Whomever tells you otherwise is clueless. If an animal is fractious or needs a blood draw at the vet's office then scruffing is required. If a cat shows potential aggression when being transported at a vet's office or shelter and then scruffing is often required but the FULL WEIGHT OF THE ANIMAL MUST BE SUPPORTED AT ALL TIMES WITH OPPOSITE HAND.
I have watched cat's be carried through shelter hallways just from scruff and it is barbaric.
This is from the old school that is from the Cartesian model. Get rid of cruelty and develop positive associations for your cat.
We all need to have an education in the psychobiology of Post Traumatic Stress. Animals often experience ptsd at vet visits and during restraint. In laymen's terms what constitutes what becomes a traumatic experience is the flight or fight response was never completed and gets locked into the body and neurology of the individual as a "freezing". In one of my graduate programs, i did special studies in somatic responses and how to retrain ptsd. An animal that is restrained, held against their will and stabbed with a needled can lead to ptsd. There are at times multiple attempts as some animals struggle to get free. Body bags, muzzles, leather face masks are used to protect the humans and at times several people are needed to restrain. It may not be intention of abuse but the animal processes it this way. Think if you were held down against your will by several people, tied up and restrained? what would your autonomic responses be?
We need to understand once the animal has been traumatized once, the amygdala literally gets hijacked by a flood of stress and neurological responses by any thing that could possibly remind him/her of the earlier trauma. It is conditioned responses to specific stimuli. I have witness cats get very upset by touching their neck, i look deeper into their history and records and often ask an owner to show me how they are medicating -and i often see the dreaded scruff. I also see "caution" on their vet records-this means kitty is having a horrendous time and fighting back.
There are autonomic and hyperarousal responses. This isn't something that happens to all animals but i have seen animals that have had repeated vet visits requiring restraining, blood draw, bladder aspirate, anal gland expression often suffer from this. It is further evidenced in labs by an incredibly high glucose. I knew of clients that took their cats and dogs several times monthly for different things which is just pure neurosis and not caring as the owner believes. High glucose can indicate diabetes but if the glucose can also be a sign of stress, severe stress. To further investigate values - a fructosamine can be evaluated.
Stop rushing your cat to the vet every opportunity you have. Consider a home visit. Your animal often hates office visits. They are violated and restrained. There are necessary visits but rushing your cat to a vet for a runny eye that is chronic and viral is abusive, neurotic and ridiculous.
There is such a thing as medical abuse and it is not in the public consciousness to acknowledge this. Due to Hippocratic oath we trust doctors. However, can we trust their callous training of desensitization? But the medical paradigm is comparable to as much empathy as the Nazis. Hypocrite is a word to describe medical paradigm's Hippocratic oath.
The toughest clients I have and the most fractious animals that can do some severe damage are the ones constantly handled at the vet's office. The poor cats are in a state of utter terror just from being picked up.
They immediately associate holding or a touch to the neck with the many negative experiences they have had at vet's office. They might immediately urinate from fear and anxiety.Many uneducated people think this is the cat being angry. But, no when an animal or person pisses their pants or poops their pants it is due to sheer terror! We all make associations in our minds, due to past experience- all mammals have memory consciousness. It's called body memory and association and learned response. Unfortunately, trauma is a learned resonse that gets repeated from the slightest stimuli that can be reminiscent of the earlier original trauma. The body responds the same, emotional and psychological responses are the same. This isn't just hypothesis - this is neurology, the body, the brain, which equals the experience
...
There are ways to lovingly medicate a cat in need that consists of sitting on floor and having her between legs so that if she backs up she backs up into you. You have to make her feel safe and calm always. You must always be master of your own energy field and know where your pressure/strength of every part of your body is at all times. You must be in control of this and all areas of your body and emotions. If you are stressed your palms will sweat, your heart accelerate and your grip will be rougher and more painful making it all the more tortuous for your cat. Tension in your body = tension and fear for you cat.
If some person or animal touches you lovingly do you relax?
If someone touches you with stern, stressed fingertips and grip how do you respond?
If you ever would have to give your kitty meds and she runs off and keeps associating it negatively, then coaching of scruffing a cat to restrain will get you nowhere.
The old school is callous to the animals.
The more uncomfortable kitty becomes, the more she will resist.
You have to associate it with positive things like affection and love. You have to feel and be conscious of how much pressure your hands are applying because hand and finger grips often cause pain. If you meditate you can carry that state with you of a calm peaceful energy that would be best for giving kitty if your kitty is in need of sub-q fluids, meds or assist feeding. No forcing!
If your cat is already resistant, you would need series of sessions to desensitize her resistance to build trust about touch again before you would be able to do it. So it wouldn't be easy on the first few tries, as making a cat unsure and skittish and scared to human touch must be reprogrammed. It would be many handling sessions of building trust always with a positive association.
At a vet hospital we must remember the treatment room has anxiety pheromones, odors of fear , smells of fearfully emitted urine and feces, barking and panting dogs, highly upset cats hissing and growling. Not a good environment! Cats respond to this and this all becomes part of the association of being restrained which consists of scruffing/restraining.being forced/held against their will. Again, for medical such as bladder aspirates and blood draws this is necessary but not at home when you medicate your cat or handle your feline.
As anyone who has worked with multiple animals know, they witness and observe, if they see an animal in distress another animal will immediately fear you if they are not familiar with you. If they see another animal being treated with kindness and the animal responding with body language of pleasure then the observing animal's trust will be offered much more readily. Imagine how the observing animals in the treatment room of the vet hospital watching other animals go through this.
Our medical system is often based on a very hardcore paradigm that does not take the patient's feelings, experiences or sensations or psychological wellbeing into account. It's about fast effectiveness. I am commenting on handling skills and so called "effectiveness" that needs to be updated with self awareness and consciousness of the biofeedback loop of the handler. So when you read literature on how to scruff to medicate find a more humane article or coach who is trained in handling and is savvy in cat behavior!
The Western medical paradigm treats pathology and is not in the business of wellness and optimal health. I believe in making it easiest for the cat and for the adoring owner to enhance the relationship.
I have seen cats be ok with an owner scruffing and forcing pills down their throat in a ridiculous manner but heaven forbid someone else like a petsitter need to do this for a feline that needs meds!
If this cat ever makes it to an animal shelter such as aspca or or animal care and control it will be put down due to not being able to be handled for veterinarian treatment.
Each cat is unique and likes different types of handling, be an investigator and figure out the key to earning your cat's trust. some have been under handled or as we say under-socialized but there are other options for animals and there are ways of training to trust even if it is just from family members. I have an undersocialized cat that was in a shelter for five months. He came to the shelter at 2.5 months undersocialized. After two months at my house, he started following me around and loved to play fetch with rubber bands. The secret to his cuddling sessions for this cat that was barely handled affectionately or picked up (but forced itrafungol down his throat daily) and scared of humans when at the shelter will cuddle with me if i hold the rubber band in my hand. I have done this many times, several times a week always making it fun for him. He was extremely affectionate with the rubberband in my lap. We do this often to remind him and it is a process unfolding but he has now realized that it is actually pleasurable and will seek me out to sit next to me for love sessions. There is a map to follow but a lot must be individualized with animals, just like people.
Tips for pilling cats:
Use butter, put in a pill pocket treat, follow pill with 1cc of liquid so as not to cause strictures in the throat, find a compounded flavored treat option offered from a pet pharmacy or figure out if there is a form of the meds that can be palatable with food. Medications like tapazole have a skin absorption option. It is called transdermal and is applied to the inner ear flap. It is so easy! Much better than pilling a kitty twice a day for years! Make it easy for you and your cat in the long run!
