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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