http://www.break.com/index/how-to-deactivate-a-cat-2081407
Any cat owning dopers willing to try this out? I know picking a cat up by the scruff makes it more docile but this is unreal!
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I watched that video, and while it was clear to me that the cat was unharmed, it still totally creeped me out, the way the cat just…stopped. And I don’t even like the little furballs that much, but still. Ew.
ETA: And I’m sure some Doper has the Cat from Hell, that, when this is tried, only goes BERSERK and tries to eat everything. 
depends on the cat. it works on turk, my long hair, when i’m trying to get to his tummy to brush him. maggie, otoh, will try to eat my face off or reduce one or both hands to stumps if i try that manuever.
[Gene Wilder Whisper] Give him an extra dollar[/GWW]
We can end the thread right here, I think, 'cause further replies will not improve it.
Can’t see the link. what happened?
They put a binder clip on the scruff of a cat. Said cat immediately freezes in the position he was in. vet then very gently lays the cat down on its side. Cat obligingly doesn’t move. The vet removes the clip, and the cat reanimates.
Really, it’s like a switch!
It’s an innate feline behavior. Useful I guess in the evolutionary sense because that’s how mama cats carry their young around. I’ve heard that it mimics that feeling that mom’s picking me up and I better sit still.
Still, some innate behaviors can be un-learned. My cat, Cuervo was a rescue, and for about four weeks after I got him, he was quarantined in a spare bathroom. He constantly heard water running, flushing and - when I’d run the shower to generate steam to loosen his URI - extended showers.
He was, and still is a very loud purrer, especially whenever I’m near by. One day when he was still very young, the doc was getting frustrated trying to listen to his heart because he was purring so loud. She said no problem, she’d run some water in the sink because cat’s won’t purr when they hear running water. (hunting instinct? )
Ha. He heard the water running and rolled over purring even louder.
The cat is scruffed with a large binder clip and goes stark still. The owner picks the cat up, lays it over on its side, and the cat does nothing. As soon as the clip comes off, the cat returns to normal, gets up, and looks around as if to say “what the hell?”
It kind of makes sense; if you ever see a kitten being carried by the scruff by its mother, it goes perfectly limp in the same way. It seems to be instinctual; mothers only really carry their young that way when it’s urgent that they be moved quickly and with a minimum of hassle.
Funny side note: this video is going around on Tumblr with the tag “kitty Vulcan nerve pinch.”
Grabbing the scruff will often subdue a cat. But be warned: does not work for all cats, and they can become “unsubdued” very quickly if you attempt to do something they do not like, such as apply Revolution to their skin …
Yikes, maybe it’s me, but while I understand the scruffing thing, I can NOT get with the binder clip. Clip one of those onto your finger. It hurts!
I’m glad it’s not just me. But the cat really didn’t seem to mind!
My dog-owning friend says that it works with dogs, too.
Amusingly, the title of the linked page is “How to deactivate a cat video”. To which I thought “Easy, uninstall Flash”.
ETA: deleted post. I just realized you already acknowledged that you understand the scruffing thing, so my post isn’t needed.
I understand where you’re coming from, but a cat’s scruff is just skin and fur and practically evolved for grabbing purposes, while a human finger is a sensitive part of the hand with muscle and bone. Whenever my cat has gotten vaccinations, they’ve injected him in the scruff and he acts like nothing is even happening. I don’t think it hurts them.
And ferrets, in my experience.
This works really well with one of my cats, she automatically shuts down when scruffed. It is very useful when it comes time to cut her nails.
The other one is a little more resistant to the technique.
Okay, that is officially the oddest thing I’ve seen all week.
Where oh where are all my large binder clips? All three cats need their nails clipped and if it even works on one…think the tiny ones will work?