Autumn Wellness for Cats and Dogs with Qigong: The Season of Release

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, autumn belongs to the Metal element and the Lung and Large Intestine meridians, the season of release, discernment and preparing for what comes next. Cats and dogs move through this shift naturally, and simple Qigong practices such as breathwork and tapping can support them through it.

“Every autumn the cats shed their summer coats without a second thought, and every autumn I learn something new from the fur on my freshly washed clothes.” — Indrani Das, Animal Intuitive, Communicator and Healer, Artemis Animal Healing

Understanding Autumn Wellness for Cats and Dogs

Autumn’s here. People say it is the season of release, the season of letting go. Having lived in New Hampshire for a small year of my life, I can relate to that, watching the trees change colour and the old leaves drift down to the ground.

Out here, it is the time when the monsoons are winding down, with the last stray shower. My cat Pema has become quieter, more pensive. I wonder if he is settling into the life of an adult cat. Yet I know there is more happening. His appetite has changed, he sleeps more, and he is shedding. Both my cats are shedding as they grow their winter coats in preparation for another Himalayan winter. Release, just like shedding, is about letting go of something that has served its purpose. Winter calls for a heavier coat, just as summer will one day want to be rid of it.

And I find myself asking whether autumn is only about shedding and letting go. Could it also be a season of celebration? Out here we have the ten-day celebration of the goddess, while elsewhere people are shopping for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Perhaps the two go hand in hand, the release and the shedding creating space for the celebrations to come. For me, this is the Qigong way of life too: wholeness, the completion of the circle, creating space and then filling it with joy.

So the cats are shedding, and for a few weeks they will feel the change in their bodies. When winter comes, they will be smug and cosy while I pile on layers of artificial clothing and blankets.

And I wonder how our cats and dogs, whose only teacher has been the season itself, are so much more attuned to its changes. They feel autumn in their bodies long before we notice it in ours.

Autumn and the Metal Element in Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, autumn is associated with the Metal element, and the organ meridians that come into play are the Lung and the Large Intestine.

Let us look at the Lung first. It is the exhale, the release of stale energy, that creates space for the next inhale, a new breath and new possibilities. We play out the cycle of nature within our own bodies every single minute.

Then there is the Large Intestine, the master of transportation. Imagine if it got jammed up and could no longer release what the body has finished with. That would be a miserable existence. If your cats or dogs struggle with respiratory issues, congestion, constipation or diarrhoea, or skin and immune problems, they may benefit from focused work on these two meridians to bring their Metal element back into balance, alongside the care of your vet.

The Lung Meridian, Skin Health, and the Shedding Coat

In TCM, the Lung governs the skin and the coat. So when your cat leaves a fine layer of fur on everything you own, you are watching the Lung meridian at work. The summer coat served its purpose beautifully through the heat, and now the body is releasing it to make room for the coat that winter will ask for.

Release, seen this way, is an act of discernment. A healthy system receives, takes what it needs, lets go of what has completed its work, and keeps what it will need for the season ahead. The tree releases its leaves and keeps its trunk. The cat releases the summer coat and grows a warmer one.

Metal Element: Managing Grief and Boundaries

Metal is also associated with grief and with boundaries.

In TCM, grief is the emotion of completion, what arises when something that mattered reaches the end of its time and the system finds its way to the next breath. Animals grieve too, and the inward pull of autumn can bring old grief closer to the surface. An animal who seems more withdrawn this time of year may simply be meeting the season at that level.

Boundaries in the Metal sense are about the membrane between inside and outside, between what belongs to this being and what belongs to the world. A cat who wants more space in autumn, who prefers shorter cuddles, or who retreats to a favourite spot more often is drawing their energy inward, just as the season invites. The useful question is whether that boundary is flexible enough to allow connection and firm enough to allow rest.

Dryness and Hydration in Autumn

Autumn brings dryness with it, and the Lung and the skin feel it first. Keep an eye on your animal’s coat, their water intake, their stools, and the moisture in your home once the heating goes on. Pema drinking more water is his body responding sensibly to the drier air. These are the most ordinary and practical expressions of the season, and small adjustments to hydration and food, based on what each animal needs, make a real difference.

Autumn Wellness for Cats and Dogs: Reading the Signs of the Season

Pema has never read a Five Element text. And still his body has registered the shortening days, the cooler air and the shift in the light, and has begun preparing for winter with a thoroughness I can only try to match.

When I observe my animals in autumn, I watch before I act. I notice what is changing and whether the change moves with the season: more inward, more conserving, more interested in warmth, rest and routine. When it does, I support it. When something seems to be moving against the season, scattered where it would usually gather, depleted where it would usually consolidate, or rigid where it would usually release, that is where the work begins.

Using Qigong to Support Autumnal Changes

Qigong, at its simplest, is the skilful practice of energy. In the Five Element framework, each season has its own movement, and autumn’s movement is inward and downward, gathering toward the centre and conserving what will be needed through the cold months. Autumn Qigong reflects this, with more gathering, less expanding, and breath that gives the exhale its full length.

When I work with cats and dogs in autumn, the Lung and Large Intestine meridians become my particular points of attention. The intention is to clear what has become stagnant, open what has become restricted, and create space for the animal’s own system to flow in the direction the season is moving.

Simple Autumn Breath Practice for Your Cats and Dogs and You

First start with yourself. Find a few minutes to be with your breath. With each exhale, set an intention to let go of what needs to be released, known and unknown. With each inhale, welcome what the season is offering.

If you are an energy healing practitioner, you can do this along with your animals, tuning in and including them in your intention. If you are new to energy work, simply do this for yourself. Your animals will feel the settled quality of your field.

A Tapping Technique for Cats and Dogs for Autumn Wellness

Another powerful energy tool for this season is tapping. This two-minute tapping and massage sequence works on the energy points that support your cats and dogs through autumn, and you can follow along with your animals right now. If you are a practitioner, you can also do this from a distance by tuning in and setting your intention before you begin.

[Follow-along practice]

It all pays off when the cold January months arrive. The cats will be warm and smug in their thick winter coats, perfectly at home in the chill and chattering at the birds from the windowsill, while I am still hunting for my thermal socks. They prepared in autumn. They released what summer needed and grew what winter asked for, with the ease of beings who trust the season completely.

Key Takeaways: Autumn Wellness for Cats and Dogs

In TCM, autumn belongs to the Metal element and the Lung and Large Intestine meridians, the organs of receiving and releasing.
Seasonal shedding is the Lung meridian at work, the body releasing a coat that has served its purpose and preparing for winter.
Metal is also linked with grief and boundaries, so a cat or dog who wants more space or rest in autumn is often simply following the season.
Watch for dryness: coat, hydration, stools and the air in your home all reflect the Metal season.
Simple Qigong practices, breathwork for yourself and tapping for your animals, support cats and dogs through the transition into winter.