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RE: Why does scruffing a cat paralyze them?
I love this! The science behind the kitten instinctively going motionless so mama can transport the fluff baby to safety... "scruffing" is the one trick to get Bobi the Bad to calm down when he goes after daughter's ankles (is it really only in play? He seems out to get the one person in the house who loves him and dotes on him the most - because she's the youngest/weakest?). You know your cats! Thanks for this post.
Nipping at the ankles can happen for a number of reasons but in this case it's possibly a playful reaction your kitty has as it wants to hunt and pounce. If Bobi is young, it should subside after some time if not encouraged to play with hands or feet. Have your daughter keep a toy on hand to direct the cat's attention.
If play gets a little out of hand, a firm "no!" and ignoring them for a while should get the message across. Remember to shower Bobi with lots of love and attention, good luck!
Thank you!
Bobi is age 8. Last year the daughter moved out; we thought he'd forget about the ankle attacks but whenever she comes home, he remembers. She's tried yelling NO, stomping a foot, distracting him, all to no avail. Once in a great while he'll do this to me: if I'm writing, and the moving pencil is just too much for him to resist, e.g., but otherwise, she is the ONLY victim of his shenanigans. He loves to play hide and seek at bedtime, and I'm the only one who'll play it his way. Or play with him at all. Poor Bobi. If he didn't persecute all cats, he'd have a playmate. One summer our daughter's cat was here (she had an internship in Ghana), and the two cats wrestled daily, but not to the point of injury. They both seemed much happier when Beedle the Evil Jungle Prince moved out again. Beedle is a beast... strong, lean, lithe, athletic... and could eat Bobi for breakfast, but somehow respected Bobi having been here first. Same with our Maine Coon. He could have killed Bobi with one crunch of his massive jaws. But Merlin was a butterfly, and Bobi got him evicted for Merlin's own peace of mind. Bobi the Bad - he earned that one!