Slow and Steady with two Fearful Cats: Pearl and Georgi Girl (and a bit about Amy) at Bideawee Westhampton

Some months ago, I began to travel to Westhampton Bideawee to offer TTouch and Reiki to the cats there, in addition to volunteering at the facility in Manhattan.  This happened as a result of two Manhattan cats being transferred to Westhampton - but that is another story which I will explore at another time.

 Above: Pearl

As my heart particularly connects with feral and fearful cats, of course I was drawn to Pearl and Georgi Girl.

Above: Georgi Girl

Pearl and Georgi Girl were abandoned in carriers outside of the Adoption Center back in July. They were in separate carriers from one another and there was a note attached. The note said that the girls' original owner became ill and went to a nursing home and left the two cats behind with no one to care for them. The note was written by a neighbor who had taken over the responsibility of caring for them. The neighbor then had to move, and explained that the neighborhood was hostile towards cats, and they feared for the cats' lives if she left them behind. They provided the names, and a description of each of them, so the shelter could tell who was Georgi Girl, and who was Pearl. They wrote on the note "Please take care of us, you are our only hope."

Upon meeting the two girls, I could tell how scared they were.  And at the time, I did not know their whole story, and did not realize they had been in a home previously.  I just knew that they had been dumped at the shelter.  Actually I didn't know that they had previously been in a home until quite recently.  

So I thought that they were feral, because of their behavior.  They seemed so dazed and were afraid of anyone approaching them.  Yet I could tell right away that they are so gentle and sweet under the fear.  They remind me a great deal of my dear formerly-feral cats, Lulu and Natalia. 

Initially, they were in a cage, but fortunately the shelter soon had a nice room available for them to live in, where they have shelves to climb in, cozy hidey places to hang out, etc.

 TTouch with the handle of a paintbrush with Pearl

  Right away it became clear that Pearl was the less shy of the two - she would allow just a tiny bit of touch.  She was wary of tools as well as hands, so I kept switching up the tool that I was using with her.  Sometimes it was a paintbrush, sometimes a toothbrush, sometimes the handle of a paintbrush.  Sometimes she preferred a hand to a tool.  

 TTouch with a toothbrush with Pearl

But it was in tiny increments of just a few seconds.  I would let the Reiki flow the whole time I was there, so that she and Georgi Girl could feel the calming energy. I could see both of them relaxing their eyes and their bodies with the energy.  

I also spoke to them in a gentle, slow, calm voice, and they both respond to that as well.  

I have tried to connect with Georgi Girl with the tools, and touching her with a tool is still too scary for her, so I most often will work with her with Reiki, and with "Air TTouches".  I do the air TTouches either with a tool or with my hand, quite far away from Georgi Girl, sometimes even several feet or more away.  I do the circular motion of a TTouch, and then usually a pause or slide.  And my internal feeling, intention and energy is as though I were touching her.  And I feel that connection with her as I do it, that our energies connect.  It is a very definite feeling.  And I can see her respond as I am "touching" her.

 Georgi Girl

Here is a video which shows some of the processes I have done with these two kitties:

In the first part of the video, you see me connecting with Pearl with gentle play.  This can be a great way to help shift the dynamic with a cat if they are afraid to be touched at first.  And it is always done so it is at their comfort level.  Pearl didn't want to come out of her cave just yet, so I let her just reach for the mouse from where she was.

 Pearl

Another great tool to use with Pearl was treats, Temptation Treats in the yellow package, to be more specific.  I found right away that she is very treat-motivated.  Little by little I was able to urge her to come closer to me for the treats, even to come out of the cave.  And in later sessions, she would come right out of the cave for the treats.  As she grew comfortable with this, I was able to touch her occasionally while she was eating.  Mostly, she was too hesitant to do that though.
But Pearl did start to be more receptive to touch in general, just a tiny bit at a time.  I would do literally just a few TTouches or strokes under her chin, or on the side of her face, then give her a break, then try again in a while.

Above: Georgi Girl

Georgi Girl is too afraid to play, or to take treats, or to let me touch her still, but is continuing to respond to air TTouches and Reiki at a distance, and her face looks more open when I see her now, rather than being terrified that I am in the room.

Amy and me

For a short time, there was an orange and white senior kitty named Amy who was in their room.  Amy had just recently arrived at the shelter (she was surrendered by her owner who is in poor physical condition and couldn't care for her), and so she was scared to be there, but loves people.  

I immediately made a connection with Amy, and she has a REALLY loud purr.  So when I came in the room, the room would resonate with Amy's purr.  

Though Amy and the girls did not appear to want to have much to do with each other, I think there was something about Amy purring and being so comfortable that helped them.  

One day I sat on a couch in the room, with Amy near me, purring away, and the other kitties in their respective cozy places, and I felt such a positive and peaceful feeling throughout the room, connecting all of us.  Calm music was playing on the radio, adding to the beautiful feeling of unity and connection. 

I had been working very steadily and gradually with the girls, and was really happy with their progress, but nothing prepared me for the breakthrough that happened a couple of weeks ago with Pearl.
I entered their room and saw right away that the cave beds had been removed, probably to clean them.  I wondered if they were scared not to have them in there, but Pearl was out and about, and when I said hi to her, she came up to me, purring, and began to rub her head against my hand.  After she did this for a minute, she would get momentarily scared and run away, but then if I called to her again, she would come up to me again and rub and purr.  

It is hard to describe in words the joy one can feel when that beautiful kind of connection can happen, when an animal really trusts you, when you feel that you have been able to reach through the fear and touch the heart of another being.  It has to be one of the most beautiful things that one can experience.

It is interesting, too, that Pearl was now responding to the type of voice that I had been using with Amy.  Instead of a really quiet voice, it was a happy friendly voice, like "hey Pearlie! what's going on Pearlie? such a good girl", that kind of thing.  Not a loud voice, but an enthusiastic happy voice.  I had started using that voice with Amy when I first met her, just intuitively.  It worked, and just felt right.  And now, it seemed that Pearl was ready for that kind of voice. 
Please do have a look at the video embedded in this post, and if you have any trouble accessing it, it is on my youtube channel, 
direct link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKSVTLDJwtc

I look forward to seeing these girls again soon, and to my continued work with them.  They are such beautiful, gentle souls.  It is such a delight to see Pearlie actually enjoying contact with me.  

I feel that it is only a matter of time, patience, and continued love and work with Georgi Girl before she follows Pearl in feeling comfortable with being touched.  Usually when there is one in a pair that starts to feel more comfortable, it will help the other to come along, at least to the extent they are able. And in the meantime I will give her all the time and space she needs for that.
 
Thank you so much Bideawee.  It is a pleasure and honor to work with the dear animals in your shelters, and thank you so much for taking these dear girls in and for all the love and care you show to the animals. xoxo

Keeping Things Interesting: Update on Sylvie at Downtown Veterinary Clinic

I have been working for a while with dear Sylvie at Downtown Veterinary Clinic.  Sylvie was taken in by the clinic after having been abandoned on the streets of New York City in a roller suitcase.

She was terrified at first, understandably, and was very distrustful of people and of other animals, hissing and swatting at anyone who came near her. 

I have been working with her very slowly and carefully using a combination of Reiki, TTouch, treats, play, and some other tools and tricks.  Reiki is wonderful because I do not have to touch her physically for her to feel the calming energy.  So on days when she is not in the mood to be touched, I will just sit near her and let the Reiki flow.  She has been comfortable with more and more contact over time, and is more at ease with me just sitting near her.   

However, a couple of weeks ago, I felt like she was starting to be a bit more withdrawn again, I think as there had temporarily been more traffic of people and animals in the office area where she is living.  I knew I had to throw something new into the mix to capture her interest and help her fear subside. 

When you are working with an animal and things are feeling as though they are stuck or moving backwards, I think it is helpful to follow your intuition and try something new.  As the TTouches do their magic by working with non-habitual movements, adding some variety into an animal's routine can often help you move forward with them.  In the case of cats, you need to use sense and sensitivity, as cats are generally resistant to change.  But changing something as simple as bringing in a new toy or treat can do the trick!

I brought some baby food and a long soda fountain-type spoon (all-meat baby food without onion such as turkey or chicken, Gerbers is generally a good brand) to see if she would like that as a treat.  I also brought a long piece of string, as some cats really enjoy playing with it.  [FYI please never leave string around, as your cat may chew and swallow it.  Always supervise your pet when playing with them with a piece of string, and put it away safely when done.]

Sylvie was sitting on a shelf when I arrived.  First I fed her a bit of the baby food, which she liked.  But when I pulled out the piece of string, her face truly lit up.  She jumped off the shelf to come down on the floor and play.  We did this for quite a while.  I moved the string closer and closer to me, and she ended up sitting right next to me comfortably. 

We did some TTouch there, first with a flat wooden craft stick that looks like a doctor's tongue depressor, and then directly with my hand.  I also gave her a few Temptation treats. 

After we played, she settled right by me, resting her foot right on my foot.  The sweetness of the trust of that was just so powerful and moving.

In the latest sessions with her, I have continued to present her with the string when I get there, and she usually jumps right down to play with me.  Her other new thing which is very sweet is that she likes to come down and sit right by my bag.  Part of that may well be that treats and toys come from that bag, but she also seems to feel safe sitting there, as she feels safe sitting next to me.

The other resident cat, Mama, often tries to join in, which is hard for Sylvie as she is not sure about Mama even though Mama is very gentle and sweet.  But when that happens I sit right in between them and that seems to work out well.  And it was interesting that the first time I brought the string, Mama sat off to the side and watched, as if she knew that Sylvie needed the time alone with me.

Just bringing this simple new toy started a whole new level of progress and comfort with Sylvie, which I am so pleased to see.  Her face and body posture are starting to be much more relaxed than they were.  She used to have a very pinched, pulled in expression on her face and that is starting to change.  Her eyes are more open and more relaxed.

Other people in the clinic are noticing the progress, and are able to have more positive interactions with her. 

It makes me smile to see her feeling better! And I know that the progress will continue.  And if things get static again, it is time to try something new:) 

Thank you to the Clinic for all your love and care, and thank you Sylvie for trusting me.  Much love as always  xxoo

The Power of Patience: TTouch with Pumpkin

 

 

Pumpkin is a dear little cat, probably about 2 years old, who I have been working with through Tavi and Friends, Mayor's Alliance and the Picasso Veterinary Fund.  Apparently he had been kept in a basement for a long time, with very little contact.

When he first arrived (photo above is from early on), he was quite shy, and could suddenly get very insecure and hiss or meow very loudly.  I remember the first time I picked him up, he meowed so loudly, it sounded like I was touching him somewhere that hurt him, but it was just that he was terrified. 

I began to do TTouches just a little bit at a time with him.  Fortunately, in the space where he is, he can be let out of the cage so that I can do a few TTouches, let him walk around and come back to me as he likes.  As I do with the other cats in this space, I let him out without any of the other cats, so we can really have a private space, without intervention from any of the others.

Initially, I would literally do a few TTouches on his head or body, then he would walk away from me, then come back to me when he was ready for more. 

Over time, he was more and more responsive to the TTouches, and was right at the front of his cage when I got to the space, putting his paw through the holes in the cage door and meowing to me to let him out.  He would still come to me and go away from me, but would settle for longer and longer periods of time.  I kneeled, crouched or sat on the floor so I would be on his level.  I mostly sat or kneeled up until very recently, because I wanted to be able to stand up or move easily if I started to feel he was getting scared and/or needed more space.

At first it was a bit of a trick getting him to go back in his cage.  Sometimes I would lure him with toys to get him to go back in, because he seemed so frightened of being picked up.  As I continued to do the TTouches with him, I tried to gradually work towards his stomach area.  Just even doing a few TTouches on his side, approaching the stomach area, was good progress. 

Over time, he became more and more at ease in general.  And one day I found I was able to pick him up with no reaction from him at all!  I still would use gloves to pick him up in case he got suddenly frightened, but he has been quite comfortable with me picking him up for some time now. 

And the more he has gotten to know me, the more he has been seeking attention, purring and rubbing his head and body into my hands.  Initially, I would have to be especially mindful of his body language, as he could suddenly get frightened and it was as though a switch flipped back to a very fearful state, meowing loudly and maybe swatting or hissing.  These changes have happened less and less -- actually it is hard to remember when it happened last with me. 

He recognizes the energy of the TTouches and will settle down right next to me.  He especially responds to raccoon and chimp TTouches on his forehead area and to abalone, chimp and clouded leopard TTouches on his body.  I have been more and more able to do TTouches around his mouth area as well, which is a great area to work if you can do so safely, as the mouth area connects with the limbic system, which has to do with the emotions.

 

The past couple of sessions, we have broken through to another level.  As you can see above, Pumpkin is now starting to come and snuggle with me, aww! 
What has been beautiful to see is how the TTouches truly can help to change the way he reacts to contact and the way he reacts to situations that previously would be stressful for him (such as being picked up).  And it is as though a fearful exterior has given way to his true inner self, which is a sweet, affectionate cat who will be delighted to connect with a person once he gets to know them.
He will need a patient person to adopt him, someone who can give him the time and space to become comfortable.  Given time, space, love and understanding, he will be such a loving and sweet companion.
Love you Pumpkin! and thanks to all the other folks involved with him, Tavi, Mayor's Alliance and PVF, for giving so much him and other animals like him.
xo