Scruffing

Many of us have seen a Mama cat carrying her babies around in her mouth by picking them up by the back of the neck, so it may seem natural for us to pick up our cats in a similar way by the back of their necks, especially when you are trying to get them to do something they might not want to, like get in a cat carrier. This is called scruffing, but it has fallen out of favor and in fact vets say you should never do it! Let's learn more the potentially harmful consquences of cat scruffing! 

First off, what is the scruff of a cat? According to MarthaStewart.com, cat's are born with loose skin at the back of their necks. This skin is known as the scruff. So, grabbing a cat by their scruff is known as scruffing. 

MarthaStewart.com goes on to say that among cats, scruffing only happens in 2 instances. When kittens are very young, the mother cat will scruff the kitten to move them. Kittens have an instinct to go limp when carried like that, but that instinct goes away as the cat grows, so Mama cats will stop scruffing kittens when they reach about 2 months of age. 

The other time one cat might grab the scruff of another cat is during mating, when the tomcat might bite the scruff if their mate. 

Cats might also be grabbed by the neck by a predator or during a fight, but this is a tactic meant to immobilize the cat, not related to moving a kitten or mating! And, that gives us our first clue as to why veternarians are now discouraging grabbing cats by the scruff. It can make them feel like they are under attack! Instead of immobilizing the cat, they could become stressed and try to fight back or develop a mistrust of being handled. 

In fact, catster.com says holding a cat by their scruff can be painful to the cat. The cat's scruff is senstive and close to the spinal cord. so grabbing them forcefully or excessively by their neck can cause pain or injury to the cat. 

Catster.com further explains that it doesn't work as a deterrent to unwanted behaviors. The cat may be unlikely to understand why you are grabbing their scruff and become anxious and stressed. They recommend using positive reinforcement for good behavior rather than trying to punish bad behaviour with scruffing. Offering treats and praise for good behaviour in contrast can help build trust with your cat and help develop a greater bond between you with out the negative consequences of scruffing. 

But, what if you need to restrain your cat? Catster.com recommends approaching it calmly and gently. Wrapping it in a blanket, or using the purrito technique can be helpful in keeping a cat's movements limited so that you can more easily give medicine, groom them or trim their claws without having to grab them by their scruff. Using a towel to cover a cat can also be helpful in trying to get them into a cat carrier if it's time for a trip to the vet. 

In conclusion, while cat scruffing may look similar to a Mama cat picking up their kittens, using your hands to grab a cat by the scruff is not the same! Cat scruffing may immobilize the cat, but can also be painful and damage the trust between you and your cat! Calmly wrapping a cat in a towel is recommended if you need to restrain your cat. If you are trying to train your cat, positive reinforcement toward good behavior is more effective than holding a cat by the scruff to discourage unwanted behavior. 

Cover photo by Erik Knoef on Unsplash