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I've been told over & over by different vet techs & vets
that scruffing a kitty to move it safely does not hurt the kitty.
Somehow I just can't seem to get over the feeling that I might
hurt a cat that way. Do you know how to safely scruff if you
ever need to , and does it harm the kitty at all? Thanks.
Sorry if this sounds dumb, but I really know more about dogs
than I do cats. :D
When you move a cat by the scruff you simply need to remember to support its wieght with your other hand under the rump. (Keep in mind that a kitten that the mom cat would "scruff" weighs a LOT less). But yes, it is safe when done in this manner and also will (or should) calm the cat and make it easier to handle.
Just scruffing it without holding it the way Jen describes it would hurt a grown up cat. It only works with little ones -the age their mom carries them.
Yes, I have scruffed Abner at times. I do the same thing that Jen described. You MUST support a grown cats weight otherwise you will end up hurting them.
Abner is my Alpha cat and likes to show all my other cats that he is # 1, so at times he needs a good scruffing to calm him down a bit. Also with my RB Tobias, he needed to be scruffed at the vets, he was the hardest cat I have had in my entire life to have to give a shot or medicine to. Scruffing him let me have a little more control over him.
With most cats when you take hold of the scruff of their neck it releases hormones that help to calm the cat down. But I have to say it works with MOST cats...so when you are attempting this for the first time take care. Deirdre goes insane when her scruff is taken hold of. It actually works her up more.
Denyce
I've had to scruff Corkscrew two or three times. When I lived at my old house he made the great escape and would usually end up underneath my car and wouldn't come out. THe only way for me to get a hold of him at the time without him attacking me was to scruff him, but I would always put my other hand undeneath him to help support him since he is a big boy.
Thanks for the info. :) My vet & the vet techs did tell me to
always support the hind end with bigger cats. I've never had
to do this myself but had seen others do it for ferals or injured
cats that must be moved for a vet visit. I hope I would be able
to scruff if I ever had to, but I'd be afraid that I would hurt them.
It's wierd, but I can't bring myself to do it. Hopefully, in a real
emergency situation, I could act without thinking about it.
I've scruffed too many cats to even count (from when I was a tech) Gosh it sure saved my hands from getting torn apart!
Scruffing Bastet and doing the *burrito wrap* is the only way I can clip her nails without losing blood.