Does it really calm a cat to grab it by the scruff of its neck-if so how?
anonymous
2016-12-10 02:24:07 UTC
I have heard that it calms a cat to hold it by the scruff of its neck. If this is true...how does it calm them?
Five answers:
anonymous
2016-12-14 06:37:54 UTC
No. Only the kittens mother should pick it up by the neck. You could hurt your cat if you don't know how to do it correctly. The only time a cat should be picked up that way is if there's a risk that it will hurt someone or itself. Always pick a cat up with one hand under his hindquarters, and another hand cradling him under his chest.
?
2016-12-10 08:27:28 UTC
It does and it's perfectly safe, if used for a short period of time. I carry my cats this way all the time. Please note if your cat is fat they may not have a scruff, in which case you will hurt your cat. It does calm them first of all because they just can't move very easily when you have a handful of scruff, and secondly because they were carried this way by there mothers when they were kittens. To use a scruff you just grab a handful of the loose skin on the back of there neck just above there shoulder blades. NOT behind there ears that skin is very sensitive and it will hurt them.
?
2016-12-10 02:49:25 UTC
It doesn't calm them down, it puts them in the least-defensible position and they stop fighting. Even for just a few seconds until you release your grasp. I've had to separate my cats like that on a few rare occasions. The skin on the back of the neck above the shoulder is loose enough to get a good handful. Only do it for as long as it takes to move it from one place to another.
It's the way their mom used to pick them up and doesn't really hurt them. It works for dogs too and I can imagine it also works on rabbits or other small furry animals.