*Scruffing* is the topic for today, as per the suggestion of my close personal friend, Emmie Jean. :)

One of my vets explained the process to me last week when he was clipping Deuce's toesies, but I also did some supplemental research online before mentioning scruffing here.

A scruff is the loose skin on the back of an animal's neck ~ any animal, though I will be focusing on kitties since I am the Crazy Cat Lady, after all. :)

Scruffing is *GENTLY* pinching or gathering this skin between your fingers and lifting. As Dr. Bailey explained it to me, it is used for calming or desensitizing your pet. However, my online reading also mentioned using it as a training technique and/or a method of establishing dominance.

You really don't want to use it as a means of exerting your dominance because all kinds of behavioral or emotional problems can arise. You don't want your kitty to be afraid of you or to become aggressive either to defend himself or exert HIS dominance, right?


As a training technique, scruffing should be saved for the especially bad no-no behaviors. Again, *GENTLY* scruff your kitty and press him to the floor ~ *NOT* roughly ~ as you either hiss like his mama or firmly say the word, *NO!* Hold the kitty against the floor until you feel him relax. Speak to him softly then and pick him up for cuddling so that he knows that love will not be withheld because he's been a bad kitty.

Do not, do not, *DO NOT* lift your kitty by his scruff. Kittens might not be affected so much since they are not so far removed from being held and carried that way by their mamas. However, older kitties could be hurt or injured if you don't support their body weight as you lift.

What Dr. Bailey and I discussed was simply using scruffing to soothe a kitty for something like claw clipping ~ or administering medicine. By first massaging the scruff, you will release endorphins that will tranquilize your kitty. Older kitties who have not been scruffed since kittenhood may not be affected. Dr. Bailey said regularly massaging a kitty's scruff will keep his system responsive to the process.

After you have massaged the scruff, then you may *GENTLY* pinch the scruff and tug or pull up on the kitty ~ again remembering not to lift a kitty entirely by his scruff.

I *KNOW* this calming technique works because I used it on my older kitties, Joey and Elly Fae, when I had to apply their Advantage. Previously, both of them had fought me like wildcats at Advantage time ~ to the point that I had to call neighbor Elly for back-up. Using Dr. Bailey's suggestion, I was amazed by how miraculously easy applying Advantage on both of them was this time. Joey is 20 pounds of kitty muscle, and I had no struggle with him at all. Elly Fae may be the smallest of my adult kitties, but she is also the alpha kitty in this household, inclined to being a bit of a you-know-what about things that don't please her. The most resistance I had from her was the faintest little prolonged growl as I administered the Advantage ~ but, again, no struggling!



In fact, since then, Elly Fae has been especially loving and cuddly. When she is on my lap now, I will massage her scruff and tug ever-so-gently on it. She purrs all the more deeply and looks at me with dilated, half-closed eyes. I think I may have an endorphin junky on my hands! :) So long as she is a happy kitty, I don't guess it matters so much, huh? We can't have the Terrible Two harshing her mellow. :)

[The first two pictures in this post were borrowed from HelpWithPetTraining.com. The third picture is of my tranquil baby girl, Elly Fae. :)]