You may wonder how people give their cats baths. Putting a cat in water is no easy matter. What about trimming the cat’s nails? Cats will not sit nicely and hold out a paw for a manicure. Don’t you wonder how people are able to keep their cat calm when they are doing something to the cat? Most cats do not want their owners to touch them unless they want to be touched.
Cats are usually docile creatures. The cats will go about their business with or without someone being around. Most cats are affectionate on their terms, but they also like their space. There are some breeds that would rather be alone than to have someone near them. The Siamese cat is a breed that usually does not like people. Most of the time it depends on what the cat is used to in its habitat.
Cats rarely get upset unless backed into a corner. A cat will scratch if it feels threatened or is being bothered in a manner it does not like. There is usually a hiss or a meow as a warning sign for whatever or whoever is bothering the cat to leave the cat alone. If the warning is heeded the cat will go about its business without another thought to the incident. If the warning is not heeded the cat may attack.
If the perpetrator that is bothering the cat is water as the owner is putting the cat in the sink or tub, the cat may lash out at anything and everything it can get its claws in. If the owner is the one dipping the cat the owner needs to know how to dip the cat without getting clawed. How can the owner calm the cat?
What if the owner is trying to get the cat off of furniture? The cat will put its claws into the furniture and hold on. It may even hiss at the owner. The owner will not want to lift the cat off of the furniture and have the cat tear the furniture as it is lifted. The problem with chasing the cat off of the furniture is the cat may still tear the furniture with its claws as it runs. How can the owner keep the cat from tearing the furniture?
The cats claws need to be trimmed. How can you trim the claws and still keep a cat calm? Putting a towel over the cat just seems to make it anxious and more aware that you are touching its paw. What can you do for the cat?
The answer to the problem of how to keep a cat calm is in your hands. In order to keep a cat calm the owner needs to know how to hold the cat. At some point your cat will get spooked. The easiest way to calm a cat is to hold it. You cannot pick up the cat and expect the closeness to calm it down it needs to be held correctly. To calm a cat down you want to hold it like its mother held it.
Cat moms carry their babies in their mouth. This does not hurt the kitten. Carrying the cat by its neck actually releases endorphins that calms the cat. You temporarily paralyze the cat by the pressure. If the cat meows or moves while you are holding it in this manner, you need to let go and grasp the cat’s neck again. You are not holding the cat correctly and are probably hurting it. If the cat can move it will probably scratch you if you are hurting it.
As a cat gets older and grows, the weight of the cat needs to be supported when carried by its neck. First, put your thumb on one side and the rest of your hand on the other side of the cat’s neck. Your hand will be on the nape of the neck right above the cat’s shoulders. Slide your fingers toward the palm of your hand bringing the cat’s skin with your fingers. If you do not do this right, the cat will let you know. The cat should be a statue if you did it correctly because the cat is temporarily paralyzed as long as you hold its neck. Once the cat is temporarily paralyzed, you want to put your other arm under the cat’s midsection to hold the cat and support the cat’s weight.
While you are holding the cat you can get it’s claws out of furniture, you can move the cat where you need to, you can even bathe the cat, or trim the cat’s claws. Once you release the cat, the cat will be back to normal. It may even be happier. You will be happier too because you got the desired result of calming the cat.
