TTouch and Reiki with Ms. Tuna at Bideawee: A Deep Sigh for an Anxious Cat

 Ms. Tuna is a dear grey and white female kitty at Bideawee, and I had the pleasure and honor of starting to work with her recently.
She has Feline Hyperesthesia, which can involve episodes of extreme distress and obsessive behavior taken to the extreme:  rippling and rolling skin, suddenly obsessively grooming, dashing around as if trying to get away from something terrifying.  So whatever can be done to keep her stress level lower is good.  She is living in one of the staff's offices, and that works well for her, as she can be out of a cage and not in a room with many other animals.
She seeks human contact, but seems to be afraid of people actually touching her.
For my first session with Tuna, I entered the office with a handful of tools which I use for doing TTouch with cats who may not want to be directly touched:  several types of paintbrushes, a feather, and a plastic back scratcher.  I also had in mind that Reiki would be of help to bring down her stress level.
I walked into the office and quietly sat in the chair next to the desk.  Ms Tuna came right up to me, started rubbing against me and sniffing my hand.  She actually put a paw up on the chair as though she might jump in my lap.  I didn't want to scare her, so I sat very still initially.  Then I held out the back scratcher so she could come and rub herself against it, which she did, so I started to do a few TTouches at a time on her back as she walked back and forth.  I would do a few TTouches, pause, and then try again.  After a few times of this, I would give her a longer break and watch her body language to see what I should do next.  She seemed to enjoy the TTouches, at times leaning a bit into them. 
I also tried doing TTouches with a feather and with a small fan brush.  She responded well to these also, but the back scratcher seemed to work best, as that gave her the most space.  She also seemed to enjoy the hard, smooth surface of the back scratcher.
At times I kneeled on the floor, but mostly I sat in the chair, feeling that it was best not to be too much in her face or at the same vertical level.
At one point I did a long pause, and began to send her Reiki energy.  I slid to the side of my chair, as she had looked at me several times as though she would like to sit next to me.  She stepped onto the chair and put her nose to my hand - but unfortunately, she got a little shock because of the dry winter air creating static electricity! 
She didn't seem to be too scared but did back off, sitting at chair height, facing me, on a cat tree.
I continued sending Reiki energy.  As I often do, I could feel her mind working, wondering, what is this feeling? what is this energy?  It is a new feeling.
She got more and more settled as I continued.  Silently, I told her, "I am here for you.  You only need take as much or as little energy as you like."

Then, what made my day the most was what happened next.  I saw and heard her do a huge sigh - that huge body sigh that felt so deep.  That felt like she had let go from such a deep place, and felt a relief and release that was profound.  Such a beautiful moment to share with this cat.  She curled up and got into a napping position. I continued for a while longer, and then left her to nap in peace. 
I have worked with her a couple of times since that day.  Last week, I got her started on a Bach Flower remedy, so that will be interesting to see what happens as a result of that.  I gave it to her the first time last week, and after the combination of that and a TTouch/Reiki session, she looked very at comfortable.
I have been working with her slowly with TTouches, but what I find she is most responsive to Reiki, quite possibly as that is so powerful, yet doesn't need to involve touching at all, so she is less apt to get in that overstimulated place.  She is starting to recognize the Reiki energy now - she looks at me as though to say, "oh that's right, that makes me feel relaxed", and I see her body slowly begin to be more at ease.  She is also starting to recognize that more relaxed feeling as a place where she is comfortable, where she wants to be.
It is so beautiful to see this cat looking peaceful.
I look forward to working with her tomorrow, and love and thanks to all at Bideawee :)

TTouch and Reiki with Marlowe at BARC Shelter: Calming Relief for Itchy Skin

Modalities such as TTouch and Reiki are not a substitute for veterinary treatment, but they can work hand and hand with conventional medicine so well.
Marlowe is a lovely, sweet orange male cat who recently came into BARC Shelter.  Possibly due to a reaction to an antibiotic, he ended up with many patches of itchy skin.  He was switched to another antibiotic, and is now being giving a steroid to help with the skin issues, so that got him on the right path. 
Meanwhile, my friend Betty K, a longtime volunteer at the shelter, discovered that Marlowe really responded to little circular TTouches on his head with a paintbrush.  By using the paintbrush and doing the TTouches on his head, she is able to avoid touching the itchy areas, which are primarily on his body. 

He is extremely soothed by the TTouches, which help him get into a much more relaxed state, and calm his nerves, so he is much less apt to scratch at the areas.  He stretches out as she does them, and enjoys her working with him that way for a very long time :) The TTouches also can help to stimulate his appetite, so in the course of her sessions, he often comes forward to eat.  So that is all great!

I have been doing some TTouch with Marlowe, but since Betty is already doing the TTouches with him, I have been primarily doing Reiki with him.  Reiki also serves to calm and soothe him.  I have been mostly keeping my hands slightly off his body.  Again, I want to avoid touching the itchy areas, as I don't want to make him uncomfortable or irritated and more likely to scratch.  However, in the process of Reiki, animals most often will shift their body until your hands are where they would most like them to be, and yesterday, he turned over and laid right into my hands for a good while.  I could feel a good amount of heat and energy coming out of my hands, and felt him get very peaceful there.  Reiki can also stimulate the appetite, so he often eats after his sessions with me as well. 

 

 

Last time I was at BARC, I noticed that the itchy areas are drying up, which is great.  And when I am working with Marlowe, I generally do not see him scratch at all.  I am sure that both the TTouch and Reiki are helping him to stay in a calmer state, which is so helpful with skin issues, as they usually are aggravated by stress.  And a shelter environment can be so stressful for animals.

So glad to see Marlowe starting to feel better, and thanks Betty K and the other wonderful BARC people for helping Marlowe and the other animals to feel more at ease.  xoxo



TTouch at Bideawee with Calvin, a Shy Kitten: Closer Every Day

Calvin is a very shy kitten who I have been working with at Bideawee.  He is not aggressive in the least, just frightened - he will run away from you if he does not want to be touched.  But I have been working with him slowly and quietly, and he is getting more and more used to contact.

In my post with him a while back, I found that he was comfortable with little TTouches done with a soft kitty toy, and then I was able to transition to using my hand.  Now he seems to want to use the toy as a toy, so I tried doing TTouches on his forehead using a paintbrush. 

Before I even get to the TTouch part though, I do give him some time to settle in a comfortable place, usually underneath something.  He seems to feel more protected that way.  Sometimes he is comfortable sitting next to a scratching post.  I will let him settle and sit next to him for a bit before I begin, speaking to him quietly sometimes. 

Once he seems comfortable, I start to do a few circular TTouches on his forehead.  I do a few at a time, then pause to see how he's doing.  Usually when I pause, he will get in a little more comfortable position.  After doing this for a while, if he seems like he's ok with me going on, I will slowly work my hand down the handle of the paintbrush and begin to do some circular TTouches with the back of my fingers. 

In the video above, you will see me doing Chimp and Llama TTouches, which use the back surfaces of my fingers, which are less intense-feeling than the front surfaces.  There is less heat coming from these surfaces. 

In these moments with him, I really quiet my mind and am just feeling and being with him in the moment.  I feel my breath getting into the same rhythm as his breath, and our energies merge.  I can feel how he is responding, and can usually feel when it is time to stop and give him a break.  It is truly an amazing and exhilarating feeling, being together in those moments.

And as one of the TTouch sayings goes, "it is moments, not minutes" that matter - it is important to try to stop before it is too much.  This can be a challenge to try to feel when that is, but it starts to come with practice.  Of course, we get excited and want for progress to happen, but it is really in letting go of our expectations and being in the moment that the most amazing things can happen.

Above is a short video of me doing abalone TTouches with Calvin.  Keep in mind that this happened at the end of quite a long session, with many pauses in between.  If Calvin seems like he needs more than a short pause, I will work with or play with one of the other cats in the room with him to give him more of a break. 

Anyway, the abalone TTouches happened after a while of TTouches on the head with the brush, then TTouches on the head with my hand, and then little by little I began to do a TTouch or two on the body, then went back to the head, then tried again on the body, etc.  It is a very gradual process.

As I continue to work with him, it is such a joy to see his face, his body, his whole self begin to relax and feel comfortable with me.  It will still take some time for him to learn to trust, but he is on a path moving forward every time I work with him.

Thanks as always for all the kind Bideawee people, it is a very special place to be.  Can't wait to see you again Calvin!  xoxo

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: Pixie

Pixie is a beautiful young tabby girl with a lot of charisma.  She is very friendly, and is completely at ease especially with her favorite Bideawee person, Steve, and probably with others with whom she is very accustomed.  However, she can get overstimulated at times and swat, especially when someone new, such as a potential adopter, tries to make contact with her.  So I have been working with her to help encourage her to stay in a calmer zone when she is being touched. 
I have found that with cats who have this type of behavior, if you get them accustomed to having contact that does not get them to the point where they swat, over time the swatting behavior subsides.  It is so beautiful to see that process, especially in a shelter, because it not only means that the animal feels better, it also increases her chances for adoption.

First of all, what I have seen is that Pixie needs a few moments to just get used to the person being near her, rather than the person quickly sticking their hand at her to pet her.  I can understand that!
When it is Pixie's turn to be let out of her cage, I have found that it is best to leave her alone and let her explore for a while, and then when she decides to settle somewhere, I begin to do TTouches and/or Reiki with her.  And if I am working with her in the cage, I approach her gradually - standing near her cage calmly for a moment, then speaking to her a bit, approaching her a little bit at a time with a paintbrush, then gradually doing TTouches with my hand.  I actually do the same process when she is out of the cage, but adding on the part of letting her explore for a bit before approaching her.
I first saw that Pixie really responded to the energy of both TTouch and Reiki when I was actually working with another cat, Coral.  Coral was outside the cage and Pixie was in her cage, which happened to be next to where I was. 
As Coral began to calm with the work I was doing, I noticed Pixie changing from a hyper-alert look to a very mellow, relaxed look, her eyes closing.
With different cats I use different tools - I have a number of different types of paintbrushes, back scratchers, feathers, etc.  Pixie seemed like she would respond to a paintbrush, one that is not too thick, so that is what I have used with her.  I start out doing little circular TTouches around the outside of her mouth, the top of her head, and over time, have added TTouches and strokes on her body as well. 

In the beginning, I would do just a few TTouches, pause, observe her behavior, and then continue, a little at a time.  Over time, she has been comfortable with longer and longer periods of contact, leaning into the brush, rolling on her side, etc, really relaxing into it.  Only maybe once has she swatted at me, and when that happened, I gave her a break, worked with another cat or two, then came back to her later.
With this type of work, Pixie has become more and more accustomed to responding to touch by relaxing rather than striking out, as long as the approach is gentle.  It is so important to watch a cat's body language and listen to what they are ready to do, rather than imposing our will on them.  In this way, a cat does not feel cornered.

When things are really working well, it is a pure energy flow that goes back and forth between me and the cat.  Being in the moment with them, feeling where they are.
After Pixie became accustomed to me working with her with the paintbrush, I was able to start working my hand down the paintbrush and have begun doing TTouches with her directly with my hand.  I do keep my hand on the paintbrush, or keep it nearby, in case I need to transition back to the paintbrush.  It really is like a dance.  The minute I feel Pixie may get a bit unsure, I go back to using the paintbrush and then may give her a break altogether for a bit.  I am constantly watching her body language, with the idea of stopping BEFORE it is too much.  So I am watching and feeling for any subtle signs of agitation.  After a while it gets easier to anticipate those moments because I get used to her rhythm.  Even when I am doing what I think may be strictly TTouch with her, Reiki is definitely flowing, so we have a connection in that energetic way as well.

Each time I work with Pixie, it feels like the positive energy coming from her is building and building, and I know that others can see it and feel it too.  Usually when this type of momentum gets going, I feel that sometime in the near future, it will be her time, time for the right person or people to arrive to take her to her forever home. 
See you soon Pixie, unless you go home first!
As always, I have to thank all at Bideawee for all the love and care they give to the animals.  xo

TTouch and Reiki at BARC Shelter: Cody

 

Cody has been at BARC Shelter a very long time, he is one of the animals who lives there, running loose in the cat loft, and he is very well-loved.  He is an older cat, and has been through a lot during his life – he lost an eye and had his ear mangled by a pit bull, and now in his advanced age he has kidney issues.  But he is a trooper, and a character – he definitely has a humorous side to him.  If he is resting on top of a cage, he may want to use your shoulders to help him to get down!

He is a rather quiet, yet powerful presence - a kind overseer. 

I have been spending more time with him lately, as I feel that Reiki is so helpful for cats with kidney problems.  And of course, I feel a great deal of love for this dear pirate cat (that’s how he feels to me, a weathered pirate with a sense of humor).  He is a very loving cat, and readily will come onto your lap.

Cody often rests on top of a table, where I will sit with him for Reiki, or if he's in the mood to come in my lap, we do that.  Sometimes my hands are directly on him, sometimes not, whatever feels right.  Often my hands are slightly off him as the energy feels too powerful to have direct connection.



 

It feels such an honor to connect and work with any animal, but it is a special type of honor to connect with a cat who has had many years of existence, and you feel in the energy connection with them something about all that experience.  It is not possible to put it into words, but it feels like tapping into a quiet wisdom that exists inside of the cat.  I feel the years of that experience somehow traveling into me, not in specific thoughts but somehow energetically.  The energy passes back and forth between us. 

I treasure these moments, and am grateful, too, for all the love and care that Cody and all the other animals receive from those at BARC.  It is a special place!! xo

TTouch and Reiki at Bideawee: Teddy and Panda, Ebony and Ingrid

Above:  Teddy
Hi folks! It has been very hard to keep up with the blog posts as life has been busy! 

This post is a bit belated, as it is more complex, involving four cats instead of just one.  It is actually about the first four cats I really focused on at Bideawee.

The end of last year, I taught several TTouch workshops to volunteers at Bideawee in Manhattan.  It is a great place - very positive environment, well set up, well-run, and staffed by knowledgeable and caring people. 

Bideawee has a terrific setup for the cats.  A good number of cats are housed in what they call “resorts” – small rooms where the cats can roam, play, sleep, etc that are filled with toys, climbing places and cozy places.  They make really good use of the vertical space with shelves and cat trees etc.  The cats that are in cages have clean, cozy cages and most of these cats have opportunities to be out of the cages on a rotating basis to play or just hang out.

The cats I will discuss here are Teddy, Panda, Ebony and Ingrid, who were housed together in one of the resorts. 

 

Above:  Panda

Teddy and Panda are two adorable young brothers who came into the shelter completely feral.  They both have very gentle, sweet, playful personalities but were still quite shy when I first began to work with them.  Panda was more forthcoming than Teddy when I began working with them, but apparently they had switched back and forth as to which one was less or more shy.

 

Ebony and Ingrid are both friendly girls, but when I first started working with them had a rather low tolerance level for touch, and could get swatty after a short while.

I entered the resort with these four cats with a couple of different paintbrushes, not sure of what would happen but excited to work with the cats. 

One thing that I found nice about being in the room with the four cats was that it was great to be able to alternate between the four cats, thus giving them the break time that they needed, especially in the beginning when they were getting to know me, but it was also important later on to really be in the moment with them and feel at any given time whether it was best to continue, or to give a break and come back in a while.  Sometimes I would literally do just a few TTouches, other times it would work into a longer session, depending on how they were reacting to me. 

Above: Panda

Panda was in a cozy spot curled up on a cat bed.  I first began to TTouch him using the paintbrush, as I didn’t want to startle him by touching him directly with my hand too fast.  At first he seemed hesitant, but pretty quickly he settled into some TTouches with the paintbrush, and then with the back of my fingers on his forehead. 

 

Above:  Teddy



 

His brother Teddy was more standoffish, but I found that he was comfortable when he got on a little perch and was facing out the window.  While he was there, I began to do some Reiki with him, and he was quite comfortable with that, so I was gradually able to move my hand til I had it near his lower back.  I kept it there, sending the energy for a while, and then did some TTouches with him there as well.  As long as he was facing away from me, he was ok with that.  I have found that sometimes when an animal is sensitive to being touched in an area such as the lower back, it is helpful to share Reiki in that area first, and later on they may be accepting of direct contact there.

 

Above:  Ingrid

I was told that Ingrid generally would only allow one or two pets and then would swat.  Kerrie McKeon (one of the main keepers of the kitties at bideawee and cat expert extraodinaire.  Check out her website, http://catsleuth.com) said it seemed like someone played with her using their hands as toys, and that made a lot of sense.  I did a few TTouches with the back of my finger, actually the flat part of the fingernail, on her forehead, and she rubbed into it.  I did a little at a time with her, giving pauses, and by the second time visiting there was able to do a longer period of time with her.

Above:  Ebony

Ebony is also very sweet, but as she could be a swatter, I used the paintbrush first.  She started pushing her head into the TTouches with the paintbrush, so after a bit I transitioned to using the back of my hand, mostly around the top of her head, alongside her cheeks and outside the mouth.  The next week when I worked with her I was delighted to see that there was no hint of swatting anymore when I was working with her, and she also began to come into my lap.  So I didn’t use the paintbrush anymore with her.  From then on, she was extremely friendly with me and didn’t swat.  I was careful, though to watch her body language, and if I was approaching her, I would use the back surface of a finger on her head, to see how she was, and if she wanted to continue, I would.  Otherwise I would let her be, and usually just let her come to me, which she does readily, usually sitting in my lap for a bit. 

With a cat who has a tendency to swat, less is definitely more, and the goal is to stop before they swat, so they get used to the pleasant experience which ends comfortably for them and for you.

Ingrid similarly didn’t try to swat at me, so in subsequent sessions I would start carefully with the back of my finger with TTouches on her head area, and take it from there. 

So, going back to the second session, Panda started walking around my legs and feet while I was working with Ebony, so I switched back to working with him again.  He went again on his cat bed and ended up getting very sleepy as I did little circular ttouches on his head with the back of my fingers.  In subsequent sessions, usually it would be both him and Ebony that came to me first, sometimes pawing each other a bit to try to be first to get attention. 

I would sit on a bench in the resort and with Panda, I would pat the bench, and he started a whole routine of jumping up there when I patted there. I would do TTouches with him by my side, and a few sessions later, began to lift him from the bench to my lap.  I didn’t force him to stay, but just did a few TTouches with him there and let him jump down whenever he wanted to.  Ebony would follow a similar process except that she would come up in my lap on her own.  More and more of her very endearing personality comes out every time I see her.

With Teddy, I progressed in a very gradual, non-forceful way.  Initially, he was most comfortable being approached when he was sitting facing out the window.  But as time went by, he was very at ease being approached pretty much any place he was in the room – sometimes settling for a few moments, sometimes longer.

And as this progress continued, I was so delighted to hear from the dedicated staff and volunteers who work with the cats that they too were seeing a big change in all four cats in the resort, particularly with Teddy and Panda, as they had still been quite shy when I began working with them. 

One day when I came in, I was told that Teddy was now comfortable being picked up and held, which was monumental!

These two sweet brothers remind me a great deal of my own feral cats, Natalia and Lulu.  Very sweet, gentle souls underneath their fear.  This type of personality really blossoms once the fear begins to subside and trust builds.  TTouch and Reiki are such gentle ways of connecting with animals – they help to teach the animal that you are there for them, that they are welcome to accept as much or as little contact as they choose, that you are with them in this moment to share the energy and the gentle touches with them.  

So, the most lovely conclusion to this post is that when I arrived at Bideawee this week, I was told that Teddy and Panda had been adopted by a lovely couple.  My heart felt so happy for them that it brought a tear to my eye!  Especially when animals with whom I have experienced a big shift are adopted, it is like seeing your star pupils graduate.  I can just imagine them delightedly frolicking in their new home :)

Thank you for all those at bideawee who make it such a special place and help animals like these to find the loving home they so much deserve.