Is it safe to *pick up* a cat by the scruff? I've read it can hurt the cat, but how? Has it happened before?

Question

This is a debate between me and my boyfriend. He says he's never heard of a cat being hurt by being picked up by the scruff of the neck. My cat is of a larger breed, 14lbs at least on a large skeletal structure. I'd like to know the specific dangers, if any, of a cat being picked up in this manner w/out support on his lower body.

This is a debate between me and my boyfriend. He says he's never heard of a cat being hurt by being picked up by the scruff of the neck. My cat is of a larger breed, 14lbs at least on a large skeletal structure. I'd like to know the specific dangers, if any, of a cat being picked up in this manner w/out support on his lower body.

edit: I do mean pick up, not just hold on the ground by the scruff. My big boy bites and my boyfriend grabs his scruff and yanks him up. He says it can't hurt him, but I'm concerned. Is it true that the skin is thinner there on adult cats? Would it cause nerve or spinal damage?

Answer 1

people can pick cats up by the scruff of their neck but I don't let anyone do that with my cats I feel only their mother should have been the one to pick them up like that and she only does that when they're babies so humans I believe have no right to pick them up by their neck ever.

Answer 2

The ASPCA urges cat owners to never pick their little ones up by the scruff, whether the pet is a tiny kitten or a full-grown adult. The Humane Society of Greenwood notes that mother cats exclusively are capable of doing this in the correct manner. If you decide to emulate the mother cat method, you may end up just causing your pet unnecessary pain and discomfort. Not good at all. The main effects of grabbing a cat by the scruff are just those -- pain, discomfort and perhaps even some confusion.

If you try to pick your cat up by the scruff, you may notice her squirming frantically in an attempt to break loose -- yikes.

Appropriate Holding Style

Instead of the classic scruff hold, the ASPCA recommends another safer and more comfortable style for picking up cats. This style involves putting one hand securely below the hind legs and the other directly in back of the front ones. When you first pick a cat up, always do so slowly and calmly. Make sure never to be abrupt, as you could risk startling the poor kitty.

Tell your boyfriend that people often do the wrong thing and think it's OK. How would he like to be held at the neck?

Answer 3

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RE:
Is it safe to *pick up* a cat by the scruff? I've read it can hurt the cat, but how? Has it happened before?
This is a debate between me and my boyfriend. He says he's never heard of a cat being hurt by being picked up by the scruff of the neck. My cat is of a larger breed, 14lbs at least on a large skeletal structure. I'd like to know the specific dangers, if any, of a cat being picked up in this...

Answer 4

Cat Scruff

Answer 5

The mothers do this when they are kittens, but they are not 14 lbs then. Thats a lot of weight to support. If you pick the cat up in the wrong place the cat won't go limp and will cry which probably means you're hurting it. Even if it does go limp, that doesn't mean its comfortable. Grabbing by the scruff and holding it down so you can give it medicine is one thing, but I don't see any reason why you would actually have to pick it up. In short, don't do it.

Answer 6

As a kitten, it's perfectly harmless. But for a 14lb adult cat, I wouldn't recommend grabbing him by the scruff of the neck unless absolutely necessary. That's a lot of weight for the neck to hold. It's not really ''dangerous'', as cats can be picked up that way, but I'd be concerned about possible risks of having that much pressure on the neck.

Answer 7

Sometimes with an angry cat, you need to grab them by the scruff of their neck (one place where it is difficult to reach you with their mouth or paws) but to secure it so it can't use it's back feet and won't go swinging around (the weight of the cat will make your grasp a bit tenuous), you should hold it's rump in your other hand (to hold it away from you so it can't scratch). When held this way, most cats are less in control of what they can do. But, I never grab my own cats that way since they are used to me holding them and touching them all over. To carry my own cats, I put an arm around them and slide my hand under their chest, lift them up and hold them against my body, often wrapping my free arm around them as you would a baby just to stablize and secure them; it's just a gentler, nicer way to carry them and they know it and appreciate it (purr even). Yes, mama cats carry their babies by the scruff of the neck but kittens weigh a lot less and at some point, even mama quits doing that.

Answer 8

Is your boyfriend a cat? If not, then don't let him win this argument. I would NEVER pick a cat up by his scruff. I am a cat owner of 14 years.

Answer 9

I have never heard of it hurting a cat before. I have a cat I scruff all the time and I work in a clinic where I scruff cats all day as a way of a restraint. It is fine to do. I wouldn't scruff em so tight that it hurts them, but it actually releases endorphins in their brains that remind them of when mamma cat would pick them up. Most cats will curl up in a ball when you scruff them and that is the reason.

Answer 10

I would not do it if the cat is very over weight and you can't get a good grip. Otherwise he is OK being scruff-ed.

Answer 11

It's general safe to do this to young kittens, but as they age, that bit of skin tightens and can limit breathing.
The safest way to pick up a kitty is one that supports both front and back paws. Its easier and more comfortable for both.