Conference misery::feline_v1

    Julie, I sometimes pick up my kittens by the scruff.  When they
    are still small it will not hurt them.  You shouldn't attempt to
    pick up an adult cat by the scruff unless you also support the weight
    of their body with your other hand.
    
    Jo

    Thanks, Jo! 
    Can you tell me whether *I* am handling Rosie OK? I pick her up
    with one hand under her chest and the other hand under her rear.
    I don't want to hurt her unintentionally and she is the youngest
    kitten I've ever handled.
    Thanks,
    Julie

    You are doing fine.  In fact, you are much better than I am, I pick
    them up by whatever is handy. :^) :^)
    
    Being a breeder, I try not to be too careful with my kittens cuz
    I know that if I am, they will undoubtedly end up in homes with
    2 year olds.  Kittens are fairly sturdy.  I pick up my adult cats
    under their arms, and they don't seem to mind it.  Whatever you
    and the cat think works is how you should do it.  :^)
    
    Jo

    Thanks again - I am relieved!
    I think it's because she seems so tiny and fragile after Oliver.
    I expect I'll get used to the difference soon.
    Julie

    Julie,
    
    
    The new kittens sound great! I pick up Rolf by the scruff, but I also
    support his weight with the other hand. He is 14 weeks old. I also pick
    up Pookie like that when I am trying to get her into the carrier for
    trips to the vet etc - its the only way. I am always very careful to
    support her weight though. When I pick her up at any other time, I sort
    of pick her up under her "arms" too. She would let me know if she
    didn't like it!
    
    Hope they settle in soon!
    
    
    Lisa plus P&R
    

    re: kitten with faint tabby markings -  If you brush her hair
    the "wrong" way is it white underneath??  If so, you've got a
    black smoke.  Very pretty.
      
    I'm not a big proponant of picking cats up by the scruff unless I
    need to control them - like when I'm giving them a bath.  There is
    an instinct to go limp when the cat is picked up by the scruff and
    that can come in very handy when you're bathing them or flea-powdering
    them.  I don't actually pick them up, I just get a good grip on the
    scruff and pull just a bit.  Enough to activate the reflex.
      N

    Re .6
      Nancy, you beat me to it.. I've found that the way to control a cat
    is to pick it up by the loose skin on the back of the neck. If you do
    this you'll notice that the cat pulls it's back legs up in a "tucked"
    position involuntarily and becomes semi-paralyzed. The mother cat will
    carry her kittens this way and it's thought that this "paralysis" makes
    them easier to control and less apt to be injured. Unless I need to
    maintain some sort of "control" however, I usually pick my cats up by 
    placing the palm of one hand under the ribcage and the other under the
    back legs/rear.
    
    JM

when trimming nails, bathing, or moving a cat into a carrier, gripping
the cat firmly by the loose skin in the neck and shoulder area, as a
mother cat grips her kittens, enables you to establish control very
quickly and painlessly.  It is very useful with a scared or injured
cat.  However, once a kitten is over the age of 10 weeks, it probably
isn't good to JUST lift by the "scruff of the neck"...the cat's weight
is much greater than the weight that this "handle" was designed to support...
It is best to lift with support under the chest, or gripping the back
legs in order to relieve the pull of the cat's weight on the scruff
of the neck.  It seems reasonable to ask your friend to support the
rest of the kitten as well as gripping the scruff of the neck.

However, I must agree with Jo - when I need to catch one of the
the furfaces, I will initially grab whatever I can get - most often
the scruff of the neck  - and then quickly support the rest of the
cat with my other hand once I have established just WHO is in control....

			D

    Thanks for all your advice.
    I've mentioned my concern to Claire and told her I would feel happier
    if the kittens are supported, and she's OK about it, if only to
    stop me worrying!!
    I tried brushing Rosie's fur backwards and she IS white/pale grey
    underneath. She also has blue/grey eyes, but I don't know if they'll
    STAY that colour. I know that human babies' eyes don't stay blue,
    but I'm not sure about kittens.

    Rosie's eyes will probably change.  If she is only 8 weeks old,
    she probably doesn't have her adult eye color yet.  If she is a
    black, I predict that her eyes will be copper (gold).  
    
    Jo