More on communicating with animals

Many of you will have participated on training courses at work, where you're taught that communication is more than just the words. In fact, when talking to someone, the actual words used convey the least meaning. When you verbally deliver a message, you have the option of varying the sense of the words by the tone you use, and your body language and behaviour as you speak says more to the receiver than both of these. If this is something you learnt before, then just take a few minutes to ponder on it; and if this is something new to you, then perhaps take a few more minutes to consider.

When we communicate with our animals it works very similarly. We get to know each other very well, so we learn what some of the words sound like. Our cats and dogs will know the word for food (or whatever word we use), and other things that are important to them, and repeated often. We get to know some of their words too. Perhaps not so consciously, but when you stop to think about it you'll realise that's true.

Then there's how the words are delivered....... For example, if Bella wants to eat she'll come and tell me, and I know what this word sounds like. But if I'm distracted or doing something, and she's not getting through, she'll shout. If I look at her while she's doing this her face and body posture changes; she's putting all her energy into trying to get me to listen/understand. So she's using her body language too.

From this I can appreciate how important it is. Then if I get up to follow her into the kitchen, I get confirmation as to what she wants by where she goes. If she were desperate to relieve herself she'd be standing by the back door, still shouting up at me (even though she has a litter tray, she always prefers to go outside). When it's food she'll lead me round to the left hand side of the kitchen - that's the direction of the cupboard where her food is stored.

So from this I've understood in 3 ways what she wants and how urgent it is. If I continue to be distracted, eventually she'll stop, have a grumble, and walk away grumbling more. Sometimes she might have a bit of a tantrum, running all over the place, trying to lose some of the energy she's built up. (It's very funny, I try not to laugh!!).

If I want her to do something, I'll talk to her too, and will employ all three methods too so that she understands what's needed.

But there's more to it than that. All animals communicate through the medium of feelings, so there's a further dimension of meaning in communication. We have that ability too, but largely we've forgotten how to do it. It's been many, many thousands of years since human beings learnt to speak, and in that time we've buried the other ways that we know to communicate. Speaking is easy, it's immediate and leaves little room for misunderstanding (or does it?), so as we've evolved, we've come to depend on verbal (and its younger brother, written) communication to convey ideas and thoughts more and more and more.

Trouble is, it's moved us further away from our animal companions. They do what they can to communicate verbally with us, but they do get very frustrated that we're not listening with all our senses. We miss so much.

But it is very easy to learn how to do that, much easier than most people think. In fact we do it all the time without being being very aware that that's what we're doing.

To do this we just have to get back in touch with our feelings and emotions, and spend less time in our minds, thinking and talking. Meditation is great for this. It's just a process whereby we sit quietly and still the mind. One of the simplest ways is just to follow the breath - and by that I mean to be conscious of breathing, how the breath is moving into, around, and out of the body. Don't be impatient with this, it does take time and practice. Just enjoy it for what it is and what it brings you (which will amaze you). If you make meditation a regular practice you'll soon notice a difference in yourself.

And one of the other great things you can do is to try to live in the moment at all times. This is what our animals do, and this will bring you into their world. And as with meditation, you'll discover all sorts of wonderful unexpected benefits. We only ever live in the moment of now. It moves along with us, but that's the only place we exist. What's happened has gone, so absolutely no point in languishing in guilt, regret or any of those other destructive emotions. And the future hasn't happened, and never will, it's unreal - it's just a now moment that continues to move along with us.

These two practices will become habits that you'll enjoy, and will bring you closer to your animals, as well as bringing you so much more. I'll write again in a couple of weeks, saying more about what you can do to communicate intuitively with your animals - through emotions and feelings - once you've become used to stilling the mind and living in the present.

Cat Visits - How Frequent?

When I get asked to visit cats, mostly people ask for daily visits. Some people just want the one, others need two, and I've a couple of customers I visit three times a day.

But now and again I get asked something different..................... This week I've had both ends of the scale.

Firstly, I had an email from a lady a couple of weeks ago, enquiring into my services. I did the usual, and replied by email, as always hoping that she'd like to book. I always stress the Reiki element, how that can help, especially for cats who are a little anxious, or if their carers think they'll get lonely. Sometimes people respond back immediately, wanting to book. If I've not heard in a couple of days, they've usually decided to do something else - but I usually email back again to check, just in case.

This lady hadn't responded in all that time, so decided she wasn't going to book. But I received an email from her yesterday, and it was clear she'd been worrying about this a lot. She had decided not to book, but was kind enough to tell me why (so many people just don't bother!!). Despite first deciding she wanted a pet sitter, she then felt that her cat just wouldn't cope well on her own with just a visit or two each day. She wanted company for him all the time, so she's exploring other options at the moment.

Then I received a phone call from a man wanting care for his two cats while away on business. The cats would be on their own for 5 days, but he was asking me to come for only 3 of those. I took a deep breath and very kindly told him that I only take bookings where I visit every day - I said that if he was determined on every other day I'd have to decline. I explained my reasons.

Until last year I'd never been asked this before. And then I had two in the same week! I'd never even considered that someone might ask this, so was a bit caught out. Instinctively I didn't feel right about it, but said yes anyway. Both were cats who lived on their own, and they both absolutely loved my visits. But as the week went on I could tell that they weren't happy that I was only coming every other day. So, I started to visit every day. Result - happier cats, but not good financially for me. I couldn't ask the families to recompense me as they'd not asked me to do it!! Trouble is, because I communicate with animals, because I know how they're thinking and feeling, I couldn't ignore them. They wanted me to come every day.

And all the cats I visit feel the same. They're not living wild, they live with us, and we've conditioned them to depend on us. They are used to seeing us every day, and it's not fair to deprive them of human contact for any more than is necessary. That's why many of my customers ask me to come two or even three times every day.

For many, once is day is fine, as, if they're not being entertained, they'll probably sleep. But to go a whole day with no-one to visit them, to cuddle and stroke them, is miserable. And what happens if the cat is unwell? A daily visit minimum is essential to ensure they're ok, and if a visit to the vet is needed, it can happen sooner rather than later.

How do I know Reiki works?

Good question. Is that you asking or me? Because it could be either. There are times when I find myself doubting it, and I know plenty of other practitioners who feel the same from time to time too.

The trouble is that we are very subject to our conditioning, and we've been so used to looking at things from a very rational perspective. For most of my life, up until recently, that was me too. The people who ask me this question are no doubt using their reason to try to understand it, and there are countless scientists, who through their very rational experiences and approaches really struggle with this sort of thing. Many people who ask me about it want to see some proof, or empirical evidence; they feel that if scientists can tell them it's ok, then it's ok.

But I have recently come across a number of scientists who are able to use their vision and imagination, and have learnt to see and explain things differently. That's really all it takes; a change of perspective. But of course, having been taught to see things rationally all our lives, sometimes that takes a little while. Sometimes we need that quantum leap of insight and experience to show us, and unlock that amazing part of us that lives in a different world.

But back to the question........ If it's me that's doing the asking, then for every time I doubt, there are at least 10 times more that I absolutely know that it does work. Now, this knowing isn't something that goes on in my head. That's actually where the doubt lives. It's the mind that is rational, and too much thinking is destructive. The knowing is something that I feel in every part of me - it lives in a different place and inhabits every fibre of my being. If you take the time to stop and reflect for a while, I'm sure that you'll be able to find beliefs that are very personal to you; things you know you know, but might struggle to rationalise, explain, or put into words.

I also know through the evidence of my experiences with Reiki. I have spent time with many animals who have very obviously been healed in some way. (But possibly in a way I might struggle to explain satisfactorily to a scientist!!) When I think of the animals at Animals in Distress I have helped, and the often very quick results seen - whether physical or emotional (and frequently both, as they're very strongly linked). The cats I go to look after who have turned from very scared, frightened cats into cats who have grown in confidence. Helping to take away pain and discomfort from dogs with arthritis - and seeing the change in their whole being. And also opening up my intuition once again so that I can communicate intuitively with animals - which is also key to helping them to heal.

And even my own knees!! Yes, one of the great benefits of Reiki is being able to treat yourself. And you don't argue with your own evidence!

If it's you asking the question......... Well, if you're asking it may be that it's not for you. Having an open enquiring mind is great, but looking for hard evidence means that you may be disappointed. Reiki is never forced on anyone. All good Reiki practitioners will happily provide information as to what Reiki is and how it works, and if that resonates with you, you'll probably be asking for a treatment. Because you've asked, you're open to the healing energy and will let it flow into you, to wherever it needs to go, and to do whatever it needs to do. If you're doubtful you'll be blocking any energy that might be able to help you.

So how does an animal ask me for Reiki? Same thing really, it's never forced on them. The great thing about animals is that they don't spend all their time thinking like we do. They feel more, they're very in tune with what's going on around them, and they live in the moment. This means no wondering what Reiki is, whether it might work or not....... They sense the energy, and intuitively know that it may be able to help them. They may even have found a subtle way to direct you to a Reiki practitioner.

When I start to treat an animal I always ask, and I always explain. I never force myself on them, and generally start by holding my hands out close to them so that they can sense it. For some it's a little intense, and don't want to come too close, but others come and rub themselves in my hands straightaway. It's an amazing thing to be in a room of animals, just hold my hands out and watch what happens. Everything goes quiet, and I can feel the energy stilling. The animals just sit there with their eyes closed, looking like they're drinking it in. They might settle into a comfortable position, and I'll often see yawning – a good sign.

It's taken me time to learn how best to treat animals. Having learnt my Reiki with Chris Parkes, I then went on to study intuitive animal communication with James French, who is also an animal Reiki practitioner. I've talked about my journey to this point in previous posts, and have been especially grateful to James for sharing his Trust Technique with me. I have read lots of books about animal communication, animal healing and animal Reiki – all written by expert practitioners with many years' experience. Each time my learning has deepened, as I reflect on an approach or practice that's new to me. Through the wonders of the internet, I have become good friends with some people who work with animals at an energetic level as I do. But the best teachers of all have been the animals themselves. I suffered a few bites and scratches before I learnt that it's sometimes too intense for some animals – so I don't treat directly, I let the Reiki flow and they come to me if they want to physically place themselves in my hands. They soon get to know the feeling, although there are many animals who still prefer to receive the energy at a distance.

I'll finish this post with a very recent experience. Rod and Stewart are about 6 months old and recently became residents at Animals in Distress. As they were brothers they were placed in the same pen, but it became clear there were difficulties. Stewart was painfully shy and always hid himself away. One day he attacked his brother so badly that stitches were needed, so it was obvious the problems were more than just shyness. Rod was patched up by the vet, and on his return was given his own pen. I visited both cats the same day and it was apparent that both cats had been extremely traumatised by the experience, and whatever had caused it.

Rod was very shocked, and also sad. He really couldn't understand what had happened, nor why. He missed his brother. Stewart continued to hide under the cushion of his bed. I visited frequently to administer Reiki to both boys. Rod recovered more quickly – both physically and emotionally, and seemed to understand that he needed to be on his own. He was very friendly and affectionate, and his energy was good. Stewart though was still hiding – until this week! On Monday I visited again, and went to see Stewart, still under his cushion. I lifted it gently, and gave him a couple of treats. I then sat down on a little stool, a little way from him and started to send him Reiki. I could see the cushion move as he ate his treats. After a while his little ears and eyes popped up, but when he saw me, disappeared again. I must have been sitting very quietly!

After about 20 minutes I left his pen, and thanked him (as I always do for all the cats) for letting me into his home. I was a couple of pens away, and as I looked to my left I could see little Stewart at the front of his pen. So when I had finished with all the cats I went and sat just outside his pen door, and watched him through the mesh. I popped a couple of treats through, and he got brave, picked them up, and ran back with them. But he was starting to get more comfortable with me there, and I could see his confidence was growing. The energy coming from him felt especially happy and buoyant. By then he was rubbing himself on the mesh itself, and allowed me to scratch him through it. I thought I'd open the door and prop it with my foot to see what happened. Bit by bit he moved toward the open door, then through it. Suddenly he was under my leg, rubbing his back on me! I held my hands out and he thrust his face into one of them and absolutely loved having his ears scratched. Next thing he was on my lap, on his back, in ecstasy! What a change, and how wonderful. He's still a little anxious with people, and they have to approach him gently. But now he's loving human contact, and winning everyone over. I'd worried before that it might be difficult to ever find him a home, but not now!

I love my happy endings, and it's great for me to know that Reiki has helped another living being to enjoy their life. I'm sure I'd still have a scientist or two saying that this isn't proof, but do you know what? I know it works, and so does Stewart (and Rod, and all the others). And that's good enough for us.