A Path With Paws

My friend and colleague Donna Kelleher just put out a new book on her healing journeys with animals called, The Proof is in the Poodle. This book follows the lives of five animals: A bedraggled poodle-mix named Sampson, an opinionated terrier named Smudge, a rescued horse named Tino, a golden retriever named Jasper and a striped tabby cat named Tinkerbelle.

Although animal rescue and herbal medicine are continuous themes, the author explores the notion of healing, discovering that animals need inspiration to achieve optimum health. The book also follows the life of the author through hard-learned lessons and an unwavering dedication to animals as well as her mentor, a neighborhood herbalist. Readers come away with a new insight into the world of holistic veterinary medicine and new skills to improve the wellness of their own beloved animal companions.

Many of you may know Donna from her book The Last Chance Dog: and Other True Stories of Holistic Animal Healing. Donna is considered one of the pioneers of holistic medicine for animals worldwide. I was lucky enough to start up my practice in West Seattle right after she had moved away and was able to step into a very supportive community of animal people who were open and excited to embrace holistic medicine. If you have not read Last Chance Dog, I highly recommend it!

I just ordered Donna’s book and am looking forward to reading it and I promise to post a review soon! With this book Donna is also self publishing for the first time. Self publishing allows an author to keep more of the income generated from a book and also gives them more freedom to follow their own vision. To order Donna’s book go to her website The Proof is in the Poodle .

These days Donna has a holistic veterinary practice in Bellingham, Washington.

I’ll be on vacation in the sun of Mexico for the next week until February 20th. While I am away I will not be approving comments or visiting the forums.

Even without me there is a lot of information on this website, please explore. Thank you for visiting!

It’s been a wonderful year.

Thank you all so much for visiting and helping to make this site great!

I’m taking a break for the holidays with my human and animal family. I look forward to the seeing you in the new year. Have a wonderful holiday!

A Puppy in Your Path

Today as I was walking

I couldn’t help but feel

This thousand-pound weight

Holding me to the ground.

It tugged on my dreams

that usually float in the sky,

So that I was staring down at them,

Loathing around my feet.

then: out jumped a motion from my right side eye!

a puppy! Bouncing at me!

it hopped from side to side

landing on my toes.

it licked my hand

and said, “I pick you!”

“Me?” I said looking around

“Yes, *you*!” the puppy grinned.

As I pet this floppy brown foil of my compressed mood,

I only felt the fur, softly gliding through my palm.

I only felt the energy, of love given and returned.

Then the puppy hopped away and said, “I love you!”

And it was gone.

My heart beat, was it beating before?

The sun shone, was it shining before?

My face smiled, could it do that before?

My dreams went back up to the sky to whisper to the gods:

“The self-pity is gone

And she is ready to live-

To spread the word to others that

there is always a puppy in your path”.

Based on true events at St. Scholastica Monastery on

11-08-11

-Katie Schleicher

Janell Osborn sent this poem, written by her daughter Katie, out to the veterinary botanical medicine email list today. It really touched my heart on so many different levels. They gave me permission to share it with you. I hope it touches you also.

It is that time of year again when the best thing I can imagine is curling up on the couch with a pile of cats and a good book. Fall always brings out that hibernation side of me.

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for cozy animal mystery books. Usually these involve libraries, peaceful small towns and extra smart cats and dogs with deep connections to their people. While I love great literature, (just finished the Grapes of Wrath) I find by the time my day is done I just want a book that makes me feel good and makes me laugh a little.

Over the years I have come to have a few favorite series and I wanted to share them with you.

Chet and Bernie Mysteries by Spencer Quinn
I just discovered this series and am really enjoying it. Chet is a very smart, think border collie x 10, mutt dog who joins his person Bernie the private detective in solving crimes in their community. These books are narrated by Chet and I love that the author has left Chet a dog and not made him a human. He gets distracted, loves food, and has the normal dog loyalty that we cherish in our own companions. Chet has a great sense of humor and Bernie is both tough and compassionate. I find myself wishing for a sidekick like Chet! Dog On It is the first book in this series.

Joe Grey Mysteries by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
This is my favorite mystery series. It mixes talking cats and mythology and makes you laugh. Tom Grey is just a normal tom cat until he witnesses a murder and discovers that he can not only talk and read but can also think like a human. After initially being quite disturbed by this development he puts this new skill to good use by ordering smoked salmon from the local deli and billing it to his person Clyde’s credit card. He soon discovers another cat in his town who has the same abilities as he does. Together they work to ferret out clues to the murder and call in anonymous tips to the police. Throughout this series Shirley weaves in ancient Celtic mythology and introduces us to other cats who has this special ability. The first book is Cat on the Edge and I would recommend reading these in order if possible as there are human stories the carry on throughout the books. This is a long series so if you enjoy it you are in for a treat.

Cat in the Stacks Mysteries by Miranda James (actually written by a man)
This is a newer series and a little slower paced then the first two. It is set in a small town in Mississippi and centers around Charlie the new librarian and his cat Diesel. Diesel is a smart Maine coon as large as a dog who walks on a leash and goes everywhere with Charlie. As in most of these series there is a murder and Diesel and Charlie end up trying to figure out what is going on. This one is definitely on the cozy side and although a little old fashion in its tone still a lot of fun. The first book is Murder Past Due and so far there are only two books written.

Mrs. Murphy Mysteries by Rita Mae Brown
This is the series that got me started on reading these animal mysteries. Rita Mae Brown is a fabulous author and is able to weave wonderful tales in her books. Mrs Murphy, Pewter (who are both cats) and Tucker the corgi help their mom Harry the postmaster solve murders in their small town. The animals in these stories really come in life and I also enjoy the humans involved with them. If you can put aside the fact that in this very small town it seems like any newcomer is set up to die these books are a lot of fun to read. The animals always end up saving the day in the end!

There are many books in this series and up until the last two they were all wonderful. Lately Rita seems to make her books more about politics and less about the animals you will grow to love so I recommend stopping before Cat of the Century. The first book is Wish You Were Here.

Magical Cats Mysteries by Sophie Kelly
This is another series focusing on a librarian. Kathleen moves to a small town and ends up with two stray cats, Owen and Hercules. Little does she know that they have magical abilities to disappear and walk through solid walls. My favorite part of these books are the people in them and the town where it feels like everyone will help anyone in need. This series like Cat in the Stacks is more on the cozy side but I enjoyed it all the same. The first book is Curiosity Thrilled the Cat.

Dixie Hemingway Mysteries by Blaize Clement
This series doesn’t involve animals solving mysteries but does involve a petsitter in the Florida Keys who always seems to be in the middle of crime. Dixie used to be a sheriff’s deputy but gave up the job and now takes care of pets for a living. This series is faster paced and has many new and returning colorful characters. The animals add to the background of these stories but don’t have any magical abilities or any direct involvement in the crimes she is trying to solve. Still a lot of fun. Definitely read these in order starting with Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter.

If you have other favorite mystery series please share them with me. I’m always looking for new ones. Hope you enjoy these!

A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.

Almost 13 years ago I took my first job out of veterinary school at what is now the Seattle Humane Society. We had a program where feral trappers would sometimes bring us in cats, we would spay/neuter them and then send them back with the trappers. This was my first introduction to the world of Trap/Neuter/Return also known as TNR.

In my first few months, I met a woman named Pamela who would come in with two to four cats at a time. I got to talking to her one morning and she was concerned that there was one more cat she needed to trap. She was worried that she would manage to trap it that evening and then wasn’t able to drive it in the next morning because she had another commitment. I looked down at her address and discovered that she lived two blocks from my house and offered to take the cat with me in the morning. And so begin my journey into learning about what Pamela did in her spare time.

For a few years Pamela trapped cats, I drove them into work and fixed them and then drove them back in the evening. It’s been 10 years since I quit my job at the Humane Society, however Pamela’s work has not only continued but she has moved far beyond the occasional two or three cats. She now has an organization that she runs called FCAT (feral cat assistance and trapping) and with volunteer help is able to spay/neuter almost 1000 cats a year. That is a pretty impressive number when you consider that one breeding pair of cats can be responsible for producing over 2000 offspring in four years. Most of these are ferals, however she will help anyone who needs a cat (or in some cases a dog) fixed.

She also tames the feral kittens she finds while trapping and adopts them out to good homes. My sweet tuxedo boy Tug was one of her feral kittens and you wouldn’t know it today as he is the official greeter of anyone entering our home. In addition she talks to people from all over the country to try to help set them up with feral trappers in their area or to give advice about trapping and caring for these feral cats.

This is hard work but she feels like this is her mission to help these cats that are forgotten.

Each year in the United States between 3-4 million animals are euthanized in shelters. Many of these are feral cats or the offspring of feral cats. In my shelter work it became clear that pet overpopulation could not be ended until the feral populations could be controlled. Trapping and killing doesn’t work (that is a whole article in itself). People like Pamela are helping to reduce this number every day.

Today on feral cat day, Pamela is bringing sixty cats in to be fixed at the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project. This means that in four years there will be 120,000 less cats born. It’s amazing what one person’s actions can achieve.

Today we honor Pamela, her dedicated volunteers, and all the people out there making a difference in ending pet overpopulation! Thank you!

For more information about feral cats see

• Pamela Staeheli’s site FCAT
• Alley Cat Allies
• The Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project

Will you consider making a donation to one of these great groups in honor of Feral Cat Day?

I’m off to my yearly Qi Gong retreat at Karme Choling in the hills of Vermont. I’m looking forward to long days of Qi Gong and good home cooked food.

Qi Gong has been an amazing thing for me. I discovered Eva Wong, my qi gong teacher, when she came to Seattle to teach a weekend workshop about five years ago. At the time I had some major health problems that were making it so I could only work about 20 hours a week. I was exhausted, couldn’t sleep, my digestion was a mess and nothing seemed to be helping. I left that weekend feeling better than I had in a couple years. The more I did Qi Gong the better my health became.

I’ve made sure to do a program with her every year since and my health has greatly benefited. As I have moved through some of the more advanced levels of qi gong and talked to other people who have been practicing this art, I’m heard some amazing stories. There was one woman who was so crippled with rheumatoid arthritis that she could barely walk. After about a year of qi gong she was not only better but the blood tests for this disease were coming back almost normal. She could walk, move her hands again and function like a normal person without pain. Other people with chronic injuries or illness also had seen great improvements in health.

Qi Gong works similarly to acupuncture with the energy or qi that flows through our body. It helps to align and remove blockages in this system of energy. In addition it helps to align the body with the mind. Also see What is Daoist Qigong?

Eva teaches all over the world. She now has a few other teachers that also teach the style of qi gong she practices. Here is her website if you are interested, Daoist Qi Gong There is a list of places and times qi gong is taught on the website but it is usually incomplete. Eva teaches almost exclusively at Shambhala Centers, to find one near you use this tool Find a shambhala center. You do not have to be a member of shambhala to take her classes. I have found that about half her students are not.

This year John Rockwell, one of her teachers, will be in Seattle to teach the first two levels of qi gong on November 19-20th. If you are interested in attending contact the Seattle Shambhala Center

I’ll be back October 11th and will be out of computer and phone range while I am away. See you then!

My herbs came today!

And I immediately had to tear open the box and take a look and smell. Tug my one year old kitten helped me with this process. He also likes the smell of herbs and insists on helping me down in the pharmacy when I make up formulas. His help often ends up with me taking longer to make something but I’m glad he is excited about it and I appreciate the company.

I was able to take an herbal class from Jeremy Ross this past weekend. He has been an herbalist for about thirty years and has a very unique way of working with western herbs in a Chinese way. Since I work manly with Chinese herbs this was very exciting. I feel like I have some new tools to work with in some of the animals I treat. So of course I had to go online to my favorite Western herbal store, Mountain Rose Herbs and once I got started I just couldn’t stop.

Being in an herb store for me is like a kid in a candy store.

“Look at what they have, oh I have to order some of that!”

It’s good to have something to get that excited about!

Beautiful story in the Daily Mail from a few days ago about the surviving rescue dogs of 9/11.The 9/11 Rescue Dogs – Portraits of the last surviving animals who scoured Ground Zero. There are only 15 dogs who are still living who were involved with the rescue work.

These photographs are from a book coming out by Charlotte Dumas which can be pre-ordered called Retrieved.