Jonesy: Small Steps are Big Steps

 

 

Jonesy is a beautiful, soulful dog who is extremely fearful.  Underneath his fear is an affectionate, sweet, and truly loving being. 

Jonesy's people, Kate and Griffin, adopted him about a year and a half ago (he is now 2) from the ASPCA upstate - he had come from a shelter down south. 

New York City is an extremely stressful environment for any animal or human, but with a dog who is as sensitive and fearful as Jonesy is, it is absolutely terrifying to walk on the streets.  Looking at it from his point of view, everywhere you turn is another unfamiliar sound or sight and it all seems very threatening and hostile.  Jonesy is comfortable when he is at his people's place upstate, but trying to walk him in NYC is very difficult for him and for his people.  Jonesy is so scared that he shakes and just wants to turn around and go back home.  He is not aggressive at all, he just wants to get away from whatever is scaring him.

Jonesy's people have been doing whatever they can to help him feel comfortable and safe, given the situation, and I started working with Jonesy last week. 

In our first appointment, I wanted to really come in with a neutral attitude, and let Jonesy know that I am there to help him.  Before I entered the apartment, I made sure to quiet my energy.  When I entered the apartment, I lowered my body position, kneeling on the floor sideways to where he was.  I told him in a quiet voice that I was there to help him, and did not move towards him. 

Then we did a wonderful exercise, the "chair exercise", that was developed by one of my TTouch teachers, Kathy Cascade (http://sanedogtraining.com/), whose specialty is fearful, reactive dogs, and from whom I always get great advice.  Her techniques, in combination with the TTouches, are so helpful -- really life-changing -- for these dogs, as well as for their people.  And now she has an online course so you can learn from her no matter where you live.  Please have a look at her website to check this out.  And of course if you can take a class with her in person, do it!

So now to the "chair exercise".  I sat in a chair with a neutral attitude and very quiet energy.  Kate had Jonesy on a leash and harness and walked him up to me.  I dropped a treat on the ground for Jonesy, then she walked him away again.  We did this a couple of times, and Jonesy was comfortable enough to take the treat from my hand, so we did that a few times.  Each time she walked him away again after he got the treat, so it is a brief event and he knows he is not being forced to stay there, that he gets to go away again.  After a couple of times of him taking the treat from my hand, he was more at ease, so I did a few TTouches with the back of my hand on his back around his shoulder area.  As touching him was a new thing, I just did the few TTouches and then she walked him away again. 

Then I gave him a break, and showed Kate a number of TTouches on a small stuffed dog sothat she will be able to do them on him.  Then I had her do a few of the TTouches on Jonesy.  I explained to her that it is very beneficial to take a few deep breaths and calm ourselves before starting to work on the animal, as the animal will pick up on our energy.

Kate picked up the TTouches very well, and Jonesy's body began to relax almost immediately.  After that, since Jonesy was more at ease, I was able to work with him a bit.  Then we gave him another break, and I showed Kate how to do a TTouch half wrap (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N83oXBZy0KM&list=UUwClW-vMPW6i_UFDkXXayEA&index=33 for demo).  When Kate called to Jonesy so we could do the wrap, he came right to where we were and came towards me as if for more TTouch.  So I did a bit more on him.  I really did just a few TTouches at a time, but each time after a break he seemed ready for more. He was a little nervous at first with the wrap on but it did seem to take him down a notch after a few minutes.  He went to lay down with it on while we talked some more.  Even though I had only worked with him a little bit at a time, I could tell he was tired and it was time to stop with him.   

I do Reiki with people as well as animals, and I offer "combo sessions" in which I do a Touch/Reiki session with the animal, followed by a Reiki session for the person.  This works out well because most people who call me are very stressed about what their pets are experiencing.  Relating to that, one of the nice things about doing TTouch is that it not only relaxes the pet but the person doing the TTouches as well! 

Part two of this session was a Reiki session with Kate.  And since Reiki not only treats the person I am treating but affects the atmostphere of the whole household, this turned out to be relaxing for both Kate and Jonesy.  Jonesy came much closer to where we were during the course of the session and curled up for a nap.

Today was our second session.  Kate told me that she had already seen subtle changes in Jonesy's behavior in general, that he was starting to get a bit better outside, and that overall he seemed to be calmer.  She said that he was getting used to her routine with him with the TTouches, and that he would come to the spot where they do them with anticipation.  So this is great progress.

I advised her (after speaking to Kathy Cascade) that in addition to taking him out for the usual walks, she should take him out for short periods of time (literally just a few minutes), just to let him stand there, have a treat, then go back inside.  Similar concept to the chair exercise, in that it helps the dog to feel that he is always going to be able to go back to where he is comfortable.

Today after giving Jonesy a few treats to get him a bit more at ease being near me, I showed Kate a few more TTouches to try with Jonesy.  One of them is the Zigzag TTouch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF-0QNCw8GM&list=UUwClW-vMPW6i_UFDkXXayEA&index=31).  This is a great TTouch for helping the animal to feel connection from the front of the body to the back of the body, and to help bring a scared animal back into its body.   I did this very slowly and with a very light touch.  Though his mind seemed to be processing it, he was a bit concerned, perhaps as this was a new feeling, and as he began to yawn a few times, I did only a couple of times and then gave him a break for treats. 

He seemed more comfortable around me in general though today.  And I found that giving him frequent breaks so he could process what I just did was a good strategy, as each time he seemed more comfortable with me trying something else. And he kept coming to me, as if to see what was going to happen next. 

I also did some belly lifts  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRDUdMh49CE&list=UUwClW-vMPW6i_UFDkXXayEA)

on Jones, which did seem to help calm him.  The belly lifts can help the digestive system, as well as helping to relax the abdominal muscles so that the animal is breathing more fully.  So with a very nervous dog, these can be very beneficial.

At some point while I was doing the TTouches with him, Jonesy even gave me a kiss today, awww!!  That touched my heart so much, and it was a joy in general to see his demeanor so much calmer and at ease around me than in the first session.

Next we tried a different harness, the Freedom Harness, which is very well-made, and also comes with a double-ended leash which can be connected to the back of the harness as well as the front, so that there can be two points of contact, which is a much more balanced way to walk the dog.  The person walking the dog walks to the side of the dog, holding the leash in both hands.

The next step we did was walking through a labyrinth, which is part of the TTouch training.  It helps a dog to develop focus.  I put together a simple labyrinth which I made from six dowels, in the following configuration:

 



I had Kate walk Jonesy towards the labyrinth, but he was frightened and did not want to go in.

At this point I knew we had to give him a break and then think of what to do next.  We let him sit down, gave him some treats and I did some TTouches with him.

Then what I did was dismantle the labyrinth and configure what looked like a narrow path, using four of the dowels (two on each side of the path). as in the following:

 



Though Jonesy was still somewhat reluctant to go through the path, he did go through once, lured with treats.  Then we stopped for a minute, and went back the other way, again lured with treats and stopping on the other side.  Then she was able to walk him all the way through the path more easily, giving a treat at the end, then back the same way.  It got easier each time.  We then gave him another break with TTouches and treats. 

Then I reconstructed the original labyrinth, to see if he would walk in.  This time, Kate was able to lead him into the labyrinth with no hesitation, which was wonderful to see.  At each turn in the labyrinth, I had her pause with him and give him a treat, so it wouldn't feel like too much at one time.  We did this several times, and each time Jonesy seemed more comfortable with it.  Amazing to see this whole transformation, from him being scared to enter the labyrinth to being very comfortable with it.  This whole section of the session with the labyrinth had only taken about fifteen minutes, yet so much had taken place.  Once again it brought home to me the concept that one needs to let the dog have a choice, and to break tasks down into smaller tasks if they are resistant to what you are asking them to try.

Again, we ended the session with a Reiki session for Kate, which left the apartment with a very calm atmosphere, and Jonesy was curled up and cozy on his bed.

Thank you Jonesy and Kate, it is such a pleasure to work with you and Jonesy, I am still feeling you giving me a kiss.  What an honor that was!  Look forward to seeing you soon, and to seeing what can happen next....

Moment to Moment with Mrs. P and Mrs. Q

 

Mrs. P (above) and Mrs. Q (below) are two beautiful young cats who were feral or at least semi-feral, who had been rescued and brought into BARC Shelter at the same time.  Both cats were terrified upon first arriving at the shelter.  Mrs. Q was literally climbing the walls of her cage at first, whereas Mrs. P curled up in a ball at the back of her cage. 

With a cat who is new in the shelter, I most often approach them with a tool of some kind, to give them some space, and for the safety of both the animal and me, as I am often not sure how they will react to being touched.  I started with Mrs. P with a back scratcher, which has a long handle, which is especially helpful in this situation so that I didn't have to lean way into the cage, as she was all the way at the back. 

After a few TTouch circles and strokes with the scratcher, it was clear that she was not aggressive at all, just very frightened.  I worked with her a little at a time, giving her breaks, and soon worked my hand down the back scratcher to touch her with my hands.  I did some hair slides, which are very calming (see my youtube channel http://youtube.com/sarahsuricat for a demo of this), as well as some of the circular TTouches.  Pretty soon she started to stretch out her body and become more comfortable.

I knew that I would have to go much more slowly with Mrs. Q.  The picture above is actually after I had worked with her a few times.  Before even opening her cage. I went to the side of the cage and tried an approach which I used with one of my cats, Emmylou, when she first arrived at the shelter.  The idea is to be as gentle and non-threatening as possible, and to go slowly to determine what they are comfortable with at that given moment.

What I did was to speak to her very softly and I didn't even touch her quite yet.  I used a paintbrush and stroked the air about an inch or two parallel to where her whiskers are.  So it was as if I was stroking her whiskers, only I was slightly in front of them.  I just did this a few times and stopped. 

After I moved the paintbrush out of the cage, Mrs. Q got more relaxed, changing her body position to a much more relaxed position, lying down with her front paws tucked under her body.  I tried this a few more times, and little by little she became more relaxed with me. 

The next time I worked with her, I started out the same way, and also did something else I had done with Emmylou that had worked very well.  I stroked gently down the front of her front legs, and down her paws.  I know, one would not necessarily think this would be something a cat would like! But I have seen some very scared cats respond to this approach.  I know that in TTouch for horses, people stroke down the legs of the horse with wands to comfort them, so there must be something neurologically calming about this.
After working with Mrs. Q a few times just through the cage, sitting to the side of her cage, then I was able to open her cage and begin to do TTouch circles on her body with a paintbrush.  As you can see from the photo above, at first she was a bit startled by this, but eventually the TTouches began to calm her.  I did TTouch circles with the paintbrush down the sides of her body, and along the sides of her mouth.  Once in a while I did some TTouches on the top of her head as well, but not till a bit later on, as this was a scarier area for her to be touched.  Each time, she would be a little nervous at first, but then each time I worked with her, the nervous time has gotten shorter and she has settled into touch more quickly.















Now I still start out by using the paintbrush, but can usually progress quickly to TTouching her directly with my hand.  I most often will start with the TTouches using the back of my hand, as that is less intense than the front of the hand.  I have to go a little bit at a time though, as she still can be nervous about this.  At times she is completely receptive, but other times I may just hold my hand still to send Reiki energy very gently, then do some more TTouches.

Mrs Q has been more and more interested in play as time has gone on, as well.  Many of the volunteers can play with her, and she is responsive to that.  Mrs. P has started to play a bit as well.

Meanwhile, Mrs P (below) was becoming more responsive to touch as well.  I was doing TTouches over most of her body, on her head, and even sometimes on her paws.  As you can see by the photo below, she will most often relax on her side and in this picture, she was very receptive to very light little circular TTouches on her paws.  Again, this was a surprise to me that she would be comfortable with me touching her paws, but when she is in the mood, it seems to be very calming for her. 

Recently I started another element to my work with these cats:  treats!  As both cats are much more comfortable, but still often remain at the back of their cages, I have wanted to see what I could do to encourage them to come forward. 

I have used baby food as a tool in socializing my cats Emmylou and Natalia, and have often used it in the past for socializing kittens.  All-meat baby food with no onions is what works best.  Gerber turkey in turkey gravy is what I most often use - I was advised of this by Mike Phillips, who runs Urban Cat League and from whom I took a wonderful seminar on working with feral cats.  It helps the cat learn not to be afraid of human hands coming in their direction, and they learn to gently lick, rather than bite, fingers.  Don't try this if you are working with an aggressive cat, because you could very well be scratched or bitten!! But with a non-agressive, shy cat of any age, this can be a wonderful tool. 
Both of these cats were reluctant at first to take the baby food. 
With Mrs. P, I found that if I did TTouch circles around her mouth area, then offered her the food and continued doing TTouches under her chin and around her head, she would take the food and then, as she got more comfortable, I started to be able to encourage her to come further and further forward in the cage.  At that point, at first I just let her take the food. then after a couple of times, I approached her diagonally with my other hand, going right to her back instead of her head, so I wouldn't scare her, and she was very comfortable with me TTouching her as she tood the food.  So sweet to see her coming forward!
With Mrs Q, it was a matter of patience, waiting for her to take the food. as she just looked at it at first, not quite comfortable with my finger being near her mouth.  Then I just touched my finger gently to her mouth, so a bit of the baby food was on the outside of her mouth, and once she licked it, she realized that it tasted very good.  She still was a little nervous about me being that close to her, so I just did it a few times with her, and will start leading her forward sometime soon.
It is beautiful to see how much progress these two creatures have made in a very short time, especially considering how terrified they were upon first entering the shelter.  They remind me a bit of my own two cats, who were just a few months older than these two when they were brought in from outside.  I know I am learning at least as much from them as they are from me, and I feel honored to spend time with these special beings and that they feel comfortable enough to connect with me.  And of course thank you to BARC shelter for all they do for the animals,

Quiet Moments Near the End of the Road: Pallino

Hi folks, this one doesn't have any photos, as I wanted to share what my impression of this cat was, who had such a beautiful spirit.  He arrived at the shelter with advanced kidney issues, and recently we had to say goodbye to him.  I will always remember his gentle, sweet nature, so filled with gratitude.

Please read more about him and my experience with him on the post I wrote on my art blog:

http://sarahhauserart.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-power-of-simplicity-pencil-ink-and.html

RIP, sweet kitty.  You were very loved.  And thank you to all the people at BARC who help the animals every day and make it a beautiful place for me to volunteer.

Update on Berry: Getting Closer!

Berry is a gorgeous young little cat, apparently feral, who was brought into BARC shelter right before Hurricane Sandy.  She actually was rescued from the same backyard as my two cats who I adopted from BARC, Natalia and Emmylou.  And interestingly enough, she does somewhat resemble Emmylou! 
Of course, the combination of where she came from and the fact that she is so fearful have both helped me to feel an especially endearing bond with her.
She was terrified and quite sick when she was first rescued, and it has been so heartening to see both her behavior and her health improving.  When she first arrived, she would swat and hiss when approached.  I have worked with her very gradually, doing TTouches on her with the back of the hand part of a plastic back scratcher.  Sometimes now I can transition to touching her directly with my hand, but I just do that for short amounts of time, as she still can get easily overstimulated.  I have shown a few other regulars at the shelter how to work with her, and she has been making very steady and noticeable progress. 

Now instead of staying in the back of her cage, most often she will rest in the front of her cage, watching everybody with interest instead of being afraid.  She will come to the front of her cage for a treat from other volunteers, and easily will come to the front of her cage to get to her food and water bowls, and will eat in front of other people, whereas before she would be hesitant to do this.

One of the huge changes that has happened recently is that when I approach her cage and say "Hi Berry!" to her, she comes to the front of the cage, kneading her paws and rubbing her face against the front of the cage.  She also does a little hello meow. 

Little by little she is beginning to trust me as well as some of the BARC staff and volunteers.

Now that she is feeling better, she also wants to play.  Like many ferals who are in the process of becoming less fearful, she can get confused between play mode and cuddle mode and sometimes swat. So I have started working with two back scratchers so that if she starts playing with one of them, then I can stroke her with the other.  I also give her frequent breaks to avoid her getting overstimulated.  Over some time, this way of working gently will influence a cat's behavior so that they will learn to play with a toy and not with your hand, while they are also getting more comfortable being touched.  When it feels safe to do so, I slide my hand down the back scratcher and do TTouches with my hand, keeping the second back scratcher ready to show her to use if she starts to want to paw at something.
Her whole expression and look on her face has changed as well - so beautiful to see!!
Love you Berry! and look forward to seeing continued progress with you.  And thanks to one and all at BARC shelter for showing her and all the animals such kindness. 

Tuesday: Quieting the Atmosphere with an Extremely Sensitive Cat

Tuesday is a gorgeous and very intense cat.  She is completely bonded with her guardian, Leila, but is terrified of pretty much anyone else.  She often hisses, swats and sometimes lunges at them.  Leila has had her for about 8 years.  Years ago, she was accepting of attention from people with a very gentle energy but at one point Leila was in a noisier household and since then, Tuesday has had an increasingly difficult time with people other than Leila.
It is so important with ultra-sensitive cats such as Tuesday to think of energy in terms of proportional volume.  What I mean is, what to us might be a tiny sound or movement, could seem huge to a cat that is frightened and hyper-sensitive.  So when working with this type of cat, I have to quiet and slow my energy down even more than I generally do when working with any animal.  In this way, I can start to really feel where they are and to be in that place where the smallest movement or sound can be huge.
When I arrived for the first session, Tuesday seemed to know that I was coming for her.  She came out and stared at me with very huge eyes.  I spoke calmly and tried to reassure her that I was there to help her.  When I walked across the room (which was not directly towards her but generally in her direction, she lunged at me, hissing.  I had Leila hand me the long wands which I use for doing TTouch with cats who are very scared of being touched directly, and just very carefully and quietly began to try a few TTouches with the wands, a few on her, and a few on the floor.  I could tell she was still very amped up, so I decided to give her a break.  Leila and I sat at the kitchen table, and I showed Leila some TTouches on a stuffed cat which I had brought.  During this time, Tuesday had some time to settle a bit.  She remained in the room, watching what we were doing, but got a bit more relaxed.
After that, I decided to offer her Reiki from a short distance for the second half of the session.  I felt that working from a distance with the wands was too overwhelming for her at this time.
From where I was sitting in a chair, I gently began to offer Reiki energy to Tuesday, silently letting her know that she only need take as much or as little energy as she wanted. 
It took her a while to settle, but eventually she did.  Every once in a while, she would look at Leila, as though for confirmation that it was ok for her to receive the energy.  As we worked, I felt her pulling the energy in more and more. 
When we were done, she was calmer, but unfortunately she got jumpy again when Leila and I both stood up as I got ready to leave.
Leila got back to me after a few days had passed, and said that Tuesday was agitated right after the appointment, but then began to get much better.  She said she and her boyfriend sat on the floor while she did some of the TTouches and that Tuesday was very calmed by them - and that she had continued doing the TTouches with Tuesday at various intervals in between this initial session and my next session with them. Leila said that Tuesday was much calmer about her boyfriend.
As a further challenge, Leila had gone away for a few days. Upon returning, the cat sitter said that Tuesday was actually rather docile.  And when Leila and her boyfriend returned from the trip, they took a nap and when they awoke, Tuesday was actually asleep on top of her boyfriend!
When I came for the second session (a couple of weeks had passed), I first gave Leila a Bach Flower remedy which I made for Tuesday, which should help to calm her energy.  Then I showed Leila TTouches using back of hand, which are especially useful for animals that are really on edge and apt to get easily over-stimulated. 

The rest of the session, I offered Reiki to Tuesday from a short distance.  However, this time I did not remain in the chair, but kneeled on the floor in order to lower my position, which can be calming for frightened animals.  I knew I was taking a risk, as Tuesday could get suddenly scared and then lunge at me, but I had to follow my intuition that this felt like the right move. 
As I began to offer the energy to Tuesday, I felt that the area that felt it needed the most healing at that moment was the heart chakra.  As the session progressed, I also felt the energy pulled to the base chakra and to the solar plexus chakra.  These chakras can relate to quite a few things, so are a bit too complex to detail here, but balancing these three chakras felt they would help Tuesday with emotional issues and the nervous system as well as issues of security and grounding,
As I continued, I felt an increasingly strong flow of energy coming out of my hands and out of my body, and felt the energy filling her body.  I remained in the same position throughout the session, instead of trying to move closer, as I didn't want to take the chance of startling her.
While all of this was going on, little by little her body language changed - first she shifted her sitting position a few times.  Then she little by little shifted herself until she was lying down.  Next she stretched one paw out, then finally she rolled completely on her side, exposing her belly, and she stretched out in that position.  Her eyes, which initially were in that huge, extremely wide-open ultra-alert position, softened.  During this session, again she would sometimes look at Leila as if for guidance or approval or confirmation that this energy was ok to receive.  Tuesday is so completely connected with Leila. 
As Tuesday stretched out on her side, exposing her belly to me, I felt tears come to my eyes, as I do so often when I feel the animal is really letting go of something held in very deeply.  It felt profound, almost as if she had been holding her breath for a long time, and now finally, in stages, was letting it go.  I felt a huge shift had occurred.
As Leila and I spoke after the session, Tuesday remained relaxed, with a much softer gaze.  And when I stood up to leave, she was still relaxed and didn't get startled.  Later that day, Leila emailed me that Tuesday had continued to be very relaxed and mellow for the rest of the day.
Thank you Tuesday, for trusting me enough to let go....I keep picturing you so stretched out and relaxed .. .. and look forward to seeing you soon.... xo

Tavin: Moment by Moment with a Fearful Dog

Tavin is a dear, lovely dog.  At the moment, though, whatever combination of nature and nurture (or lack thereof) which occurred before her present guardian adopted her presently has much of her inner beauty hidden behind a lot of fear.  She is a very hypersensitive, fearful Chihuahua who can bite when she gets especially scared.  She has guarding issues, and can be unpredictable as far as being approached by people to be petted.  She seems to be nearly constantly on alert, and really has a hard time relaxing.  It is also hard for Tavin to have anything put on her body, so to put a harness on is very difficult for both her and for her guardian, Carol.  Carol can touch Tavin just about anywhere on her body, but when it comes to putting something on her, that is a different story.
Carol (http://superdogtraining.com/), who kindly took her in recently, has been doing all she can to help Tavin to feel comfortable and safe.  There are also four cats in the household, who are often wary of Tavin, and who Tavin sometimes chases.  The first couple of appointments, I only saw Kitty, the most social of the four cats.  The rest of them remained under the bed.
I sense, as I do with fearful animals, that the more Tavin can feel at ease, the more her true personality will be able to come forth, and that in time, with gentle and patient work, that will be able to happen.
In working with her, I wanted to feel safe as well as having Tavin feel safe, so I have had Carol put a muzzle on Tavin while I am working with her.  During the first session, I showed Carol many of the TTouches so that she can do them on Tavin, also how to do a couple of simple TTouch wraps.  TTouch can help to balance the nervous system and, over time, can cause animals to react differently to stress.  It will also help an animal to react differently when it is touched, as it begins to associate touch with a very positive feeling.  But more than that, there is a very deep and profound way that the gentle TTouches influence the nervous system - which helps to explain how it is more effective in changing behavior than simply petting the animal.
After this initial session, I made a Bach Flower Remedy for Tavin, in both drop and spray form, so that it can be given to Tavin internally and can be sprayed into the environment.  Also, in the course of the first two sessions, I showed Carol how set up a simple labyrinth in her apartment so that she could practice that with Tavin in between sessions.
During the next session, I also began to do some Reiki work with Tavin, and that appeared to affect her on an even deeper level than the TTouches.  That is not to say that one modality is "better" than the other.  Each animal is individual as to what approach or sequence of approaches will be optimal for them.  With animals that are as sensitive as Tavin, it is often beneficial to start out with Reiki, and then begin to work in TTouches.  Your intuition will help to guide you.
With Tavin, I first send the energy to her with my hands off, and eventually she moved towards me and helped guide my hands to where she wanted them to be, which was near the base of her spine, or over the Base or Root Chakra (chakras are energy centers in the body).  This Chakra has to do with feeling safe, at home, and grounded.  It made complete sense that she guided my hands there.  I saw some huge sighs, and felt her letting go in a very deep way.  It looked like she had a smile on her face.
During the third session last week, I once again decided to focus on Reiki with her, with a few TTouches blended in.  It took Tavin a while to settle.  Initially Tavin was a bit distracted as Carol was not sitting on the bed with us.  She did start to relax bit by bit, though, at times partially sitting on my lap to move her body into my hands as I offered her Reiki. 
Once Carol sat on the bed with us, Tavin became more focused and relaxed, and after a short while Tavin settled in very nicely on Carol's lap, which Carol said she rarely does.  At this point, I had my hands a bit away from her.  With very sensitive animals, one has to be particularly sensitive as to how close they want your hands to be, because the Reiki energy can sometimes be too overwhelming to do hands-on.  However, many times it will become more comfortable for them as they begin to relax.  Carol also had some relaxing music on, which can be of tremendous help.
As I continued to let the energy flow, I felt the atmosphere of the whole apartment become more quiet and calm and light.  Kitty came up on the bed, rubbed her head into one of my hands, and settled on one side of Carol. I gradually moved closer to Tavin and eventually had one of my hands directly on her.  As in the previous appointment, my hand was drawn to her base chakra, and for some reason it felt very right for just my fingertips (rather than my whole hand) to be in contact with this part of her body.  My fingers were so strongly connected, it felt as though they were plugged into her body - that the energy didn't stop at where her body and my fingers met, that it was being pulled into and absorbed inside her body.  Tavin was becoming more and more relaxed, in a sleeping position with her head down.  And she did a couple of those wonderful big sighs of letting go.

At this moment, the most surprising thing happened.  Seemingly from out of nowhere, Layla, a gorgeous long-haired grey cat, gracefully leaped up on the bed and began rubbing herself against my hand that was not in contact with Tavin.  Carol said that Layla was by far the shyest of her cats, and the most traumatized by Tavin's presence.  She said that the other cats recover fairly quickly if Tavin chases them, but not Layla.  And yet here was Layla up on the bed, rubbing into my hand, wanting attention, and settling very near where Tavin was.  I think that Tavin was so relaxed that she was giving off a completely different vibe, so that Layla felt comfortable being there.  I did some TTouch with her, all the while keeping my other hand connected to Tavin, and then began to send Reiki to both of them, one hand on Tavin and the other on Layla (they were on either side of me).  Layla relaxed and stayed next to me for the rest of the session.  Both animals were taking in the energy and were completely at ease.  Reiki can help to create such a peaceful atmosphere, and can be so helpful in bringing more harmony in a household.
Thank you to Carol and to all your wonderful animals.  This was a very magical day, and I look forward to seeing you again soon. :)

Connecting with Krishna: Closer and Closer...

Krishna is a beautiful black cat who is generally very fearful of people other than his human caretakers. That fear can manifest itself in hissing, swatting behavior.  But I have found that if I approach him from a very quiet place in myself, he is able to be calmed by my energy. His human mom Rebecca had tried a new cat sitter, and Krishna had been scared and then scared her, stalking and cornering her, etc.  Rebecca was afraid that Krishna may have had a setback from that experience. 

So when I met with them, I wanted to be extra-careful not to startle Krishna, and to do my best to really be in the moment with him.  On my way to the appointment, I began sending Reiki energy to him.

When I walked in, he came right up to me to sniff me, which was great.  I stayed very still and did not try to touch him, just let him sniff me and walk away.

Then I started doing some TTouches with a very soft paintbrush that I have used before with him that he has responded to very well.  It is like a makeup brush, but with a longer handle.  Then, to give us more space, I tied the brush to a wooden dowel. 

For some reason, he usually reacts to this brush as though it were catnip, rubbing his face against it and rolling around, which he did this time.  In the process of doing the rolling around, he came very close to me.  If he started to stare at my eyes, I would avert my gaze, so we wouldn't get into a locked staring contest.  I was watching his body language very closely.

After a bit, he settled with his body sideways to me, quite close to where I was. I had started letting Reiki flow from my hands as soon as I came in the apartment, but at this point I concentrated more on the flow of the energy, and kept doing deep breathing to help the flow and to keep myself (and him).

Eventually Krishna got into in his cat bed (pictured above), which is a safe place for him. Shy cats will often have certain places where they feel especially safe receiving contact, and for him at this moment it is the cat bed.  Still kneeling sideways to him, I slowly inched toward where he was. I was sending continuous Reiki and I felt a lot of energy flowing. My hands were very warm. 

And after inching towards him in a kneeling position, I ended up kneeling right next to his bed.  Slowly I began doing little circles with the paintbrush on his head near his ears and on his forehead. He relaxed more and more. 

Little by little worked my hand down the brush to do some chimp TTouches (circular TTouches using the back of the fingers) and strokes on his head.  In the photo below, I am gently stroking the back of his head with the back of the upper part of my fingers.  The back surfaces of the hand and fingers are less intense-feeling as there is less heat and energy there, and so that can be less threatening for a frightened animal.  After doing the TTouches and strokes for a few moments, I would pause to observe his body language, then start again if it felt right to continue.  He continued to get more and more relaxed, laying his head down to go to sleep.  Again, I kept checking in on my own breathing and relaxation so that I stayed relaxed as well.  We continued like this - I was very much in the moment, so it felt like we were there a long time, but it could have been about ten minutes - I'm not sure!! 

This is the second session with him where I have been able to have extended direct contact with him, which feels like a great honor, as he is generally only receptive to being touched by his two human guardians.  It was lovely to feel him become more and more relaxed as I worked with him. 

When it felt right, I gently ended the session and thanked him, and told him I looked forward to seeing him soon :).

Once again, Krishna reminded me to let go of whatever expectations I may have, and to truly be in the moment with him.  It is during these special moments that the most beautiful breakthroughs are able to happen.