The Healing Touch for Cats: The Proven Massage Program for Cats, Revised Edition by Michael W. Fox

"Fox's step-by-step approach and impressive animal expertise will encourage even the most skeptical readers to give the method a try." —American Libraries

"Its chapter on diagnostic massage is one of the most important I've seen written for the layman." —The ASPCA Report

"This sensible, compassionate approach to petcare is a must for all animal lovers." —Booklist

Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
My girlfriend moved in with me a few months ago and with her, a cute black cat. The only problem was that this cute black cat was traumatized and would spit, hiss and hit me whenever I would get near. It got so stressful in my home that I didn't know what to do anymore. Nothing I tried worked. I couldn't get through to this traumatized cat. I finally decided to pick up this book. I must have read only 20 pages or so and managed to approach the cat with those techniques I learned without her running away. When I finally got close enough to put my hand on her, she reluctantly allowed me to massage her for a few seconds. She freaked out a bit, hissed and slapped so I walked away gently maintaining a positive attitude. I was persistent yet patient and kept trying multiple times a day for about four days. To my surprise, in only four days she was beginning to ask me for massages. The massages went from 3 seconds with violent reactions to 30 or more minutes with reciprocal behavior. It's been about a week now and instead of running away from me and hiding, she jumps on my lap and lets me know she's ready for some love. My relationship with this cat went from being absolutely terrifying to positively loving and it took just one week. Now instead of her running away and hiding when she sees me, she waits for me at door when I come home and begs to be held. I am sure people who have traumatized pets will have different "time of recovery" results. I am assuming that I experienced a best case scenario, however the important things I took away from this book outside of massage technique is the perspective and attitude you must have to begin healing. You must believe this is going to work. At first I didn't. I thought this cat was far too traumatized to be helped. I am glad I was wrong. All she needed was love, attention and a patient yet persistent approach with a sprinkle of gentle. A word of advice. If you've never received a massage you should try it. See how it feels and what you like and don't like. When you begin your pet massage you should try and imagine how what you are doing would feel for you. A frame a reference is key to understanding how gentle to be and where to touch. In short, I found this book to be very helpful and I am very happy to have picked it up. If you are willing to see healing through a new perspective and try alternative treatments, you will find that trauma related negative behavior can be healed physiologically through physical touch. It's pretty amazing. You will see a complete change in personality and experience reciprocal love. Don't give up and don't be discouraged no matter how long it takes. And never ever be angry with your cat. Instead give them love and affection. It's never their fault they carry trauma. It is up to you to show them the power of healing and they will love you for it. This book will help you do just that.