Is there a certain age or weight when it becomes unsafe to pick up a cat by the scruff of the neck?

lanfranco

The Maven wanted to know how old your baby should be before you stop picking it up by the scruff of the neck. Actually, I looked at two sites, both of which dealt with this subject only briefly. One said that you shouldn't even pick up a kitten by the scruff. The other, dealing with adult cats, cautioned that you should never pick up a cat by the scruff without supporting its weight with your other hand. These sites did not include information about potential injuries if you ignore their advice. May 02 05, 11:02 AM

LeakyPickle

Thanks :) May 02 05, 11:39 AM

Baloo55th

I've had up to 20 cats on occasions, and never picked one up this way. Not recommended. May 02 05, 1:47 PM

eschatologist

But mother cats pick up their baby kittens this way so it couldn't be that harmful. May 02 05, 1:54 PM

kaylofgorons

Kittens are built differently and don't weigh as much. I'd "ask" the cat. When our cats were still kittens, they would tuck their feet up automatically if they were picked up by their scruff. This is an instinct or learned habit meant to keep them from dragging when their mothers carry them. If you pick up a cat, and it doesn't tuck its feet but struggles, you should definitely put it down before you both get hurt. Besides that, I think their mother knows a lot more about carrying kittens then you or I do. May 02 05, 3:55 PM

LeakyPickle

After digging a little deeper, the most reasonable recommendation is to only pick them up by the scruff as kittens, simply because they don't weigh as much. It's a natural practice that mimics a mother cat carrying it's young. Doing it as they get older and heavier increases the chances that you could do some damage: http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-24.htm May 03 05, 6:08 AM