Does it really calm a cat to grab it by the scruff of its neck-if so how?

Question

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?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

When a cat is a kitten, its mother carries it around by the scruff of the neck until it is big enough to follow her quickly. It is a natural reaction for the kitten to go a bit limp whilst being carried. I think it has something to do with the nerves in the neck. A struggling kitten would be a danger to the mother if she was trying to move it to safety. An adult cat retains that, so it you grab it by the scruff of the neck, it stops what it is doing and goes still. I do this to my cat when she uses my leg as a scratching post - I don't lift her off the floor though as I think it would be too painful for her.

Answer 3

Most vets will tell you never to pick up a cat by the scruff of the neck. You can do a lot of damage that way. If you grab it by the scruff of the neck because you have to do something to it momentarily it will calm it, by getting its full attention. When I cut my cat's nails he will sometimes act up and I will gently hold him by the scruff of the neck and talk to him reassuringly but firmly and he will calm down and let me cut his nails in a much more relaxed manner. But I only gently hold him by the scruff of the neck for a few seconds when he is trying to get down from the table. Then he is o.k. and I don't need to touch his neck again.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.



RE:

Does it really calm a cat to grab it by the scruff of its neck-if so how?

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?

Answer 5

When they were still babies their mother would pick them up by the scruff to carry them around. It sort of imobiles them. When you pick up the extra skin behind their neck it kinda of looks like theyre in a trance, their body goes limp but not completely and they're less likely to fight you. I work at a vet and the only way to restrain a cat is usually by the scruff. It's also very useful to do when bathing a cat. But never pick up a overweight cat by the scruff because it could potentially injure their backs.

Answer 6

I've never known it to calm them. I mean... grab an angered/aggressive cat by the scruff and it will still wig out on you. They can wiggle and twist enabling them to at least scratch, in which case most people would jump, loosening the grip on the cat... which would then be able to just turn itself to hold you instead and bite you. But that is how the mother carries her kittens. They know when mama picks them up like that to sit still until the ride is over.

Answer 7

It does tend to make them more submissive. It is the way moms carry their kittens, when they are very small. Their instinctive reaction to being picked up this way as kitten is to curl up - bringing their legs up higher so they won't drag while being carried....older cats often do something simliar but it really is not so good for them as they weigh a lot more than a kitten. But if you need to control a cat, it can help to hold it by the scruff. But it is more a way to somewhat imobilize them, with your hand where they can't get to it as easily than a way to calm them.

Answer 8

both, sorta. it's not that it makes them sleepy, it relaxes them (as kittens it almost paralyses them temporarily). and it's the best way for them to move them, esp since it does make them stay still. adult cats can be calmed & stilled by grabbing the scruff of their neck, it's just not as effective as on kittens. (but don't try carrying an adult like this, as they may get injured cuz they weigh so much). my vet does this all the time when my cats' are too rambunctious during exams.

Answer 9

there is a gland in the scruff of their neck that releases endorphins (feel-good, the-world-is-a-wonderful-place hormones) that cause the cat to go all dreamy and submissive. when a cat is picked up by the scruff, this gland is squeezed and it releases the endorphins. the endorphins enter the bloodstream, causing muscles to relax and the mind to calm down.

this is to keep kittens still and quiet when the mom wants to move them, or if there is danger in the area to keep them quiet.

Answer 10

That would only get one of our males severely riled up and pissed off. No, it only likely works on young kittens. That's the area the mother would lift them by, which usually makes youngsters go limp. Once the cat reaches adulthood it's a whole 'nother story.



I'd be cautious of using this and expecting it to work 100% of the time.

Answer 11

That's the first time I've heard that one. What it does is make them less able to fight and scratch. There's no calming to it.

Answer 12

I agree with healed



i have heard that you can flip them over on their back with their paws to their chest but that mite only work 4 dogs.....

Answer 13

i wouldnt like to try that to a strange cat my three respond to talking calmly to them and stroking them