Vicki knew that her seventeen-year-old Siamese cat was trying to tell her something and was concerned that Sasha might have another urinary tract infection. Now Vicki also wondered if this had to do with something she was doing or was not doing for Sasha.
Sasha was an intelligent, dignified, no-nonsense kitty who often communicated her dislikes with a severe bite, which had landed Vicki at the emergency clinic more than once. I had worked with Sasha earlier on the biting issue, and the biting had subsided. She had allowed Vicki to put her harness on her during their long road trip. Sasha missed this "treat" home in Oregon. Here Sasha had the opportunity to explore the nooks and crannies of the vacation grounds as a free cat and take refuge in the large, enclosed yard when she needed to. She could have easily escaped under the fence but she cooperated with my requests and stayed inside the yard. Sasha understood and respected her imposed boundaries. But now she was biting again, but not breaking the skin when Vicki put the harness on her to take her outside.
I connected to Sasha, mentally holding her face at my third eye point and intending to communicate. I wait for the subtle acceleration in my heart center, which I feel when a psychic connection is made. Animal communication isn't only a dialogue with the animal; it's merging or becoming one with the animal.
Anxiety flooded my body when I asked Sasha about the accidents. The first thing I heard was, "I don't like being alone. I won't stand for it."
As an indoor kitty, Sasha felt bored at times. Although Vicki worked at home, she was sometimes gone for eight hours at a time, and despite the company of Dr. Siggy, Sasha's feline companion, Sasha sometimes did not feel her path to purpose or that she was meeting her full potential.
Next, I did a mental scan of Sasha's body to view the internal organs and feel what she physically felt. I mentally dropped through the top of her head and scanned downward, becoming aware of the feelings in my own body, which became a mirror for Sasha's body.
Her organs appeared healthy and strong, although my attention was drawn to the bladder. I felt a slight discomfort in my lower abdomen. I suggested Vicki have a urinalysis for her cat to rule out another urinary tract infection.
Two of Sasha's energy centers, or chakras, were off balance: the throat center and nabi, or navel, center, the centers of creative expression and inner power. Sasha didn't feel listened to. She felt overpowered, perhaps smothered, and her rebellious spirit surfaced; hence, the cause of the biting. Although Vicki always tried to understand and hear Sasha's needs, she became highly zealous in making Sasha happy. Vicki was like my Sicilian grandmother who, in her loving kindness and concern for my well-being, was too self-absorbed in her good intentions to notice I didn't need any more pasta pushed onto my plate. Mangiare! Mangiare! (eat! eat!), was her mantra. (God bless her.)
Sasha, too, understood Vicki's endearing intentions but didn't know how else to get through to Vicki and resorted to biting. She wanted Vicky to stop worrying about her. She wished Vicki would do her "floor work." Finding Vicki's second and root chakras off balance didn't surprise me. Vicki confided that she had stopped her home yoga practice that helped her ground and let go, which Sasha liked participating in. Sasha liked Vicki doing fun things that kept her present, balanced, and fully engaged.
Vicki was also worried about finances. The root chakra relates to our survival instincts and our foundation. I suggested Vicki shift her worries of financial concerns from fear and lack to genuinely feeling and believing that jobs are plentiful and money is flowing in. Her yoga practice would help facilitate this internal shift by bringing Vicki into her body and allowing her to experience the joy and trust that naturally arises when we let go.
I still needed to peel away more layers to identify the cause of Sasha's anxiety. Relating to Sasha's infrequent urination accidents were two additional energy centers, the second and root chakras, that were also off balance, the same centers that were off balance in Vicki. Sasha could have been mirroring some of Vicki's insecurities, but there was something else causing Sasha to feel restless and afraid and causing her to pee on the furniture. I asked Sasha how she felt about going outside.
Sasha told me that she loved smelling the grass and feeling the ground beneath her feet, but she felt more secure indoors, where she was the queen of the roost. Her one plea was that the windows remain open so she could feel the air. She felt herself "too mature" to be harnessed and conveyed to me that she would prefer to explore the outdoors independently. But going outdoors without Vicki or a harness was not an option for Sasha. Vicki lived on the second floor of an apartment building on a busy street in Los Angeles.
Sasha needed to feel safe in her body, and I suspected that Sasha reluctantly anticipated her outdoor time. She felt vulnerable when attached to her harness while walking down the noisy street, and therefore she released her unheard feelings onto the couch. I asked Vicky to reflect back. Vicki recalled that when she found the blue sofa wet, it was either before she took Sasha out or after they had returned.
I made a deal with Sasha. She would tell Vicki when she wanted to go out by mewing or sitting at the door. Vicki would not put the harness on her without her permission. Sasha would be walked on the property grounds and never again on the loud street. Vicki would stop "doing" so much for Sasha and begin doing more for herself. And someday, Vicki would permanently relocate to the woodsy home in Oregon, where Sasha would have unlimited access to an enclosed area outdoors.
