‘I became a healer for my cat’
How it started
Unsatisfied with the medical treatments her cat Pickle received from the vet, Julie-Anne decided to go down the all-natural route, setting up a business on the way. “We got our cat Pickle from a rescue centre when she was four years old. I found her in a rescue centre, sitting at the back of the pen in a pretty bad way. Little did I know that this timid, shy and what appeared to be grumpy little lady was going to be my inspiration for a change of career and new way of life.
Pickle was fine for the first couple of years, but then she became diabetic, with bouts of other illness including pancreatitis, gingivitis and irritable bowel syndrome, I wasn’t happy with the treatments she was being offered by the vet. They kept trying to give her drugs and one treatment after the other.
She’s such a sensitive cat and the thought of filling her system with chemicals didn’t appeal, so I started on my journey of holistic health.
One day we were having cuddles on the sofa and I noticed my hand was warm on her tummy. All I could think in my head was ‘help me heal her, I wish she was well’. When we checked her blood glucose later that evening it was strangely low. At the time I didn’t think anything of it, now I know it was the start of my healing path.
Around the same time, I completed a Reiki course, and feeling inspired, I decided I wanted to give Pickle a more natural choice of treatment. My business, Naturally Cats, came about because I could never find what I wanted for Pickle, so I decided to do it myself!
A business idea.
I’ve done a lot of research over the last couple of years, looking into feline behaviour and nutrition, including a course about animal communication, to try and understand how I could help Pickle with her health issues.
Over the next few years, I continued to put the pieces of my jigsaw together and learn new skills. I studied and completed a diploma in animal healing, a certificate and diploma in feline zoopharmacognosy and also a diploma in cat care, welfare and behaviour. I then completed another diploma in holistic treatment and tried it out on Pickle – she was a great muse and guinea pig for me!
Now Pickle has a mixture of dried herbs if she’s stressed and I’ve changed her diet to a combination of raw and organic food. Everything I’ve treated her with has helped her little by little.
’ve got a real passion for cats and I’m so comfortable around them – they’re my happy place! I’m a giving sort of person and I decided that if I can pull the best bits together from what I had learned, I could help other people and their pets.
So, over the next two years I went to some local enterprise courses for setting up small businesses, where I learnt about how to start my own business and how to network and set up a website. In the meantime, I did research about paperwork needed to be done and the legal side of things while still working as a full-time civil servant, and it all kind of fell into place
By September 2014 Naturally Cats was born, offering a bespoke, holistic approach to helping owners with problems they experience with their cats. The problems may arise from behavioural and emotional issues or physical problems…or anything in between!
I offer a tailored service which is unique to each situation and takes into account all aspects that affect the cat including behaviour, diet, nutrition, facilities, environment, relationships and much more. Healing can re-energise and relax the cat which can enable their own natural resources to deal with illness, injury or stress.
I also offer treatment through zoopharmacognosy, which is about giving cats the chance to choose their own treatment – this works by offering them dry herbs, floral waters or essential oils; it’s about letting the cat select what they want to treat themselves. St John’s Wort is good for pain and arthritis and I offer it to Pickle as a dry herb or as a macerated oil.
An all-natural approach
I’m a qualified Reiki healer so I can also give cats Reiki and offer support to the cat’s guardian. I will sit down with them to help them understand what’s causing the problem and what they can do to help their cat. My dad has had problems with his cats, and I tried to help him with their behaviour issues. Most people want to make everything better for their pet so I can talk it through with them
Recently I met a cat called Suki who was overgrooming herself. Her guardians had a new baby and she was very stressed. I gave Suki’s guardians some dry herbs to put down as a herb garden and oils on rags to offer her. She was so happy with the herb garden she didn’t leave it for 24 hours!!
She stopped overgrooming and her fur grew back within a few weeks. The guardians were very pleased, and it was great to see that something so simple had helped so well. And if I can’t help the cats I meet, I will know someone who can as the people who trained me specialise in all sorts of areas.
Pickle has been a huge inspiration to me; she’s the reason my business came to fruition – if it wasn’t for her Naturally Cats wouldn’t have been created and I wouldn’t be able to help other cats. Anybody can start a business and when you follow your dreams, it’s amazing what you can achieve.”
Best wishes, with love
Julie-Anne x
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