You cats are gentle and like being held. Or at the very least are
gentle enough not to struggle and scratch and bite you. I hope they
like it, though. If a cat in such a hold did struggle, what could you
do but tighten your elbow on its neck? Not nice.

circa Thu, 11 Dec 2003 18:15:35 +0800, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Simon Fitzpatrick (fitzpatr@maths.uwa.edu.au) said,

What "other" elbow? I'm having a hard time envisioning this, unless
you're saying that you hold the cat in the crook of your arm with
your hand under its rump.

How do you know that it "can't" move?

If you're describing the position I asked about above, then there's
no magic. You just have trusting, docile cats.

Laura

I think you mean letting it lie in the crook of your arm while supporting its
bottom.  My female hates being held but sometimes if she is sleeping on my
chair I quietly go over to her and pick her up.  As I sart to put her in that
position I gently scratch her head and neck, and she becomes docile.  then, I
sit down on the chair and continue to hold and stroke her like that. She seems
to go into a trance and closes her eyes.   At this time, I can even grab her
rear paw with the hand of the arm I am holding her with, and with the other
hand, clip a few rear nails.  Usually, after as long as ten minutes of her in a
trance, she opens up her eyes and looks at me.  The look says . . . "WWWait a
second, what the heck are you doing", and she flips over and jumps away.
Everytime.