If you’ve recently paid our Sydney and Hunter Veterinary Hospitals a visit, you may have noticed the signs around our clinic and waiting areas stating that:
“We handle all cats gently and with respect – we do not scruff.“
While handling all animals with respect has always been a part of our Animal Management Policy, we’ve furthered our commitment to animal welfare by signing a pledge with International Cat Care. With our signed commitment, we’ve promised to refrain from using methods of restraint (such as ‘scruffing’) that cause unnecessary and unjustifiable stress to the cats and kittens in our care.
What is Scruffing?
Scruffing or gripping a cat by the loose skin on the back of its neck, can trigger an increase in protective emotions such as fear, anxiety, frustration (and potentially pain). This is because cats who are handled this way lose their sense of agency and control.
What is the Psychological Impact on Cats?
Avoidance is a coping mechanism in stressful situations and is often a cat’s first choice when faced with a perceived threat; heavy restraint methods such as ‘scruffing’ thwart a cat’s ability to do this, which has an impact on their emotional health and welfare. Cats are also learning from every interaction that we have with them, and any unpleasant experiences will undoubtedly influence how they behave in future.
When a cat is unable to avoid a stressor or learns over time that people don’t allow them to avoid, they will typically use repulsion strategies such as hissing, swiping or biting to drive the threat away. Therefore, without recognising and responding to a cat’s protective emotions appropriately we are increasing the chance of injury among current and future staff, as well as having a detrimental impact on the cat’s psychological health.
We as an organisation advocate for treating all creatures great and small with kindness and compassion throughout every interaction; a “less is more approach” when it comes to any form of handling is best.
If you would like to read more about Cat Friendly Veterinary Interactions, feel free to click here to learn more about vet interactions and handling techniques.
