Picking up cats

"SJ" wrote in message
Don't pick up any cat older than 10 years old, by the scruff of their
neck.
I will correct myself, having read other poster's notes....and I agree with
them,that it should only be done with a kitten, or very young cat. It does
scare older cats, they don't understand why the person they love and trust
is hurting them.

My cat as an older cat, would cry when picked up by the scruff of her
neck.
Yes, it hurts older cats. Cats get arthritis. Their skin gets less
flexible.
Their muscles are thinner.

Easiest way to understand this is to ask yourself: Can you bend over and
move as easily as you could do when you were a child?

Bohgosity BumaskiL wrote:
"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...
(...)
My vet, who has been scratched many times before, routinely picks up
the cats by the scruff of their necks. But only for the few seconds
it takes to put them in a cat carrier.
(...)

I do not remember the last time I used a scruff.
1. I put my right hand under a belly.
2. Lift until rear paws are off ground.
3. Put my left hand (from the far side) under
rear paws.
4. Then I move my right hand to secure forepaws,
instead of belly, bouncing a cat a bit.
5. If the cat resists, and I insist, then I tighten my
grip on rear paws, ready to hold them upside-down
if front paws escape.

To drop them in a carrier, the easy way is to set the carrier facing
upwards, then the cat goes in feet first. Again, no scruff necessary.
I did it with a black stray about three years ago. He fought like
hell when he realized he was going to be in the carrier until morning.

She would normally prefer falling to extending her claws to my
shoulders.
Most of my scratches in the last year came from a cat that once liked
to literally jump on my back. She was very good at this; no claws.
But she did it a few times at too much distance from my fridge, and
perhaps when she was angry. I got angry and obstructed the top of my
fridge with bottles. I am actually sorry to see her stop jumping on
my back: She will sit on top of the fridge, and she is no longer
willing to walk onto my shoulders. _______
Cats like to lit'rally get high.

Yes. When I said my vet picks them up by the scruff of their necks, I didn't
tell the whole story. She just gets them off the ground that way, and then
she supportws their weight with her other hand. Also, she usually already
has a cat carrier on its back, with its door open and waiting for the cat.
She then grabs the cats rear legs with her supporting hand, and places the
cats rear legs in the open door of the carrier, and then feeds the cats
front end through the door, and slams the door shut with the supporting
hand. The only exception to this is my B-K. The cat I picked up as a
yearling in the Burger King parking lot. B-K loves the vet, and will come
running when she gets here. If he doesn't, all I have to do is blow my dog
whistle, and he will come within a few minutes. He recognizes the vet's van
and rubs up against it and says, "Take me! Take me!". I just picked him up
the last time, and put him in her arms, and she took him to get his shots
and blood work done. He is one cat in a million.

On Mon, 3 Jan 2011 21:27:28 -0800, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

Bohgosity BumaskiL wrote:
"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...
(...)
My vet, who has been scratched many times before, routinely picks up
the cats by the scruff of their necks. But only for the few seconds
it takes to put them in a cat carrier.
(...)

I do not remember the last time I used a scruff.
1. I put my right hand under a belly.
2. Lift until rear paws are off ground.
3. Put my left hand (from the far side) under
rear paws.
4. Then I move my right hand to secure forepaws,
instead of belly, bouncing a cat a bit.
5. If the cat resists, and I insist, then I tighten my
grip on rear paws, ready to hold them upside-down
if front paws escape.

To drop them in a carrier, the easy way is to set the carrier facing
upwards, then the cat goes in feet first. Again, no scruff necessary.
I did it with a black stray about three years ago. He fought like
hell when he realized he was going to be in the carrier until morning.

She would normally prefer falling to extending her claws to my
shoulders.
Most of my scratches in the last year came from a cat that once liked
to literally jump on my back. She was very good at this; no claws.
But she did it a few times at too much distance from my fridge, and
perhaps when she was angry. I got angry and obstructed the top of my
fridge with bottles. I am actually sorry to see her stop jumping on
my back: She will sit on top of the fridge, and she is no longer
willing to walk onto my shoulders. _______
Cats like to lit'rally get high.

Yes. When I said my vet picks them up by the scruff of their necks, I didn't
tell the whole story. She just gets them off the ground that way, and then
she supportws their weight with her other hand. Also, she usually already
has a cat carrier on its back, with its door open and waiting for the cat.
She then grabs the cats rear legs with her supporting hand, and places the
cats rear legs in the open door of the carrier, and then feeds the cats
front end through the door, and slams the door shut with the supporting
hand. The only exception to this is my B-K. The cat I picked up as a
yearling in the Burger King parking lot. B-K loves the vet, and will come
running when she gets here. If he doesn't, all I have to do is blow my dog
whistle, and he will come within a few minutes. He recognizes the vet's van
and rubs up against it and says, "Take me! Take me!". I just picked him up
the last time, and put him in her arms, and she took him to get his shots
and blood work done. He is one cat in a million.

Now that is unusual. Yes, one in a million. But they're all so weird
that it isn't surprising that one likes the vet.

dgk wrote:
On Mon, 3 Jan 2011 21:27:28 -0800, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

Bohgosity BumaskiL wrote:
"Bill Graham" wrote in message
...
(...)
My vet, who has been scratched many times before, routinely picks
up the cats by the scruff of their necks. But only for the few
seconds it takes to put them in a cat carrier.
(...)

I do not remember the last time I used a scruff.
1. I put my right hand under a belly.
2. Lift until rear paws are off ground.
3. Put my left hand (from the far side) under
rear paws.
4. Then I move my right hand to secure forepaws,
instead of belly, bouncing a cat a bit.
5. If the cat resists, and I insist, then I tighten my
grip on rear paws, ready to hold them upside-down
if front paws escape.

To drop them in a carrier, the easy way is to set the carrier facing
upwards, then the cat goes in feet first. Again, no scruff
necessary. I did it with a black stray about three years ago. He
fought like hell when he realized he was going to be in the carrier
until morning.

She would normally prefer falling to extending her claws to my
shoulders.
Most of my scratches in the last year came from a cat that once
liked to literally jump on my back. She was very good at this; no
claws. But she did it a few times at too much distance from my
fridge, and perhaps when she was angry. I got angry and obstructed
the top of my fridge with bottles. I am actually sorry to see her
stop jumping on my back: She will sit on top of the fridge, and she
is no longer willing to walk onto my shoulders. _______
Cats like to lit'rally get high.

Yes. When I said my vet picks them up by the scruff of their necks,
I didn't tell the whole story. She just gets them off the ground
that way, and then she supportws their weight with her other hand.
Also, she usually already has a cat carrier on its back, with its
door open and waiting for the cat. She then grabs the cats rear legs
with her supporting hand, and places the cats rear legs in the open
door of the carrier, and then feeds the cats front end through the
door, and slams the door shut with the supporting hand. The only
exception to this is my B-K. The cat I picked up as a yearling in
the Burger King parking lot. B-K loves the vet, and will come
running when she gets here. If he doesn't, all I have to do is blow
my dog whistle, and he will come within a few minutes. He recognizes
the vet's van and rubs up against it and says, "Take me! Take me!".
I just picked him up the last time, and put him in her arms, and she
took him to get his shots and blood work done. He is one cat in a
million.

Now that is unusual. Yes, one in a million. But they're all so weird
that it isn't surprising that one likes the vet.

The other four hear the van a block away, and scatter. I won't see them
again until over an hour after she's gone.

"Rhino" wrote in message
...
Since the professional advice I have received has been so contradictory, I
thought I'd ask here to see what other experienced cat owners feel on this
issue.


When I worked in an Animal Clinic years ago we stabilized/controlled them by
the back of the neck but supported their rump with the other hand. Picking
up an adult cat by the skin at the back of it's neck alone is painful.
Please don't do it.

"ingold1234[at]yahoo[dot]com (Gandalf)" wrote in message
...

Kittens weigh so little, so it's safe for them...and the momma kitty has
no other way to transport them.

The mother is actually picking them up by the neck, which is strong in
kittens, not the skin alone.