Sunday 29 November 2009

Bella's Bird


Bella and I will happily spend hours sitting side by side looking out of the patio doors into the garden at the birds. I love to watch them flying around, playing with each other and feeding. For such a small garden, and close to the city centre, I get so many different types of birds, and at different times.

Bella watches for different reasons. I've always been aware that there's a communication that goes on between them. They know she's there, and they keep each other warned. Sometimes they play with her and tease her. She knows she'd like to catch one, but she also knows that, quick as she is, they're quicker - mostly........

Until Friday, that is. It was one of those days where she wanted to go out but didn't. The weather wasn't that enticing, so she sat in the kitchen by the open door. I was in the lounge and could see her when I looked up from what I was doing. She'd fallen asleep, but when I looked around again, she'd gone. Good, I thought. She needs to get some fresh air and exercise.

Then I heard the magpies squawking, but this often happens if Bella's in the garden when they are. They're just all warning each other, and trying to scare her off. She'll often sit there shouting back. So I just went back to what I was doing. Next thing, I'm aware of her energy coming into the room, and it doesn't feel right. Difficult to put my finger on it, but it felt low and quiet. She normally comes running in all excited, telling me what she's been getting up to. But this time I felt her energy before I saw her.

When I looked at her, she was walking into the room, hunched low with a young starling in her jaws. She'd obviously stunned it, but didn't realise that when she put her quarry down it would try to escape. I'm as certain as I can be that this is the first bird she's ever caught - she's never brought one in the house before, and whenever I've been in the garden with her, never got close to catching one when she's been stalking. So, she just didn't know what would happen. All she's ever brought in before is worms - and when she drops them on the rug they just wriggle.

So, the bird flew off in a panic, and managed to get behind the bookcase. Great, I thought. We'll never get you out from there. Bella and I went to look, and I figured that I could get it out safely without having to take off all the books, photos, etc and moving it away from the wall. But not with Bella there. I'm really pleased with myself for being so calm about the whole thing. I went into the kitchen to put on some rubber gloves - the bird was pooing everywhere, and there was some blood.

Then I came back to pick Bella up, and shut her in the kitchen - not a happy cat! I took all the items from the bottom shelf, and could see the little bird there. I figured I could reach it, but it kept on scuttling away. I was trying so hard not to frighten it any more than it was already, and was sending it lots of love and calming Reiki.

Eventually I managed to get a gentle but firm hold of the bird, but not without prising it's little feet off the speaker wire it had been clinging on to. I spent a few seconds just holding it gently and letting Reiki flow into it. It seemed to get a little calmer, although that may just have been more fear again. I told it what had happened, and what I was going to do. Although it was clearly injured - there was blood on my marigolds - it didn't seem too damaged, so hoped it might make a recovery if I was able to get it outside again, and could go somewhere safe to recover. I know that there's no point in trying to nurse a bird in the house - they do just die. Its best chance of survival was to be let free.

So I opened the front door and looked around. Where to put it? Suddenly I heard something - Bella had realised what was happening and had gone out through the back door and jumped over the fence at the side of the house. So I had to put the bird somewhere Bella wouldn't just grab it again. She had a rather keen expression on her face!

I remembered that it was gripping well onto the wires, so thought if I put it in the tree in the front garden, it would be able to grip a branch. But the minute I'd done that it flew down under a bush, then under my car, where Bella raced towards it. Next thing it's flying across the road, with Bella in tow. But I'm fairly sure it managed to get away safely.

I left Bella outside to calm down for a little while, then got her indoors. She was shouting at me, clearly not happy that I'd taken her fun away. So we sat down and had a few quiet words. I told her that I know she's a cat and respect that she does cat things, which might include chasing and catching birds. But next time she's not to bring it indoors. And she should also respect that I'm not a cat and have a concern and love for all wildlife, so will always do what I can do to liberate and make them safe. She stopped shouting, but did sulk for a bit. But she understood.

And in respecting her cat-ness, part of me is actually quite proud that she has proved she's a good little hunter. But of course I'm torn, as I also love the birds that come into my garden. I still believe that on balance cats and birds can and do co-exist quite happily - they both know where they stand with each other. The vast, vast majority of the time no harm is done. But nature is nature, and the cats and birds know this only too well.

Everything got back to normal very quickly - the animal world is good at moving on. Birds are still using my gardens as a social club, restaurant and gym, and Bella still spends ages watching them.

Monday 23 November 2009

A Stormy Night.....




They were together in the house.

Just the two of them.
It was a cold, dark, stormy night. The storm had come quickly.

Each time the thunder boomed, he watched her jump.

She looked across the room and admired his strong appearance....... and wished that he would take her in his arms, comfort her, and protect her from the storm.

Suddenly, with a pop, the power went out... She screamed...

He raced to the sofa where she was cowering.

He didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms. He knew this was a forbidden union and expected her to pull back.

He was surprised when she didn't resist but instead clung to him.

The storm raged on.......

They knew it was wrong. Their families would never understand. So consumed were they in their fear that they heard no opening of doors.......

Just the faint click of the camera.......








No, I didn't write this, but received it in an email. Thought it would make you chuckle on a wet and miserable Monday morning!!

Friday 20 November 2009

My Dream


I have a dream. We all need dreams, something big to aim for, that make our lives so much richer. As you'd probably imagine, mine is to do with animals.

I was reading about the new RSPCA Centre that's just opened in Sheffield, and it looks fantastic! Lots of bright, warm, sparkling, cosy cubicles for the cats, and lovely for all the carers too. The RSPCA are well known, and although fund-raising is a never ending activity they depend on, I'm sure that they do better than some of the smaller independent sanctuaries.

Animals in Distress isn't the smartest place, and they desperately need bigger, newer, fresher facilities for all the animals they take care of. In particular, it would be great to have a purpose-built facility for all those animals that take longer to find new homes. Somewhere they can get out and about, and roam a little, see the birds, smell the air, bask in the sun, climb, run and jump (can you tell I know how it feels to be a cat?).

This is my dream. I'm still waiting for my premium bonds to come up, or my lotto win - so Universe, are you listening? I don't need a lot for myself, but I've got some great ideas for a fantastic sanctuary. I spend idle hours lost in creating fabulous designs, so much that it all feels so real. That's the downside to dreams though, isn't it? You wake up and find that it's not happened - yet. I am an ever positive person, and firmly believe that my dream will come true one day.

The other folk at Animals in Distress have similar dreams too - understandably. From time to time we all sit there and share our ideas and hopes........

Animals in Distress work extremely hard raising funds - but these really only go towards keeping things going (and only just, at that). A lovely group of people from BUPA volunteered last year and came along with paint brushes and paint, and brightened it up - which was just so lovely. But they do depend so much on the kindness and generosity of some wonderful people.

They need so much more. And while it's lovely to see the bright, shiny new centre for the RSPCA, and be really happy for all the cats and other animals who'll be looked after there, I really feel for Animals in Distress.

It will happen..... one day!
Picture: from Feline Advisory Bureau website. www.fabcats.org

Wednesday 18 November 2009

Cats and Babies

This is a touchy subject - one that I find tends to divide opinion. Would be good to have all your views......

In recent months I've been contacted by people 3 times to see if I can find a new home for their cats because they (the humans) have a baby on the way. In each situation, the decision has been so difficult, and the people wracked with guilt and worry that it is the right choice. None of these decisions has been arrived at lightly, and each time it's been because it's what they feel is right for the cat. They have wanted the cats to have the best possible life, and hard as it is, they've believed that this is the best course of action.

They contact me because they know that I love cats and know loads more people who do too. Trouble is most of the cat lovers I know already have cats. But then cat lovers know other cat lovers, so you never know......... And I ask everyone I can think of. But one time I had a response that really surprised me. This person was really very outraged - and felt it to be dreadful that they were prepared to re-home their cats just because they (the humans) were having a baby.

This made me think for a bit, but knowing all 3 people and their situations, I have to say that these decisions were made with the best end in mind. There's no way I'd feel it was right to judge their intentions. It was love (as well sometimes as housing situation, hormones, other cats, etc) that was driving the difficult decisions.

Then I thought about all those people I know who have babies and cats, and that it's worked for them. There have been issues along the way, but these have pretty much been resolved to everyone's needs.

So, a difficult one then. I guess the right decision is the right decision for each person, and each decision will be different.




And right now, we're looking for a home for little Peeps, who I've looked after a number of times. She's around 8 years old and a little darling. She's fairly quiet, but when she gets to know you, is so affectionate. This is her picture - isn't she adorable? If you know anyone who you feel she would be perfect with, do let me know, and I'll be happy to let you have more details. Just one thing - she's always been the only cat in the household, and it would probably be best for that situation to continue.

Finally, do please let me have your opinions on this thorny issue!!

Sunday 15 November 2009

Cute Picture Alert!!


Was looking around for pictures and found this one - just had to share it with you. The website it comes from is http://www.thecutereport.com/ and they have lots of others just as lovely!!

Thursday 12 November 2009

Big Thanks to Dig Food




Dig Food is a small local business run by Alan and Beth. They run an organic veg box scheme, and source as much of it as locally as possible. I get a delivery every couple of weeks and always look forward to seeing what I get each week. Even though they publish what's in the boxes on their website, I prefer to have a surprise.

Their service is excellent, Alan's very friendly, and the produce is always of the best quality.

They also bring me any fruit or veg that are past their best, and any offcuts of greens, which I take to Animals in Distress. The rabbits, guinea pigs, degus and tortoises love their fresh veg - there's a new family of guinea pigs, and they get so excited by the greens especially, that this week they've been fighting with their mum for the food!!

If you're interested, their website is http://www.digfood.co.uk/.

Healing Sally and Rachel




In some of my Blog posts, I've touched on the subject of our animals' behaviour. Now, I should say that I've no formal qualifications in animal behaviour. But it's a subject I've studied for many years, and have read a variety of books by acknowledged experts, and perhaps less obviously, texts written by other animal healers. It's impossible to become an animal healer without learning about their behaviour. I've also studied with animal behaviour and communication experts.

This has been complemented and built on by my own first hand experience in caring for animals - and there have been many. Observation is a great teacher, as long as you approach with a very open mind, with no pre-conceived ideas. Additionally, I've learnt directly from the animals themselves - when I'm communicating with them they tell me all sorts of things about our relationship with them.

I've talked previously about healing animals through the use of Reiki and with Bach Flower Remedies. I've introduced you to the idea of communicating with animals, but now I'm going to go one step further and explain how understanding your pets' behaviour can also help to heal.

Unless there's some obvious physical manifestation, often the only way we know that something is wrong with our pets is through changes in their behaviour. As loving carers we should take time to get the know the "normal" behaviours of our animals in order that we can recognise when things aren't right. You will also be quite intuitive about how your animals are feeling - how many times do you know that something's not right, but can't quite explain why? Well, what you're doing here is intuitively communicating with your animal by picking up on their messages to you. But perhaps what you don't realise is that you're also giving them messages through your own behaviour - which they very often mirror. So sometimes when we see emotional and/or behavioural problems, the problem might actually be ours.

To explain what I mean, I'm going to tell you about Sally - a lovely 2 year old labrador - and her family, Rachel and Martin. When she'd come to live with them as a pup all was fine - typical pup, into everything, fearless and loads of fun. Rachel contacted me a couple of years ago for help as she'd turned into a very sad animal, who'd become quite fearful of people, especially children. She didn't know what had happened to change her, and couldn't put her finger on anything in particular.

Rachel sent me a picture, and I could feel a huge heaviness about Sally. She had the weight of the world on her shoulders and seemed to be worrying about everything. She wouldn't tell me anything more as she was afraid of letting me in. When I got to Rachel's house I learnt a little more - both in what she told me and in the way she was with Sally. She'd taught her to bark when someone came to the door, in order to protect Rachel in the house. However, Sally had carried this too far, and thought that everyone who came in was a threat. Rachel was naturally very worried.

After talking to Rachel for a while we decided we'd start with Reiki. Reiki doesn't change the essential nature of a being, but Sally had once been a happy and carefree dog, so she could become that again. I expected though, that this might take a few visits. As she was rather anxious, the only way I could treat her was with Rachel cuddling her on her lap. This was my second clue. Intuitively I picked up from both of them that Rachel was over-worrying about Sally. As a dog, Sally felt a huge responsibility for her "mum", and was reflecting this worry back to her. They were caught in a vicious cycle.

Rachel was almost role-modelling the behaviour she wanted by encouraging dependence on her, and Sally thought that this was what Rachel wanted, so this is what she was giving her. The more that Rachel acted in a worried and over-caring way, the more that Sally mirrored this back to her.

I could see that the key to healing Sally was through Rachel, but how to approach this? So often it's the case that animal behaviour problems have their root in the behaviour of the carer. I knew I'd have to take it carefully, introduce the idea of Rachel needing to take responsibility for Sally's improvement thoughtfully and slowly. If I worried her even more, imagine what might happen! I've also spent years professionally coaching and counselling people, so I was confident that I could help in the right way.

At the end of the first session I told Rachel that I'd tune in to Sally again from home, and have a conversation with her. I felt sure that now we'd met she'd be much more open to talking to me. I also asked Rachel to send a list of questions she wanted me to ask Sally - which in themselves were very telling. At the same time Rachel told me that Sally seemed much happier and calmer after the initial Reiki session, and she couldn't believe she'd sat still for so long! One other little thing - by treating Sally while she was on Rachel's lap meant that I was delivering healing Reiki to both of them. I hoped that Rachel would also benefit.

Once I tuned into Sally again, the answers I got were amazing! This time she was very open with me, and was prepared to tell me anything. First, she admitted she was very confused by Rachel's expectations of her. She really did feel that she was supposed to be this worried, fearful little dog as that seemed to please Rachel - she'd cuddle her more and say lovely, comforting things. She also told me a lot about dogs and how they are with people. I probably learnt more from her about the dog/human relationship than anyone, and I'm very grateful to her for being to helpful. Above everything else they are such dutiful creatures and feel a huge burden of responsibility for their human carers. Even little Sally was prepared to go to the ends of the earth, and do whatever she thought Rachel and Martin expected of her.

I also learnt a lot more, most of which it's not appropriate to share here. Suffice to say that Sally did her dutiful best to raise some important issues which were far better out in the open.

Improvements did come, albeit gradually. I spent some more time talking intuitively to Sally, letting her know that Rachel was realising that her own behaviour was giving very mixed messages, but that above all Rachel wanted her to go back to the happy little dog she'd been before. In the end it seems that Sally actually helped to heal Rachel, and being a dutiful dog, that made her very happy.

Friday 6 November 2009

More than one cat?


When Bella came to live with me, I’d really wanted to take on more than one cat, but she was on her own, and there weren’t any other suitable cats at Animals in Distress. In the three and a half years she’s lived with me she’s come to regard me as hers, and I know that she wouldn’t be happy to share me with another cat. That’s a shame, because she’s a cat who likes company. She’s not a quiet cat. Unless she’s sleeping she never stops talking and wants constant interaction, attention and company.

I’ve often thought she’d be so much happier with another cat to keep her company, and have been very tempted more than once. While I’m at Animals in Distress I find myself thinking “would you and Bella get on?” But the answer I always get is a big “No”. Shame.

Trouble is, I get to see it from the other side. At Animals in Distress there are cats that people have brought in for rehoming because they don’t get on with their other cats. Or people have homed cats only to bring them back a couple of weeks later, because they’re fighting with their existing cats.

Cats aren’t like dogs, they’re not pack animals, although they can be sociable - not the same thing though. In the wild they are very territorial, and don’t share their lives and space with other cats. It’s not as marked with domesticated cats, but they can, and do, get stressed if another cat lives too close to its space. Jealousy can also creep in if the humans spend more time with one than another. Having said that, there are breeds that are a little more sociable, and on the whole it tends to work if you have cats from the same litter. They’ve always lived together and have always known the other one to be close by. Even then though, that’s not always the case.

Many of the cats I go to look after while their families are away are in households with more than one cat. I’m always keen to understand how they get along, especially if they’ve come to live together at different times. It does vary. Some are actually quite friendly with each other, although they might have a little scrap from time to time. With others you can see that they’ve learnt to tolerate each other, but aren’t so happy about it, and then those where it’s out and out war.

It’s clearly not an exact science then. The most difficult situation I find is where they appear on the surface to get along - but watch out for behaviour. This can be a big clue as to whether things are as right as they seem. You’ll know the original cat well, so be very aware to how they might be changing, any bad habits developing. This is a manifestation of stress, and even though there might be no fighting going on, there is clearly still a problem. It’s always more difficult to tell with the new cat as you don’t know them so well, but still keep an eye on their behaviour, as the better you get to know them, the more you’ll pick up signals that things aren’t so good.

If you do decide to take on another cat, realise that it will take some time for them all to come to terms with each other and the change in the home. Don’t force introductions, and give them plenty of space. It’s a good idea to keep the new cat in its own room at the beginning, introducing him to your existing cat gradually, and make sure that both have separate places and boltholes they can call their own, away from each other. Don’t expect them to fall head over heels in love with each other; in some cases the best you can hope for is a grudging tolerance of the other.

If it’s not going to plan I’d say don’t give up too quickly – there are things that can be done. The answer isn’t always to take him back to the rescue centre or breeder; although in some circumstances ultimately that might be the right thing to do. First, get some help. Talk to your vet and ask to be referred to a cat behaviourist. Also, see if I can help too. I can tune in to animals to find out what’s going on, and perhaps it’s just a small matter of me talking to them to sort things out. Additionally Reiki can help to take the stress out of a situation and restore calmness. Once you know what the issue is, don’t forget that Bach Flower Remedies can help with a whole variety of emotionally based situations.

I’d still love for Bella to have a cat friend; however, I’ve resisted as I think there’s too much opportunity for it to be a problem for both of them. I work from home a lot so she probably gets to see me more than some cats see their families – but sometimes even that isn’t enough for her!! If you’re thinking about homing two cats from different families, or adding another to your brood, please think long and hard first. Be patient and realise it takes a lot of time; monitor behaviour and look out for signs that things aren’t right. Talk and listen to experts. And prepare for what you will do if things don’t quite work out.

Time to say goodbye - Kat's story


A little while ago, I posted a Blog called “When it’s time to go”, and talked about how I make use of Reiki and intuitive communication to help animals and their carers to prepare for moving on. I mentioned that in just one week period, I found myself helping in three such situations. Now I’m going to tell you a little more about one of these.

My sister had a cat – called Kat – who was 21 years old. She’d been showing signs of age for a while, in the form of some deafness and sight problems, but otherwise was fairly well. But then I heard that Kat had been starting to have kidney problems, usual issues with not being able to control the bladder, etc. My sister was starting to fear that this might all be signalling the end of her life, and asked me to send some Reiki to help her. When we next spoke, Kat had perked up a little, and seemed to be much better. I’ve found this to be a common occurrence, where the animal will seem to recover - for a little while.

I received a text from my sister a couple of weeks later. Reading between the lines of the text I could tell all wasn’t well, so called my sister and had a long conversation. Friends had tried to tell her that it was time for her to take Kat to the vet for the last time, but Louise wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t convinced that it was quite time yet, although she did realise that it probably wasn’t far away. Because of the strong bond I knew they had, I knew that Kat was hanging on for Louise’s sake, and also that Louise would know when it was time to take her. And this is what I told her.

She seemed to take heart at this, almost as if it was giving her permission to keep caring for her a little longer. Often people just need time to come to terms with what they know deep down is inevitable. They need to enjoy what time is left, and say their goodbyes in the right way.

I continued to send Reiki whenever I had some quiet time, both to Kat to help her with any pain or discomfort she might be feeling, and to Louise, to support her emotionally. Numerous phone calls followed over the next couple of days. During the Reiki with Kat, she let me know (her signal was quite weak, but the Reiki was helping it to come through more strongly) that she loved Louise so much that she didn’t want to leave her, but she did know it was time to go.

The week before this started to happen, Louise had a rather nasty virus and had been signed off work for a couple of weeks. We were now in the middle weekend, and Louise still had another week off. She felt that this was a gift – that she had a week with just her and Kat, and that they could both enjoy this time. By now she’d come to terms with saying goodbye. The weather that week was wonderful, and Louise spent most of her time outdoors, with Kat always nearby. Louise noticed that Kat was revisiting some of the places in the garden she used to like being in, almost as though she were saying her final farewells to them all.

Kat was now very weak, and on the Friday morning Louise called to say that she had an appointment to take Kat to the vet at 4.00 that afternoon. I tuned into Kat one last time, and she knew what was happening, and was very ready for it. She told me she’d had a lovely final week with Louise, and would be forever grateful for that opportunity, and for all the love and compassion Louise had shared with her then, and over the years. Kat’s still with Louise now - every time she thinks about her it brings her near.

Sunday 1 November 2009

Fear on Fireworks Night


Today is 1st November, and fireworks have been going off for a number of evenings already. 5th November is this coming Friday, so we can expect loud fireworks all over the weekend.

Many of our pets are fearful of fireworks, but we can help them a little. There's all the obvious and oft-repeated advice about keeping animals in, and we understand the sense of this - although I always have a battle with Bella as despite the fireworks going off around she'll stand at the door and demand to be let out! But I have to tell her it's for her own good.......

I've always been terrified of loud bangs, so it's not my favourite time of year. But I knew that when I got Bella as a little kitten I'd have to manage my own fear so that she didn't pick up on it. So, that's the first thing you can do. When fireworks are going off all around, concentrate on how you're feeling and try to find the calmest feelings you can. Then imagine them going out in waves to your animals, wrapping them up in love and caring.

I wrote recently about using Bach Flower Remedies for animals, and they can help here too. Rescue Remedy is the one that's well know for dealing with shocks, so if you have some in the house, this week might be a good time to pop a little in the water bowl. Follow the Bach Foundation guidelines on dosing. In particular Mimulus is one of the individual remedies, and this is indicated for helping with emotions based on fear of known things. If the fear is extreme, then consider Rock Rose (which itself is one of the ingredients of Rescue Remedy). Have a look at the other Remedies to see if there's something that will particularly help your own animal.

Have a great Fireworks night!!