Less is More with Val

Val is a beautiful grey tabby who I've been working with at BARC Shelter in Brooklyn. She has been returned a couple of times. She can be very affectionate, but in the middle of being affectionate she can suddenly flip and scratch a person very hard.

I have dealt with quite a few cats that have tendencies in this direction, and it is most helpful to work with them just a very little bit at a time, with frequent breaks. Usually after quietly and diligently working in this way, the cat can little by little have contact for longer periods of time, but it is always important to stay in the moment with them and watch their body language and to stop and give them a break the minute you even start to see a movement which shows they are getting overstimulated (tail twitching, head pulling back, eyes getting big, etc).

To be on the very safe side, I have been primarily working with Val through the bars of her cage. I wait for her to come to me, then do a few slow zigzag TTouches, chimp TTouches or llama TTouches as she rubs against the bars of the cage, or some raccoon TTouches on her head when her head is close to the bars. The chimp and llama TTouches use the back surfaces of the fingers, so those are less stimulating types of TTouches.

I have also been offering her Reiki from just outside her cage, and this is extremely calming to her . Often I will start out by doing this, as this can help to get her in a calmer mode, but other times I start out with some TTouches. I follow my intuition as to what feels right at that time. It is so important not to get stuck in any one approach with an animal, but to really be in the moment with them and get a sense of what feels right for them.

I keep the contact very short with Val for now. I just do a few TTouches, wait a minute for her to come back to me, then try a little more, then maybe stop and just send her Reiki for a little bit, maybe speaking to her very gently. I have found she is especially responsive to little raccoon TTouches on her forehead area. This is an area that I have often found to be extremely calming for cats who are ramped up or nervous. And little by little she has started to recognize these TTouches on her head, and will lay down and settle into them more and more, so I have been able to work with her in this way for longer and longer periods (reaching my fingers through the bars of the cage to do this).

Most recently, I have been opening her cage very slightly, doing a few TTouches with her there, then closing the cage again, always keeping this period short, just a few seconds at a time for now.

I have been making Bach Flower remedies for her, and the remedies seem to be helping. At the moment, to be on the safe side, only a limited number of other experienced people are working with her, including long-time BARC volunteer Betty, who recently took a TTouch workshop with Edie Jane (which I assisted). Betty has been having good sessions with Val using a long-handled paintbrush to make contact with her.

Another thing which I think is of vast importance is positive visualization. If an animal has exhibited aggressive behavior, sometimes it is hard for people to get out of their head the negative pictures that they have about the animal. So it is really important to start putting in your head images of the animal behaving in a positive way - of the animal being calm, of the animal responding positively to touch, maybe pushing their head into your hand, etc.

So here's to you Val, sending you much love and light, and look forward to seeing you soon.

TTouch and Reiki with the Picasso Cats: Quick Breakthrough with Cinder

I work with some of the cats from the Mayor's Alliance Picasso Veterinary Fund through Tavi and Friends' TTouch-in-Rescue program.
Working with TTouch with a frightened animal can be a gradual process, but sometimes the effect can be immediate and dramatic.
Today when I arrived, there was a new cat named Cinder. He was in a tight ball in the back of the cage, staring at me, and when I opened the cage, he growled. As I usually do when working with a new cat, I started out using a tool, in this case a back scratcher, to first make contact with him.
When I began to do little strokes and circles on his head with the back scratcher, he began to lean into it and roll on his side and then his back. The growls continued at the same time for a moment but then subsided as he became more and more comfortable.

I gave him frequent breaks, so he wouldn't get too overstimulated, then I would start again. He rubbed himself against the back scratcher, and once in a while I would slide my hand down the handle to do some TTouches on him directly with my hand, then I went back to using the back scratcher.
He got extremely cozy, and when I closed his cage to give him a longer break, if I was near where his cage was, he came to the front of his cage, looking at what I would do next.

I worked with him several times during my day there, the same thing happening each time, and he more and more easily came up to the front of the cage. One time he did get overstimulated and meow at me, but other than that, he just seemed to get more and more comfortable. I did circular TTouches and strokes first around his head, then began to work down his body a bit, then went back to the head, sometimes workking in some TTouches with my hand as well.

I took these pictures last week, and when I went to see him this week, again at first he was in the back of the cage, but when I opened his cage and he saw the back scratcher, he again rubbed into it, and very quickly I was able to transition to doing TTouch on him directly with my hands. When I was working with other cats in the room, he often was standing up at the front of his cage, as though he wanted me to come back there. He was curious of the other cats around him, instead of being frozen in fear.

Thank you Cinder, for being brave enough to trust me so quickly. xo

TTouch and Reiki with Jinx: March 4, 2012

I've been working for a while with Jinx, one of my friend Jordyn Thiessen's (http://dancingminddesign.com/) animals. He has been losing mobility in his hind legs, either due to an injury or tumor. Through TTouch and Reiki I have been working to keep him in as optimum balance as is possible. Though he is continuing to gradually lose mobility and, it seems, sensation in his lower back and legs, these modalities can help him to at least be as comfortable as possible and to help keep as much connection as is possible. TTouch influences the nervous system, and Reiki can help to bring relaxation and optimize his potential for physical and emotional balance, at least to help maximize what is possible given his condition. Recently I made a bach flower remedy for Jinx too, which should help him to feel more comfortable.

When I began today, he was very cozy in one of his cat beds so I began with Reiki. As he usually does, he shifted his position so that my hands would be where he wanted the energy to go. Another thing he often does which he did today was to connect with me by touching my hand or my arm with one of his paws.

Today I spent a lot of time with my hand on the lower half of his body and at the base of his tail, but during the session I did have my hands over the chakras on the upper part of the back as well. He was very receptive to the energy and became very relaxed, stretching out and he had a dream at one point. At various points I did some TTouch as well, connected TTouches down either side of the back and some raccoon TTouches on his hind paws and his legs.

During the session, the other pets in the apartment became relaxed as well and took a nap. Petey, one of the two dogs, snuggled up right next to me.

After the Reiki session he was interested in moving around a bit. He is having increased trouble feeling his hind feet on the ground and will often knuckle over and be dragging one or both hind feet and legs. As he walked, I followed him, lifting him a bit to put him more on his feet, then doing some TTouches on his hind feet and strokes down his legs and some strokes and TTouches down his body as well, to help remind him of whatever connection he can feel. After a minute he did start to use his feet a bit more. Another thing I did that seemed to help keep him on track was to gently influence him by having a hand on either side of his hips about an inch or so away, kind of guiding him to stay in a narrower path so that he would be less wobbly. This seemed to be useful for him as well.

Jinx had worked up an appetite by this point, so he had some food and water, then laid down again. I did some Reiki with him about a foot or so away, directing the energy to the room as well to Jinx, and the energy in the room became very calm. Jinx began to close his eyes and look very cozy. I closed the session and very quietly got up, thanking them and saying goodbye.

Much love to you all and see you soon! Will be sending extra Reiki to Jinx distantly as well.....

Update on Peanut Butter and Jolly

Yesterday I was please to receive an update on two cats I worked with well over a year ago, Peanut Butter and Jolly.
Jolly (the one-eyed black kitty above), who we knew as Baby in the shelter (Social Tees), had been through so much. She was one of a bunch of cats who came from a hoarder, was extremely shy and in a very weakened condition. She had gotten very sick and got such a bad eye infection that an eye needed to be removed. I worked with her a lot at the shelter, and she had gotten quite comfortable with me. Meanwhile, at one point she was put in the window enclosure along with a bunch of kittens, and Peanut Butter was among the kittens. Jolly was so sweet and loving with the kittens, it was beautiful to see.
Dana and Anthony are the lovely couple who adopted Peanut Butter and Jolly. They had seen Jolly in the window enclosure, and knew that she had had a very rough go of it, and they were interested in adopting her along with another cat, possibly Peanut Butter. I told them that I thought these two would bond really well. I knew how loving Jolly was to Peanut Butter and the others already, and Peanut Butter was SO social and friendly, I thought she would help Jolly to feel more at ease, as I knew that Jolly was so shy. I also gave them some tips on ways to connect with Jolly through TTouch.
Baby was re-named Jolly, which makes sense as Peanut Butter and Jolly go so well together:)
So here is what I heard from Dana:
"Everything is going well with us and Jolly and Peanut Butter are just the best! They are the dearest kitties and the best of friends. I attached some recent shots so you can see how big they look (esp PB:)) and how much they love to be together. Jolly still doesn't let us pick her up but we can both pet her more and more all of the time and she comes up on the bed with us too. It's a constant work in progress but she has come so far and whenever she's rolling on her back and playing with her toys so happily we're grateful she got her chance - thanks to you and ST."
It is so heartwarming to hear how well these two are doing, and Dana and Anthony are giving these girls the most patient, sweet, loving home that these kitties could possibly have. Thank you for taking these sweet girls in and for being so patient and understanding with Jolly.

Connecting with Krishna, February 2012: Day 4

I've been cat sitting for Krishna, who is quite a shy guy, but I feel we get a little closer every time I see him. Today was the last day cat sitting for him.

When I entered the apartment, he was sitting on the windowsill, looking out the window. He surprised me so much when he looked at me, then jumped off the windowsill and came running right up to me. He actually seemed to want to play first, and then eat, so we played our game where he chases the light from the flashlight around on the living room rug.

After that, he ate some, and I told him his people would be back later in the day.

We then played some more, and he then settled quite close to where I was sitting.


I took out the soft brush which I used yesterday - a soft paintbrush that looks like a makeup brush with a long handle - and this time instead of directly touching him with it, I let him come to the brush, and he rubbed his nose against it, then rolled on the ground rubbing his face against the brush.

He was OK being stroked under the chin with the brush, but what made him most comfortable was if I just put the brush on the ground and let him rub his face against the brush.

Doing this helped him to be extremely comfortable being right next to where I was sitting. Below you see him looking up at me as though to say, "I can't believe I'm right next to you!" During the whole time, I was sending him Reiki energy - he is so receptive to it, it helps him to feel very at ease. Sometimes with him I am completely silent, and other times I speak to him in a soft voice, telling him he is very loved and very safe.

Even though it is hard for him when his people are away, and he still gets frightened once in a while, I feel that we got closer to each other over the past few days, and it feels like a big step for him to be able to be just hanging out right next to where I am without being afraid. I think the combination of interactive play and the very quiet TTouch and Reiki work is a good combination for him. Hope to see you soon, little guy! xo

Connecting with Krishna, Feb. 2012: Day 3: The Comfort of a Soft Brush

Today was my third day cat sitting for Krishna, who is fearful of people other than his guardians, Rebecca and Tim, so when they are away, it is especially hard for him. We have been doing well though, and I have found that a combination of play and relaxation techniques have helped me to feel a stronger connection with Krishna. One of the most important things for me is to respect his space and what is is ready and comfortable to do. It is OK to nudge those boundaries a bit in order to move to the next level, but a very gentle nudge.

Today when I entered the apartment, he was irritated at first, greeting me with a loud meow and hiss. I'm sure he is missing his people, and he was also hungry. As in the past he has pounced on other cat sitters' feet, my approach when this happens is to stand very still sending Reiki, as he gets in a bit of a stalking mode and is more apt to pounce if I move at that point.

As I continued to send the energy he calmed down, actually pretty quickly, and laid down to wait for me to fix his food.

He ate a little, then looked at me as though he was ready to play. So for a while we played his favorite game to play with me, which is chasing the light from the flashlight as I move it around. He can really get going!!

After he was done, he ate a little more and was in a more relaxed mode.

Then I took out a very soft paintbrush - it looks like a makeup brush but with a longer handle, which works well with him as it is good to have more distance, at least in the beginning. He was very curious about the brush, sniffing it a lot and began to rub himself against it a bit. Perhaps it was something about the texture of the brush, but at this point he got very cozy and he began to roll around and rub himself all over rug. I have seen this reaction sometimes with shelter cats who are initially very frozen but there is something about the paintbrush (or other tool that I use with them) that helps them to feel a LOT more at ease, and they begin to roll around on their back and stretch out etc.

I stroked Krishna a bit under his chin with the brush, and then a little on the side of his face, but I found he was more comfortable if I put the brush on the floor and he rubbed himself against it. At one point he was on his back and touched his nose right to my hand. I just stayed still, not wanting to startle him. At that point he was stretched out right next to me.

I feel so honored when a very shy cat lets his guard down that and is able to trust me enough to be so close to me.

I felt such a strong connection to Krishna today - I think the brush helped us to make a wonderful breakthrough.

Shortly before I left I was speaking to a friend on the phone and, instead of going back into the bedroom for some private time, as he often does when he has had enough socialization with me, he actually followed me back into the living room, sitting near me and blinking! xo

Connecting with Krishna, February 2012: Day 2

Today when I went to cat sit Krishna, he started out with a hiss - I'm sure he is missing his people. So I just stood still, sending him Reiki energy, and he quickly settled, sitting hear his food dishes, waiting for me to feed him. He ate a little and then we played the game he loves to play, chasing the light from a flashlight. This seems to be a good way for him to get pent-up tension out, and generally after that he is more open to receiving TTouch and/or Reiki. He really can tear around! and if I stop and put down the flashlight before he is ready to stop, he comes up to the flashlight, nudging it, as though to prompt me to continue :)

After he took a break from playing, he ate some more, then came back on the rug, where I was sitting. I did a few TTouches on him, using a long-handled paintbrush, but thought it better to just get him comfortable being near me without him being scared of being touched. He is very comfortable with his people touching him, but very fearful of others. So we sat quite close to each other and I began to send him Reiki. He got more and more at ease, and eventually he stretched out, extremely comforable, looking at me. I felt such a peaceful vibration in the room. It is such an honor when a shy cat feels enough trust to really start to let his guard down.
I know his eyes look pretty big in the picture below, but this is actually a much more relaxed gaze than we started out with :)
Thank you Krishna, see you tomorrow!!!