How to hold a kitten properly?

Question

my grans cat recently had kittens, and when i tried to hold one, it began to scratch me- i had to let it go, resulting in me dropping it!

can the scratching be prevented, because i want to take one home!!

and would i become infected if it scratched me again?????

can anyone tell me the correct way to hold a kitten, so that i cant be harmed, and whether my kitten was harmed from the drop?

any help would be greatly apprieciated!

x*x

Answer 1

Hold it by a back leg and swing it gently. This is very bad for the cat, but as long as you swing hard enough it can't scratch you.

Don't get a cat, just get another cushion or something.

Answer 2

Be gentle but firm. The kitten will come around to you.

Answer 3

You don't say how old the kittens are...very young kittens, those under 2 weeks are best left alone. After their eyes are open and they start playing human interaction is needed to "tame" them. Put one hand under their chest and the other one their rump, it's best to kneel or sit on the floor so you aren't raising them to high which will scare them. Place them close to your body and keep one hand on their rump at all times so they don't feel as if they may fall. If they are 6 weeks or older try some turkey or chicken baby food, the kind without onion, kitties can't seem to resist baby food. We tame feral, or wild, kittens with baby food all the time. Place a little on your finger and let them come to you to l**k it off, while they are distracted by the food use one finger of the other hand to gently pet the head, then the body. The first thing you know the kitties look forward to their petting sessions and will actually come to you for snuggles.  

Answer 4

the kitten was probably frightened and that was why it scratched.  make sure that you always support its rump and if you hold it under the arms make sure not to pull the arms out to far and dislocate them. that happened to my friend's puppy, and it can go for a kitten too. when holding it, also try to sweet talk it nice and gently, it will calm its nerves.

whether it was harmed from the drop depends on how it landed. one of my three kittens fell off of my bed and she is perfectly fine! as long as no limping or nursing of any limb occurrs i'm sure its fine!

Answer 5

Be sure it is old enough to be handled as it's not recommended for the first few weeks. If you just want to relocate it you can pick it up by the loose skin on the back of the neck & they will usually freeze. If you want to hold it to pet & comfort it, hold it close to your chest so that it can feel your heart beating and stroke it very gently. They usually find that very calming, at least in my experience. Edit... Be aware that most cats, especially kittens, may be frightened by loud noises so be careful about loud tv's, slamming doors, etc. If it's quiet, they should be somewhat calmer. They will eventually become accustomed to daily noises in the house but will need time to adjust.  Also, wear a heavy shirt with long sleeves & don't put them close to your face when handling so as not to get badly scratched.

Answer 6

you want to make sure you hold the kitten close to you and hold their butt up close to their body. holding them close to you makes them feel secure and safe. it was not the kittens fault when it scratched you it was just nervous and use to human contact just clean the scratches our with peroxide. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 7

if they run from you, she didnt just have them. kittens have enough trouble crawling.

i would guess mom has had very little human contact, so she taught the kittens to fear humans.

if Godzilla picked you up to cuddle, you would scratch too.

i am guessing they are not eating solid food yet, you will have to wait until they are weaned. then go back to offering meat. you will have to leave it on the floor and leave the room at first, but slowly they will learn you have meat, and they will come to you.

always approach kittens carefully, you never know is they are friendly.

the proper way to hold a kitten is to support all of him. usually this can done by just placing them on the palm of one hand, while preventing them from falling with the other.

if too big for one hand, place one hand under the hind feet to support them.

Answer 8

hold it by the scruff o its neck it will feel if its mother is picking it up

Answer 9

Okay, first of all tempting the cat with food was probably your best bet, but since that won't work, talk soothingly to them by their hiding place. More than likely, they will get used to you in a couple of days to a week. I am not sure how old the kittens are so I don't know their size, but for most kittens and cats the proper way to pick them up is to place on are right  behind their front legs and scoop up it's back legs with your free hand and hold it like that.

Answer 10

Hold the kitten by the scruff of the neck - the same way its mother carries it around

It is unlikely you will get infected from scratches as long as you make sure you clean them thoroughly.

Answer 11

Newborn kittens are precious animals and they need to be held properly so that they are not hurt in any way. The newborn kittens should also feel safe and warm in your hands. Of course, they will be a little frightened at first, because this is all new to them. However, interaction with the kittens will help them to get used to human contact early in life. If a kitten is held daily, she will be less likely to be frightened of human contact. Harm can be done by not holding the newborn kittens properly, so you need to know how it is done so that you can interact with these cute creatures. Be aware that, although they are really cute, they should not be held too much. This can cause the newborn kittens some stress from over-handling. Keep it to a few times a day. Follow these steps to hold your newborn kittens properly and safely.

Approach:Never try to hold a newborn kitten when the mother is not present. The mother cat needs to be present for at least the first two weeks and the longer, the better. The newborn kitten, and the mother cat, will feel more secure with you handling the kitten if they can interact with each other while you are there. If they both are feeling secure, you are more likely to help the newborn feel less afraid of your touch.

Step2Hold the newborn kitten. Reach your hand to the side of the kitten's middle and support her stomach while you wrap your other hand around her hind legs. Make sure the kitten's neck and head are properly supported by your hand or wrist. A newborn kitten could get injured if her head and neck are not supported. Be gentle with her body because she is still developing.

Step3Interact. Holding newborn kittens is good for the animals. They will eventually feel quite comfortable with human contact. As little as two minutes per day can help your newborn kittens feel safe and secure in your hands.

Answer 12

You can catch cat scratch fever from a kitten's scratch and hardly ever from an adult cat. The incubation period is about 1 month and it's a strange illness. Initially you have a fever that lasts about a week and then you have symptoms like those of ME that last about 4 to 8 weeks. You then recover fully. Only people who are immunocompromised are likely to suffer worse than that. It's a non-fatal illness.

You shouldn't take the kitten home before it is 8 weeks old. When you get it home, keep it inside for one month and then supervise it's time outside for a further two months.

Others have already answered the handling question well.