Now we just need a version with animals doing it…
I’ve been on the receiving end of an annoyed cat more than once, so I can somewhat sympathise with the recipient in this picture. Though I fully acknowledge that provocation seems intentional.
Velocirapcat ATTACK!
Lamalo
3965
I do that to my cat all the time, though my cat is bigger and slower so he rarely scratches me up.
Erik_J
3966
Holy crap! That cat looks like it is going full face-hugger.
I remember one nasty cat incident that started with my friend saying, “Um, he doesn’t really like being held on his back like a baby…”
Nixxter
3968
I had a male cat that wandered into our condo years ago (open door, admittedly) and I picked it up to take him out (out of concern for my cat, who hadn’t seen him yet). I was about 30 feet from our door. He didn’t take kindly to it, wrapped himself around my forearm and ripped the absolute crap out of it (leaving me gashed and dripping blood all over the place). I am a cat lover, but I have to say as I was traveling to the door to throw his ass out, I went a little overboard with crushing him to my chest to try to limit the damage he was doing to me. Still, he got more damage in, I stopped short of trying to kill him. Neither one of us had to visit the vet, but the neighbors, who never knew what happened, remarked, Gee, Fuzznutz hasn’t been himself of late.
Don’t mess with the cat man. Sometimes you get the cat, sometimes the cat gets you!
You let your neighbors call you Fuzznutz? That’s fucked up.
It’s a term of endearment in the Windy City.
There’s a spot on the back of a cat’s neck (the scruff) that you can pinch in some way that usually renders them docile. The problem, of course, is accessing it through the blade barrier of claws.
Erik_J
3972
Not all cats respond equally to scruffing. I have one cat I can pick up and move by the scruff of his neck, and he remains relatively calm. But he’s calm most of the time anyway. My other cat doesn’t care if he’s scruffed or not, he’ll flip right the fuck out.
I’ve bitched about this before - this is the result of people fucking with cats when they are kittens until they lose their shit. It is adorable when their widdle claws and teef are small and adorable, even if they use trap your hand and adorably try to tear the flesh off it by kicking with their widdle back legs.
Too cute when they are kittens but it isn’t so cute when they are 10lbs of sharpened fangs and claws and muscle.
Stop making your cats neurotic attack machines.
Nixxter
3974
It’s how their mommzerz used to carry them around when they were little carnivores (by the back of their necks, and there is quite a bit of give there, so when you pick them up there, or grab them there, they do generally get somewhat docile). I automatically go for the back of their heads when I am trying to gentle them (sometimes when you trim their claws you might do this, other times if they are getting overly aggressive it’s a way of holding them still). But as was said, it doesn’t always work, for example, in the episode I described earlier, I had him by the back of his neck with the same hand and arm he had wrapped himself around and he was still going apeshit).
True. It’s not necessarily a kitten thing, but the way I have heard it described is that when you play with cats you need to be mindful about their pattern of aggression. What you think of as spirited play, they are wired differently and easily cross over between play and aggressive behavior so it’s a good idea not to get them too excited or riled up and to be gentler and kinder…
Calelari
3976
Important point: as Mr. Mess’ link mentions, scruffing an adult animal can actually harm them. Make sure you’re also supporting their weight with your other hand!
I used to do that, but bigger cats seem to find it uncomfortable, some of them very much so.
I’ve found that simply lifting them under their armpits and letting them dangle triggers the same “carried by momma” effect, but is easier to do nicely, gives you more control, and is less stressful on the cat.
WarrenM
3978
Our vet is amazing with the scruffing. She reaches into the carrier and pulls them out like it’s nothing - and the cats are totally cool with it. They almost have a “oh shit, she knows the secret, she’s in charge now!” look on their faces.
MattKeil
3979
For bigger cats, you just exert some pull on the scruff, but don’t lift them by it, as that can tear the skin. You just need to simulate the sensation of being suspended by the scruff and most cats will mellow out. Of course, some will go right back to flipping the fuck out when you let the scruff go.
I’ve found that simply lifting them under their armpits and letting them dangle triggers the same “carried by momma” effect, but is easier to do nicely, gives you more control, and is less stressful on the cat.
This is actually somewhat dangerous for the cat if you hold it like that for extended periods. It puts a lot of pressure on their ribs and shoulders, and can cause minor injuries if the cat weighs enough.
Bill
3980
I think this was posted about 100 pages ago but it’s germane:
