Can I hurt my cat by picking him up too much?

DucatiHoney

DucatiHoney

Administrator
Staff member
I'm really not a crazy cat lady...yet. I have a couple of these little critters running about the abode and one of them is verrrrry attached to me. It's a little strange actually. But it's cute, so whatever. QUESTION: This cat likes to be picked up like a child. He reaches up with his front legs and jumps and meows at me until I pick him up under the arms, like a little kid. And then he likes to sit on my shoulder like a parrot while I do stuff around the house. He does this several times a day and I'm a little concerned that I might be hurting him over time with the picking up motion. He's 2 years old now and very lean. I just don't want to pop his shoulder out when he's 12. Anybody know? I can't find anything online.
 
V4

V4

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE
Cats are much limber and stronger than you think...it will already brace itself to adjust to the way it's getting picked up without harming itself..I usually pick up my cat under its arm and give support by its hind legs..

If you ever picked up a rag doll cat, it loosens up all its limbs and hang there just like its name...
 
V4

V4

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE
Oh and it's letting you pick it up by permission..in its mind, its a cats world and you are just a guest in it...
 
Marlowe

Marlowe

Beer Whisperer
Srsly?

You're fine, I've done that with 20 year old cats.

They'll let you know when things hurt -- but remember, they're almost all cartilage and limber in ways you can only dream of.
 
TheRobSJ

TheRobSJ

Großer Mechaniker
DucatiHoney said:
He reaches up with his front legs and jumps and meows at me until I pick him up under the arms, like a little kid.
Click to expand...

I would support his hind legs as you pick him up but I'd say there's nothing wrong with it. And I know exactly what you're talking about looks like...
 

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Momo-san

Momo-san

Peachy!
Don't worry about it. While kitty-cats do have a shoulder joint, it isn't quite the way we normally think of them. Their humerus does articulate with the scapula (shoulder-blade) but if you think of the entire forelimb as a unit, that unit does not have a bone-to-bone (via ligaments) connection with the clavicles/ribcage/thorax, like we do. The forelimb is sort of free-floating in there with muscular attachments instead.

It is the same for dogs but cats have greater flexibility in that region--this in part allows kitties to perform their feats of acrobatics and to jump from crazy heights without injury (usually). The humerus/scapula joint certainly could become disarticulated, but it would take serious trauma to the area. In fact, I have seen plenty of dogs with a "popped out" shoulder joint, but never a cat--

This means lots of picking up your kitteh and giving him squishy hugs with no worries :love
 
Entoptic

Entoptic

Red Power!
There are many different ways to pick up a cat and they will adjust to how you pick them up. If you are looking for a safe way to do it without them digging their claws into your nice clothing then I suggest scooping them from side and under their front armpits placing their breast bone in the palm of your hand. Once you begin to lift put your other hand under their hind legs. A cat will usually then adjust so that your palm is no longer on their chest and instead on their front legs. Cats seem to hate two thing when being lifted off the ground. Nothing under their hind legs and being turned over on their back to the point that they can't see the ground.
 
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