Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 5: Pick up a cat
• Method 2 of 5: Hold your cat and put it back down
• Method 3 of 5: Hold a small kitten
• Method 4 of 5: Approach an unfamiliar cat
• Method 5 of 5: Training a cat to enjoy being held
• Tips
• Warnings

With their cute heads and soft fur, cats can be delightful creatures to hold.But cats are also known for their fickle personalities: They can also be easily anxious around strangers and even contradictory about the affection of people they know well. To avoid frustrating, frightening or hurting a cat, it is important that you pick it up and hold it correctly.

To step

Method 1 of 5: Pick up a cat

1. Know if your cat wants to be picked up. Sometimes cats just don't want to be picked up. It's important to be able to monitor your cat's mood. If your cat appears angry or anxious, you run the risk of being scratched if you try to pick it up. With this in mind, there are a number of ways you can read your cat's mood.
   • Pay attention to your cat's body language. Is he hiding from you or not coming to play? Cats, like adults, need time to themselves, and hiding is a clear indication that he doesn't want your attention right now. Is he actively seeking attention, meowing, purring, or rubbing your legs? All of this indicates that he is interested in socialization. Rubbing you in particular indicates that he is trying to leave his scent on you, which is a cordial feline habit for contacting, and indicates that he is open to affection from you.
   • Look at your cat's tail. If your cat's tail is up, he is happy; now is a good time to try to lift it. If its tail is pounding or swings back and forth quickly, your cat is probably annoyed. Unlike dogs, cats don't wag their tails when they are happy. Slow tail movement usually means that your cat is assessing a situation. If your cat's tail is wagging, it is not a good time to try to hold your cat.
   • Look at your cat's ears. Ears pointed forward mean your cat is feeling playful and content; now is a good time to pick him up. If your cat's ears are pointed back, watch out! He feels annoyed. When your cat's ears are flat against his head, he feels defensive and scared. Tilted or flattened ears indicate that it is not a good time to try to hold your cat.
2. Squat so that you are level with your cat. When you start picking up a cat, towering over it can scare it.
   • Squatting at his height gives you a chance to reassure your cat before attempting to pick him up. It also gives him a chance to rub your chest, releasing his scented pheromones onto your clothes and body and making him feel more comfortable holding him.
3. Place your dominant hand under your cat's chest. It should be placed directly behind its front legs. When your hand is in the right place, you will feel his firm rib cage under your fingers, not his soft belly.
   • Use your free hand to support your cat's back and back legs. Place your hand under its hind legs so that your hand is above and behind its claws.
4. Pick up your cat. Once your hands are in the right place, you can lift your cat so that you are upright again. The hand and forearm under your cat's back legs should form a platform to support your cat.
   • Pull the cat against your chest to provide more support and help him feel more secure.
5. Keep it wrapped in his scruff for emergencies. Cats have extra skin on the back of their necks (this is what it becomes scruff called), which is used by the mother cat to easily move her offspring from place to place. However, an adult cat's body is quite heavy and it puts too much pressure on the scruff of the neck to wear a cat in this way as a habit.
   • If it's an emergency and your cat is scared, you can pick him up by the scruff of the neck, but make sure to support his body weight with your hand under his torso, using a towel to wrap the cat's body if he struggles.
   • Only grab a cat by the scruff of the neck if you need to move it quickly (for example, if the house is on fire and you need to get out to safety). In these cases, when a cat is very agitated, grabbing a cat's scruff can keep you from getting scratched.
   • You can also grab a cat by the scruff if you need to administer medication without the cat struggling or if you need to treat a feral cat.

Method 2 of 5: Hold your cat and put it back down

1. Support your cat while holding it. It is important to hold a cat so that its hind legs are supported. Place your arm against your chest so that it forms a platform for your cat to rest on. You can support his torso at the bend of your elbow so that his front legs rest on your hand.
   • When your cat is comfortable holding it, you can try holding it in other ways - it really depends on your cat's personality. Some cats like to be held against your chest with the paws on your shoulders so they can look over your shoulder as you walk; others like to lie their backs up with their bellies up, like human babies.
2. Pet your cat while holding it. When you hold your cat the length of one arm, your other hand is free to pet and cuddle it. Be careful and keep supporting his body and legs.
   • Petting your cat will soothe him and make him feel more comfortable in your arms. It's also good to talk to your cat in a calm voice. This way he will feel comfortable and may even doze off.
3. Hold your cat while sitting. If you want to keep your cat on your lap while watching TV, let your cat figure out where to sit. Chances are he will settle on your lap, either in the hole between your legs or curled up on your lap.
   • This strategy is ideal for children, who may hold a cat too tightly in their arms, or drop it if they hold it while standing. Have a young child sit on a soft chair or sofa, or even on the floor, before giving the cat to the child. Make sure to instruct the child to let the cat go immediately if he is struggling or shows he wants to leave. Otherwise, the child could end up being scratched.
4. Put your cat back on the floor. When you (or your cat) have had enough of sitting together, put it quietly and safely on the floor.
   • Bend down so that your cat's paws touch or are close to the ground. Place his front legs on the floor and support his back as he steps out of your arms, gently releasing your hands. Your cat will do most of the work by jumping out of your hands.

Method 3 of 5: Hold a small kitten

1. Start early. Socialization of cats takes place when they are about 12 weeks old, and after this age it will be more difficult to teach a cat to enjoy being held.
   • This makes the first weeks of a cat's life the ideal time to teach him to enjoy being held by people.
   • Avoid holding kittens too much in their first week of life as this can upset the mother and possibly cause her to reject him. However, if the mother doesn't mind you being there, or seems to be actively encouraging you to pay attention to the kittens, you can even hold or pet newborn kittens a few times a day. Doing this has been shown to help kittens open their eyes earlier and start exploring faster.
   • When the kittens are very young (two weeks or so), a few minutes a day is plenty of stimulation. Gently pick up the kittens one at a time, supporting their chest and legs. Hold them carefully in both hands and put them back in the same place.
2. Pay attention to the mother's signals while handling her kittens. Cats can be very protective, depending on their personality, and you don't want to give her unbearable stress or cause her to see you as a threat to her babies.
   • If she seems overprotective, it is still important that you handle the kittens in the early days so that they are properly socialized to humans. Just try to schedule your interaction with the kittens when she's out of the room (for example, when she's eating or going to the litter box) to lessen her anxiety.
3. Hold your kitten at least once a day. This helps to form a habit and associates holding with habituation time and affection.
   • Focus on doing this for five minutes or so, and keep that time both peaceful and quiet.
   • Do not encourage rough play, or let the kitten use your hands as toys by biting or scratching. This can become a bad habit of associating your hands with toys rather than petting and holding, creating a playful cat that becomes more difficult to play with as it grows into an adult cat.

Method 4 of 5: Approach an unfamiliar cat

1. Take your time. Like humans, most cats are nervous around strangers and take their time to get comfortable around new people. Respect their comfort by allowing them to get to know you before trying to touch or hold them. Taking your time before touching or holding a strange cat also gives you time to assess the cat's personality and whether or not it is safe to proceed.
   • If you don't know a cat, think of it as a wild animal. Since you cannot know if a cat is friendly or not, or even if it has communicable diseases, it is better to err on the side of caution until you have reason to believe otherwise.
   • If a cat owner is nearby, ask if the cat likes to be touched or held before trying. Remember, a cat is owned by its owner, so you must respect the owner's wishes even if he refuses to let you touch a friendly cat.
2. Move slowly. Sudden movements will scare even a friendly cat, so be sure to squat slowly and speak in a calm voice.
   • Avoid direct eye contact (which cats perceive as a threat) and slowly reach towards the cat. Have the cat come to you and sniff your hand for reassurance.
3. Don't lift it unless you have to. Especially if the owner is not around, it is not a good idea to try to confine or keep a cat you do not know well. It can be stressful for the cat and dangerous for you.
   • Keep in mind that you can be scratched or bitten; Not only can scratching and bite wounds hurt, but a strange cat can also have an unknown number of contagious diseases (such as infection at the bite or scratch site, cat scratch disease, or rabies).
   • In situations where you need to handle a strange cat for its own safety (for example, to get it to safety), you can try to hold the cat by its scruff. Gently but firmly squeeze the extra skin just below the base of the cat's skull. Make sure to support his body weight with your hand under his torso, using a towel to wrap the cat's body when he is struggling.

Method 5 of 5: Training a cat to enjoy being held

1. Start early. Socialization of cats takes place when they are about 12 weeks old, and after this age it will be more difficult to teach a cat to enjoy being held.
   • Cats that have not been handled very often as youngsters (for example feral cats and cats from bread breeders) will find it less fun to be held as an adult cat. This makes the first weeks of a cat's life the ideal time to teach him to enjoy being held by people.
2. Use positive reinforcement. While some cats don't like being held due to their nature, most cats can be trained to accept it when they know they are getting a reward.
   • Train your cat to stay calm and stand still to be lifted by the word stay and place your hand on the side of the cat. If the cat stops, say good and reward him with a small cat treat or a doodle on the head or chin.
   • When the cat is comfortable standing still, add the other hand to the side of the cat when you stay says, putting your hands under the cat's stomach to mimic holding but leaving its paws on the floor. Again, if the cat stops, you say good and reward him with a treat.
   • After all, you really lift him up when you say the word stay says, and if the cat doesn't struggle when you pick it up, you say good and reward him while holding him tight to your chest.
   • Reinforce this new skill a few times a day for several days. Then try to reinforce the behavior with means other than treats, such as a cuddly head.
3. Avoid punishing him. Cats react poorly to punishment, which usually backfires and results in an even more frightening cat.
   • Punishing a cat will only cause it to run and hide, making it even more difficult to hold. In addition, punishing a cat increases its stress response, which can cause illness, incontinence and over-cleaning.
   • Instead, train your cat with positive reinforcement, patience, and his favorite cat treat.

Tips

• Don't try to see it in person if your cat doesn't like being held. Cats are usually socialized at 12 weeks, which means that if he hasn't been handled very often as a small kitten, he probably never learns to enjoy being held. In addition, some cats are just fickle in nature, and may like to be held one day and prefer to be alone the next.
• While holding your cat, try to tickle him under his chin or behind his ears, or at the bones just above his tail on his back. Many cats find these areas particularly calming, and doing this while holding your cat can help him associate pleasure with being held.
• If you try to pick up your cat while it is standing and it sits down quickly, it may be a sign that it does not want to be held.
• Never attempt to hold a cat while it is eating or on the litter box. Otherwise, you could end up scratching or biting.
• Know the cat you are dealing with. Some cats love to be held, others hate it. For this reason, you should be careful when picking up a cat unless you are absolutely sure that he likes it.
• When the cats are small, and they scratch furniture they shouldn't scratch, you can pick them up by the scruff of the neck as a gentle way of saying no.

Warnings

• Holding a cat incorrectly can injure its bones or internal organs, so be sure to supervise small children when handling a cat.
• If you have been scratched or bitten by a cat, seek medical attention. You may need a vaccine or medication to prevent infection or disease.
• If your cat gets startled or annoyed while holding it, put it down right away or it may bite or scratch you.