Volunteering, care and Reiki experiences with rescued animals in Portugal

Reiki manifests itself in many different ways, and one of them is through volunteer work dedicated to animals. In this article, Fátima Cunha Velho, Animal Reiki Volunteer and Coordinator of the Animal Reiki Volunteers Network, shares experiences gathered over many years of working with animal welfare associations, foster families and sanctuaries in Portugal.

Animal Reiki Volunteering

In Portugal, there are thousands of companion animals that have been abandoned, neglected and mistreated.

Most of these animals are welcomed into Official Animal Collection Centres (CROAs), animal welfare associations or Temporary Foster Families (FATs), where volunteers do their best, according to their knowledge and possibilities, to make their lives as comfortable as possible while they wait to find their forever families.

Because of what they have experienced in the past, some of these animals develop fears and trauma that prevent them from doing even the simplest things, such as allowing volunteers to take them for a walk, or they shrink away in fear whenever a person tries to interact with them.

Others are surrendered by their own families, which can lead to apathy and loss of appetite, much like we humans experience after a great emotional loss.

Others are adopted and later returned, sometimes more than once, which may result in a loss of trust.

Some of these people, after completing Animal Reiki training, choose to volunteer in shelters and regularly offer Reiki to the animals living there, in different regions of Portugal, working alongside other volunteers.

Very often, Animal Reiki volunteers also help in many other ways: collecting food donations for shelters, taking animals to veterinary appointments, giving baths and grooming, or assisting with cleaning and maintenance of these facilities.

This partnership creates friendships among volunteers, strengthening the continuity of volunteer work, greatly benefiting both the animals and the people involved, who feel fulfilled and happy.

Others become Temporary Foster Families (FATs) and offer Reiki to the animals they welcome into their own homes and families.

Beautiful Animal Reiki Stories

These volunteers experience first-hand remarkable stories in which the benefits of Reiki offered to the animals in their care have been extraordinary, whether in animal associations, CROAs or FATs. Many of these “Beautiful Animal Reiki Stories” have been published on the Portuguese Reiki Association website.

Sharing these stories is extremely important so that more wonderful animals may benefit from Reiki and enjoy a better quality of life. For this to happen, trained people willing to visit these places are essential.

Volunteering with Animal Reiki in a shelter, CROA or FAT provides Reiki practitioners with invaluable practical experience, as they meet animals with very different personalities and energies, allowing them to experience truly magical moments alongside these wonderful beings who possess so little, yet teach us so much about love.

Throughout many years of Animal Reiki volunteering in shelters and foster homes, as well as collaborating with rescue groups, countless animals have received Reiki and positive changes have been observed.

Most were companion animals — dogs and cats — but there were also animals originally raised for human consumption whose fate became different, as they were rescued and welcomed into animal sanctuaries where they are cared for, respected and loved for the rest of their lives.

To illustrate the benefits of regular Reiki sessions, here are two short stories experienced during volunteer work with a foster family and during a visit to an animal sanctuary… involving cats and roosters.

Carlota, the kitten in Carolina’s Foster Family

Carlota was welcomed by Carolina, a Temporary Foster Family volunteer, when she was only two months old after being rescued from a dangerous situation.

She was later adopted but fell from the third floor of a building, leaving her paralysed, with a broken leg and neurological injuries. Fearing she might be euthanised, the foster family took her back immediately and rushed her to the veterinarian, who carried out several examinations and surgery.

It was a very long journey involving acupuncture and physiotherapy treatments that eventually helped her walk again. However, she remained incontinent, and dear Carolina had to stimulate her bladder and sphincters several times a day so that she could urinate and defecate.

She continued living with the foster family for some time, and it was there that I met her after learning through social media about another kitten named Lucy, who had been hit by a car and had one of her legs severely injured, facing the possibility of amputation.

Since many animals were living in that foster home, although my main intention was to offer Reiki to Lucy, I naturally ended up offering Reiki to all the kittens there, including Carlota.

As the weeks went by, Lucy improved, was adopted, and the Animal Reiki volunteer work with the foster kittens continued.

One day, Carolina noticed that Carlota had started using the litter box by herself, making it unnecessary to assist her any longer.

A few months later, Carlota was also adopted.

Raja Ram and Tommy – Quinta d’Alruta

Dear Raja Ram is a rooster who was rescued from a very difficult place and welcomed into an animal sanctuary.

He had a neurological condition that caused frequent head tics.

The first time he received Reiki, he was sitting on the lap of the sanctuary’s caretaker and close friend, with whom he shared daily hugs as part of the beautiful bond they had developed.

After only a few minutes receiving Reiki, he closed his eyes, fell asleep and the tics stopped.

Tommy was a rooster rejected by his mother and had become aggressive towards the other roosters.

Whenever he sensed the Reiki energy, he would move as close as possible to our hands, positioning himself underneath them, showing us exactly where he wished to receive Reiki.

The Animals’ Surrender to Reiki

Offering Reiki to animals is a beautiful experience because no two sessions are ever the same, even with the same animal.

They are the ones who tell us where they need the energy by turning the corresponding part of their bodies towards our hands, and they are also the ones who determine how long the session will last.

After all these years of volunteering, the animals’ surrender to Reiki still moves me deeply. Although they have so often been harmed by human beings, they completely trust the treatment, remaining there to enjoy the beautiful energy that surrounds both the animal and the volunteer.

In my opinion and experience, it is precisely this surrender that is largely responsible for the benefits observed in the animals.

Fátima Cunha Velho

Animal Reiki Volunteer

Coordinator of the Animal Reiki Volunteers Network

About the Author

Fátima Cunha Velho has been a Reiki Master since 2013 and is the Coordinator of the Animal Reiki Volunteers Network in Portugal. She is dedicated to volunteer work, education, and raising awareness about Reiki for animal well-being, promoting an ethical, compassionate, and respectful approach to all living beings.