How to Hold Cat?

(May 14, 2010)

Most cat lovers or cat owners will tend to agree that one of the biggest pleasures and joys in owning a cat is in being able to actually sit with cat either curled around one’s legs or sitting on your lap and purring away. However to reach this stage of comfort and understanding with one’s cat one should actually known the correct manner of holding cat. Any cat will enjoy the contact and comfort of any loving gesture only when they are handled with care and kindness. The first step in understanding how to hold a cat is to first make sure that whenever you carry a cat, the cat actually gets a feeling of safety and security. If one owns a cat that is particularly rowdy or energetic then one should avoid some things including placing one’s hand right below the cat’s chest.

Instead one should always try and ensure that one’s fingers are splayed out between the fore legs of the cat one is holding. Next when lifting it in this manner from the ground one makes use of the other hand to elevate and supports the cat’s rear end. Next place the cat in a position close to your chest where the cat can get your warmth and contact and thus feels a measure of safety from being held in this manner. If at any time the cat shows any signs or indications of being uneasy then one should immediately return the cat to the floor to getting the cat unnecessarily agitated and to avoid getting scratched badly. An agitated cat is very likely to lash out and may scratch you unintentionally as they naturally draw out their claws when agitated or struggling.

Some important steps that one needs to avoid when handling an adult cat, include carrying it by the scruff of its neck. It is normal and safe to carry a kitten by the scruff of its neck or the fur at its neck but can actually injure an adult cat. When the cat gets larger and outgrows being a kitten, its weight can cause a problem. Carrying a big cat like this can also end up in hurting the cat’s neck muscles. One may also end up getting scratched like this. Also avoid keeping the cat’s rear legs dangling in air when one picks up a cat, as this can be irritating and also uncomfortable for your cat. One can even try carrying one’s cat and placing it on one’s shoulders, as quite a lot of cats actually like being carried this way.