Does holding kittens by the back of their neck relax them?

Question

When kittens are born their mothers carry them by the back of their neck right? Well we just got two kittens about 4 weeks old.. Would it relax them to hold them by the back of their necks just like their mother? We don't want to harm them but they are very hyper and energetic and we want to do something to kind of sooth and relax them.

Answer 1

Cats hold their kittens by the neck to move them because that's the only way to safely do it. If you want your kittens to relax, I would suggest massaging the tips of their ears. Also a good way to get them to calm down is to tire them out with a bungee toy. They have great fun and you bond with them.  

Answer 2

Its just how the mother carries them.It wouldn't help.

{I've tried something similar.]

Answer 3

First of all, why did you take 4 week old kittens from their mother? Kittens should, if at all possible, be kept with their mother until they are at least 8 weeks old. If you can, please return these kittens to their mother immediately. Mother cats teach kittens valuable survival and social skills from 6-8 weeks old. If they are orphans, you should make them a nest and spend alot of time with them letting them get to know you. It's not a good idea to dangle kittens this size by the neck scruff. At this age, they can walk and the mother would not be doing it anyway.

Answer 4

Its the way their mothers used to pick them up. So it does trigger a mild relaxation with them. My cat loves to be massaged there in a pinchy kinda way.

Answer 5

well whenever i try to do that my kitten hates it but then again shes about 7 months.  I think I remember my vet saying not to do that because kittens hate it when humans pick them up from the back of their neck only mothers can.  I always thought about doing that but decided not to wondering if it will hurt my kitten or not.  But when i go to my vet and she cant get my kitten out of the carrier she takes my kitten out from the back of her neck and my kitten starts growling and she gets really mad.  Hoped that helped.  

Answer 6

that only works cause they feel there mother what you need to do is { this always works for my cat when he is hyper} just hold one of them make sure they are comfy and talk to them slowly and rub there ears and above there eyes and nose and just hold them and just talk to them they should calm down then after that they will be relaxed  

Answer 7

Mothers transport kittens by the scruff of the neck, but not like we do by dangling the skin, if you watch, their mouth is placed gently around the neck area.  So dangling a cat by skin can be very tough on them.

What is far tougher is separating kittens from a mom at 4 weeks.  Hopefully, you did not have a choice and mom is no longer in the picture.  On the positive side, you have 2 to help them socialize together.

Don't use a hold to "relax" them, you need to wear them out.  If they are still being active, then they need that level of exercise.  Denying young animals (or humans for that matter) the exercise and activity they crave leads to destructive behaviors.  Remember being a kid and being forced to stay inside on a rainy day?  

Find ways to allow your kittens safe activity to the extent that they choose.  You should not curtail their activity, just make it safe.

Answer 8

The only time I do that is when I need to make my cat stop doing something IMMEDIATELY (like attacking things she shouldn't be). I also would do it to my older cat to immobilize her so we could clip her nails. It is very easy to see that they do not like it.

Answer 9

We don't let our kittens go until they're at least 10 (but preferably 12) weeks old.   At 4 weeks, they probably haven't received as much socialization and skills as their moms could teach them.  That said, you have to play the cards you now hold.

I pick up kittens with two hands, one under the chest/tummy area, and one supporting them under the bum.  I only pick them up by the scruff if I really REALLY need to get them out of a troublesome situation.  I wouldn't say that makes them relax, but it does make them go limp.  This is a great way to extract a cat out of an "argument" with another cat (the "pointy end," that is, the claws and fangs, are facing away from you)... but use this move with caution and only in a circumstance where nothing else will work.

I will occasionally grab one of our full-grown cats by the scruff and lay them on their side if I need to yell at them not to do something after they've been warned but persist.  I learned the trick from training dogs, to be their "alpha."  They know I love them but they also know they don't get away with being naughty.

Now getting back to your original issue...  kittens, like young children, are hyper and energetic.  They need playtime, and lots of it.  Little balls and teasers are great.  When they've had their exercise, they'll relax and fall asleep, happy and healthy.