary symptom being very labored breathing, which told us we needed to get her to the vet. Unfortunately the vet found that she had congestive heart failure and massive cancer inside her body, so they needed to euthanize her. I was very sad for this cat in so many ways - sad that her owners had given her up, probably knowing that she was very sick, sad that the cat must have felt so alone. She had such a very sweet, friendly personality, despite whatever difficulties she had been through.

The night following her passing, she came to me as I was half-asleep, though she came to me as a fuzzy little kitten, but with the same sweet face. She was surrounded with an aura of light. She told me that she was happy and free now, and not to worry. Then she scampered back off into the light. I send thanks to her so much for visiting me from the other side to tell me this. Animals can teach us so much about life, about being in the moment and about treasuring each moment, whether here or in the spirit world.

Extra TLC for Garbanzo

It has got to be one of the most difficult things when one of our own animals is sick, we want so badly to help them and to have them tell us what they are feeling. My cat Garbanzo, pictured above, is nearly 16 and has been hyperthyroid for a couple of years, and he has been going strong and his levels are kept stable w/medication (Methimazole), and we are giving him quite a few other natural supplements to keep his immune system strong. He generally has a very enthusiatic appetite (that is a euphemism!), so if he is not interested in eating, I know that something is very wrong.

He was not interested in eating for several days, but really didn't have a lot of other symptoms, other than his heart rate being a bit elevated from the usual (I have a stethescope and listen to his heart rate every couple of days), and vomiting a little bit. I was able to get him to eat just very tiny bits of wet food or baby food. I gave him a homeopathic remedy recommended by my homeopathic vet (who I consult over the phone) that usually helps when Garbanzo has had digestive issues, but it didn't seem to have much effect.

This was several days into this so I decided it was time to take him to the conventional vet we use. When I took him to the vet, it turned out his blood levels were normal (his thyroid rate actually came down a bit from last time we checked) except for the amylase level, so the vet had us give him some pepcid ac, along w/metameucil and a hairball remedy because he found that Garbanzo seemed constipated and thought that might account for the decreased appetite.

After the first time giving him the pepcid, still Garbanzo was not hungry, though I tried all kinds of bribe foods -- sardines, tuna, baby food, etc. Earlier that day, I had done Reiki on him and had felt a lot of heat in the lower area of his body, near his tail. He had responded very much to the Reiki, and I felt his body relax with the warmth of my hands. At this point I was very mystified as to what was going on and, of course, continued to be stressed and concerned, even though his blood levels had at least ruled out some scary things.

I did some TTouch very slowly down his body, using connected abalone touches going down his body, and really felt him release and relax. I also did ear strokes and raccoon touches around the outside of his mouth, which he really responds to. He looked at me with an expression that told me, "Don't worry, I'm going to be all right." I do TTouch on Garbanzo all the time but at times like this I really try to become more focused and specific on what I am doing with him.

I went to the shelter to help a few animals there, and when I returned, my guy Jeffrey said he had noticed a change in Garbanzo, that he seemed better. Garbanzo and Jeffrey are very connected and great buddies, and Jeffrey often does some TTouch on Garbanzo as well. I had brought home some sliced turkey with me, as that was a bribe food I had not tried. Before I even unwrapped the turkey, Garbanzo had come up to me with his "looking for food" dance, looking as though he is praying to the refridgerator. I gave him a bit of the turkey, and he scarfed it down like his regular old self, and when I then gave him some wet food, he ate that enthusiatically as well. Hooray! Since Saturday night, he has been getting back to his regular feisty, hungry self. I have continued to do Reiki and TTouch on Garbanzo to try to help him along the way as well.

What a relief that was. I also want to mention that I had some wonderful insights given to me by my friend, animal communicator Eileen Garfinkel, as she had checked in with Garbanzo. Thanks so much! Here's to Garbanzo, and his continued heath, I love that little guy!

TTouch in Santa Fe with Kathy Cascade

Hi, I'm writing from sunny Santa Fe, where I'm in the midst of a wonderful TTouch training with Kathy Cascade (http://spiritdog.com/). Each TTouch instructor who I have worked with has so generously shared their wealth of knowledge, and Kathy is no exception! Kathy is clear, focused and full of heart, and she has helped me to clarify some concepts in my mind which were somewhat muddy before, and has shared some new ways of looking at aspects of TTouch which have been very helpful to me as well. I look forward to the next days and learning much more.

Above, you see Kathy on the right and Jennifer on the left, with Jennifer's dog Booba in the middle. They are doing what is called the "homing pigeon" with Booba, who is generally quite fearful of new people and other dogs as she had a difficult past, and fortunately Booba hit the jackpot when the very kind and patient Jennifer adopted her. To get back to the "homing pigeon", this technique is very helpful in getting dogs accustomed to having a new person walk them on the leash, as with this technique both the owner and another person are leading the dog. Kathy and Jennifer are leading Booba through a labyrinth, which can really help a dog have focus, and can ultimately increase the confidence of the dog as well. Booba did quite well with this, and she has come a long way in the short space of several days.


The dear little fellow above is named Mr. Brown. He is quite the charmer, and I have had the pleasure of working with him several times over the past few days. He is a little shy of new folks but he, like all the other dogs in the training, is really coming along! Above, first you see Kathy giving treats to Mr. Brown as he gets accustomed to being able to leave his owner's side with less stress. Of course, he looks very stylish as well in his lovely t-shirt.

Then in this picture, you can see his new leash and halter setup with two points of contact on the harness (the leash is clipped on either side of the harness). The setup shown above is particularly effective for small dogs and puppies.

I'll be sharing more stories with you from the training soon!

Update from Social Tees

Today I went to work on the two cats above plus one other cat who I have been working on at Social Tees (http://www.socialtees.com), and we are continuing to make progress. I know the cat pictured on the bottom shelf above looks a bit sad - he is still somewhat reluctant about being touched but he is coming around. He just needs to be approached very quietly and slowly. I am hoping these cats will have a new home by the time I get back from Santa Fe, where I am going tomorrow for the next installment of the TTouch training.

After I finished working, I was talking to Robert (who runs Social Tees). We were standing outside of the shelter, and a woman came by and started to talk to us. She said that she had recently adopted a cat from the shelter, and that he was sweet and not aggressive at all, and was getting along very well with her other cat. It turned out that this was the cat I had worked on in the first two sessions who had been adopted! I was so happy to hear he was doing so well in his new home. She named the cat Matt, which is her brother's name, and she gave the cat this name because she thinks he is so much like her brother, who is a very sweet person. What a lovely way to end the week.

Staying in the Moment at Social Tees

Hi folks, today I was back at the shelter at Social Tees (http://www.socialtees.com/) to continue doing Ttouch on the two boy cats I have been working on, one a tabby and white kitty and one all-tabby kitty. I believe they are sisters, or at least pals. The all-tabby girl has been much more reluctant in general but has been coming around little by little, and the other has quickly turned around and has gone from not wanting to be touched at all to enjoying being touched all over her body. Today I was able to do ear TTouch, clouded leopard and chimp TTouch all over her body and head, including her lower back which was initially very tight and got somewhat looser as I worked.

The all-tabby cat hissed a bit as I first approached her, so I started out doing light circles w/the wand and ace bandage "corndog". I alternated working on one cat, then the other. Then when I went back to the all-tabby cat, she continued to look reluctant and I felt myself let go of my expectations and accept that it might be right to simply continue with the wand, if she was not ready for my hand. However, a little later, I asked her if it was ok to touch him with my hand. She seemed to be OK so I talked softly to her as I started to do light, slow llama ttouches on her back. She was settling down and her eyes began to look sleepy. Then I continued and worked up to her head and a little bit on her ears. I gave her a little break and when I went back to working on her again, I was able to work quite a bit on her body, including his lower back which was also quite tight. She got more and more comfortable as I worked, as if she was realizing that indeed this was an enjoyable experience, and that I was not going to do something that would hurt her. And one of the turning points seemed to come when I let go of what I wanted to happen and was able to be truly in the moment with her.

I look forward to working more on these two cats and I hope they will be able to be adopted soon. If you are looking to adopt a kitty and are in NYC, check Social Tees out!

The New Gang at Whiskers, Brooklyn in da House

Yesterday when I arrived at Whiskers, kitty Brooklyn (above in his cat tent) had two new friends, Beyonce (the grey and pink girl) and Hamilton (the orange and white boy).

When I entered the window cat enclosure, Hamilton was on a perch up near the ceiling, hidden, Beyonce was hiding behind a cat bed near the litter box, and Brooklyn was in a cat tent. I approached them one by one very quietly and carefully.

First I approached Brooklyn in his cat tent. I asked him if it was all right to touch him. He was very shy, but let me touch him on his head and a bit of llama touch on his body. Then he hissed, so I used the wand a little bit and then backed off.

I then approached Beyonce, asking her if I could touch her and she was receptive right away, rubbing herself against me. I was able to do TTouch on her ears and all over her body. After a few minutes I moved away from her and more out in the open in the enclosure. I called to her and she slowly came out to me. Once she came to me out in the open section in the window she stayed there, receiving more TTouch and rubbing herself against me. There was a soft cat bed near where she was and she started kneading that with her claws. We did this for a while, then I gave her a break.

By this time, Hamilton was peering at me with his little face and paws hanging over his perch. I used the wand and corndog to do circles on his head and face, which he responded to and rubbed against the corndog. I then touched his ears and head with my hand. Soon came down from his perch and I did clouded leopard touches, hair slides (which all 3 cats really responded well to), chimp ttouch, zigzag and more ear touch. He was really craving the attention. I began to alternate between him and Beyonce, and before too long, both cats were in close proximity to each other and very eager to receive TTouch. He began kneading the soft cat bed with his paws, which was calming to him, and I was able to do TTouch on him for quite an extended period, as he kept nuzzling against me for more.

For a while I was working on Hamilton and Beyonce simultaneously. Sometimes I would just have my hand resting on Hamilton's back while I was doing slow clouded leopard touch on Beyonce. They seemed to be getting more and more comfortable with each other while this was happening.

Every once in a while I would then go back to Brooklyn very quietly. He was still very shy, so for a while, I would just do a few circles with the corndog and then back off. Sometimes he would initially hiss but if I persisted and just did light circles on his body or head with the corndog, the hissing stopped and he settled down. Later, after I had done a considerable amount of TTouch on the other two cats on every inch of their body and head, he was peering out of his tent, and I did some light, very slow raccoon touches and stroking of his ear, and he was blinking at me.

I was toning nearly the entire time I was doing all of this, which created a very calm bubble of space inside the enclosure. Both Hamilton and Beyonce began to groom themselves, and when I left, Beyonce was sleeping on the cat bed out in the open and Hamilton was on a perch more out in the open. I blinked at Brooklyn before I left and I know that he began to trust me more by the end of the session. I am holding good thoughts for all three of these dear beings to be in new homes soon! Please contact Whiskers (http://1800whiskers.com/)

if you would like to adopt any of these beautiful cats.

More Quiet Moments in the Shelter

Yesterday I went back to Social Tees (http://socialtees.com/), and one of the three kitties I had worked with has been adopted, yay! So I spent my time there yesterday with these two little sisters pictured here, who are the other two I have been working with. The striped girl in the front has been the most reluctant of the three to being touched (let's call her Kitty 1), and the white-and-tabby girl in the back (Kitty 2) has been the most accepting of being touched. Kitty 1 looks a little grumpy here, maybe it was because I interrupted doing TTouch to take a picture!) I started out as I have before, standing with my body sideways to the cage, using a wand with the ace bandage (corndog) on the end, doing small circles on the back of Kitty 1 first, then gradually doing some small circles with the corn dog on her head, toning the entire time. I actually started toning (speaking in a calm, low, soft voice) before I started doing TTouch on the cats, telling them I to be v-e-r-y quiet, that I would touch them v-e-r-y softly, etc. I think of Linda Tellington especially when I do the toning, as she has a very special way of toning that is so relaxing.
I had not touched Kitty 1 on her head before, so I did not know what would happen, but she really liked it. I continued with the corn dog on her head and body, then alternated to Kitty 2, using the wand and corn dog on her body and then her head.
I took some deep breaths and slowly reached in to try doing some TTouch with my hand. First I did it with a leather glove on, first one cat and then the other, light llama touches to see what the reaction would be. There seemed to be a general bubble of calm and the cats were blinking at me. Then I tried working with my bare hand on Kitty 2 first, on her body and head, raccoon touches on her head and then stroking her ears, and she was quite happy with this. She was very settled and just got more relaxed as I continued. As I had to reach over Kitty 1 to do this, she was also feeling my arm brush against her and she was also relaxing, and closing her eyes more, as I continued toning as I did this. As Kitty 2 was so accepting, I think it helped Kitty 1 to trust me more. I went then to Kitty 1, a little scared to touch her on the head as she can try to bite, but she was fine with this, and let me continue doing raccoon touch on her head, stroke her ears and do gentle touches on her body. I alternated doing between the two cats, so that each could have a break. So by the end of the session, I had been able to touch these cats all over their bodies and heads, whereas they had been reluctant to being touched at all just a week or two ago. This morning when I woke up, I saw myself doing TTouch on them again in my mind and am holding such good thoughts for these girls to have a wonderful home soon.

Fiona and Banksy

AAAAH! No, don't worry, I didn't torture this cat, she is simply letting out a large yawwwwnn after receiving some TTouch. On Friday I worked on two of my brother Pierre and family's animals (there are two more cats, a bunny, turtles, am I missing anybody), Fiona and Banksy. Fiona gets a bit stressed out because the dog is always wanting to tease her and play with her and the other cats. The family has also recently moved to a new space, so that is taking some time for to get used to for everyone, I'm sure. I did some slow chimp TTouch and Abalone circles on her, which she loved, and made her very sleepy. She wasn't so fond of the ear touch at the moment since she has had some problems with ear infection, but she was ok with small raccoon touches around the base of the ear. I am finding that working around the base of the ear is often a good way to get an animal used to being touched on the ear if they are hesitant at first. I used a very light touch (1 pressure) because she is SO sensitive.

And, here is Banksy, a young, lively, sweet Tibetan terrier. Not to mention adorable! I had not seen him for a bunch of months and he has calmed down substantially since his youngest puppy days. However, he is still bursting with life! I tried doing a wrap on him which initially seemed like a good idea but he got a hold of one of the tied-off ends of the wrap and suddenly it became a chew-toy. At the suggestion of some of my other TTouch-ers, next time I will try putting the ends underneath, and if he still does the same thing, try something else and go back to it. Anyway, he did enjoy receiving TTouch on his body and on his ears. I did have to do lighter pressure on his ears though as that seems to be a place he is not accustomed to being touched. We also tried some different leash configurations in Pierre's hallway: the balance leash and the balance plus with his collar, and then we tried him walking with a step-in halter on, which is a new feeling for him. He was a little confused with the halter at first but got used to it fairly quickly. The balance leash is constructed by using a simple collar and leash, then looping the leash around in front of his chest from left to right, then standing on the dog's right hand side and holding the leash doubled over coming from the left and the end of the leash on the right. I'll have to take a picture of him with it on to clarify soon! The balance plus is similar, but with the leash under the left leg. Banksy seemed to be pleased with the balance leash, at least within the controlled environment of the hall. It was raining outside, so we will have to try this all with the added crazy NYC stimulus of outsideness next time. I also want to have a chat w/Banksy about the cats and see if we can get a more amenable relationship going there too. Banksy means well, I think he doesn't realize that the cats are frightened by the way he approaches them when he is trying to play with them.

A Few Thoughts on a Friday

I have been in contact with my fellow TTouchers, including Linda Tellington herself, for advice on the work I've been doing with the animals. One thing she reminded me of is how important INTENTION is when doing this work, and also remaining in the moment and not being focused on outcome.
Something else floated around in my mind last night. I could see the faces of the animals I had worked on during the day so clearly in my mind and I could feel from them how sweet their intentions were, and the power of their longing for love and contact. In so many of these animals with difficult backgrounds there is simply the barrier of fear there that keeps them from what they long for so much. Of course, "simply" is not the right word to use exactly as it is not so simple, but I think when there is a point of clear realization by the animals that you are approaching them with the most gentle and loving intention, then they are able to release that fear. They always seem so relieved at that moment, you can sometimes feel them sigh as though they are thinking "oh, finally, yes, I am comfortable in this moment in time and space and can truly relax."
Have a great weekend everyone! more adventures to come soon!

Wrapping at the Gym

Here is Lily, a dear young Doberman (thankfully with ears and tail still intact) who I met at my local gym, and who was adopted from Social Tees by one of the gym staff recently. Her owner brings her to the gym, where she snuggles up under the front desk. She has a sweet disposition and is friendly but is fearful of noisy situations and people, so I offered to do a wrap and some TTouch on her. The wrap (this is actually called a "half-wrap") was immediately effective on Lily, whose body had been shaking and stopped shaking completely once the wrap was on. She seemed a bit confused at first since this was a new feeling, but she settled into it. I did some TTouch on her with the wrap on but the wrap alone seemed to be so dramatic an effect, I didn't want to do too much with her in one fell swoop.

I then let her be and soon she was cuddled up in her spot under the desk, sleeping with a very peaceful look on her face.

Quiet Moments in a Shelter

Wow, the power of TTouch never ceases to amaze me. Today I went to Social Tees http://www.socialtees.com/, a shelter on East 4th St in the East Village in NYC. I was asked to work with several semi-feral cats who did not want to be touched. One of the staff tried to touch all three of these cats and though they did not bite, they turned away and/or hissed, as though they were afraid that the touch was going to hurt them. Two cats were in one cage and the third was in a separate cage in a separate room. First I worked on the two cats in one cage. I alternated between them with very slow, light circles using a thin wooden dowel with an ace bandage wrapped around one end, which we call a corn-dog. The circles were done with the ace bandage (corn-dog) end of the stick touching the animal on its side, the wand slowly moved in a circle and a quarter. After a while, both cats calmed substantially and I could feel a calm in our space, even though the shelter environment is quite busy. Especially the smaller cat in the cage became quite sleepy, and both were giving me calming signals. Then I took some deep breaths and moved on to try some very light llama ttouches, done using the back of the hand and moving the hand in a circle and a quarter. I did these on the body of both these cats. They were both quite receptive to this as well, and remained calm. Hooray! Then I did the work with the wand and corn-dog on the third cat but unfortunately time did not permit as much work. He was initially very skeptical and hissed at me but calmed right down after doing a few gentle circles on him. I am so grateful for this work, and look forward to returning to the shelter and doing more TTouch on the animals there. I also reflected on how doing TTouch is like making art , it is not me making the work, I am merely a vessel through which the magic of the work travels. And, last but not least, if any of you NYC folks are looking to adopt a cat or dog, check these folks out, they have many animals, particularly cats, seeking homes.

Esme, a delightful pit bull

Pit Bulls can undeservedly really get a bad name, especially recently. They just need people to treat them right.

I had the absolute pleasure of working on such a sweet Pit Bull named Esme, who you see above, first with me, then giving a big smile, and then with her foster mom, Nicole (who is an animal communicator, you can find out more about her at http://nicolefitzgerald.com/). Nicole has been an awesome foster mom and has helped Esme bring out more and more of her sweet self! As you can see in the photos, she also has a darling smile and such cute ears - I love this girl! This dog is ready to find a loving forever home, and following is some information on her if you are interested in doing that.

"Meet Esme, a beautiful one year old pit mix. This lovable girl has great ears, is full of life and is ready to snuggle! She was rescued with her puppies from a shelter in Atlanta, and is looking for her forever home. She's about 37 pounds and not likely to get much bigger -- a great size and very manageable. She loves attention, children, going to the park, playing with other dogs and napping with her people. She is house-trained, crate-trained, walks well on a leash, rides well in a car, and has had some basic obedience training with her foster family. Esme is very smart and eager to please, so she will be a great family pet. Esme can't wait to meet you and show you what a great addition she'd be to your home! She's been spayed, microchipped, and is dewormed and up-to-date on her shots. Please contact Laura for an adoption application. HOTSHOT824@AOL.COM"

TTouch at Whiskers

Hi everyone, what a week! Last week I took my next installment of TTouch training with Linda Tellington-Jones, wow. But I'll have to get back on that later, because I need to sort through my photos etc.

Meanwhile, today I went to work on three cats in the Rescue Ranch at Whiskers Holistic Pet Care: Wilma, the lovely cat with one missing eye but such a dear soul, and the charming duo of Lokai (Black with white boots etc) and Bele (white with black spots). All three are up for adoption at Whiskers on 9th Street between Second and Third Ave in NYC so give them a call if you are interested 1-800-WHISKERS or 212-979-2532, 1800whiskerscom.

Wilma is an extremely shy girl and did not want to be touched or approached at first. But I found that once I started doing TTouch on Lokai and Bele, she came closer and closer to me. Then she decided it was coziest for her under a towel which was in between the wall and my bag, and she let me do TTouch for a long time there. She laid down and went to sleep there, and seemed to be so relieved to be so relaxed there. I think having only the one eye makes her more fearful of the world but am grateful that I was able to help her feel more relaxed and less fearful. I think once she is reminded of that feeling she will be less shy, as I felt she deeply craves the warmth and security of contact and love. Lokai and Bele are two extremely friendly, sweet guys and are used to being together. Bele seems like the older brother and Lokai looks to Bele to see what to do next. They both loved TTouch and gave me kisses to encourage me to do more. I was happy to have the opportunity to do this and feel that a breakthrough was reached with Wilma. I truly felt that all three of these cats are dear beings and dreaming of a cozy home, so please give Whiskers a call if you can do that :)

Here are Jordyn's cats, first Jinx and then Dura, both very lovely animals, as you can see. I am doing some gentle Abalone Ttouch on Jinx and Lying Leopard TTouch on Dura. Both these animals have reminded me of a key concept in TTouch when dealing with the animals, which is to "meet them where they are." Jinx takes a while to warm up to people, and so I have just worked on him in short burst, doing a few Ttouches, then coming back and trying again. Dura is an older gentleman and extremely sensitive and so needs to really be listened to. He has generally been relaxed and receptive when I worked on him in his own space, but these photos were taken at the next-door neighbors, where he was not so comfortable, so I just used the very lightest pressure and most soothing types of TTouch such as the Abalone TTouch, the Llama TTouch (doing a circle and a quarter using the back of the hand) and the Lying Leopart TTouch. I look forward to working more on both of these animals and hope to help them be more at ease with unfamiliar people and/or situations.