They did this to my 8 month old kitten today when they removed her stitches (she got spayed). My kitten was scared to come out of her kennel , so the vet grabbed her by her neck and pulled her out! It looked like he was hurting her. Is this normal? Is it painful for the cat? When she came home, I noticed small clumps of hair falling off her.
2007-08-21 14:20:07 · 16 answers · asked by Iridescence 5 in Pets ➔ Cats
Thank you for all of your wonderful answers! It's going to be hard to choose best answer... =)
2007-08-21 14:34:00 · update #1
Grabbing a cat by the scruff is acceptable and no, it wouldn't have hurt her. Thats just how their mothers carry them!
2007-08-21 14:23:51 · answer #1 · answered by Sal*UK 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Normally it is alright to grab cats by the "scruff" of the neck...its the part in the back of their neck that kind of pulls away from their neck. If you grab hard enough you could probably hurt a cat. I have never had a vet pull the hair out of my cats but i have had my cats loose some hair do to stress of being at the vet. Are you sure that it just isnt the stress of that?
2007-08-21 21:25:18 · answer #2 · answered by kanorge 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Holding a cat by the scruff can produce a calming effect, it is also the easiest way to gain control of a cat, or kitten. Unless it is done incorrectly, it is not supposed to hurt too much. Only you can judge if your vet was too rough in handling your animal, but that is a very common way to control cats. The hair may either be shedding or due to stress, and going to the vet is stressful for any animal. Hope your kitten is doing better.
2007-08-21 21:27:56 · answer #3 · answered by Mai 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's called scruffing and it's pretty similar to how the mother cat carries the kitten (she'll bite down on the loose skin on the back of the neck and carry). While not pleasant looking if done properly it's almost totally painless.
However, it can be traumatizing for a stranger to do this to the kitten. We recently found a vet who will not roughly handle any of our animals. For example, he dismantles the kennel rather that pulling our cat out. He works around pets, not vice versa.
2007-08-21 21:24:37 · answer #4 · answered by JDK 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, it's called 'scruffing'.
He didn't grab her around the neck, he grabbed the fur at the back of the neck right?
It's a way of handling the cat that is said to actually calm it; I use it and while I don't know how calming it is, it's an effective way to deal with an unwilling cat that won't hurt her.
Whenever a cat gets stressed by a trip to the vet's they drop more hair than usual- I think it's because thier body tempurature goes up a couple degrees and that triggers hair loss.
She' fine, and you're vet's used to handling animals.
2007-08-21 21:26:01 · answer #5 · answered by Mimi B 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is perfectly normal and is called "scruffing". It's the same thing a mother cat does when she moves her kittens and doesn't hurt the cat or kittens.
This is the technique used when restraining cats for many things. For most cats, it relaxes them and makes it easier to carry out certain procedures. Otherwise, many cats wouldn't be able to be treated when sick or would hurt or injure the handler.
So,yes it is normal. It looks a lot worse than it is; again it doesn't hurt, when done correctly and is the same thing a mother cat does to carry her kittens.
The hair coming out is most likely from stress. When cats are stressed, they shed excessively and can blow out clumps of fur. This can last until well after they are home as well.
2007-08-21 21:25:08 · answer #6 · answered by FaithE 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
grabbing a cat by the scruff is fine, the skin is loose there naturally and it doesn't hurt them. As for the hair falling out that could be nerves, a reaction to the anesthesia or even an allergy of some type. Watch and if it doesn't get better take her back to the vet for that.
2007-08-21 21:27:10 · answer #7 · answered by drcfenton 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That is completely normal for a cat to be picked up that way no matter how old. It is a natural instinct for a cat to go limp when held that way so that they are more easily handled. A mother carries her kittens that way. They remember that theyre whole life. Kittens and cats do shed. Especially when really stressed out. She was just really scared. Completely normal. I wouldnt be worried at all. She is perfectly fine. Just give her extra love to let her know that everything is gonna be ok. Help it helps!!
2007-08-21 21:26:26 · answer #8 · answered by Bride-2-Be 5/10/08 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, Suzy, that is the best, safe, non-painful way to pick up a cat of any age. That is the way a mama cat carries her babes when she is moving them from one nest to another. When you pick a cat up by the scruff of her neck, it can neither bite nor scratch, and will immediately go slack. There is neither pain nor danger for your cat.
The clumps of hair falling out are from stress -- the stress of being in a strange place and the physical stress of surgery and all the strange chemicals that go with it. It is in no way related to the way the vet tech picked your little lady up.
Everything is just fine.
2007-08-21 21:28:37 · answer #9 · answered by Mercy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is how kittens are picked up by their mother and this is the way you pick up a cat when you are in control. They did nothing wrong and the only thing it may have hurt was her feelings and that's just because they made her come out of the kennel not because of the grip
2007-08-21 21:25:51 · answer #10 · answered by kim 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
holding a cat or kitten by the scruff of the neck is normal thats how the mother cats carry the kittens just dont be to rough , her hair might have been falling out from stress of hte vet visit I dont think he hurt her .
2007-08-21 21:25:28 · answer #11 · answered by cuffsnstuff364 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋