ISSEY / Elderly rescue cat

Issey is sixteen. She has navigated kidney failure, high blood pressure, arthritis, and a series of significant life changes after having lived most of her life alone with her guardian - a new home, new human family members (including a baby!) and new animal siblings... all of them absorbed with the quiet dignity of a cat who has always known her own mind.

Her guardian, M*, came to the session not in crisis, but out of love. She wanted to be sure that she was doing everything she could to see to her beloved cats' needs in her sunset years. She wanted to be sure Issey wasn't suffering, or in pain. She needed to understand what Issey was trying to tell her - particularly in the wee hours of the night, when she would call for M* from across the house.

From the very first moment the remedies were offered, Issey made herself clear. She ingested, she inhaled, she bumped her face insistently against what she wanted more of, and she turned away from what she did not need. An elderly animal with a complicated medical history, she nonetheless moved through her session with remarkable clarity.

Her selections painted a precise picture: an animal whose physical body was asking for immune support, anti-inflammatories and specific care for her kidneys and bladder - all entirely consistent with her known diagnoses. She wisely chose a detoxifying remedy also - to support her body in processing her medication regime.

But alongside the physical, she also chose remedies that spoke to her emotional world: the anxiety of a senior animal who has had to deal with a lot of change very late in life, remedies that help her access deep peace and calm. Remedies that help her feel less vulnerable.

There was one moment in the session that belongs to both animal and guardian - a poignant reminder that our animals often reflect our own states. Among all of the remedies offered, the one that M* herself responded to most strongly - instinctively, without prompting - was the same oil that Issey chose - one that instills peace in the subconscious mind. A comforter.

It was the remedy they both needed.

M* left with a behaviour modification program for the night calls, a set of remedies to offer Issey at bedtime to set her up for easier nights, and the understanding that what had seemed like distress was, at its heart, a very old cat asking for closeness.

Now she has the tools to answer.

"She is an absolute queen and I want to do right by her - I just needed someone to help me hear what she was saying."

— M*, Issey's guardian