Last Spring, a wild cat showed up on the property. At first, we were lucky to see him at all. I started leaving food for him in one of the out buildings. Some weeks, the only reason I knew he was around was the fact the food was all eaten.
Slowly, he would let us see him. He would sit far away watching us. I named him 'Pretty Boy'. I thought that that name may soften him up!
I learned that cats respond well to energy medicine. So, I began treating Pretty Boy with Bach Flower remedies in the hope his fear would diminish and he would stop attacking my two cats, Pumpkin and Marble. The result was that he started coming closer and I could start feeding him on my porch. I noticed that he was a he and that he had never been neutered. I set an animal carrier on the porch and started feeding him in the open carrier. Then, one morning, while he was in there eating, I closed the door and drove him to the vet!
While the vet was neutering him, he noticed that Pretty Boy had a bloody mouth and needed four teeth removed. The vet was unable to tell me how old Pretty Boy is because his body has aged faster than normal, due to his lifestyle.
Once back home, Pretty Boy was a new guy. He started rubbing himself on people's legs and following me around the property. He touched noses with the horses and carried on attacking Pumpkin and Marble! It felt like we had a bully walking around the property. He would let us pat him and then turn around and swat us! He is a big cat and built of solid muscle. Needless to say, a little bit intimidating.
I gave him a second dose of Bach Flower remedies and started adding valerian to his food. He began poking his head in the house and even visiting for a while, as long as the door was left open. He wanted an escape route.
My daughter, who tamed Marble, decided it was time to pick Pretty Boy up and cuddle him! She covered her entire body, including a helmet and face mask! To our astonishment, he let her handle him and cuddled with her!
It is now two and half months since Pretty Boy was neutered. He is now sleeping on my couch and has stopped attacking Pumpkin and Marble. When he sees them, he simply sits and stares. He still struggles to trust us. However, his journey of learning to manage his anxiety about being in a relationship has traveled many, many times faster than any human process to developing healthy trust I have ever witnessed.
Another animal teacher has arrived at The Equine Connection.

Every year my family and I set goals we want to achieve during the coming year. We review the degree to which we succeeded in reaching the ending year's goals, and set new goals for the new year. I noticed that the goals I had set in 2011 that I was the least successful at achieving were goals involving pleasure and relaxation. So, my focus for 2012 is to be more dedicated to my hobbies and to guarding my free time! Our society is so production oriented that our agendas are quickly filled with obligations. Yet, play time is necessary for health. While we play, we reenergize and space is created in our minds for new ideas. An increase in creativity is one of the rewards of play.
An exercise that can help you connect with what it is that gives you pleasure is to write down anything that has ever given you pleasure during your lifetime. Maybe you loved to walk on the wet grass after it had rained when you were a kid. Maybe you loved to colour as a young child. Maybe you always sang, everywhere you went as a teenager. Spend a few days remembering anything, big, or small, that has ever given you pleasure. Once you have your list, sit down and note the last time you actually did any of the activities on your list. (Unfortunately, for many adults, it has been a long time since small pleasures have been indulged in.) Now, get your agenda, and schedule in one or two of the things on your list. Commit to play!