{"id":651618,"date":"2024-09-13T10:00:44","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T14:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.catster.com\/?p=651618"},"modified":"2024-09-13T10:03:35","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T14:03:35","slug":"sometimes-i-scruff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.catster.com\/felines-weekly\/sometimes-i-scruff\/","title":{"rendered":"Sometimes I Scruff: Thoughts On a Controversial But Practical Technique"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi, I\u2019m Dr. Karyn!\u00a0Read my introduction<\/a>\u00a0to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Disclaimer: <\/b>The images used in this article are to demonstrate scruff-holding. The cats in the images have been handled carefully, spoiled rottenly, and given ridiculous amounts of chicken for agreeing to pose for me. They were given space and opportunity to leave whenever they had enough, and their welfare remains my top priority.<\/em><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t all that long ago that it was commonplace to see cats held, restrained, even carried by the scruff of their neck. We would see mother cats carrying their kittens in this way, so how could it possibly be harmful? And for the most part, our cats didn\u2019t seem to mind\u2026or did they?<\/p>\n

In recent years, animal behaviorists have come to realize that rather than making them feel calm and relaxed, picking a cat up by the scruff may actually trigger feelings of fear, stress, and helplessness, resulting in the floppy reaction<\/a> we often see. Sure, this might make them easier to handle, but does that make it okay?<\/p>\n

There are a number of movements and organizations aiming to minimize or stop the use of the scruff hold<\/a> in veterinary practice, and while this is an admirable goal, it is not always realistic or practical. Some animal workers have vowed to never scruff a cat, no matter the circumstances, which I often found challenging in practice. Even the International Cat Care organization<\/a> acknowledges that using a scruff hold to restrain a cat is sometimes necessary, as described in their Scruff Free Campaign Pledge:<\/p>\n

“International Cat Care\u2019s \u2018scruff-free\u2019 campaign is focused on avoiding the routine use of scruffing as a means of restraining a cat, which unfortunately is still practised all too frequently. Our campaign refers specifically to the routine use of scruffing when handling cats. There may be exceptional circumstances in which there is a real and imminent risk of injury to a person where very brief heavy restraint, such as scruffing, may be necessary. However, these occasions should be rare and exceptional, never ever routine.”<\/i><\/p>\n

What I often found frustrating was when I needed to quickly and safely perform a procedure, give an injection, or examine an injury on a fractious, aggressive cat, and my supporting staff would flat-out refuse to use a scruff hold. This would inevitably result in a more protracted, stressful, and dangerous approach to a problem that could have easily been addressed by briefly applying an effective form of restraint.<\/p>\n

So although it may not be popular, I strongly believe that, in certain circumstances, a scruff hold is the best and safest form of restraint.<\/p>\n

\"If
If you are going to hold the scruff, you need to have a full, firm grip.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Lesser of Two Evils<\/h2>\n

I don\u2019t necessarily believe that \u2018the ends justifies the means\u2019 when it comes to scruffing a cat, but I do believe that it is sometimes the \u2018lesser of two evils\u2019. Yes, scruffing a cat may be an unpleasant cause of stress, discomfort, and helplessness for a cat, but if the alternative means:<\/p>\n