Author Topic: Reflexology for Cats  (Read 1255 times)

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Offline Pookie

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Reflexology for Cats
« on: April 07, 2016, 10:19:21 PM »
Yes, there is actually a book about doing Reflexology on cats.  For those who may not know, Reflexology is based on the ancient practice of pressing/touching specific points on the foot, hand or ear to stimulate healing in the body.  It is believed that the foot, face and ear are "body maps" to various organs and parts of the body.  For example, the outside edge of your foot corresponds to the spine, and working that area of the food can help reduce pain or inflammation and stimulate healing in/along the spine.

I took a course in this a few months ago and wondered if there was a way to do it on our companion animals.  I was thinking in terms of the face, since a cat's paws in particular would be a bit difficult to work.  The instructor didn't know, and later I did some Googling and sure enough, I found Reflexology maps for dogs.  Most will show the entire body, but some also may show just the paws.  As for finding maps of cats' points . . . no real luck.  Except . . .

Jackie Segers wrote "Reflexology for Cats," and you can order it, and/or a map of cat's paws from her website:  http://www.revitalizeme.com/reflexology_for_cats.htm.  She's in New Zealand, and it arrived in about 7-10 days.  I have to say, I'm more than half-way through and she did a wonderful job.  The book includes a map of the face and ears, and has lots of pictures and details demonstrating the techniques to use.  Interestingly, the points on a cats paw are very similar to the points on a human's foot.

She also included a section for specific health issues and includes a paw map for each issue, with the points marked on the paw that you would work.  So you don't have to keep flipping to the map earlier in the book (unless you want to look at the face or ear maps).

I emailed her to let her know I thought she did a great job on the book, and to ask if it could be done on cats that are declawed, or if it would be better to work the ears/face of those cats.  She responded quickly and said it's very beneficial for declawed cats, as it helps with healing, but you could also just work the ears or face.

Note:  Reflexology isn't to replace a vet visit.  It doesn't diagnose or treat, but it can be helpful in stimulating the body to release endorphines that help reduce stress, pain and inflammation.

P.S.  You can't get it from Amazon -- the only version there is the French edition.
« Last Edit: April 08, 2016, 12:26:50 PM by Pookie »
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Offline DeeDee

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Re: Reflexology for Cats
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2016, 10:21:35 PM »
 Sounds like you found a great new reference!   thumbsup1  thumbsup1 thumbsup1
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Offline Lola

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Re: Reflexology for Cats
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2016, 01:06:39 PM »
Very interesting!!! 
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