I’ve been curious about Reiki for some time, ever since I read about a farm animal, I think a horse or a cow, getting helped at the Gentle Barn by a series of Reiki sessions. I’ve always been fascinated by scientific studies on plants that show how intention can affect a plants growth. Intention has been studied by philosophers, theologians, and legal scholars for centuries, but scientific interest is relatively new – and its spreading to fields as diverse as chocolate production, and in the case of cats and Reiki – animals! It might sound a little “out there” but I’m a big believer that there is a lot more in the world that we don’t know, than we do. And anything safe that could potentially help a sick or hurting animal is worth exploring. One of our favorite cat bloggers, The Conscious Cat, has a great article that talks about the use of Reiki on cats. As a Reiki Master Practitioner, she explains “Reiki is a hands-on healing method that originated in Japan. The practitioner channels healing energy through her hands to a person or a pet through a light touch either directly on the body or from a distance.” She goes on to add, “Animals, especially cats, are naturally receptive to the Reiki energy and tend to gravitate toward it readily. Although it may be a little far-fetched, some people even say cats invented Reiki. Cats are sensitive to energy, and because of this, they are ideal recipients for any kind of energy therapy, including Reiki.” You can read the rest of The Conscious Cat’s article on Cat Reiki here.