Though some individuals advise scruffing your cat to deter poor behavior, cats can only be grabbed with the scruff of their neck under very specific conditions, none of which are useful to emulate in a home, veterinary, or shelter setting. We all want the very best possible for our cats, but there are more considerate and successful methods of training our furry companions to behave well. Learn why it's not a good idea to scruff a cat in an attempt to deter misbehavior.
What Does Scruffing a Cat Mean?
What Does Scruffing a Cat Mean?
A variety of grips on the skin of a cat's neck are referred to as "scratching." Holding the scruff of the neck can involve lifting the cat up or putting it in a lot of physical restraint. Using different pressure levels, it can involve a narrow pinch of skin or a broader fold of skin.
Why and When Do Cats Get Scruffing?
1 - As Cats: Kittens' flexor reflex causes them to go limp. The initial few weeks of a kitten's existence are when this reaction manifests itself. During their initial few weeks of life, mothers only pick up their kittens using their scruff to carry them. Contrary to popular belief, they do not act in this way to punish them. It's critical to keep in mind that people are not cats. Cats have pressure gauges on their teeth; this explains how they can carry a mouse between their mouths without getting scratched, and a mother cat knows just how much pressure to apply to the flesh at the back of its neck.
2 - Assaulted by a predator: Cats are frequently seized by the scruff that covers their necks when they are taken by predators, such as a big bird of prey.
3 - Mating: The male cat is going to mount the female, rearing up, and use his jaws to grab her by the nape of her neck. This is thought to be a protective maneuver by the male because female cats frequently attack males during mating, immobilize the female, and give the male the orientation needed for mounting. Male cats have tiny keratinized spines covering their genitalia, which are used to induce female cats to ovulate. This process can be unpleasant for the female cats, which is why the females frequently assault the male during mating.
4 - Only in certain situations: during the initial weeks of life, during mating, during fights, and if they are being threatened by predators—will a cat grip its neck by the scruff? It is not beneficial to simulate any of these scenarios in a shelter, home, or veterinarian context.
Scruffing as a tool to deter misbehavior
It's a popular misconception that you may employ scruffing to deter misbehavior in your cats. As said previously, cat mothers do not scold their kittens since it makes them feel afraid and stressed. It is not advisable to use fear and punishment while educating your cat for a number of reasons.
1: Can exacerbate stress, anxiety, and terror because behavior always has a cause. When cats engage in unwanted behaviors, it's usually because they're instinctive and not out of spite. Cats who receive punishment may become more anxious and uneasy. Unwanted behaviors are frequently caused by stress and a lack of security in one's own surroundings.
2: It can harm your bond with your cat. We sometimes respond in a way that frightens our cats when they do something we don't want them to do. This includes yelling, scuffing, hurling objects, and water-spraying. These techniques may make your cat more fearful and nervous of you, erode their faith in you, make them identify the punishment you're giving them rather than the behavior, and exacerbate behavioral problems as a result of the elevated anxiety and fear.
3: Can lead to aggression. Fear is one of the main reasons cats act aggressively towards people. Many of us would automatically become hostile if someone grabbed us out of fear; we would punch or push them away. This also applies to animals.
4: Fails to properly express your desired behavior to your cat and fails to teach them the desired ehavior. Although you may be able to stop the cat from performing whatever it is they are engaged in at the time with punishment, your cat will not learn what you desire. Since punishment is rarely successful, cats frequently do not understand why they are being punished, adapt to engage in the undesirable behavior while you are not around, or exhibit the behavior more frequently than before.
5: Punishment needs to be applied within a few seconds of the undesirable behavior; it needs to happen each time the behavior happens; and it needs to be unpleasant enough to deter the cat from doing the behavior in the future without being frightening.
6: Better is due to your cat. You are the one who must look after your cat. We ought to deal with their behavioral issues in a kind and constructive manner.
By first determining the cause of your cat's misbehavior and then providing a better remedy, you can best discourage it. Cats frequently communicate with us when they engage in undesirable behaviors, such as destructive scratching or leaving the litter box, and it is our responsibility as their carers to pay attention to what they are saying. This may be brought on by health problems, environmental pressures, a lack of confidence in their safety, a lack of money, and other factors.
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