Soothing a Traumatized Cat: TTouch, Reiki, Play and Treats with Sylvie at Downtown Veterinary Clinic

Sylvie is a beautiful black cat with tabby markings and a silvery-white undercoat, hence her name Sylvie.  She was abandoned in the Chelsea area of Manhattan in a roller suitcase.  A security guard found her and brought her to Downtown Veterinary Clinic, where they kindly took her in.  She is living in their office roaming free in a quiet room downstairs from the treatment rooms. 

Sylvie was OK with the people when she first arrived, but after initially not minding being handled (probably frozen and in shock), she became defensive and would swat and hiss at people and other animals.  There is another cat who is living in the room with her at present, Mama Cat, who is very friendly, but Sylvie is afraid of her.  The clinic asked if I would come to work with her.  Above is a photo of her early on, not such a happy camper!  but, things got better . . .

Initially, Sylvie hissed at me when I walked towards her and said a gentle hello, but I just sat quietly near her and began to let Reiki flow.  After a bit, I started to see her relax her body and her face.  I felt her taking the energy in, and saw her do a few sighs as she relaxed and got herself into a more comfortable position.

In the second session with her, perhaps a week later, I started out by connecting with Sylvie with Reiki again, and then decided to try some TTouch with her.  She was facing away from me at that time, which can either be comfortable for them, or can be a position which is too surprising for them to be touched.  So I started by doing some “air TTouches” (doing the circular motion of the TTouches, but off the body), and then began to do some TTouches on the top of her head.  Initially she hissed, but after a couple of the circular motions, she settled into it.  As she got more relaxed, I was slowly able to transition to using my hand to do the TTouches.  I would pause every now and then to let her process and to assess whether I should continue or stop.  She continued to relax into the TTouches.  I was surprised to actually be working hands-on with her so soon. 

At one point during a pause, she turned herself around to face me.  I decided to see if she would be comfortable with me approaching her.  I started again with the paintbrush.  I think this time I was using the handle of the brush.  I often try different surfaces of a tool to see what the animal is most comfortable with.  And after a while, again I was able to transition to TTouching with my hand.  I was working on the head, forehead and back of the neck, and eventually tried some TTouches around the outside of the mouth, cheeks and under the chin, and she began leaning into my hands.  Wow! In those moments I felt her let her guard down and really connect with me.

Below is a clip of some of what happened during that session.

In the next couple of sessions, I realized that I would need to take a step back from what had happened in that session.  I needed to take each session as a new event and really just be in the moment with her to see what she was comfortable with.  That is really what I do anyway, but what I mean is that sometimes one has to take some steps back before moving forward again.  Sometimes she was comfortable with TTouch, other times she just wanted me to sit close by and connect with Reiki.  I also would give her treats each time, which she loves.  Sometimes I would just put them on the ground and other times she would take them from my hand.  

Above: Sylvie with Cat Dancer (I later discovered she liked this in addition to the cat catcher)
I felt I wanted to throw something else into the mix to see what would happen.  It was time to see if Sylvie would play.  I brought with me a toy that most cats seem to really enjoy, called the Go Cat Cat Catcher.  It is a short wand with a wire and a mouse on the end of the wire.  The mouse looks pretty realistic, and I think the wire and the way it connects with the mouse does something special as well.  Anyway, I showed Sylvie the toy, and immediately she came down from her perch on top of a box and began to play with it.  The other cat, Mama Cat, came over too, so that was a bit of a challenge.  I would alternate between one cat and another, and would try to maneuver myself so I was staying in between the two cats to avoid trouble.  Mama didn’t have any problem with Sylvie getting close, but Sylvie would hiss and swat at Mama if she got too close.  I kept it short and sweet, and was delighted to see Sylvie actually playing, running and leaping in the air to get the mouse.  I think she surprised herself!

Later on, Sylvie jumped inside of a box that she likes, and I was able to continue playing with her there, without Mama getting into the mix.  So that worked very well. 

In sessions after that, I would often start by giving Sylvie a few treats.  I would generally put them on the ground, and then use a wooden craft stick (looks rather like the wooden sticks doctors use to look in your mouth, with rounded ends) to do Ttouches on her head, and then eventually her body.  More recently, I have been able to directly TTouch her head and her body while she is doing this. 

After that, if she seems interested in play, we will do that.  Or if she seems more in relaxed mode, we will do some Reiki and then some TTouch.  Generally with the TTouch these days, I have been using the wooden stick instead of the paintbrush, as that seems to be what she is comfortable with.  I start out by stroking her around the side of her face, and she leans into it.  Then I am slowly able to start TTouching around her head and eventually on her body with the stick.  Once she is comfortable with that, then I slowly transition to using my hand.  This usually means using one or two fingers initially to do the TTouches, and I am usually using the back surface of my fingers, which is a less invasive feeling than using front surfaces of my hand.  Or if she is not quite comfortable with my hand that day, I stay with the stick. Sometimes she is able to get really relaxed and completely lay into my hand.

 It makes me smile to look at these pictures and know that she can be this at ease.

And I know that in time, it will be easier for her to be able to get to this place, but it takes time, and patience.

The idea is to work very gradually, doing pauses, watching her body language and feeling what she is comfortable with.  Ideally it is great to stop before she feels uncomfortable, but in any event, if I see something that tells me she is uncomfortable, I pause and give her a break.  Sometimes I can start again, other times it is better to either give her a longer break, or stop for the day, or back off of direct contact and either do some gentle energy work, or if it seems that she is in a playing mode, we will do that.  I use a lot of positive visualization with her as well, seeing her as confident and relaxed.

One day after a play session, Sylvie ended up settling right near where I was sitting.  It seemed that she felt safe there. 

I just sat quietly and offered her Reiki for a while.

Mama had been playing with us as well (I was sitting in between them and playing with one, and then the other), and later on there was a point where they were laying very near each other, and both seemed pretty comfortable.  This was great to see!

Sometimes Sylvie looks straight at me as if to check in with me, and I tell her that everything is all right.

Below is a clip which shows some of what we have been doing over the past few weeks.

With every session, she is getting more comfortable with me, and during most of the sessions, she is comfortable with me doing quite a lot of direct TTouch.  What usually happens these days is that I will begin the TTouch with the stick for a few minutes, then quite quickly transition to touching her with my hands. 
Sometimes she is inside a cardboard box, which is one of her safe hidey places, so I might just do Reiki with her if she is in there, or stroke her with a stick while giving treats, as she is not so sure about being touched when she is in there.
It is all about being sensitive to the moment, and to what she is ready to do at that time.  Sometimes I will nudge a bit at the edges, but I will err on the side of caution so there is less possibility of her being frightened.  Even on the days when she feels more like being in the box than coming out and interacting, now she will look at me with a more open and trusting expression.

Her whole facial expression and demeanor has started to change.  Her face is much more open and relaxed, and I feel more trust from her all the time.  It is wonderful to feel her becoming more and more comfortable.
The staff have started to be able to interact with her a bit, and my friend Carol, who is a wonderful trainer who works at the office, has been doing play sessions with her, so that is great.
I am so grateful to the clinic for rescuing her and for their kindness and care, and look forward to continued sessions with her!

Buddy and Jayne at Bideawee: The Importance of Play

Buddy and Jayne

Generally the work I do is focused on helping the animals relax, but sometimes taking a different tack and connecting through play can provide another way to connect with an animal, and at times can prompt a breakthrough.  Buddy and Jayne reminded me of this the other day...

Jayne

Buddy and Jayne are two very shy cats at Bideawee who I have been working with for a while.  Jayne is semi-feral, and Buddy is not feral but quite shy.  Buddy and Jayne have been in the same room at Bideawee for a while, and there have been a few other cats who have come and gone from that room as they have been adopted.  At the moment they share the room with a sweet senior kitty, Calliope.  All three cats coexist peacefully, though Buddy does try to steal Calliope's food!

Both Buddy and Jayne initially would hide inside the litter bench a good deal of the time.  Now Jayne spends most of the time out in the open, and Buddy is out most of the time, but Buddy will still usually head for the litter bench when someone enters the room.

Buddy knows me well and is really friendly with me now.  He comes running up to me when I come in the room.  If he is in the litter bench and hears my voice, he comes running or rolling out of the litter bench to see me.  Jayne is still quite reserved, but progressing slowly and steadily.  She seems to really enjoy being nearby, and often I will sit in the room and share Reiki with all three cats, and she is quite comfortable with that.  At times I can do TTouch directly with my hand with her, at other times I need to use a tool such as a feather or paintbrush or the like.

Reiki with Calliope (calico), Jayne and Buddy

The other day I had been working with all three cats in there, and I picked up a toy that Calliope usually likes - a toy with a long stick and shiny strands coming off of the end.  Calliope was not in the mood, as she was more in sleepy mode, but Buddy and Jayne were both looking at me to see what would happen next.

I have never seen Buddy play, and I don't think I have seen Jayne really play, though once in a while she will hit a little ball around, just a bit, so she may do that when people are not around.

Buddy and Jayne were both underneath a cat tree,  so I started to move the toy near one cat, and then the other.  And they both started to play with the toy.  Both of them started to roll and scamper around in such a relaxed and joyful way that I had never seen before with either of them. 

After a while, Buddy came out from under the cat tree and stood up on his hind legs to catch the toy.  I am so used to seeing Buddy very low to the ground, this was really different!

Buddy looking up, about to leap up at the stick toy

This was such a delight to see, I felt my heart opening as I felt a huge energetic feeling of opening happening in the room.  I felt such joy as I saw Buddy leaping for the toy, and Jayne rolling onto her back and stretching and reaching for the toy.  The free feeling of seeing them playful, unafraid, happily engaged in play.  It was such a beautiful, spontaneous thing that unfortunately I didn't get video of it, just a few quick still shots which you see above, but hopefully I will next time! 

That night, as I went to sleep, I still could picture the two of them rolling and scampering around, and it made me feel such joy in my heart.  I felt again that beautiful sense of opening.  I can't wait to see them again - maybe next time we will get Calliope to join in a bit! 

TTouch and Reiki at Bideawee: Update re Pixie

Hi folks! For some reason, blogspot re-posted my 2014 post about Pixie.  So for my email subscribers, sorry about the repeat!  

However, this error did prompt me to share an update about this lovely kitty.  Recently, a very kind woman came in and fell in love with Pixie, really made a good connection with her.  And she ended up taking her home, yay!  

Shortly after adopting Pixie, the woman called Bideawee to share that she and Pixie were doing great together - that Pixie was completely affectionate and loving with her.  No overstimulation and swatting as happened sometimes at the shelter (it appeared to be due to Pixie wanting to be the only cat, which she is in her home), just cuddles and love.  

As if Pixie had been waiting for this particular woman to arrive, and they were meant for each other.

These are photos I took in recent months during my Reiki sessions with her, before she went to her loving home.  We miss her, of course, but are delighted for her to be in a great home.

Congratulations to Pixie and her new person, and thank you Bideawee for all you do for the animals! xoxo

Alison at BARC Shelter: Patience, a Gentle Approach, and a Heart Connection

This is Alison, a beautiful calico kitty who I have been working with at BARC Shelter.  She was brought in by one of the long-time volunteers.  Apparently she had been outside, but was quite friendly with her rescuer. 
However, the shelter environment is tough for Alison.  She does not like other cats, so being surrounded by other cats makes her extremely tense.  And she is very wary with people as well in this environment, becoming overstimulated easily and swatting and hissing at people who approach her too quickly.
I have been working with her very slowly and gradually, using a back scratcher (there is a wonderful one at BARC now that has an end that is like a plastic spoon that she particularly likes, also one with a shoe-horn type end which she also responds to), or sometimes a paintbrush to start with, and then transitioning to touching her with my hand if she seems comfortable enough to do that.
I have found that she is extremely responsive to Reiki, done a short distance away from her.  She has grown to recognize the energy and settles right into it now.  She starts to close her eyes and get a cozy look on her face, and her body begins to relax.  And that has really been key in establishing trust.  She associates the relaxing energy with me, and knows that I may not necessarily even try to touch her, so she doesn't go on guard when she sees me coming.
About a week ago I went to work with her, and I had not worked with her in a while so I was not sure how it was going to go.  But I could tell immediately she felt the Reiki energy.  And it seemed a connection to the energy that was stronger than I had seen before.  Like she was absorbing the concept that this felt really GOOD, and I was seeing her bask in it. She paused her movement, and her eyes got that squinty look like she was taking it in.  I was standing with my hands outside the cage, palms up, and the cage door open.

And then, she did something she had never done with me before.  She came right to the front of the cage, and extended her paw to me.

Not a gesture that was going to turn into a swat, a gesture with a soft paw that gently touched my hand.  I praised her, and asked if she would like to do it again, and she did.  She did the same thing three or four times, just reached her paw to my hand to gently touch it.

Then she came forward and began to rub her head on my hand.  I didn't want to push the issue, so just let her do the rubbing, did not start stroking her at that time.

All the while I was letting the Reiki flow, and I could tell that she was becoming relaxed by it.  After a bit, I approached her with the spoon end of the back scratcher, doing little circular TTouches with it around her head.  I was also speaking very softly to her, which helps her to relax as well.  Eventually I worked my hand down the back scratcher, and began doing soft TTouches on her head directly with the back of my hand.  The back surface of the hand is less intense-feeling than the front surface, as there is less heat coming out, so it can feel more comfortable for frightened or sensitive cats. She settled into it completely and curled up and laid her head down.  

This was a longer period of contact than I had ever experienced with her before.  And it was as though her heart was gradually opening, and I felt a surge in my heart, our hearts connecting.

The next time I worked with Alison, again I began with Reiki, and she came to the front of the cage to nuzzle against my hand.  As before, I could see her absorbing the Reiki - she would get very still and close her eyes, taking it in. 

After a while she went to the back of the cage and curled up on her cat bed.  I began to do some TTouches with her on her head with the spoon end of the back scratcher. In the following video, you can see a bit of the sequence I did with her. 

When she became quite relaxed, I worked my way down the back scratcher, and began doing the circular TTouches directly with my hand.  I used the front of my hand this time, and I kept the feeling very soft, and felt the texture of my touch very soft and gentle.  She completely relaxed into the TTouches and went to sleep.

 

After a while, I gave her a break, working on another cat for a while.  Then I came back again, first starting with TTouches with the back scratcher, then with my hand when she felt more at ease.  This time it was a shorter span of time to work up to TTouching her with my hand.

I did this same sequence a few times that day, and each time she settled into my hand.  It was really beautiful to see this and feel this, to feel her relaxing and feeling open and comfortable.  A significant shift, and each time I see her, I feel a stronger and stronger connection with her, and more confidence and trust.


I told some of the regular volunteers what had happened and the sequence I used, and encouraged them to use the back scratcher with her, and not push the touching but to just follow her lead with that, to let her come to them.

I have already heard from a couple of the volunteers that they have been able to have more contact with Alison than before, that she is more at ease with them.  And my friend and long-time volunteer Mary said that Alison reached out to her with her paw the same way that she had done with me last week.  So sweet!! Her increased comfort will also help increase her chances for adoption, which is great.  I believe that in a quiet home with no other cats, she would blossom.

The next challenge is to help Alison to be more comfortable in the play room.  This is more difficult for her, as she is able to see the resident dogs and other cats from within the play room space, and she is not so used to the space either, so it is still hard for her to be relaxed there.  So when I am in the play room with her, I do not try to make much physical contact, but mostly do Reiki from a short distance with her. I also speak to her softly, and sometimes quietly sing to her as well. Currently we have her inside of a x-pen when she is in the play room so that the space does not feel so big for her.  But I am sure in time, this will be more comfortable for her as well.  Here you can see her pretty comfortable, taking in the Reiki energy.
Much love to you Alison!!  Look forward to seeing you soon (unless, of course, the perfect person or people take you home)!  xoxox

RIP Ernest: A Quiet, Sweet, Loving Soul and Beautiful Teacher

Ernest was a beautiful little white cat (with a bit of grey marking on his head) who arrived at BARC Shelter some months ago.  He had been living at a gas station, and the situation there had not been good.

But whatever abuse or hard times he may have endured from his life there and/or on the street or elsewhere, he had such a gentle, sweet, affectionate and trusting disposition.  It never ceases to amaze me how many animals can be so kind and forgiving, even if their previous experience was incredibly harsh.

Though according to the vets Ernest was not an old cat, he had the vibe of a sweet older gentleman, so polite and gentle.  He was adopted fairly quickly, but was soon returned as he was peeing all over the house and it was found that he had very serious underlying problems that had not been detected at the shelter since he had been peeing in the box and acting ok at that time.  It turned out that he had a malformed kidney, possibly due to eating antifreeze while he was living at the gas station.  He had other issues as well, most likely connected with the kidney problem.
We were all really concerned when he returned to the shelter.  He was very pulled in, and really did not look well at all.  He was not moving much and kept his beautiful light blue eyes closed most of the time.  We did not know if he would even live a few more days.

BARC began to give him intensive treatment of fluids and medication, and of course he received a huge amount of love from all the volunteers and staff.  Anyone who had contact with him was moved by his sweet and gentle spirit.  I began to give him regular Reiki treatments, which he really responded to, laying into my hands.  I could feel a lot of heat particularly in his lower body, where the chakra relating to the kidneys is.  I would imagine him filled with white, healing light.

Over the past few months since he returned to the shelter he had a comeback, gaining some weight, eating well, and enjoying the affection and attention which was showered on him.
When he had first returned to the shelter, I would often find him hunkered down in his litter box.  But during the course of our session, he would come out of the litter box and make his way to the front of the cage.

After some time, he began to come right to the front of the cage, his eyes open and looking at me.  He would give me head butts (sometimes keeping his head there for a bit and we just felt the connection) and lay right into my hands and arms for Reiki.  There was such a wistfulness, such a sweetness and a sadness and a joy all mixed into one that I felt in our sessions.  I could feel him connecting to the light.  I could feel us enveloped with and becoming one with the light and the energy.  I could feel us becoming one with the love that filled that light and energy.  Time truly suspends in those beautiful moments.

I think, because he had shown so much improvement for a while, we were surprised when suddenly last week he began to look and feel ill again.  I was hoping that maybe this was a temporary setback, but sadly, the dear kitty took a turn for the worse and the shelter people and vets determined that it was the kindest thing to let him go. Strange coincidence, I had come upon a photo of me with him and put it as my profile photo on facebook a few days earlier - perhaps I knew on a deeper level that this was coming.

I was so sad not to be able to say goodbye to him in person, but grateful that I had had one last session with him before he went. I am so sad that he was not able to be on the earth longer, but am so grateful I had the chance to know him and to have such special moments with him.

And of course I still can connect with him now.  Right now I am telling him how much he is loved, what a special creature he is, and how sorry I am that he had to go so soon.  I am telling him that he touched so many lives with his sweet soul.  And that he will always be in my heart, surrounded with love and light, such a sweet little angel.  And I am thanking him for reminding me to slow down and enjoy the moment, to feel the light and the love around us, to have gratitude for all of this.

Thank you dear Ernest, and thank you, dear BARC people, for all the love and care that you showed this special being.  xoxoxoxox

TTouch Class at the Homeless Cat Network

Candy

Hi folks! About five years ago, I did a TTouch class at the Homeless Cat Network, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area.  The experience was wonderful!  Wonderful shelter and great people, not to mention all the amazing kitties, of course!  I have since kept in touch with dear friend Cookie McCrory, who organized the class, and I was pleased to be invited to teach there again two months ago (April).

Sunny

Homeless Cat Network is a no-kill organization, and relies on its dedicated volunteers, who take care of the cats and help to socialize them as well.  A number of the volunteers have taken Reiki and/or TTouch classes, so that is terrific.  The cats at HCN have the opportunity to receive these calming modalities on a regular basis.  And a number of the people in the class are also involved with caring for feral cats and TNR as well as working with the animals at HCN. 

The cats were watching us!

The space is set up really well, with a number of large enclosures made from wood and chicken wire, with shelves, cozy beds, etc. for the cats' comfort.  A few cats live in each enclosure, so they have much more space than if they were in a cage.  If a cat does not get along with others or has a health issue, then they are housed in a cage, but primarily the cats are in these enclosures.  And they also have a schedule to give the cats time out of the enclosures so they can roam around in the middle part of the room.

TTouches with Candy

We sat in a circle in the room for the class.  Everyone was so attentive, and had really great questions for me as I went along.

TTouches with Candy (Nani to my right)

Beautiful pastel calico Candy was a splendid demo kitty for me, and she calmed into my lap as I worked with her, sitting calmly even when I was not doing TTouches on her.

TTouches with Gianna

I think that it is so important for people to really get a feeling for that basic circular TTouch, the clouded leopard TTouch.  Once you have a sensation of how that feels, it is easier to try the many variations on it (using different surfaces of your hand, different pressure, different tempo, etc).

 TTouches with Katie and Rosie

I went around to each person and had them do TTouches on my arm to make sure they were clear on how to do them.  Common mistakes are to slide your hand over the skin, instead of moving the skin; making too big of a circle; going too fast; or keeping your fingers too stiff.  Some people who have arthritis or other issues may have trouble being flexible in their hands, but in that case it can be good to try a TTouch with the back of your hand such as the Chimp TTouch.  Even if your hand can't be as flexible as you may like, there are still ways to do the TTouches that will feel as though you are breathing and flowing with the TTouches.  Everyone did a great job!

TTouches with Gayle

I also stressed in the class how important it is to quiet yourself and just focus on being in the moment with the animal.  Once the animal feels that you are really there with them, amazing things can happen.

Showing a Body Wrap

In addition to showing the TTouches, I also showed how to do a basic body wrap, using a soft fleece material that I have found can at times be more acceptable to cats than the ace bandage.  Body wraps can be a bit tough to use with cats as they are not used to having anything put on their body, but for certain types of insecure personalities and definitely for cats with mobility issues, it can be quite effective.

Working with Lovey

I worked briefly with Lovey, who can be rather pulled in and scared, and she was quite receptive to TTouches with the paintbrush.  I actually was using the stick end of the paintbrush, as you can see.  Use caution when working around the head with anything sticklike, of course, as you don't want to go near their eyes.  In this photo, I was working around the outside of her mouth, which seemed to be a comfortable place for her.

Lovey relaxing

Everyone was so welcoming and kind, and I know that they will be using the TTouches on the shelter animals as well as their own animals or other rescue animals who they may be working with.  Thank you HCN for all you do! and I look forward to hearing from all of you about how you are doing with the kitties!