Little Mr. "Can't Get Right"

[lcws]

This is my nickname for our little "foster fail" Fred  (although hubby is not too amused by the nickname - he's the reason we're a foster fail  :-)     Fred has had all sorts of issues in his short little life - in fact he has been the subject of other threads on here - but here's the thing I'm most curious about for this thread:  in all my years of having cats, I've never had a cat or kitten that I could not subdue if needed by holding by the scruff of the neck.  It's a last resort measure, of course, but sometimes even my 18 pound bully cat will get wound up occasionally when I'm trying to groom him, pill him, etc, and even he calms down and goes limp with that hold.  Not Fred.  It just makes him worse.   He fights & flails and carries on -- unfortunately he has needed several baths because he has a tendency to get his excrement all over himself and a bath is the only solution when this happens.   At four months old he weighs barely two pounds but he is a fighter!  And I have sustained several puncture wounds to my hands because it is pretty much impossible to restrain him while giving his bath.  Oddly enough he has never tried to bite -- he just flails his limbs and digs his claws in.   He's actually a pretty sweet kitten otherwise, a bit slow mentally, but not physically!  He loves to be blow-dried after his bath - also a first in my experience.   I was just wondering if anyone had ever had a cat or kitten completely freak out with the "scruffing" hold the way Fred does and if anyone might have any insight as to what might make a cat react so totally the opposite of most cats.   And I need to add that this was ALWAYS done gently with Fred, as he is so small.   I would prefer we never have to give him a bath again but I'm pretty sure it'll happen, as he does not seem to have that genetic marker that instinctively makes him groom himself & keep himself clean.   Thanks so much for any input!   I'll be happy to offer up more information about Fred if anyone is interested in his background, I just didn't want to bore anyone with such a long post!      Thanks again!!!

 

[fhicat]

Wow. I have never heard of a cat that isn't fazed by that, although, hanging out here, I've learnt that there is always that one cat that defies all cat common sense. 

 Have you tried giving him treats before and while you bathe him?

 

[lcws]

LOL   No, but I'm pretty sure treats wouldn't make any difference.   Fred is one of those cats that defies all cat logic! 

 

[fhicat]

 
LOL   No, but I'm pretty sure treats wouldn't make any difference.   Fred is one of those cats that defies all cat logic! 

Mine is terrified of cardboard boxes. You know those pictures where there are boxes around and all the cats in the neighborhood are sitting in them and it says "Cat trap, it works!"? Put the words "cat repellant" there and you've just described mine. 

Anyway, he's still a cat, so he must like some cat things. Try the treats, see what happens. 

 

[kaitie09]

How are you bathing him? I have one that occasionally has to be bathed because she can't reach some spots. She used to freak out until I realized if I place her on a dry towel in the sink and slowly fill it up with lukewarm water away from her, she is a lot calmer. I also only use a cup to rinse her off. I normally just have a hand on her back, but may occasional hold on to her scruff to keep her from moving.  Then again, she can tolerate being held for a couple minutes before she starts try to claw her way out. 

 

[inka]

Fred rocks 

As you wrote he is a smart little guy, could it be he has learned that after the scruffing there will be something even worse coming, like a much hated bath...? Just a suggestion, as it happens when we think we know our cats, then they suddenly surprise us with something we don't find in the books. Fred is resistant to scruffing, bow for the King

I wear heavy duty gloves (like the kind for gardening), and also avoid spraying water directly on the cat, but use a sponge instead.

Also have very little water in the sink, just enough to soap the cat, and clean water in a bowl next to for rinsing with the sponge. 

Helps a bit, for all but Sissi - she can prove it is possible to get a claw grip on a steel surface