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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / March 2004Proper way to hold a cat
Two weeks ago my wife and I adopted a 6 month old Calico female kitten from a local animal shelter. She is adjusting very well and is not causing any problems. It is time to trim her claws and we don't know how to properly hold her while doing so. She is still shy but no longer afraid of us. Actually yeasterday she jumped onto the couch and sat with us for 15min. But she is still adjusting and whenever we pick her up ourselves, and place on the couch, she slowly walks away after ~30 seconds. When we had her de-wormed last week, the doctor held her in such a way that she wasn't squirmy nor did seem afraid. It looked like she was held by the skin on the back of her neck and also a hand was placed on her back. I've read that cats shouldn't be restrained and I'm wondering what is the best way to hold her (like her mother would) so that she is compliant and not afraid when trimming her claws. Thanks, Michal >Two weeks ago my wife and I adopted a 6 month old Calico female kitten >from a local animal shelter. She is adjusting very well and is not [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >is the best way to hold her (like her mother would) so that she is >compliant and not afraid when trimming her claws. --------------------------------- Take her to the vet and ask him to show you how to hold her and how to cut her nails. If you can afford it. Cats are hardwired to stay still when held by the scruff of the neck. I've heard this is because the male needs to immobilize the female when mating, at least long enough to get away afterward (The males have barbed penises, and the pain causes an egg to be released, but probably annoys the female). Not sure if this is true. Scruffing helps, though. If a cat is more than a mite you want to also support his/her butt. Anyway, start by touching or massaging her paws. Only do one or two toes at first, if it is hard, and praise her and offer her a treat afterward. liv liv@garbage.ziplink.net take out the garbage to reply... If you can't beat your computer at chess try kickboxing. > Cats are hardwired to stay still when held by the scruff of the neck. Hodge takes this as a challenge to his dominance and after two seconds of shock that anyone would do so, struggles like mad to get away.  Signaturehttp://www.mindspring.com/~slywy/ http://slywy.diaryland.com/ circa Sat, 13 Mar 2004 02:01:18 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, liv (liv@ziplink.net) said, > Cats are hardwired to stay still when held by the scruff of the neck. Alex sure wasn't. It took three people to hold him still. And he was strong. :-) Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. > circa Sat, 13 Mar 2004 02:01:18 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, > liv (liv@ziplink.net) said, > > Cats are hardwired to stay still when held by the scruff of the neck. > > > Alex sure wasn't. It took three people to hold him still. And he was > strong. :-) Gnarly once did the Exorcist thing and turned her head all the way around and bit the &*%$ out of me when I scruffed her. Sometimes sheer meanness must prevail. > Two weeks ago my wife and I adopted a 6 month old Calico female kitten > from a local animal shelter. She is adjusting very well and is not [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Michal When it's time to trim the nails or brush the teeth, I sit my Calico girl on my lap like a baby with her back to my chest. Claw trimmers or tooth brush in the left hand (I'm a South paw), a paw or a jaw in the right. Before bringing out the trimmers, spend some time getting her used to sitting in this position and as well at extending the claws. It may take some time for her to become comfortable with this and you as well. I know all cats aren't the same, some can never be convinced that having their nails trimmed isn't torture, but when it comes to Calicos, I'm on #2, I believe they can be convinced with firm but gentle ways. :c) It took a bit of time to get them used to it, but when they became used to it, it just became another part of the routine. Someone needs to show you first how to do this. If you cut the nail to close it will bleed and as you've said you've just gained your cats trust the last thing you want to do is hurt her by accident. It's very hard to discribe correctly how it should be done, you really need to be shown the first time and then from then on you'll be able to do it yourself. Ask the vet if you can make an appoint just to see a nurse for this you don't need to pay a Vet to show you this the staff should be able to and possibly not even charge for it. > Someone needs to show you first how to do this. If you cut the nail to > close it will bleed and as you've said you've just gained your cats > trust the last thing you want to do is hurt her by accident. When they declaw, they put the cat to sleep, and it never knows who did what. Ours never did. > It's very hard to discribe correctly how it should be done, you really > need to be shown the first time and then from then on you'll be able to > do it yourself. Are you free tomorrow at three? I'll show you how it's done. > Ask the vet if you can make an appoint just to see a nurse for this you > don't need to pay a Vet to show you this the staff should be able to and > possibly not even charge for it. Oh, that was REAL informative. > Someone needs to show you first how to do this. (...) > > It's very hard to discribe correctly how it should be done, you really > need to be shown the first time and then from then on you'll be able to > do it yourself. Naah, we're not splitting the bleedin' atom here, it's pretty simple: If a cat has light coloured claws, you can see the quick as a darker region close to the paw. Avoid hitting this region. Bingo. If a cat has dark claws, it's a bit more tricky to see the quick. In that case, just take a couple of mm off the claw. Err on the side of caution. Have a styptic pencil handy! In each case you'll want to cut perpendicular to the claw. In any case it's best to get the cat used to having its paws handled before leaping in with the guillotine. Fondle paws and give reward. Rinse and repeat. Scruff response: Some cats have a very strong scruff response, some do not. For cats who have something of a scruff response, when you've grabbed the scruff, gently shaking the cat (using the scruff) can calm them down somewhat (more). That's gently, not shaking 'em like you're making a martini. Incidentally, you don't necessarily need to trim the claws anyway. Steve. >> Someone needs to show you first how to do this. (...) >> [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Incidentally, you don't necessarily need to trim the claws anyway. Thanks everyone for helpful tips. When we adopted her, the shelter showed us how to trim, but not how to hold her. Over the weekend we were able to trim all her front claws. Usually 2-3 per sitting. Her scruff response is very strong. We found the ideal position is to kneel on the floor, grab her by the scruff of the neck and pull her up so that she is stretched and supporting herself by her hind legs. We found out that attempting to support her with the other hand makes her nervous. In this position she was sitting still up to a minute and didn't mind having her claws trimmed. As far as not trimming her claws I have to say that since she is a playful young kitten eager to jump on and over the sofa all night long, we are more comfortable with her claws trimmed. With dull, trimmed claws she won't be able to ruin the sofa in just one night. We got her a carpet pole and a scratch pad, but she is not using them much. Lately she was acting a bit aggresively when we were petting her. She would force her forhead hard against our hands. If we took the hand away she would open her mouth as if predending to bite (but never actually bit). Yeasterday I realized that she wanted her forehead scratched. So I scratched her with my fingernail and she just sat down, made funny motions with her front paws on the ground, closed her eyes and purred. Since then her aggresive behaviour stopped. Do your cats do that? Thanks, Michal > Thanks everyone for helpful tips. When we adopted her, the shelter showed > us how to trim, but not how to hold her. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > hand makes her nervous. In this position she was sitting still up to a > minute and didn't mind having her claws trimmed. If she gets wriggly, you can always keep a hand on her side, right behind the elbow so she can't pull her paw back while the other person's clipping. > As far as not trimming her claws I have to say that since she is a > playful young kitten eager to jump on and over the sofa all night long, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > motions with her front paws on the ground, closed her eyes and purred. > Since then her aggresive behaviour stopped. Do your cats do that? My newest cat headbutts me awake until I lift up the blankets so she can crawl under them and share the warmth. And sits on the ground and paws at my arm when I'm on the computer. And is otherwise a pain in the butt. The funny motions with her front paws you're talking about? It's variously called 'kneading,' 'treading,' 'making happy paws,' or 'making biscuits.' Kneading... biscuits... get it? I'm sure there are other terms out there for it, but it's always a good thing. I've never seen a stressed or miserable cat make happy paws (though I've seen stressed or miserable cats make happy paws in the middle of a span of solid positive attention... but not when they're busy being miserable or stressed). > Thanks, > > Michal (...) > Over the weekend we were able to trim all her front claws. Usually 2-3 > per sitting. Her scruff response is very strong. A wonderful thing, is a strong scruff response. Certainly beats stapling the cat to the wall. (...) > As far as not trimming her claws I have to say that since she is a > playful young kitten eager to jump on and over the sofa all night long, > we are more comfortable with her claws trimmed. With dull, trimmed claws > she won't be able to ruin the sofa in just one night. We got her a > carpet pole and a scratch pad, but she is not using them much. Not trimming can be fine for the cat - I didn't say it would be good for the owner or the owner's furniture! You'll definitely want to get her trained to use the scratching devices though; even trimmed claws can do pretty serious damage given the will. > Lately she was acting a bit aggresively when we were petting her. She > would force her forhead hard against our hands. That's not aggression! > bit). Yeasterday I realized that she wanted her forehead scratched. So I > scratched her with my fingernail and she just sat down, made funny > motions with her front paws on the ground, closed her eyes and purred. > Since then her aggresive behaviour stopped. Do your cats do that? Headbutting is a sign of affection. One of my cats likes to stand on my neck when it's time for me to get out of bed of a morning, and headbutt me. Mind you, he does sometimes waylay me with a 4' piece of lead piping and swipe all my cash, so perhaps he doesn't like me after all? Sometimes he'll also stand on a stool, put his paws on my shoulders and headbut me. The paws business (treading) is another good sign. They often do this before settling down for a nap. Mind you, if the cat flexes his claws in and out while treading, then this is not enjoyable if he's standing on your cheek at the time - this morning's entertainment for me. Beats an alarm clock. Sounds like you've got it sorted, Steve. This is not a reply about how to hold her but it may be helpful to know some things about how to decrease her fear about having her nails trimmed. Cats naturally have a sensitivity of sorts about having their paws touched so you should get her used to this. Touch her paws and gently squeeze them to extend the claws. Do this frequently so she gets used to it and will not associate it always with having her nails trimmed. Kind of like how whenever you pet her, you sort of pay attention to her paws as well so she eventually loses that sensitivity and doesn't think you touching her paws is any big deal. Also, once she is getting used to the idea of having her paws touched, start to get her used to the idea of the nail clippers themselves. Bring them close to her and even touch them to her paws and to her nails without even trying to clip them yet. This will help her realize, once again, that the nail clippers themselves are nothing to be afraid of and she will be less nervous then when you sit her down, touch her paws and bring the nail clippers out. It will take a little bit of time and some patience and persistance but the payoff will be well worth it. A cat who accepts the nail clipping with nary a notice. You may want to start off clipping one per day, also, once you finally do start. This could be a whole lot easier on both of you to do it daily with only one nail than to try to do them all at once less frequently. Some cats even will allow you to trim their nails while they sleep and if yours is one of those, you'll have it made! Good luck to you! ~~ Dianne > Two weeks ago my wife and I adopted a 6 month old Calico female kitten > from a local animal shelter. She is adjusting very well and is not [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Michal If you only adopted her two weeks ago, you could still call the shelter or go in and ask them to show you on a cat still there. My semi-feral foster cat was adopted a few months ago, and I sat down with the woman who adopted her and both showed her how to do it and had her try a couple of claws. Shelter workers usually have pets themselves and know a lot of tricks for getting a cat to sit still. They can also show you how to properly scruff (which has more to do with that being how mama cat carries her kittens around). If you're uncertain, call ahead and ask if it's possible to arrange just a five or ten minute sorta thing. > > Two weeks ago my wife and I adopted a 6 month old Calico female kitten > > from a local animal shelter. She is adjusting very well and is not [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > around). If you're uncertain, call ahead and ask if it's possible to arrange > just a five or ten minute sorta thing. Good advice. IBen G. It really all depends on the cat itself. 2 of our cats my wife just puts them on her lap and snips their claws and they don't mind too much. The other cat I have to hold by the scruff of the neck and the stomach near his back legs and basically Stretch him out because he does not like getting his claws trimmed at all... Just experiment and see how far you have to go. >Two weeks ago my wife and I adopted a 6 month old Calico female kitten >from a local animal shelter. She is adjusting very well and is not [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > >Michal
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