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!

Little Steps Add Up - Buddy (and a bit about Jayne) at Bideawee

Buddy is a sweet, extremely timid cat at Bideawee.  Apparently he jumped into a moving car from the street.  He is about six years old and had been neutered and ear-tipped.  He has recently been in a room with two shy female cats (actually since beginning this post one of the females, Zoe, has been adopted and a sweet male, Figuero, is now in there with Buddy and Jayne), and he is very comfortable with them, snuggling up in the litter bench with them. When I open the bench, he is usually a bit startled, sometimes even hissing, but once I begin to do TTouches with him, he becomes calmer and settles into the TTouches.  He is also extremely responsive to Reiki.
I am also working quite a bit with Jayne, who is in the same room and quite fearful. I will write more about her sometime. Sometimes when they are laying side by side, I will do a few TTouches with one, and then the other.  Jayne is much more afraid of direct contact, so I will touch Buddy first, and then sometimes she is comfortable with me touching her.  I can touch him directly with my hand, whereas with Jayne, I will usually start out with a feather or paintbrush or the like, as she prefers some distance between me and her hand.

Here is a video which I took on a day which was very quiet, and Jayne was relaxed and comfortable with me touching her directly after I had done some TTouch with Buddy.
Buddy has gotten to recognize the TTouches, and once he feels me starting to do them, now he will start pushing into and rubbing against my hand, which is so sweet to see.
He had to have some dental surgery recently, so he was in a cage by himself for a while.  I wanted to help him to relax, which hopefully would encourage him to eat as well.  I offered him Reiki with my hands slightly off him, and also did some TTouches with him.  A TTouch that can often work well to help energize a cat who can become "frozen" is the Zigzag TTouch.  The Zigzag TTouch helps to connect the body, as well as helping the animal to feel more inside of his body.
After he went from the cage back into the room with his friends, he also went back to camping out in the litter bench (a bench which is hollow inside with an opening so cats can go in. A litter box is usually in there, but if cats are hanging in there, often the litter box will be removed).
When I opened the bench he was a bit startled, as usual, but once I began to speak to him softly and began doing some TTouches with him, he began to rub his head against my hand and roll around as he had been doing before.
I put my hands underneath him and gently lifted him a couple of inches off the ground.  This prompted him to stand up and come out of the litter bench, which was great!
He began to head butt me and roll around as I did circular TTouches and Zigzag TTouches with him. I find that after doing some of the circular TTouches, the Zigzag TTouches can help a shy, held-in cat to be so comfortable and often can get them to start moving around.

After a few tries of picking Buddy up and placing him in my lap, he decided to settle there for a good while for some Reiki.

And after he came off my lap, he settled right beside me for a longer period of time and more Reiki energy.  It was beautiful to feel and see him so relaxed.  When I have that type of connection and opening feeling with an animal, I feel my own heart opening as we connect with each other.  It is a feeling of pure love that fills me with pure joy.

Buddy even napped for a while under my legs as we continued the Reiki session.

And above is another shot of him on my lap.

In another recent session, I began to try some subtle body work which I have been learning by reading Mary Debono's book, "Growing Young With Your Dog", which describes body work for both you and your dog (can be applied to cats as well).  She is a Feldenkrais practitioner who has developed her own method which can be applied to animals, which is extremely similar to TTouch in philosophy and feeling, as it influences the nervous system.  When I started doing this very gentle work with Buddy, it was a new feeling to him, and he stopped and stared straight into my soul, as if to say, "Thank you for being there for me".  Time slowed down and there we were, just Buddy and me, our energies merged and we were connected in this beautiful moment which felt beyond time and space. A connection of love and trust and opening. 

 Now Buddy will readily come out of the litter bench for me on his own. 

And last time I worked with him, he took a nap with his head on my foot and settled in for some TTouches on his paws:)

Buddy still starts out frightened with someone new, but I know that in time, the right person will enter the shelter and make a connection with this sweet cat.  He is a gentle, sweet soul, and just needs a little time to let go of his shyness. Look forward to seeing you soon, little guy! xoxoxo

TTouch and Reiki at Bideawee: The Journey and Transformation of Baby Tommy (and a bit about his friend Miu Miu)

Baby Tommy (also known as Beau) was a terrified kitty when I first met him in the downstairs receiving area at Bideawee. He was hiding inside of a cavelike bed, and would hiss and swat when the cage opened.  I was not able to get a decent photo of him in the beginning as he was mostly hidden when I first started working with him.  But he looked like such a different cat than the one you see in these pictures here.  He was so frightened and pulled in and hunkered down.  It was as if his true self was covered with layers of fear. 
I started out by sending him Reiki just sitting next to his cage.  I did this for a while, and could see that this was helping him to relax.  Having this distance, and just making contact with the energy can help to establish a connection that is very soothing and non-threatening.

After a couple of sessions, I decided to try making contact with him using a paintbrush. At this point he was inside a cavelike bed which was turned to the side so it was hard to see him.  I very carefully turned it a bit so that I could see enough of him to see his response.  At first he hissed, but as I began to do some of the circular TTouches on his forehead, he began to calm.  I just did a short time at first, and he began settling into a longer time after a while.  As I worked, even though he was hard to see, I could see and feel him becoming more relaxed.
Shortly after I began working with the paintbrush, the cave-bed was substituted with a metal mesh box which was partially covered with a cloth.  The mesh enabled me to see more of him, and he was still able to feel safe as he was enclosed.  He was still scared and would start out with a hiss, but was very responsive to the TTouches on his head with the paintbrush.  His body posture would settle as I worked with him. As time went on, I was able to TTouch him around his face, and a bit on his body as well.

Once he became more comfortable with this, I began to work my hand down the paintbrush and do a few TTouch circles on his forehead with the back of one finger, actually the fingernail was what was in contact with him.  He began to respond to this more every time, relaxing his body as I worked with him.  Pretty soon I could approach him and TTouch him directly with my hand.  He was still cautious and wanted to remain near the back of the cage, but he was more and more comfortable with me each time I worked with him.  Reiki was also flowing as I was working with him, helping to create a sense of calm.

Meanwhile, there was another shy cat in the receiving area named Miu Miu, who had come in with kittens who were adopted quickly, but she was initially quite wary of people so needed more socialization. Miu Miu connected very strongly with me and, I think, with Baby Tommy.  Her cage was up a level and one over from his, and when I worked with him, she would sit at the front of her cage, look at us and purr.  So sweet!! 

Above: Miu Miu

I was working with her a lot as well and making huge progress with her - first by doing TTouches with her with a paintbrush, to give her some space, and later I could TTouch her directly with my hands. 

 Above:  Baby Tommy and Miu Miu

 After some time in the receiving area, Baby Tommy and Miu Miu were both moved to a resort with several other low-key, mellow cats and this environment helped them both to jump ahead to a whole other level of comfort.  Though they both were hiding initially cuddled together with another cat Zoe inside the litter bench, Miu Miu soon started coming out to explore and was more confident and friendly every day.

 Above: Miu Miu

Her sweet, funny personality came forth more and more, and it wasn't too long before she went home.

Above:  Miu Miu, Baby Tommy and Zoe

Baby Tommy was still cautious with others, hissing when the litter bench was opened, but he remembered me from when he was downstairs and he soon was nuzzling into my hand, licking it and purring.

His eyes began to be more relaxed and open than I had ever seen them.
Each time I came to work with him, he was more and more trusting, and soon he began to come out of the litter bench when he saw me, rubbing into my hand.  He recognized me, and recognized my energy.  He was becoming more comfortable with others as well, especially some of the regular volunteers, and he began to be comfortable enough to be petted by them and to play with them.
It really was lovely to see his whole demeanor change from when he was in the receiving area, so scared.  He is such a beautiful cat, and he looked even more beautiful as he came further and further out of his shell.
He still could get timid with too much activity, but in general, his face and body were so much more relaxed, and since he was so comfortable with other cats, having his kitty friends around him helped him to feel more comfortable as well.  He would come up to any new cat who arrived in the resort and would want to be friends with them.
Tommy was comfortable at this point with me doing TTouches around his belly area, so I decided to see how he felt about being gently picked up.  I sat on a low stool, and first just picked him up a bit off the ground, then placed him back down and did TTouches with him.  We did this a few times, and then I picked him up and put him in my lap, then started doing hair slides and TTouches with him right away to help him be comfortable. 
  

Soon he was settled in my lap, where I did some Reiki and TTouch with him as well.  It was such a moving experience to feel him so comfortable being so close to me.  He was so accustomed to me doing the TTouches with him that at this point he was even comfortable with me touching his paws and around his mouth.  He is such a gentle soul, and it was beautiful to see his sweet, gentle personality come forth more and more.
And there is a special kind of bond that forms through Reiki and TTouch, especially when I work with an animal for quite a while and I see them go through such a transformation.  These are both very gentle, yet very deep ways of connecting with an animal.  It is a very deep spiritual connection, a connection beyond time and space.  A connection of the heart, of the mind, of the spirit.  These are some of the most precious moments imaginable, just being there in the moment with an animal, experiencing the pure love and trust in that moment.

About a month ago, a woman who had previously adopted a cat from Bideawee came in looking for a friend for her cat and fell in love with him, so she took him into her loving home.  It was hard to say goodbye to dear Baby Tommy, but I was so glad that he was going home.  I wish him well, and know that he is in a special place in my heart always.  Thank you little Tommy, for teaching me and for reminding me about patience, slowing down, and enjoying the beauty of the moment.  xoxox