Tellington TTouch
at Gott Cats by Christine Henry
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July 2008 - My first introduction to
Tellington Touch, or TTouch, was the TV series 'Talking to Animals'. It was riveting
watching Sarah Fisher apply TTouch and see the progress of cats, dogs, horses, birds and
even reptiles. The transformation of Barry the violent cockerel was especially intriguing! I really had to find out more, and spent a day at Battersea Cats
& Dogs Home on a course about 'Cats & TTouch'. In particular I remember the depth
of Sarah and Tina's assessment of a ginger kitten, and their interpretation of areas of
sensitivity - termed tension patterns - on her body. Not only was this a new concept, but
to find them in a kitten? It was a truly astonishing experience.
My appreciation of TTouch grew steadily as awareness and
skills developed during practitioner training, though there were times when I felt
completely inadequate. This holistic technique is now used when there are indications it
may benefit cats in my care. These are gleaned from information gathered by gentle
exploration of the body, and observation primarily of posture, movement and tension
patterns. Calming signals such as eye blinking, are then used in conjunction with the
appropriate application of TTouch.
Boarding cats often arrive with varied physical, emotional
or behavioural issues, and if required veterinary advice is sought. It is not uncommon for
cats like Mindy to avoid contact or lash out when touched in certain areas, often over
hips or spine in the older cat. The appropriate TTouch was introduced during her stay then
continued at home, and now Mindy |
| and owner Lorna not only enjoy
but seek physical interaction. More unusually a
regular boarder, 14-year-old Hercie, was previously given a poor veterinary prognosis
following a Toxoplasmosis infection. He lost weight, became nervous, and developed
mobility difficulties. During the previous 3 years he received veterinary treatment for
recurring hair loss possibly linked to emotional trauma. Assessed when boarding at the
cattery, dull flat thinning hair with large areas of bare skin on hind legs and abdomen
were evident accompanied by an anxious expression. Poor Hercie.
His owner, Joy, was given specific details of TTouch to
continue at home, and after 4 months his coat was luxuriant, Hercie put on weight,
remained off medication and is now a much happier cat. Discomfort over his spine and hip
has reduced but TTouch continues in those areas. He is now 15 ½, in better condition than
before and even tries to play, much to Joy's delight.
In our cat rescue unit, Alana, a young adult CP feral cat,
had few options when admitted. She should have been neutered and returned, but her
previous environment was too bleak to countenance sending her back making euthanasia a
possibility. TTouch was attempted as a last resort and I don't know which of us was more
terrified! I disguised a carrier box as a permanent bed within a pen then gently covered
her with a towel after her instinctive retreat into it. With minimum stress TTouch was
applied through the towel, then later directly onto her body. This resulted in a
delightfully relaxed and happy cat now ready for life in a new home.
I am constantly learning and regard cats as my teachers. To
identify what is going on in the individual cat and use TTouch to make positive changes is
so rewarding. These techniques deepen the bond between us and are a joy to use.
To book an appointment please ring 01595 840275
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TTouch
and Cats
March 2008 - Hi Sarah,
I meant to email you a long time ago. I email
you at the beginning of the year as I saw you on the One Show and loved the work you did
and wanted to try it on my cats. I had one that did not like strangers coming to the
house, and one that all of the sudden got stressed out at a show but before that had
enjoyed showing.
I also work in a vets practice so wanted to
use it there. I asked you if you knew anybody in Kent that could help and you kindly gave
me Jacqui Carter's details and I want to say a big thank you for recommending her; she is
great. When I first told my husband she was coming around he said, 'ok what ever, it won't
work', but he has now had to apologise and has fallen in love with TTouch too. We took our
show cat to a show after Jacqui's first visit in Feb. At first the cat was really scared
but after a few TTouches she relaxed and went on to win her show. We were so grateful to
Jacqui.
I also had Jacqui along this Sunday and she
managed to touch my very shy cat and after a few TTouches Jacqui managed to get her to
take treats from her hand. I know we have still got a little way to go but I can't thank
Jacqui enough for the help she has given us and thank you so much for sending her my way.
TTouch has also made a big difference at work.
Thank you so much for your help and I am so
glad I saw you on the One Show as it has been so fun learning TTouch.
Take care best wishes Tammy (Tamasine) White
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A Stray Kitten in
Tunisia by Toni Shelbourne - Practitioner 2
One day while on holiday in Tunisia I came across a tiny
kitten trying to drink water from our complex's pool. The little thing was too small to
reach down and could very easily have fallen in. The pool was about 3 metres deep and the
kitten would have surely drowned. We picked it up and placed it away from the pool. It was
very small; I'd guess about 5 weeks old, was in poor condition and showed signs of having
an infection, probably cat flu. Once we had removed it from danger someone came over with
an improvised drinking container and some water. We walked away to the other side of the
pool and sat down. By this time the kitten had drawn the attention of a small girl who
wanted to play with it. Unfortunately the kitten was too nervous of the child and wouldn't
take the water. A couple of minutes later a waiter came out and fed the kitten some
chicken. It was very hungry and ate ravenously.
The kitten was very forlorn. After a while I returned to
the kitten with a more suitable drinking container. As I offered it the water it ducked
down, froze and looked very frightened. I gently reached out and did a couple of clouded
leopard TTouches on its head. The affect was amazing; it pushed up into the TTouches and
then started to drink.
After it had drunk its fill I continued to do circles on
its little head and body. It enjoyed them so much it climbed up in to my lap and after 10
minutes was fast asleep on me. I made a cradle with my T-Shirt and carried it around like
that all afternoon.
Someone had said that the mother was near by so I began to
look for her, thinking the kitten had strayed from the nest looking for water. When
someone asked me what I was doing, I was told that this wasn't from the complex cat's
litter but that someone had smuggled it in from outside. You can image my fury. There was
this tiny kitten, barely weaned, in a country which cared little for it's species anyway
now with no way of being returned to it's mother AND probably about to infect the
healthier looking cats in the complex. The people who had thought they where helping the
little one out had removed it from everything it knows and the mother who could teach it
to survive.
At the end of the afternoon I had to be somewhere else. I
carried the kitten to somewhere quiet so it could continue to sleep. I left it curled up
asleep in a safe place and walked away wondering what would become of it.
Later that evening we saw the kitten again. This time it
wasn't cowering in a corner or running away from people. It was openly going up to people
seeking attention and being feed by many passers by. The complex was predominantly British
and it was the beginning of the season. Maybe the little one would survive.
I knew I couldn't take the kitten home or phone the local
rescue centre, there wasn't one, but I felt that I had met that kitten where it was in
life not pitied it but in a small way given it a practical gift which might just help it
to get by in this cruel world. I'd given it the ability to trust the people who wanted to
help it.
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My TTouch
Experience by Joan Kempsell
2003 - Late in 2003 I had the privilege, along with three
other members of our Cats Protection branch, to attend a workshop on TTouch for cats run
by Sarah Fisher and Tina Constance at Battersea Old Windsor. We all learned a great deal
that day and Milly is a kitten who reaped the rewards from this.
Milly is a pretty, black kitten who had a bad start in
life, especially in terms of lack of socialisation. Her two male littermates settled quite
quickly into their new home, but Milly remained extremely scared and timid.
On visiting Julia - the new owner of all three - I thought
I'd try out my TTouch skills. At the time, Milly was lying on the bed wide-eyed and too
terrified to move. I talked very quietly to her and then began the Clouded Leopard TTouch
- so using the pads of my fingers to move the skin around in one-and-a-quarter circles.
After a few minutes Milly relaxed enough to allow me to
pick her up and put her on my lap. I then moved on to ear work and gently progressed to
mouth work. Within a short time she was totally relaxed and sleepy and I was able to pass
her to Julia for a good cuddle. Julia and another friend who was present were amazed at
the change in her. The friend was even able to hold and cuddle her.
A week later I had a second session with Milly, repeating
the work again with the same result. Milly has since gone from strength to strength.
The feeling of pleasure and well-being it created in me to
be able to help this little cat was enormous.
Thank you Sarah, Tina and TTouch for showing me how.
Joan Kempsell
Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted Branch, Cats Protection
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