Reiki Eases the Final Journey

The final journey for most pets is horribly stressful for them, and their owners.

The natural will to survive, coupled with their intuitive desire to ease their human friend's pain, frequently makes animals struggle to continue on.

Reiki eases that struggle, and frees the dying animal, and their loving owners, from anxious moments, hours and even days of desperation. 

The powerful energy is not used as a healing source. Instead, it serves as a bridge. Anxiety, fear and pain are replaced with calming peace. Lovingly nestled in such support benefits the animal and their humans.

I have been honored be at hand when numerous animals, pets and otherwise, required comfort to end their lives.

When the final breath is drawn, even for a feral animal, there is palpable sense the animal's gallant energy is released back into the Universe.

Such an ending is a blessing for them and those who love them.

Reiki for ALL the Animals

Recently, I was part of a group visiting a local ranch.

Beef cattle dozed out in one field. In another, thanks to the recent arrival of rain in our drought-stricken region, two horses ate the verdant colored grass.

Closer to the barn there was a flock of geese and turkeys in one penned area, while sheep and pigs shared another.

Old MacDonald in El Dorado County.

However, without calling to any of the beasts each instinctively came closer to me as I stood near their respective fences.

"Are you an animal whisperer?" asked one fascinated by-stander.

"No," I said, "I do Reiki with animals though."

Evidently, without my churning up the chi, animals could still respond to the residual positive energy of Reiki within me.

Nice to know.

Helping Hurt Feral Cats

If life were a Disney movie, I would win big with Lotto and establish a safe rural sanctuary with an on-call veterinarian.

Instead, I make the best out of what is available to me on a very limited budget.

Feral cat colonies abound in many Sacramento neighborhoods.

Earlier attempts to trap some failed. Instead, I am one of those people who put out just enough food and water to keep my standard visitors and lodgers as healthy as I can. A few, abandoned by mothers, have made it to the esteemed title of “house cat.”

Friends and loved ones kid me for giving each feral cat a name. They warn me I am emotionally involved. Emotional attachment aside, one of Reiki's five principles is being kind to all living things daily.

Feral cats definitely fall into that category,

As with all of nature, I accept survival of the fittest is true.

A number of the cats, especially kittens with upper respiratory diseases, have been calmly comforted through Reiki as death slowly claimed them. Afterwards, Before disposing of them, I placed their little bodies in boxes filled with rosemary, thyme and lavender growing the garden they were born in.

Reiki’s immense healing energies have also assisted older cats.

Scratches, swollen faces and a limp exposes who lost the previous night’s battle, that shattered our sleep with blood curdling screeches and angry hisses.

Regardless of how much I love animals, I never endanger myself by attempting to pick up or touch a hurt feral cat.

As Reiki is a practice of respect, I literally ask the animal, from a distance, if I can offer the healing energy to it.  Their response determines my distance.

Two months ago, Dapple Annie recently confused from her own kittens' stillbirth, started stealing other cats' young to nurse them.  Although the other mother cats seemed to go along with it, someone evidently had a problem. Annie came to breakfast listing to her right with a head swollen to the size of a softball.

One of the friendlier feral cats, slowly she climbed onto a patio chair accompanied by soft cries of pain.  Keeping the damaged side towards me, I ran my hands over her face with a distance of three inches.  Almost immediately, her slow and even breathing demonstrated her relaxation.

The next day her face had literally exploded with blood and pus dripping everywhere. 

Yet, she jumped back on the chair and through one eye gave me a look that clearly said, “Get to it.”

Twice a day for a week, I continued performing Reiki on her, while never actually touching her wounds. By the following week her fur fell off in strips revealing new skin thankfully free of infection.

Now her health and face is restored, and she continues to nurse other’s kittens.

Two days ago, Mini Max showed up with a bloodied and swollen chin.

Dumped as a young kitten through the front gate, he was so easily frightened by everything and everyone – I have never been closer than five-feet to him.  

In fact, for almost seven months I thought he was a female.

Approaching him quietly he seemed to anticipate my desire to help and did not dart away.

As I opened my hands his eyes immediately softened and then closed. He rolled off his haunches to expose his chin and belly. Such an act of trust told me he understood.

I am happy to report his healing is well underway.

The healing energies of Reiki are amazing when used with our animal friends as well as humans.

Reiki for Your Animal's Pre and Post Surgery

Perhaps, like me, prior to a childhood doctor's visit or hospital stay your parents did everything they could to assuage your fears.

Scary-looking instruments and frightening procedures, were explained in advance to make you feel comfortable (even if only slightly) and aid with the recovery.

Reiki does the same thing for your pet.

It calms anxiety.

This allows your pet to approach surgery,and follow up treatment with less stress.

As their health improves, Reiki's  positive energy continues to strengthen your pet's tranquility that is so beneficial to their recovery.

I was asked to visit the house of an outdoor cat that had been attacked by two new neighborhood dogs.

The prognosis was not great. The cat was old, the wounds deep and near vital organs. Swathed in bandages she was laid in the guest bathroom atop pillows and blankets.

I did not know the pet, and quietly entering the darkened room, could not even make it out except for the ragged breathing about four-feet away.

Standing for several minutes I softly told "Klink" I was sorry for his horrible accident, If he would allow me to perform Reiki for him, I promised it would not hurt,

Never stepping closer, I stood for 30-minutes and moved my hands out in the injured cat's direction. Guided solely by his occasional mews, I lingered over certain areas and moved quickly from others.

I am not sure Klink ever came out of his drug-induced slumber.

As I thanked him, his tail flipped.

Recognizing it could have been annoyance, an unplanned reaction or an act of gratitude I made my departure.

His owner called the next morning.

Although very wobbly, Klink had peed normally during the night and eaten some wet food.

Now four months later, he is again stalking his old hunting grounds.

Reiki calms and enpowers kittens

These four kittens were not supposed to be mine, much less living in my house.

Born to a Roly Poly, a feral cat who had frequented my yard for the past two years ago, these feline newcomers took their first breath in the discarded old lumber pile of my back neighbor's yard.

I admit to being delighted.

Spring 2013 had already caused mini breaks to my soft heart through the birth, and fortunate death, of six deformed kittens and one stillbirth.  All had occurred in sanctity of my backyard.

However, within a week of giving birth Roly Poly was spending more time lolling under my budding apricot tree and nowhere near her first-time family.

Physically, she was fine. She responded well to Reiki with her usual purring and subsequent head-butting of my hands and calves.

However her maternal instinct was MIA.

By the third week, tiny paws and spiky tails could be seen through the backyard’s fence slats. Accompanying little squeaks of hunger often announced Mama was late again with the meals.

Avoiding the outside cat drama was impossible, and I knew the neighbor, an elderly woman, was incapable of handling it. 

Off I went to retrieve all the kittens.

The first day went well, as Roly regularly nursed them.  Then their lactating grandmother, Licorice, took over the milk detail.

However, the next day her patience was worn and Roly was gone.

Uttering a comforting call, Licorice lured the tiny bundles of fur out to the front yard fence where fast-moving cars, unleashed dogs and other hazards were just inches away.

Quickly, scooped up the kittens were placed in a large box.  Within minutes Licorice's siren-like calls had them again tottering towards disaster. This scenario was played out two more times until I came to the disheartening realization.  

The kittens had to come inside the house.

This was a repeated scene.  Three years earlier, Licorice had also been a non-attentive first-time mother. This resulted in Monte and Kiva becoming my indoor beloved duo of feline cuteness.

While the latters' beginnings had been just as humble, disdain filled their eyes when their access to the spare bedroom was no denied thanks to the quartet of 5-inch intruders.

Hoping a calm atmosphere would inspire Roly, I carried her inside for the first time.  Promptly she curled up under the dressing table and fell asleep.  Her snooze continued as my homemade "milk" was eye dropped into her babies' greedy mouths.

Occasionally, she ate before resuming her beauty sleep.

Four hours into the experiment, the truth came out when the kittens attempted to feed off their mother. She hissed and growled violently at them.

Cue the quick exit of Roly.

Now it was clear, the kittens were house guests until permanent homes could be found.

As is typical with any living thing deprived of a mother's care the kittens exhibited some stress.

The worse was Onslow.  As the largest kitten, his size made it easy to bully the other three.

While smaller, Callie Calico was just as aggressive and used frequent high-pitched meows to disorient her victim before attacking with increasing sharp teeth.

Leahleo was the litter's runt.  Afflicted with weak eyes she and her brother Sherpa held back when meals were offered.

Practicing Reiki was required.

Squirming fur balls are not the easiest animals to receive the healing energy owing their already overabundant supply of it.

But it is never impossible.

Each was individually wrapped in a warm towel and taken into a darkened room.  Onslow violently fought for several seconds to free himself, but never cried out.

Reiki's gentle vibes slowed his breathing and for the first time his contented purr was heard.

He remainrd a thundering big guy, but several sessions later his "kill or be killed" attitude vanished.

Callie's meowing decreased to the usual cries for food, love or both.

Sherpa became the power purrer.  He was capable of giving his brother an equal tussle, yet gentle with his nearly blind sister, Leahleo.

Her lack of 20/20 sight does not mean anyone should pity this kitty.  She ran, jumped great heights and became the champion snoozer of the litter.  

Regular Reiki sessions turned these wild kittens into docile house cats within two weeks.

What can it do for your animals?

2016 Post Note: Although, Onslow, Sherpa and LeahLeo all died within weeks of this posting, Callie hung on and is now a valued member of the family. She is still feisty, but no longer attacks first and asks forgiveness later. She has persuaded Monte, and occasionally Kiva, she is a good buddy to curl up next too.