TTouch and Reiki at Bideawee with Jungle - a New Adventure Begins

Jungle recently arrived at Bideawee from a city shelter.  I had been told that he was quite a rambunctious and feisty young cat.

The minute I saw him, he came right to the front of the cage, putting his paws through.  I could feel his heart so wanting to connect, but his body not understanding that there are better ways to connect with people than grabbing them with your paws :) 

I started trying to do some TTouches with him with a paintbrush, and his first impulse was to hit it with his paw or to try to chew it.  That can happen sometimes, and I tried letting him play with one brush and then TTouching him with another.

I soon realized that did not feel like the best approach for him - that he was continuing to be in an over-stimulated mode, as he was getting more into a play mode than a relaxed mode.

When doing this work, I always have to keep my mind and body open to trying something new, to trying a new approach.  And the key is really to stop and listen to the animal.  By "listen", I mean to really connect with them and listen to where they are and to what will help them to feel safe.

I physically and mentally took a step back, and explained to Jungle that I was there to help him.  That everything was all right, that he was very safe.  I spoke to him in a very quiet, slow, gentle voice.  I had been sending Reiki energy all the while, but at this point felt a very strong flow of the energy.

While I did this, he got onto a little platform inside his cage into a comfortable, lying-down position.

His eyes began to look more relaxed and connected with me in a way which felt like "ok, I'm ok, I can trust you".

I knew this was a good position to try to start again, this time with a different approach.

Sometimes an animal prefers a hard surface to a soft one.  So I turned the paintbrushes around.  I have a wider, flat paintbrush (about two inches wide), with a wooden rounded end to the handle.  So I gently did a couple of circular TTouches on the outside of Jungle's mouth.  This time he didn't paw at me, but even leaned into it the slightest bit. 

Then I stood away, letting him get back into his laying down position.  I tried this again, and again he was responsive.  I continued in this way for a bit. 

As I worked with him, I could feel more and more that energetic connection and the flow of energy in between us.  Whenever I feel this first connection with an animal, particularly one who is guarded because of whatever they may have been through, I nearly always feel tears come to my eyes because of the power and beauty of this pure connection, and such honor at the level of generosity and trust that I feel from the animal, that they are letting me into their world.

Next, Jungle came forward to eat from his bowl.  I didn't want him to stop eating, but did want to see if he would let me touch him while he was eating.  I took the end of the smaller paintbrush (with a wooden handle which had a smaller, but not sharply pointed tip) and began to do some small circular TTouches on the top of his head. At first he stopped briefly, but then went back to eating, so I continued, and he became comfortable with that. 

After he finished eating, he came to the front of the cage again, sticking his paws through. 

With the paintbrushes and other tools that I use for TTouch, I will try different surfaces, including the handles, ends, and sides of them, as every animal is different as to what they prefer.

I took the flat, wide side of the handle of the brush and put it against one of his paws, very gently doing a circular TTouch.  That was something different for him.  And he didn't pull his paw away or try to dig his claws in.  He remained there.  So I was able to do a couple of these with both of his paws, and then paused. 

Like the space between the notes in music, the space of these pauses with the animal can be so important.  These pauses allow the animal to process, to shift their position, and then they are ready to try again. 

I continued to work with Jungle in this way, trying a few TTouches with the end of the handle of the brush if he was up on the platform, or a couple of TTouches on his paw if he came forward and put it towards me.  Sometimes I had the cage slightly open and sometimes I had it closed - I didn't want him to escape, so I was careful with this. 

In between, I would wait for him to go back up on the platform and get into his more restful position. 

At one point, he got really snuggly, rubbing and then resting his head against a soft ball as you see in the photo below.  When I left, he looked very comfortable, and his eyes were more open and relaxed, as you see in the photos. 

I think we got off to a great start, and I can't wait to see him again. 

Thanks, as always to the great people at Bideawee for all the loving care they give to these animals. xo

TTouch at Bideawee: Calvin - Quiet Moments of Connection with a Shy Kitten

Calvin is an adorable, charming eight month old kitty at Bideawee.  He is very playful, and one can tell that he is interested in contact.  If you sit in the room with him, he will slowly come closer.  But he is fearful of a person reaching towards him, and will generally run away.  He is not aggressive in the least - he will move away, not lash out.

I initially worked with him when he was in a cage.  I used a paintbrush, and Kerrie McKeon (one of the main keepers of the cats at Bideawee, who I initially met during TTouch training) and I both found that Calvin responded to little TTouches on his head.  He also liked treats, so that was helpful to lure him forward as well.

Soon afterwards, he was put in the kitten room, so I began to work with him in that setting. 

Initially I tried playing with him with a string toy, then stroking him with the wand of the toy.  This was a little helpful but it also seemed he was a bit fearful of the wand.  I felt he wanted to be touched with something softer.  But something different than a paintbrush.

I sat quietly and did some TTouch with another kitten in the room for a few minutes, and gave Calvin a chance to settle in a safe place underneath a little platform.  He was watching me all the while. 


I slowly moved towards him, and held out a soft little toy towards him.  He rubbed his face against it, so I stroked the side of his face with it, and did some circular TTouches there as well.  I then paused, to see what would happen next. 

His body language told me he was a bit more comfortable.  He was blinking at me, and lying in a more comfortable position.  I repeated what I had done, and this time, after doing TTouches with the toy, I used the back of my finger to do a few of the circular TTouches and strokes along the outside of his mouth. I could feel him lean into it a bit.  I did this a very short time, as I didn't want him to get suddenly scared.

So after giving him a few minutes, he moved to another place in the room where he seemed to feel safe, again a bit underneath something, but not hidden.  I repeated what I had done before, very quietly speaking to him, and again, he began to very gently push into my hand.

The next time I worked with him, we did this same process again, and he is getting more comfortable with it.  I know that this may sound like a very small step, but it is a very big step for him, and I think it is so important to work in these increments so that at any given point the animal continues to feel safe, instead of being overwhelmed and scared.  And progress will actually be quicker if the animal is not pushed too much so that it continues to get scared. 

Each time I work with him, I give him a chance to get into a comfortable position, and then quietly approach him there.  And I make sure to pause frequently, either sitting quietly with him or playing with one of the other kittens to give him a break. 

Another advantage to playing with or TTouching one of the other kittens in the enclosure is that he will see me having a positive interaction with the other kitten, and that gives him more confidence as well.   He often starts moving towards us when I am working with or playing with another kitten.

Over time, with this gradual process, the animal learns that it can trust, and that it will be treated gently, and listened to. And one of the next delightful steps is that the animal then begins to approach you, seeking connection.

Look forward to seeing you soon, Calvin! xo

TTouch and Reiki at Bideawee: Update on Selena

Ever since I began doing TTouch with Selena two weeks ago, her whole demeanor has begun to change, you can see it in her body language, her face and her whole vibe.  It is such a joy to see this dear cat opening up and feeling so much more at ease.

Today when I went to work with her, the minute she saw me she started reaching to me through the cage.  We let her out of the cage and she went on top of one of the cages where there is a cozy place for her to settle, and I began doing TTouches with the paintbrush and, at times, directly with my fingers.  She was leaning into the brush, moving into my hand, really enjoying the contact.

At one point I took a break and began to work with another cat, Pasqualino (more about him at another time), and she came down from where she was and began walking towards me.  She walked right up to me, looked up at me as if to ask if she could come on my lap and I tapped my lap, encouraging her to do so, and up she came.  I wanted to be sure she didn't suddenly get scared once she was there, as she can have moments where she gets frightened or overstimulated, so I stayed still, with one of my hands there in case she wanted to rub into it.  It is a very gentle dance, letting her take the lead.  She began to rub her head into my hand, and stayed on my lap for several minutes.  She did this several times during the time I was there.

It is so delightful to see her opening up, to see her looking so much more at ease.  Look forward to seeing you soon, Selena!