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Feline Gentling
Introduction
Gentling exercises teach cats
that hands are good things and
to accept positive
 human
leadership. It is very important
for cats to understand and trust
humans and human hands.
Establishing a daily routine of
doing gentling exercises helps
build the cat's trust and
compliance with being handled.
How to begin
Choose a time when the cat is
sleepy and relaxed. Begin by gently rubbing the
cat's back and sides by sliding the skin back and
forth over the body. Couple the massage with praise.
Use treats if needed to create a positive experience
for the cat. Over time, increase the areas you
massage. The goal is for the cat to allow and enjoy
you touching every square inch of his or her body
every day. Body massage not only teaches the cat
that hands are good things, it also teaches the cat
to allow people to take charge and control any part
of his or her body during routine grooming, exams,
treatments, lifting or moving the cat.
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This positive association
with people and being
touched also helps to
prevent aggression towards
people. |
 Practical
reasons to massage your cat
Teaching your
cat to accept handling and body
manipulation allows us the
flexibility to clean muddy paws.
If also allows us to inspect the
cat's body for any lumps, sores,
scabs or fleas. Daily routine
massage helps the cat comply and
accept the application of
medication to any part of the
body throughout life.
Starting the
massage early in life, and
continuing on a daily, weekly,
or monthly basis, communicates
to the cat that he or she has
nothing to fear, should not try
to prevent humans from gently
touching him or her anywhere,
and makes it easier for the cat
to accept massage as quality
time with people.
Range of motion
When the cat readily accepts the
massage, the next
exercise is called,
"range of motion."
Range of motion means
moving or rotating each
extremity of the cat as
far as possible within
its normal range of
motion. For example,
take each leg, push it
close to the body, then
pull it far away, pull
it forward as far as it
will comfortably go and
then back as far as it
will comfortably go.
Move the head up and
down, and back and forth
and in a circle. Over
time, move the other
extremities including
the head, the tail, the
ears, and even the nose.
With range of motion,
the goal is to move
every part of the body
gently but somewhat
against the cat's
resistance, to
desensitize the cat to
this somewhat unnatural
 type
of human handling.
Positive leadership
In some
cases, the cat might become
tense, move away, act frightened
or aggressive, or even
mouth your hand. These are signs
that the cat is stressed by the
handling. The best response to
these signs of stress is to do
less at one time, and couple
each exercise with treats and
praise. Do exercises daily
adding more time as the cat
shows acceptance. A little
stress is not only okay but can
be considered a positive as we
want the cat to learn how to
tolerate small doses of stress
without acting fearful or
aggressive.
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Another benefit to this type
of handling is that it
reinforces to the cat that
you are a powerful, yet kind
and trustworthy leader.
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 Positive
restraint
A gentle short
hug is an extension of
the gentle, loving
massage and body
manipulations. Hug your
cat a little longer each
time. If the cat becomes
upset and struggles, you
lose points. Once the
cat can be hugged
easily, try cradling the
cat like a baby.
When the cat accepts
this exercise, the next
step is to hold the cat
on your lap on his or
her side for a few
seconds. For some cats,
these exercises may need
to be done daily and
extended very gradually.
Positive
restraint is one of the more
difficult gentling exercises.
Therefore, it is important to
go slowly. Use food
treats during the process to
reassure the cat that nothing is
wrong. Praise the cat for
acceptance of any restraint.
As soon as the cat begins to
relax, let the cat up.
When you give back his or her
freedom with praise and a
cookie, you show the cat that
you are NOT trying to hurt the
cat.
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and euthanasia!
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