Dreaming About Cats

I've gone past trying to figure it out and/or make excuses, but I now dream about these creatures.

It's a bit stressful here because there are one too many alpha beings. Mia is basically spoiled and wants all my attention, so she whines when anyone else gets attention (even Petey the parakeet). Cuddles believes she is the head of the household. Scooter sprays to remind everyone he IS the head of the household and Mr. Whiskers reminds me of a caged lion. He knows he's meant to be the head of a house, but we won't let him off the second floor. He would like nothing better than to follow me around and sit near me, claiming me as "his human." (Actually, I wish he had someone who was just his, but I hold back the search while we try to get him healthy.)

Once in a while the cats meet up and it is not pretty, lots of hissing and some growling--mostly Cuddles--who, as you can tell by her name, we took to be simply a sweet, melt in your lap cat, but no. One time when Mr Whiskers got downstairs, he started to go after Mia. One of the few, perhaps, only time I've seen his hair stand and seen him hissing, bearing teeth. I could not redirect him, he started to follow us, so I got Mia out of the house, my neighbor held her, while I whisked Whiskers upstairs with treats. We have the barrier to the second floor reinforced now.

Anyway, my dream was that I stumbled upon all four cats and they were sleeping together like kittens, all folded in and over each other. I'm going to hold to this vision.

(Cuddles with her kittens in 2007)

I had this dream when I got back from the Embodied Life Retreat with Russell Delman, where we explored Feldenkrais, meditation and version of focusing. It was exquisitely refreshing (no urine smells, ahh, it was is very "green" so there were all natural scents: lemon, verbana, cedar. It was olfactory heaven!)

To digress from the animals a moment, I wonder what the dream means? I was wondering about the possibility of it meaning that all parts of me were coming together, maybe something like body/mind/soul integration. I say this because I have heard it said that all characters in your dreams are a part of the dreamer. Just wondering...

Tomorrow is the second anniversary of my father's death. It is largely because of him that I am here in the family house with my mother and these creatures. Ok, Dad, you did not twist my arm and say take these in, but your example and perhaps, my holding of your memory of love and generosity lead me to this. You are well-loved and remembered tonight.

Update--Feline Hyperesthesia

First the good news: Mr Whiskers teeth look better. I was happily surprised! I think this is also due to his raw food diet because it includes bone (crushed in the food--Oma's). And Mr W and Ms P are getting along really well.

Now the challenging news: Mr Whiskers has something called feline hyperesthesia--we're still learning here. He has rippling skin on his back and belly and his tail twitches. He may start biting his legs or his tail, then he starts to run, like he's running away from invisible enemy. It's very hard to watch, because he looks so uncomfortable. I want to give him something to take it all away. We're working on this with a homeopathic vet, and meanwhile some slides along his body, grounding and following his breath with my hand seem to help, but they do not stop this strange syndrome.

When I brought Mr Whiskers back from the vet, Ms Patches came up to him and started licking him. Gone for such a short time and she missed him.

Here is a link to more detailed information and symptoms.
http://www.purelypets.com/articles/felinehyperesthesia.htm
And here is a link to a few videos, these really helped me to decide that this is what Mr Whiskers is dealing with: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTbH9H2j5Ds&feature=related

I'm mentioning this to hopefully save someone else time if they see their cat with strange symptoms and have not heard of this issue. The first vet I saw did not diagnose this, he called it epilepsy, which perhaps by a long stretch it fits in this family and some vets prescribe the same thing, phenobarbital and valium. Since I have been working holistically, I don't want to just mask the symptoms, I would like to get at the root cause. And he is not that well a guy cat, so I worry a bit about the side effects of medicines.

This has been a hard phase, I have to say, because my dog, Mia, has just gone through a bout of incontinency, where I was cleaning up constantly (hormones have done wonders, but also looking to homeopathy), she's still got some irritation, and on top of this we still have Scooter who sprays. So I feel we are being a bit tortured here. I know there are many worse problems in the world, but a house filled with urine seems a perverse variation of water torture.

Mr Whiskers Gets His Teeth Brushed

Recently, when I got a little closer to Mr Whiskers face, I noticed a smell I didn't feel too good about. Mr Whiskers, I thought, "you need your teeth brushed!" I guessed gingivitus at least. Dr Buchoff, a holistic vet, had introduced me to pet care like brushing their coat, tapping on their sternum to boost the immune system, and teeth brushing.  Growing up with animals we never brushed their teeth and they seemed to do just fine. I thought this was a little over the top, but I did try a bit with my cats, then it kind of slipped away. But now it seems like a really good idea.

I took a good look when Mr W yawned and by golly his teeth are kinda really yellow. So I got out the toothpaste and the little cat toothbrush. I put some on my finger to see if he liked it. He did. Of course, Mr W likes just about everything that's edible. So I let him eat a bit off my finger. I figured by licking it he would get some on his teeth. Next I put some on the brush, and let him sniff that.


Then Patches came over to see what Mr W was so interested in. There is also a kind of thimble looking thing that has little bristles, but this was too big for his mouth. he did not like this, The toothbrush was a better size.

I should back  up a little and mention that I have been doing mouth circles w Mr W. I used the tip of my finger and did little circles all along his lips. As he got comfortable with this, his lips began to soften, loosen, I began to get in his mouth and onto his gums (just along the upper teeth). This can help anxious cats to calm down. I believe it can help with aggression, and probably other things. But here it helped him get used to having things in his mouth. This is actually really important and a valuable practice in case you need to medicate a cat. I hope I never have to pill Mr W, but one step at a time.

Slowly we worked up to the point where I was able to hold him gently but firmly on the scruff of his neck and use the toothbrush. As soon as he pulled strongly, I let go, let him walk around a bit, then when he was ready to come back I tried it again on the other side of his mouth. When I saw him go into a crouch and not look at me or move his head, I decided he had had enough. I gave him a pet and told him what a good boy he was. Next time I tried it was pretty much the same routine. i think he's really going to be ok with this. And I have this vision of him being like the cat I saw on youtube who just looooved to get his teeth brushed. Here's a link to that video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HTYRYvhP8Y

Getting Along

Mr Whiskers and Ms Patches have some really beautiful moments and then some tumultuous exchanges, probably not unlike any relationship. Mr Whiskers kind of pushes her out of the way when he wants my full attention--I mean completely out of the room. In trying to decide if I should adopt them out together i consulted with my TTouch Mentor, a wonderful animal trainer and supporter, Mary Bruce (see http://taviandfriends.org/). She said I may be able to alter this behavior but I have to catch them in the act. So I try to redirect Mr Whiskers, or I hold him at his chest and say "leave Ms patches alone, she belongs here." I try to do some simultaneous  slides on them while they are there together.

It is pretty typical for him to push her off my bed after a while. So today, I had to remind him a few times. Then he surprised me. He came over to her on my bed, and lay next to her. This is usually a prelude to putting his arm over her shoulder, a kind of dominance move. But instead, he started to clean himself. Then Ms Patches started to clean herself.

Then after about 5 minutes of this they curled up and fell asleep. So sweet! The first time I've seen them sleep so close. Now I'm not naive enough to think they will be perfectly happy from now on, but I think their relationship is developing very nicely. Thanks Mary!





When I came back from work they were in my office, sleeping together again, on the sofa. Sweet.

Ms Patches Grooms Mr Whiskers

So, these two appear to be getting along very well now. They still have their moments. I'll hear them brawling and have to separate them--time out, so to speak--but they always come back together. Mr Whiskers is like a football player, strong and solid. I can feel this when I pet him, the way he leans with force into my hand. He butts her with his head when she goes by, in a gentle but clear way.

Twice now, I've been sitting with them and Ms Patches started to groom him--so sweet she is. Patches is very dainty and I think his strong advances scare her. What is so touching is that she always comes back.

Here she's grooming once again. (Clearest photos I can get with my iphone.)

he leans in to accomodate

Then he rolls back to "embrace".

This is too much for Ms P, who vanishes.

I continue to observe because I am not sure whether to work to have them adopted together or separately. I do think cats enjoy company even if it is not the perfect match. For example, my mother's and my cat are not the best of friends, but I notice they look for each other. And when they rest I see all three Mia, my dog, Cuddles, and Scooter rest together--especially during a storm.

P.S. When Whiskers and Patches brawl upstairs, Mia hides under the kitchen table and Scooter and Cuddles cry to be let outside...quite the scene.

Ms Patches Loves to Play

Ms Patches is such a joyful cat. She learned to play from her kittens. She used to watch them from a safe place in the 244 West 10th apt. This was before she was comfortable with people. I thought once they left she would hide under the bed, but to my surprise she leapt out and started pushing the balls with the bells around, batting at string, chasing feathers.

Also, as the kittens were leaving, she went into heat. Although it was an unfortunate turn of events in one way, it allowed us an "in" with her, as she would let almost anyone pet her. I tried many different strategies to calm her. The idea was to wait until she went out of heat to spay her, some vets will disagree with this, but this is what I was told at first. But she never went out of heat. I waited longer than i perhaps should have and learned a lesson along the way, BUT it allowed me the opportunity to get closer to Patches, because the touches seemed to be somewhat soothing. I usually started out by letting the back of my hand slide along her body as she passed by.  Gradually I was able to stroke along her ears, her neck, did some small circles on her neck, and did circles with opposite hands, simultaneously (called the "turtle" in TTouch) on her thighs. This became a bonding time.

It was mostly an extremely stressful time, because I knew she was uncomfortable, but we came through this period all the wiser. I'm guessing by her behavior that Patches learned that humans can be "ok" and even preferable to be around (as opposed to not being around) and I learned that sometimes you have to spay a cat when it's in heat. You just have to go to someone who is very experienced.
And so now I have one very, very playful torty female. I think playing is a very good exercise for the cats. And it can be bonding.

She loves to play mole rat. This game was first taught to me by my ex-husband Curt. We first played this with Mia. She's not really into it any more, but Patches can't get enough of it. You move something under a blanket, like the stick, and she'll follow it. The only down side to this game is that your cat might want to play this game with your toes when you are trying to go to sleep. I strongly recommend not getting this game started on your bed, OR sleep with a thick blanket.

Patches also likes to chase things. She'll chase a ball or treats and sometimes she even catches them with her paws. I think her favorite is the feather on the stick. She'll play with this for hours.

She sometimes upsets Mr Whiskers with her zooming around, chasing imaginary objects, or tiny things she finds to push around, like paper clips, but she has a way spreading cheer with her antics.

Settling In

So happy to be able to say that things are settling down. The stress of moving affected us all and knowing how cats hate change I would say they did pretty well through it all. Mr Whiskers decided to move down to the second floor and I was happy for this, though this was where all the renovation was taking place. It was too hot up there--no air conditioning--and we've been having record setting heat waves. (There is an attic fan which is heavenly on cool nights.) The fact that he is venturing down, means he is getting more comfortable with us. His first time down was very cute because he meuwed his whole way down. He crept low and carefully, but steadily. It was kind of like he was saying, "I'm coming down, ok? ...Is this really ok? I'm almost down, ok? I'm down, ok?"  I thought it was a bit comical because I would think if you were creeping you would want to be really quiet. I think he's down to stay. He does have the third floor to retreat to if things get too busy on this floor.

 I only had to separate Mr Whiskers and Ms Patches a couple of nights--this was because they started brawling just after I turned the lights out to go to sleep. And because it began after I closed my eyes, I was never exactly sure what they were spatting about. This was disturbing because initially they got along fine. Even began eating together (dishes side-by-side). Once I heard the brawling, I thought the romance was defiinitely over (if you are new to their story you can get their history at the "Mr Whiskers and TTouch" posting). I had the feeling Mr Whiskers was trying to take over my room and this was where Ms Patches was getting used to sleeping. I as too exhausted to to do any observations, so Mr Whiskers slept on the third floor with a fan and lots of water. I had consulted with a vet who said that cats have the ability to adjust to extreme weather. He did do alright with the heat--he was fine in the morning--hungry and love-seeking as ever. And he and Ms Patches ate together peacefully.

 Also in the heat, Mia comes up to the second floor seeking the coolness of the bathroom floor (pushing her way past the room divider I place at the top of the stairs to give the 4 cats their separate space.) So then Mia and Mr Whiskers ended up having a confrontation. I never usually sleep so deeply that I don't hear Mia coming upstairs, but evidently there was a very heated moment between them--sorry Mom!! I owe ya.  Sooo, now there is a barricade at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second floor as well as the room divider at the top of the stairs.  It is quite an event going up and down the stairs in this household at night. I've heard some people let their animals move about freely and figure it our on their own, but I'd rather control the interactions to have experiences be as positive as possible and avoid as many spats as possible. Also, Scooter, my mother's cat, sprays and we like to keep this at a minimum, for our own sanity. Keeping the foster cats upstairs, hopefully lessens his anxiety about other cats in his territory.

Once in a while Ms Patches, who has boundless curiosity, makes her way down the stairs and so I give all the cats treats and do reintroductions. When I get a bit more settled in, I will give them a little more time to interact. Ms Patches seems the most affable of all the animals. She just loves to explore.

I'm realizing that all of this doesn't really sound like settling in, so now I will get to that part. Right now, for example, we are having a rain storm. Mia hides up here in the bathroom (gets some calming touches--complete body strokes called Noah's March--these really help). I've placed a gate across my bedroom door. Ms Patches is sleeping on the bed, Mr Whiskers on the cedar chest, and Mia is happy and feeling safe in the bathroom. The only thing I don't like about this arrangement is that I have to bring the kitty litter into the bedroom. Plus I don't like keeping my long-time canine buddy out of my room, but I tell him and Cuddles it's just a phase...we all have to be patient. And I think they are.

Here's (finally) an example of settling in:
Mr Whiskers, who usually only let me pet his head, is now allowing me to touch his whole body--head through tail. I can only do slides, no circular touches (TTouch reference). So I tried to introduce a brush once again. Up til now he hated anything but my hand or along feather near him, but now he likes the brush (wire brush that holds the hair and I use a long toothed metal tick comb to remove it.) I let him smell it to begin with. Then held it and let him come towards it. Then slid it along his cheek a little, waited. He began to push against it, which is a sign he liked it--yeay!

But he did want to know why I wasn't using my hand. See him sliding his face onto my hand>>>






Before you know it, he's allowing me to move along his whole upper body. Mr Whiskers sheds quite a bit, so this is wonderful to be able to brush him. And I've heard it is very good for the skin and coat.

Felines and Moving

It's been many days since an update because of the move...so many boxes!!! A bit overwhelming dealing with the move physically and emotionally--leaving my home of 9 years...well 7 years living there and 2 years visiting working--it was my hideaway in the West Village. my home.
Now it's gone.
I'm helping mom out with the family home. I'm not actually sure how much help I am since I've managed to fill it up with felines. It could be worse, I recently spoke with a writer who had 22 cats. We only have 4--so that's like nothing, except if you met these 4, plus Mia. They have a way of more than filling the space. Mr Whiskers has taken over the third floor, he allows Ms Patches to visit when he's in the mood. He has these demanding meows that scare the downstairs cats and force me upstairs to feed and pet him. Ms Patches has taken over the whole 2nd floor--two bedrooms and one room being renovated for my office (really her room if you ask her). And the other three run the first floor--a good one to be on, since the kitchen is there and the opportunity to go outside, which Cuddle and Scooter take much advantage of.


And I found myself asking why this timing?? Why did I have to have all these cats when I have this big move?? It's enough work keeping them all fed and their rooms and boxes clean. It finally dawned on me that this moving thing being a big life shift, one of the three highest stressors in life, these guys are possibly here to help me deal, to give extra love through this time. If I let them. (Or drive me crazy, but i'm not going there.) They all adore being pet and I have begun to use the time as meditation. It's a kind of petting meditation.


Now for the felines side of things,  they have had to deal with all the hubbub and they are doing pretty well. Mr Whiskers kept to his third floor hideout and Ms Patches kept her eye on me to make sure her room renovations met with her approval. 

I had to be extremely careful with the plastering and paint because it is very toxic. But Ms P is very good at navigating around things. She has a boundless curiosity. She really cracked me up the way she kept appearing when I least expected her. I would look down to put a rag in the bucket, for example, and there she was, watching intently.


Cuddles and Scooter stayed out of the way downstairs and Mia showed up every once in a while to make sure we all knew she belonged. We're still in process of getting settled in, and it's so hot we're all taking it very slow, but that's another story.

One Step Forward, One Step Backward

Not sure why this happened, but Mr Whiskers started getting spooked and wacking me when I tried to touch him. Things were going so well. Perhaps because things are a little tense around here. I'm getting ready to let go of my apt on West 10th...so I guess I may have to change the name of the blog...I got the feather out and started using the feather again with Mr Whiskers and he was more comfortable. He let me slide over his whole body with the feather, then he sighed, stretched out, and rested on his side. So I feel there is hope.

If I thought I was overwhelmed before, ha! that was nothing. So now besides taking care of 5 animals I'm painting the rooms at my mother's that I'll be moving into and sorting through things, getting rid of stuff, reorganizing. It will be the first time in about 15 years that all my belongings will be in one place. Hopefully all the animals will not get too stressed. It is probably a good thing to have to stop and take care of them, pet them, use the touches....calming, centering. Thank God for my mother who helps with feeding and my friend Ellen who helped paint!

Ms Patches has begun to come up to visit, but it wasn't the smashing reunion I hoped it might be. It was rather anticlimactic. She was more interested in him than he in her. He was more concerned that she might eat his food, so he chased her out. But there was one brief sweet encounter where they appeared to rub noses. Sort of like "hello, yes, I remember, now scram." I think he's very happy with his third floor space, windows, toys and cat climber.

You can see below by her ears that Ms Patches is a bit nervous about entering. She's such a sweet spirit, though. Rather than hiding after being chased or being aggressive or combative in return, she sits at the doorway to the room and waits. Almost like she's waiting for him to remember or get used to her. We'll see...

Scooter, The Man of the House

Scooter is enjoying the blues on the radio on a balmy Sunday morning. He loves to rest his claws in the curtain. Doesn't he look so sweet and docile? He is the number one reason why fostering cats is so hard. Scooter is a cat that sprays.
Ugh!!

Usually male cats who are not neutered spray--for various reasons. One is to claim territory. Only 10 % of neutered cats spray and Scooter is one of those.

Scooter is my parents' cat. My mother says the only reason she keeps him around is because my father loved him so much. He really is a very sweet, very disturbed guy. They thought he was a "she" when he was young. They named him Lily, changed it to Willy, when he continuously would dash out of the house he became Scooter.

Living with Scooter makes you feel like you are living in purgatory on earth. The smell from his spraying is almost impossible to get rid of. He has been tested for any possible health problems--he was found to be very healthy. I switched him to what I feel is the healthiest diet--raw. We've tried a host of things, including valium, depo-provera; pheromone plug-ins, throwing out furniture that he doesn't stop spraying...nothing has worked. His fur is looking a little dry lately (maybe a seasonal thing, or maybe he needs to go to the vet. He is on fish oil). Right now we are trying Bach Flower remedies and adding kitty litter boxes with Cat Attract around the house. Keeping my fingers crossed. I'm also thinking of arming my mother and I with water pistols so if he sprays we can spray back (while he's not looking of course).

Mr Whiskers has to stay in the attic for his health and ours and Scooter's. Scooter is extremely territorial and does not like Mr Whiskers--he knows him from the 'hood. He once went over to the porch that Mr Whiskers was living on to pick a fight. Of course I can't say for sure I didn't see it, could have been he was trying to smell Mr Whiskers food, but why was he on Mr Whiskers porch??

So we have Mr Whiskers in the attic, Ms Patches in residence in the front bedroom, and Mia, Cuddles and Scooter eaking out a living on the first floor. This whole adventure has brought Cuddles and Mia closer. The seem to hang out together more.

It is quite an exhausting venture. My evening ritual is to start out on the first floor with my animals, saying hello, petting, TTouching, particularly Mia who has arthritis; feeding, walking (Cuddles and Mia). I clap my hands when Scooter begins to spray to startle and distract him, but then Mia barks and scared Scooter and he sprays again. I spend time brushing Scooter, which he adores--especially loves to have his face brushed. I add in a little mouthwork--circle on his lips and gums. I talk with him and tell him how much we love him but he is ruining the house and really needs to stop. While we have an extended brushing session I remind him he can mark with his face and it would be just as effective. Then we all have a treat. Then up to Ms Patches for a little playtime, then upward to Mr Whiskers to feed and TTouch. Because I don't get home til evening, it's usually about 2 am when I get to bed. So you won't see any photo of me here.

The Many Sides of Mr Whiskers

Mr Whiskers is a complicated guy. He is a strong, powerful cat. When he meuws he sounds like a kitten. Now that he's feeling better, he's moving much more quickly (he's on antibiotics for a bacterial infection). When I pet him he melts. I try to do some touches while he is eating, but he's starting to like them so much that he keels over--right into his food. Yesterday, he fell into his water bowl and didn't even flinch. He just kept leaning into my hand.  I was happy to discover he trusted me enough to dry him a bit with a paper towel. I get the feeling that he is love starved. He must have been living outside at least 3 years. While out on the street he gave this veneer of tough guy. One of the reasons he looks tough, I believe, is that he does not use any calming signals. He just looks wide eyed all the time. Who knows, he may have vision problems.

Cats have very similar calming signals to dogs I have learned. They blink their eyes (or squint) or lick their lips or look away. When I'm petting Mr Whiskers I try the squinting and looking away because he's still skittish. Even though he falls over when I pet him, if I move my hand in a way he's not ready for, he jumps. I use the back of my hand to slide down his beautiful soft fur because it has less heat, is less stimulating and possibly less threatening. He may swat, but he doesn't have his claws out, I'm very careful to read his body movement. If I feel him begin to startle I stop or withdraw, close my eyes. I'm careful because his feeder while he was outside got scratched, but he has not scratched me yet. I think watching the signals carefully helps.

He rolls over on his back exposing his belly, but I'm not going there yet. Sometimes he rolls into me, resting his paws against my leg--I pray he does not decide to use his claws and he hasn't. He really must have been someone's cat at some point.

He's starting to get more comfortable on the third floor because he meuws for me to come up and feed him. And he doesn't hide under the bed when I come up the stairs.

Here I'm doing some ear slides which he loooves and starting to hold his head. He likes to fall asleep with his head in my hand.

I'm really looking forward to reintroducing him to Ms Patches. I wonder how he will feel about her now?

Aroo's Tribute

Thinking more about Aroo...what a brave soul. He knew exactly what he wanted and stuck to it. No pills--never. He wanted to be with his human roommate and he was--until the very end. And I'm sure his spirit is scampering around him, still. I'm sure he visits. Aroo continues to teach us about passing.

Also a lesson in letting go of the notion we can control things. Very humbling. We would have loved for Aroo to stay with us. After all, he was only 7. But Leukemia doesn't leave one with a lot of fighting power in the health department. I've learned that felines with leukemia usually go rather quickly once they get ill. They don't usually die of leukemia but a secondary issue.

You can friend Aroo if you go to Aroo the Cat on facebook.
At the link below you will find some beautiful photos of Aroo.
http://www.facebook.com/n/?inbox%2Freadmessage.php&t=1332912483247&mid=270c041G5f6adb2cG170d778G0&n_m=ktyates%40gmail.com

Aroo's Exit

no pictures tonight

only fleeting mental images

Aroo bounding through endless fields, rolling and sniffing...reunited with cat family...free of mortal constraints

free to be the true cat spirit he is

he was ailing for some time, rebounding some...then slipping back.

each time rebounding a little less, slipping a little more, til he retreated under the bed. there he waited for his cat nurses to be with him. he wanted to pass with company. i know i shouldn't anthropomorphize, but this time it is true--there were witnesses. he did not want us to let go of him. when we dared, he would lift his weary head and give us a quick look as if to say "where do you think you're going?!" and we quickly returned.

under the bed he received some very gentle touches and slides along his torso, behind his neck, on his ears. the places we knew he liked. and some reiki--even friends sending long-disatnce reiki. in the not too distant past he would sometimes be energized to go eat.  tonight was very different. he was already leaving when we got there.

we meditated.

we researched online the choices of euthenasia verses dying naturally at home.

we discussed.

we knew he hated going outside. and he was so frail. he knew he wasn't going, we were to discover that. we thanked him for being a loving, demanding, stubborn and gregarious friend. never an aggressive bone in his body. always a lot to say.

i can't write anymore tonight. it hurts. at the end we laid him on his roommate's (otherwise known as "his human's") lap. we all touched him as he took his last breaths. ellen saw his spirit spring out.

thank you, Aroo, for sharing so much love down to the last second

we will always love you

Mr Whiskers Out of Cage

About a week went by and even though he is full grown, he just seemed to be getting too big for his cage. He was coming forward as I fed him, not retreating into his crate, and meowing once again. I was able to touch him with the feather--to stroke him. So I felt he was comfortable enough to roam the room. The lady who's porch he was living on brought over his kitty pad and the blanket I bought him the beginning of last winter. He uses them all the time. It's very sweet.

I get to do some touches while he is eating, stroking along the side of his head, his ears, a bit don his side.  He is growing less fearful once again. Tonight he even brushed up against me, but then retreated. It made me chuckle because we're constantly reminded in the Tellington Touch training that it's moments, not minutes, and I think Mr W gave me a sample of that tonight. Now he knows it can be safe. He's beginning to really talk. He meows, I respond saying something like "Here's your dinner," then he meows in response and we go back and forth a bit like this.

Tonight I'm spending time near him, working on my computer. He's under the bed, but not too far under as evidenced by his feet. They look pretty relaxed. He's lying close, but where he's safe.

I'm hoping we can find a home for him soon, so I don't get too attached. And it's a bit challenging because I have to make sure I spend enough time with the other 3 downstairs. They know something is up and are a bit needier these days. A friend is a bit nervous that I may become a one of those ladies with 32 cats. I do not think I could survive anything like that.

The cats of West 10th

These are the cats of West 10th street. The kittens have moved on to new homes, but Ms Patches still resides there. They were rescued from the Jerey suburbs, yes, East Orange, just before the Humane Shelter of Newark was called, the shelter that serves that city, and, unfortunately a kill shelter. So I'm not sure I understand their name. But that's not the topic for now. This family was a handful for a studio apt, for sure!! But they also brought a lot of joy. What I learned from these critters was how much transformation is possible. These were an extremely fearful bunch, but over a period of 4 months, they became a really loving crew. For now, I'm just going to leave some photos...more details will follow.

Mr Whiskers Inside

So many things happened at once. I sent an email announcement about Mr Whiskers being available for adoption. Got an invitation to an evening fundraiser for Foster cats, where I brought a big poster about Mr Whiskers and Ms Patches. The next morning I got a call from a rescue group saying they had a foster home could I get Mr Whiskers to the vet right away. Got up bright and early the next morning. Mr Whiskers was very cooperative going into a cage so I could get him to the vet. He got a totally clean bill of health. Yes, Mr W!! All was going swimmingly til I was not hearing back from the potential foster mom. Long story short now Mr W is on the third floor of my mother's house, awaiting his next destination. I made him a little home in a cage until he gets a little calmed down, then I'll let him free in the room. I'm praying that his person will come along so they both can enjoy each other. As you can see he has a place to retreat into, the necessaries, a couple of toys and a piece of wood to scratch on. What I've found so far is that the strays living outside either have never experienced corrugated cardboard or have forgotten what it's for. But they love to scratch wood. He did come out to try it out. Right now he's very scared of me, which is sad cause we were really getting to be great buddies. He's inside the carrier. When I first come up he's usually resting in the little cat bed on top of the carrier. Oh well, hopefully in a couple of days he'll trust me more again. I have been doing a little TTouch with the feather--easy strokes around the side of his face and a little on the top of his head. He puts up with it, once he even settled and sighed. Right now he's sleeping. Not sure if he's escaping or just really relaxed. Saying a prayer tonight that we find his home very soon. I feel horrible that he has to be cooped up in a cage, but am telling him and me that this is just temporary--a period of adjustment.

Cuddles

This is my healing cat. God was being a bit experimental when she got her colors. I need to bring her up right now. Cuddles appeared on my mother's porch one very cold winter night. I had just come from the grueling but healing task of cleaning out my then recently deceased ex-husband's apartment. As I drove up the driveway I saw her patiently waiting on the porch. I came out with some sardines for her which she inhaled and then, surprisingly, she jumped into my lap and started kneading my chest. I felt like I was getting a big hug. Never had I experienced a cat like this before. She was so warm and her fur thick and silky soft. Her purring was incredibly healing. This was a complete change from just the night before when I had tried to leave her a blanket on the porch and she hissed and poised he body like she was ready to go for my jugular, causing me to throw the blanket on the chair and back away slowly. The next morning, however, when I came out (very slowly and carefully) to give her some food, she ran out to me and for a second I panicked and she began rubbing her body all over my legs. This was when I realized how true the saying was--we don't choose cats, they choose us. I feel so very blessed to have Cuddles in my life. She is the most luscious cuddler (my mother named her, not I). I had been a tried and true dog person before I met Cuddles. She was the start of a whole new chapter in my life. I keep wondering how this happened. Did Curt send her to me? Or did his mother who had also taken in cats? My imagination was running a little wild. The first cat spirit had entered my life.
I will write more about Cuddles later, but if you would like to see her lovely kittens you can go to http://picasaweb.google.com/ktyates/CuddleSKittens2#. Looking forward to sharing this chapter!

Keeping Aroo Company

Now is when I wish that animals could talk. I'm cat sitting my little buddy Aroo. Got to his apt and found him here--in the basket in the closet. So many questions....is he here cause he's feeling that badly? Or is he a bit out of sorts cause his human went away? Or both? Just how bad is he feeling? I think perhaps he's staying close to his human's smell. He seemed content, even though he is pretty ill. Aroo was born with leukemia and has been dealing with hepatitis and recently added anemia to the list. He has had many treatments...which reminds me, someday I want to do workshops on mouthwork for cats. If you have to give a cat medication it can seem like you're torturing them. And the human can feel awful and then the cat ends up not getting the proper meds and can get sicker. There is a way to get them used to having you be around their mouth, just as there is a way to get them used to having their paws touched. And I recently found out some can be given in long-acting injections.

Back to Aroo: He was happy for my attention. I did some work around his ears and the top of his head, around his neck. And some sliding down his torso. Then he rolled on his side for me to rub his belly. I was gentle and used the back of my hand so there would be less heat. His belly is already pretty hot. He seemed to like it. I also did some reiki. I went out of the room to take care of a couple of things and when I returned he was out of the closet and up on a chair. Yeay, Aroo! Now he is lying next me while I work at the desk. He's on the soft desk chair and I have a wooden folding chair--of course. Had a scare today cause when I saw how thin he looks I called the vet who said I should bring him in for you-know-what. We've already done so much intervention and he rallies a bit and then sinks again. But I think the vet said that partly because he was not going to be there on Sunday and what if Aroo gets really bad then? Even though he is thin, he's breathing ok and looks comfortable and is interested in interaction. I decided to meditate and he came out to sit with me. Then he smelled around a bit. Not interested in food right now,  though. This is not a good sign.

I get to thinking about when the time to pass comes. How does one really know? Why do they euthanize animals and not humans? Is it possible that an animal can pass peacefully in their own home? Aroo is now purring softly, stretched out comfortably. Please keep Aroo in your prayers. He's one of the sweetest, most gentle cats I have ever met. Perhaps it is his time or perhaps there will be a reprieve.

More and more it seems that we don't pass on as much as cross over. I surely don't know, but there are times when I feel the next life is closer to us then we think. Those who have crossed over are in some dimension we don't see, but perhaps can be sensed. If he is going to cross over, may it be smooth and peaceful, with a sense of how much he is and will always be loved. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers here.

Mia, not a cat

I better take a moment here and introduce Mia. She is not a cat,  obviously, but she has had to get used to the idea of having cats around. This has been a huge challenge for her, since most of her life has been spent around other dogs, and she is being a real trooper. She even licked Cuddles (in photo below) on the nose today.  So I need to give her a little special mention. She tries to connect, but cats don't understand downward dog--at least mine don't. I've had Mia for 12 years now and we have been through quite a number of adventures together, she's been my buddy through thick and thin. Like my friend Chris says, "Noone will ever love you like your dog." She has been so patient with me while I run around rescuing and spending time with ailing cats. I try to have special time with her. She loves to go for rides in the car, sometimes I think just because the cats hate the car--and she can have time with me alone. Mia adores swimming so I try to take her on special outings where she can swim. Our favorite lately is the Hudson River up in Nyack. Once she gets going in the water, its very hard to get her out. She has arthritis (from Lyme's) and spondylosis. The water must feel wonderful to her. I got started in the TTouch training because of Mia. I was looking for ways to help her feel better and to organize herself the best way possible. She adores going to the trainings because she gets lots of attention and she really likes to be in the mix of people. She always walks better and looks more comfortable after the trainings. She has a hard time jumping into the car somedays, but after the trainings, she soars through the air and into the back seat. She loves when I practice on her, and gets perturbed with me when I don't. Hard to tell sometimes if her whining is because she wants my attention or she really is hurting. When I see her take a deep breath and settle into the floor, I'm pretty sure of what the answer is. Our latest hurdle is that I am finally able to trim her nails. I spent a lot of time doing various circle touches and slides to make my way in the direction of her feet. At first I simply swiped through, down her leg, past her feet. Mia has arthritis in her feet and so is extra sensitive and protective. After days of this, I began doing the sweeping through her leg and littles circles on her feet, then gently squeezing her nails. Sometimes I would just do a little squeeze on a few nails without the big lead in. Some days it was easier than others to do little circles on her feet. I left the clippers out for days just staring at them. Then one morning when she looked really calm, I calmed myself, visualized everything going well and easily, got myself situated and comfortable, organized the styptic powder, just in case, did a few strokes around her head, ears and shoulders (opposing circles on her shoulders--both hands at the same time). Slides along her whole body, breathed, aimed, clipped, and voila! we got clippings, and no blood!!! (Mia's or mine--ha) I showed Mia the clippings. "See you don't need this, it's in the way." She seemed to watch me with curiosity. If she pulled back, looked uncomfortable, I stopped, waited, then went to a different toe. We got through all her toes in one sitting. I was amazed. Just at the end she started looking a little reticent. I thanked her for being a good sport. She was patient while I tried to be extra careful to get the right angle and not cut too much. Whew! I did it! Hopefully, she was feeling better in walking and will be ok with me trying again in a couple of weeks.

Mr Whiskers After a TTouch Session

I was a bit nervous doing my first Tellington TTouch session with Mr Whiskers. Even though he had been spending time on the porch, he was clearly, or seemingly, very feral. I had seen him in my neighborhood for a year or more and my cat Cuddles was terrified of him. Oh, one more detail. I have two residences. My legal one, 10th Street, where I mainly see clients now, and my mother's house, the house of my childhood, where I live with Mia, my dog, Cuddles my cat, Scooter my mother's cat, and of course, my mother. My father passed away of Alzheimers and I had been helping out and then I got more involved, and long story short, here I am. Going to see Mr Whiskers at Carol's across the street, I brought with me a brush with a very long handle that I had fashioned and a long feather. I found out pretty quickly that he did not like the brush--he was very jumpy and nervous. The feather was bit riskier because my hand would be that much closer, but I decided to stay more to the side of him and not make direct eye contact (less threatening) and, well, he loved the feather idea. For the first time, I tried to touch him while he was eating. I know he's very happy with us humans when he has food. But the second time I visited, I tried working with him before he ate his second portion (did not want to try when he was really hungry), and he really warmed up to the idea. My gut told me he really wanted to make contact and did not know how. I tried a couple of quick brushes along the side of his face/neck. Then I waited and he walked around a bit. Then I tried stroking along the back of his neck, but a long stroke. I waited to see if he would begin to lean into the feather. and he did! I was so thrilled! So then I waited and tried again, Then he settled down on his side and I did some small circles down his side. Months ago, maybe a year, when he was in a cage, getting ready to go to be neutered, Sarah Hauser, a more experienced TTouch trainee had done some work with him. He seemed to really calm down. Who knows, maybe he remembered. After a bit he took a deep breath and settled more. This was the most relaxed I'd ever seen him on the floor of the porch with people around. "Yes!" I thought, he really does want to be with humans. I'll help and hold the hope we can find him a loving home. And so I continued to visit when I could. Now after only a few sessions, he wraps himself all around me when I go to visit. I start with the feather, but then he noses my hand so give him some strokes with my hand. The rusty meow is a sign that he was a house cat. Perhaps he got lost when he was a kitten or his owners let him go because he sprayed and was aggressive. Neutering mellowed him immensely. He is the third tuxedo I have helped to rescue and all have them have been tremendously affectionate. He is living up to the tuxey reputation.

Mr Whiskers and TTouch

Last year I began training to be a TTouch practitioner. This is a wonderfully respectful and powerful animal training used to improve performance, behavior and health of pets ( and many other animals as well!). It has been a very joyful journey so far. I have met wonderful people and so many animals--mainly cats--have come into my life. I'm just going with it for now. Mr Whiskers here is one example. He has taken up residence on Carol's porch. She began feeding him and then he brought a friend, Ms Patches who's since given birth to three stunning kittens who have been adopted (more on them later). So Mr Whiskers has gone from protector role to loner. He has soft, broken sounding meow. He loves Carol and is dying to go inside but she has allergies to cats and so has decided he needs to stay on the porrch. He sits outside her door for long periods of time waiting for her to emerge. Mostly he seems to like to be fed, but more and ore now he is craving attention. He has a very nice chair with a special blanket and a hut for colder days, but he really wants companionship. Late at night she hears him playing with the cat toys that are scattered on the porch. Once in a while he has to give over his food to the neighborhood racoon, once in a while a neighbor's dog tries to chase him off the porch. We are holding high hopes for a loving home for Mr Whiskers.

Aroo is where this blog started and he has brought me back here again. I've been wanting to get going on this blog for 6 months. Aroo is a cat spirit, I'm convinced. His human, Jase, is facing a very serious health challenge and every Friday as I visited Jase, Aroo would greet me at the door and let me know how things were going--in his cat-like way. But not today.

Unfortunately, it seems that Aroo is facing his own big health challenge.

He was born with leukemia, and now, 7 years later complications have set in. But even though he is not eating and is sleeping a good deal of the day, when Jase's friend burst into tears (she just lost her brother to cancer) Aroo leapt off his chair and into her lap. I have other witnesses who saw this. Then, he moved onto the floor where he sat appearing tall and regal--where we could all see him. He caught us by surprise and we stared silently. His eyes beamed and he seemed to express in a non-verbal way that we should not fear death. It brought to mind a friend who told me of a near-death experience where she went "into the light" as so many in similar situations have expressed. She saw not only her relatives who passed before her, but her beloved dog and cat who had passed on. She had a distant look when she spoke of this experience and said that ever since then she has been looking longingly for the pure joy that she felt in those moments. I relayed this story to my friends in the room who have all lost loved ones recently. Aroo is gentle, loving, strong and demonstrative. Everyone who meets him falls in love with him--Aroo makes sure of that, he's very suave. He's an inspiration to us all and I would like to dedicate my blog to him.