The Reality About Scruffing Cats

An article by cat behaviour skilled Anita Kelsey 

I’m not an enormous advocate on scruffing cats and through my cat behaviour consultations I typically hear shoppers inform me that, as a method to get their cats to obey them after they have been ‘naughty’, they scruff them ‘ as a result of that’s what their mummies would have performed after they had been kittens”. The reality about scruffing cats begins now!

These are a few of the information beneath to spotlight why scruffing is rarely a good suggestion in most circumstances.

1. Many cats react adversely to scruffing leading to aggressive behaviour

1. A kitten’s relationship with its mom relies on a unique set of ideas. A mom cat is aware of the exact strain to put on the pores and skin in the back of the neck. She scruffs her kittens to not reprimand them (as many individuals over quote) however to hold them or transfer them from hazard. For an grownup cat the motion of a human scruffing it’s horrifying and places the cat into an un-relaxed and guarded state.
2. Lifting a cat or suspending its physique weight by its scruff (the pores and skin on the again of its neck) is pointless and could possibly be probably painful. It’s actually not probably the most respectful or acceptable method to choose up or deal with your cat.
3. The speculation was that since kittens go limp when their moms carry them by the scruff, a decent grip on the unfastened pores and skin over a cat’s shoulders would set off the identical response. However this “flexor reflex” happens solely in very younger kittens. It’s now thought that gripping the pores and skin in “mom cat trend” causes stress and may make a cat extra fearful.
4. Scruffing ought to solely ever be utilized in a scenario whereby it is advisable restrain a cat rapidly due to hostile circumstances. Other than this scruffing ought to by no means be used as a coaching motion or reprimand.

Deal with your cat with respect and practice in a correct method. Forceful actions reminiscent of scruffing ought to by no means be anybody’s selection of motion.

We hope you will have loved this text on the reality about scruffing cats.

References:

Dr Marty Becker, Karen L General, G Landsberg, W Hunthausen, L Ackerman

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anita Kelsey holds a firstclass honours diploma in Feline Behaviour and Psychology (work primarily based BA Hons) and runs a vet referral service devoted strictly to the analysis and remedy of behaviour issues in cats. Middlesex College additionally awarded Anita the Gerry Fowler Prize for achievement in recognition of her work and remaining outcome.
Anita can be a specialist cell cat groomer who works intently with vets on aggressive or phobic cats. She writes for Your Cat journal and is on their consultants panel for cat grooming. Go to http://www.catbehaviourist.com.

Anita Kelsey holds a firstclass honours diploma in Feline Behaviour and Psychology (work primarily based BA Hons) and runs a vet referral service devoted strictly to the analysis and remedy of behaviour issues in cats. She can be a professional cat groomer and specialises in grooming aggressive or phobic cats. Anita writes for Your Cat Journal and is on their consultants panel answering readers questions on cat grooming. She additionally advises on feline behaviour for the CFBA (Canine and Feline Behaviour) journal in addition to being a full member. Anita relies in Notting Hill, London however consults everywhere in the UK in addition to worldwide requests. She lives along with her husband, a music producer, and two Norwegian Forest cats, Kiki and Zaza.