Page 11 - Winter 13

Journey to Peace – by Minako Kuroda Japan
In the beginning...
Mariko, a well-known cat-rescuer in the area, was going about her regu- lar routine of feeding stray cats at a self-founded feeding station, some- times frowned upon in Japan, when she first came across “Cha” one night in March 2013. At this time, Cha was only a lurker but the end of the month was feasting with the rest of the strays. He had become a “reg- ular”, and Mariko wanted to give this young, brown male tabby with the adorable round face a home.
On the 2 April 2013, Mariko found Cha in the trapping cage, she had set because she had been unable to catch him and took her new addition to a vet the very next day to be neutered. It was the start of what would prove to be a challenging journey for them both.
Topic Opera
On the 3 April 2013, Cha went under the knife for his first but not last sur- gery. Unfortunately for Cha, only one testis had dropped at that point, so the vet was unable to remove both. Upon retrieving Cha from the clinic after surgery, the vet told Mariko that Cha was truly and unequivocally “wild at heart”. It was not a promising start.
When Mariko and Cha arrived at Cha’s new home, Mariko quickly placed Cha into a large cage to protect him and the eight other cats living there. Cha seemed to settle in just fine. He ate heartily and slept a lot and used the litter box without hesitation despite the remodeling efforts underway at the home. This peaceful adjustment lasted three days.
On Sunday the 7 April 2013 the quietness of the weekend ended and Cha’s shrill shrieking began. And, it did not stop. Day and night, Cha’s desperate cries filled the house making it impossible to sleep. Had the noisy construction gotten on Cha’s last nerve? Or, was he crying out for help? Or, was he looking for female companionship? If only cats could talk...
Mariko grew increasingly frustrated. Cha ignored efforts to play with toys. Cha refused to acknowledge her. Then, when he did acknowledge her, it was threatening behavior demanding she left him alone. It was then Mariko came to see me.
On the 13 April 2013, I met with Mariko who requested homeopathic treatment for Cha’s behaviour: Because of the distance between us, Cha was not present. But she told me that he would scream day and night and was unresponsive to Mariko’s efforts to calm him.
Based on her description of events, I prescribed Staphysagria and Ignatia. I was confident one or both would work as based on past experi- ence and documented case studies. Unfortunately, my confidence was misplaced. I would later learn they had no effect on Cha’s operatic per- formances. The tragedy continued.
Beginning of the End
On the 19 April 2013, Cha had his second surgery to remove the remain-
ing testis at Mariko’s local clinic. Getting Cha to the clinic was easy enough with the help of an experienced “cat-catcher”, who used a towel with ease. Mariko was shocked by how easy it was, but her surprise was soon replaced by disappointment. Cha’s continuous shrieks ceaselessly carried on day after day after day....
At this juncture, Mariko realized Cha was not searching for his soul mate. But, was it the construction causing him to react this way? After some thought, Mariko shook off that idea because Cha seemed to be call- ing out to someone. Did he miss his outdoor adventures?
When Mariko returned to my clinic on the 19 May 2013, and reported what had happened, I decided to prescribe Aconite, because this is widely accepted to cases, where death is feared. Seeing as the Staphysagria had been ineffective, I was cautiously optimistic. My caution rooted from the fact I had never personally met Cha.
Happy Ending
Mariko, now desperate to end Cha’s intensive shrieks, did not hesitate to try Aconite. The same day it was prescribed, she gave Cha Aconite 200c 1 pill and hoped for the best. But, it got worse before it got better.
Cha immediately became aggressive with his fur standing on end, hissing and growling sounds emerging from his throat and swipes with claws out. Cha had now transformed into a cat Mariko had never seen before. Cha had suddenly become very violent.
Luckily, despite her growing anxiety, Mariko did not give up. Drawing from her experience with both strays and homeopathy she returned to the first remedy I prescribed: Staphysagria. She gave Cha 30c one pill.
Afterwards, Mariko got her first full night sleep in more than a month. After waking from her peaceful rest, she encountered a very “ZEN” Cha. Almost as if an evil spirit had been chased away, Cha now embodied the perfect pet cat. Cha greeted Mariko by rubbing up against her leg with tail up, soft meows caressed Mariko’s ears and Cha happily played with toys. It signaled a new beginning.
Happily Ever After?
Because of her dedication, Mariko had stumbled upon something I’d never considered before: the combined use of Aconite and Staphysagria. Despite being similar, neither worked independently of the other. They only worked together. In my opinion, Aconite opened the hatch to where Cha most deeply felt his fear and anger from being captured, releasing it from within him. Staphysagria, on the other hand, worked to calm Cha’s nerves. Perhaps my prescription of Staphysagria was not strong enough, or, perhaps, Cha needed to release his fear and anger before the Staphysagria could be most effective in Cha’s case. In other words, it was important for fear and anger to be released before the true Cha could emerge.
Cha now lives peacefully side by side with eight other cats in Mariko’s home. With any luck, they will all live happily ever after.
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