Feline Acupuncture - Acupuncture for Cats

Acupuncture is part of the ancient system of Chinese medicine, and means the insertion of extremely fine needles into specific points on the body. Acupuncture points are not merely random locations; research has now discovered that they do have different characteristics from the skin surrounding them. Around 4000 years ago, acupuncture started to be practiced, and today it remains one of the most commonly used forms of medicine.

The ancient Chinese started to make discoveries about the body, such as the circulation, about 5000 years ago, thousands of years before Europeans. The oldest medical textbook in the world is the Nei Jing, a 4700 year old acupuncture textbook, written by a Chinese Emperor. The Chinese also treated animals with acupuncture, particularly dogs and horses, and several ancient veterinary acupuncture books have also been discovered.

In hospitals in China today, patients will often be treated with both acupuncture and modern western medicine, combining the best of both medical systems. Modern veterinary acupuncturists seek to do the same - to supplement, not replace, modern medical and surgical techniques.

Buy at AllPosters.com

At the mention of acupuncture on cats, most people's reaction is disbelief. How could a cat tolerate having needles put in it? Although it's true that there are some cats who will not tolerate acupuncture, the majority do not mind, providing it is done gently and sympathetically.

Acupuncture on cats may sound unlikely, but is actually perfectly possible in most cases, and when conducted by a qualified, experienced veterinarian, does not cause pain or distress to the cat.

First, acupuncture is really not painful. The needles used are many times smaller than a normal hypodermic needle, generally only 0.02mm wide (as the pictures shows, the needle is extremely narrow). People who have had acupuncture comment that they felt a mild sensation of warmth, tingling or numbness when needles were inserted, but it was not painful. Sometimes there can be a slight initial prick, but this does not persist when the needle is left in the skin. Some points may be more sensitive than others, but an experienced veterinary acupuncturist will know which points to avoid. Over 95% of animals tolerate acupuncture well.

Second, cats have no anticipation of their acupuncture appointment. People who are nervous about their first acupuncture appointment can work themselves up for days about it, but then usually find that the actual experience is not nearly as bad as they thought, and all their worry and stress was for nothing. Many veterinary acupuncturists treat animals on house calls, so all the cat knows is that its owner has a visitor, and the acupuncture is over before it knows what was happening! The cat is never as worried about acupuncture as its human.

An experienced veterinary acupuncturist will be sympathetic to your cat's needs. When I treat cats, I use a minimal number of needles. I also insert a few at a time and let the cat rest and stretch out between needles. Gentle treatment and making friends first goes a long way!

For cats who are truly intolerant of needles, there are modern methods of needle-less acupuncture. Low level lasers and infrared light can be used to stimulate acupuncture points. This merely involves holding an emitter next to the skin, and is not painful or invasive.

Recently, there has been increasing interest in research to establish acupuncture's efficacy and to try to deduce its mechanism of action. Many studies, on both people and animals, have proved that acupuncture really does reduce pain, improve circulation and reduce inflammation. Acupuncture's pain-relieving effects are now largely accepted, even by those who do not believe in its other benefits.

Would you like to know more about acupuncture for cats? My ebook 'Acupuncture for Cats: A Guide for all Cat Owners' gives you all the information you need to know whether or not your cat can benefit from acupuncture, from how acupuncture works, scientific evidence for its effects and needle-free acupuncture techniques for cats, to what conditions can benefit and how to find a veterinary acupuncturist for your cat.

Click here for more information!

Buy at AllPosters.com

Buy at AllPosters.com

Join the Allposters affiliate program to display great pictures on your lens, free of charge, and make money when someone buys the poster after clicking through from your lens!


Webmasters Make $$$