Testimonial: Sarah Simons - “You’re like a marriage counselor for cats and their owners.”

I (Bill Berry) recently attended a dinner party at our friend Sarah's house. While there, I had the pleasure of meeting her three cats. As Sarah told us about them and their unique personalities, she mentioned that one of them didn't like to be petted. So, of course, when this kitty appeared, I offered some pets. The kitty meowed loudly and ran away. Rather than be deterred by this rejection, I calmly followed the cat to the bedroom where she had run and found her on the bed. As I approached, she stood her ground, and I again offered pets. With each gentle stroke, she meowed loudly in "protest," but I continued anyway, allowing her energy to build. After a few more of these strokes, she flopped over on her side and offered her belly. This was the moment of truth; either she was going to embrace the belly rubs and be converted, or she was going to bite and claw the heck out of me as soon as I reached in. I resolved myself to whatever outcome would result and reached for the belly. She meowed louder than ever but did not attack. After a few more gentle rubs, she opened up to reveal the belly even more, and with each rub, meowed. Not in protest but with glee, as she was clearly enjoying herself.

"Oh my God," Sarah exclaimed, "I don't believe it; she's never let me do that."

In response, I rolled the kitty back onto her feet and gave her some vigorous pets from head to tail, the kitty meowed loudly throughout but made no effort to escape. In a playful voice I said, "That's because she likes it rough, you gotta pet me rough mommy, I is fierce."

Everyone laughed, and then Sarah reached out and gave the kitty some vigorous scritches. The kitty ate up the attention, loudly meowing in "protest" while simultaneously asking for more.

It was getting late, and it was time to go. So I drove home and probably wouldn't have ever thought about this moment again, but the next day, I got this message.

Sarah: "I petted my little loud kitty, Jo, this morning, and she actually let me touch her! She turns 6 in a few weeks, and all these years, I thought her meowing was protesting rather than enthusiasm. She’s so different from my other cats. Bill, you could be the next Cesar Millan, but for cats."

(Two weeks later)

Sarah: "Bill, you created a monster. My little black kitty now comes to me all the time to be petted. Her favorite is when I'm sitting on the toilet. She comes and stands on the bathtub and asks for pets as soon as I sit down. It's hilarious. The other day, she got a neck massage, and she was totally still - Bill, you’re like a marriage counselor for cats and their owners."

---

What a joy it was to read these messages. Knowing that in this small way, their relationship was grown.

This is the work I love to do. Breaking down barriers, re-calibrating, building connections, and deepening the understanding of relationships between ourselves and others.

People often come to me because they want to learn something or fix something. And that's where the journey begins. But by the time they leave my care, my aim is to broaden their understanding of all things, grow them within themselves, and plant the seeds of limitless possibility within their soul.

So often, it just takes a few tweaks and a little understanding for good things to happen.