tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77012578529855280752024-09-08T01:16:17.729+01:00Stories and thoughts from my day to day life as a pet sitter, pet Reiki practitioner, intuitive communicator and animal sanctuary volunteer.Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-76251971967318489342014-07-01T16:42:00.003+01:002014-07-01T16:44:49.157+01:00

I’m very lucky to be working with animals, pure souls, who are a joy to be with.  I’ve written before about some of the things they’ve helped me to learn, including the joy of being and living in the moment.  I don’t always manage it, there are many distractions for us humans, but they have helped me to be so much more conscious of it.  And it brings me a sense of peace, and so

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-82885598172532848142014-05-23T13:15:00.001+01:002014-05-23T13:15:22.703+01:00

That’s quite a statement isn’t it?  Because I get loads of people coming to me for advice, guidance and information in regard to any number of animal health and behaviour issues. It began at the point that I started pet sitting.  My first client had an expectation that I would know something about cat behaviour, and why not?  Thankfully, I had done much reading on the subject

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-10069581351944007422014-05-23T12:22:00.001+01:002014-05-23T12:40:39.528+01:00

Ever since I can’t remember when, I’ve always had an innate sense of not liking to take chemical manufactured drugs to help me to heal.  The odd paracetamol, yes, but very little else.  I have a deep inner knowledge that this planet contains all we need to help us to heal in a very safe and natural way, and in ways that maintain the oh so important balance of all life here.  It

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-84090555999969928352014-05-02T13:36:00.003+01:002014-05-02T13:37:50.909+01:00

  No, don’t worry, I’m not about to post any here.  Something I’d never, ever do.  But I’m going to write about it because it’s become a nasty phenomenon on the internet these days, and many people are as disturbed by it as I am. Very sadly there’s a lot of animal cruelty in the world.  From unspeakable things done to animals in various countries (including this one

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-29721261107661404452014-04-16T12:52:00.002+01:002014-04-16T13:02:59.467+01:00

Gosh, there’s a real problem with obesity in cats these days isn’t there?  Or is there? You’d certainly think so, given how many articles are published in various cat and pet magazines and on line, and the number of vets who seem to be turning into the feeding police.  As with people, obesity is an important health problem and there does need to be awareness, and it

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-70738781230925861492014-04-14T13:32:00.000+01:002014-04-14T13:32:28.584+01:00

Many rabbits bought as Easter gifts will soon be unwanted when the amount of care they need becomes apparent and the novelty wears off.  Please - do not buy any animal as a gift for others, and please do not take on any animal yourself without first researching their needs.  The Rabbit Welfare Association conducted a survey and at least 67,000 rabbits are in rescues across the

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-2842932428094963402014-04-06T19:15:00.000+01:002014-04-06T19:15:04.779+01:00

I watch cats eat, then I deal with the poo.  Have done pretty much every day for the last seven years.  I’ve got to know hundreds of cats and their eating habits, and consequently also their digestive systems.  Most of the cats I know eat a fairly varied diet.  Granted it’s all pretty much processed food, but what I mean is they’ll eat a mix of different product brands

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-9015323451510666962014-04-06T12:37:00.000+01:002014-04-06T12:38:11.176+01:00

Have you ever watched a cat eat?  I mean really?  Sometimes it’s difficult to get your head right down to where they are and get close in, but Bella eats on a table, and I often sit with her, right at nose level, and watch. Her nose goes right into the food.  Which is then why they have such long tongues to wash their noses with once they’ve finished! But the reason that

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-39096952795459264022013-03-25T13:38:00.001+00:002013-03-25T13:38:23.371+00:00

How lovely.  This was posted on my Facebook timeline this morning, and thought it was too lovely not to share on.  It's a beautiful relationship isn't it?  And it's the same for any animals we have living with us, not just cats.  We give them so much, and they give back to us.  Or is it the other way around?  Those of us who have animals living with us know we're

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-25163369911750113432013-03-24T13:16:00.000+00:002013-03-24T13:16:07.573+00:00

Just the other day, a lady came to the sanctuary with a very pregnant mum, in the process of giving birth to 3 lovely kitts.  And just the week before a new mum and her tiny babies arrived. We don’t keep mums and kitts at the sanctuary, as they always do much better living with someone in their home, so depend on people to foster.  All the time!!  I’ve often met the cats, then

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-70336705777767390422013-03-24T12:41:00.001+00:002013-03-24T12:41:31.013+00:00

I do what I do because I love doing it.  I’m lucky, my job is something I’d do even if I didn’t get paid for it (but we all need to keep a roof over our heads!!).  It never feels like work, even if I’m up to my arms in cat poo and smelly litter trays.  (I take care of dogs, rabbits, and other creatures too, but it’s mostly cats.)   Once the feeding and litter are sorted,

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-14205853095662470082013-02-25T12:54:00.003+00:002013-02-25T12:58:26.884+00:00

At Peggy Henderson's sanctuary in Sale, we care for dogs, cats and rabbits.  The dog and rabbit facilities were updated a couple of years ago, and they have wonderful new warm, clean and comfortable places in which to live until they go to their new homes.  And now it's time for the cats.  We currently have 13 rehoming pens, and 7 quarantine pens, all housed in 3

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-64603665499353663412013-02-25T11:58:00.003+00:002013-02-25T12:00:10.979+00:00

I've been volunteering at Peggy Henderson's animal sanctuary in Sale (Society for Abandoned Animals) for a year now, and what a wonderful year it's been.  So many of the animals in their care have been helped by the Reiki that Lorraine and I have brought to them, and we've loved it too.  I've made so many wonderful new friends, both human and animal, and have been made to feel so at

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-61126436292559799542013-02-25T11:44:00.001+00:002013-02-25T11:44:29.224+00:00

Last March saw the inaugural Awakening to Animals conference take place in the Lake District.  It was a fantastic event, with attendees from all over the world.  Following on from its success, a second conference has been organised for this June, and arrangements are now well under way.  A wonderful venue in Staffordshire, UK,  has been selected, some amazing speakers

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-81631204202446782202013-02-25T11:31:00.000+00:002013-02-25T11:31:05.516+00:00

It’s a sad fact that when we have animals to come to live with us, we’re more likely to outlive them than them us.  It’s something we often don’t want to face, and when it happens it’s frequently devastating.  In my work as a pet sitter and animal healer, it’s something I find I’m often dealing with;  And not just for my clients, me too!!  I can’t help it, I do get very

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-39312227460536171132012-06-28T11:49:00.003+01:002012-06-28T11:52:11.928+01:00

These wonderful words were posted by a friend on Facebook.  So much gets posted on Facebook and much of I think "yes I like that", or "I'll share that".  But nothing has affected me as much as these words. A friend of mine lost her wonderful cat Sky 6 months ago - I went and held her and helped support her with Reiki while she slipped away.  My friend is still grieving terribly

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-11872228249694018922012-06-15T09:14:00.001+01:002012-06-15T09:14:10.778+01:00

Now and again I am asked to help an animal in some way by communicating with them - but mostly I use my intuitive skills with animals while I'm visiting or treating with Reiki, as a complement to what I'm doing, to help to ensure I do the best I possibly can.  Frequently I'll pick up thoughts, feelings and emotions while pet sitting, which is great, as this means I can be sure to do what's

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-22239270869724046262012-05-01T12:25:00.001+01:002012-05-01T12:25:35.466+01:00

I've looked after little Purdey for about 4 years, and her people have been looking to move for quite a while - and the other day, wrote to me to let me know that finally they were going to their new home.  Exciting for them, but they realised it could be quite stressful for Purdey. They asked for advice, as to how make the move as stress-free as possible for her.  Having written

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-71845652315222845012012-04-29T13:28:00.001+01:002012-04-29T13:34:02.840+01:00

Oh boy!!!  Just got back from this morning's visits, and all the cats wanted me to stay longer.  Happens a lot I find, but this morning, it was all of them.  So I did!!  It's a horrible day out there, and they were all in warm, snug, cosy homes, and I was so enjoying being with them.  I always notice that the longer I'm with them, the more they relax and enjoy it,

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-66728832241388750962012-04-29T12:42:00.001+01:002012-04-29T12:46:56.738+01:00

A few weeks ago I wrote about the indoor/outdoor cat debate.  I'd be really happy to have your views and opinions on the subject - the more that we talk about these issues, the better things can be for our cats. But today I want to take this one stage further, and talk about outdoor cats.  Mine go outdoors - Dylan chooses to stay in the garden, and Bella wanders a little but not very

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-71206471596610500882012-04-16T13:01:00.002+01:002012-04-29T13:40:15.502+01:00

You wouldn't think so, would you? It seems so innocuous. Just something that most cats enjoy rolling in. I used to carry catnip with me when I went about my cat visits, but don't use it any more.     There was a time that I was taking care of two cats, and thought they might like some catnip. Well!!! Up to that point they'd always got along just fine, very friendly with each

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-6583722557116864172012-04-02T15:22:00.003+01:002012-04-29T13:47:54.549+01:00

It must be nearly 5 years ago now that I approached Animals in Distress sanctuary to ask if I could come and help the various animals there with Reiki. There were a number of reasons. Firstly as I hadn't long completed my Reiki 2 qualification, it would provide me with lots of practice in developing my Reiki skills with a number of animals. But more than that, I felt I'd been given the gift

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-10651405690084320692012-03-19T16:12:00.004+00:002012-03-19T17:07:04.334+00:00

For many years all the cats I'd ever known had been outdoor cats. What I mean by that is cats that live indoors but have access to the outside. It never occurred to me that cats wouldn't go outside, that they might live permanently indoors. I must admit, when I realised, I was a little shocked. It seemed very strange, rather unnatural really. Took me a while to get my head around it. My own

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-44911351149927065162012-02-27T10:10:00.003+00:002012-02-27T13:52:20.316+00:00

We all know how financially tough things have become of late. We're all struggling, having to make do on the same (or less), yet having to pay out more. I'd not put my prices up in about 4 years, as I felt that people would find it so difficult to pay more - and yet I was finding it more and more difficult to make ends meet. There's not much margin in pet sitting at the best of times, and even

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701257852985528075.post-29270155352841227422012-02-27T09:02:00.005+00:002012-02-27T13:55:56.705+00:00

Lots of us have friends, neighbours and family members close by who can take care of our animals when we go away. Some of them even like animals!! That's great if they are reliable and can give them lots of love and affection, and don't mind dealing with the litter.But so many times, when a new client contacts me, I'm told it's because they've used friends and family in the past and been let

Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00600318733947712031noreply@blogger.com0