Hi, LL, piqué, Steve, etc.,

My mother was a vet tech for a Cornell Dr. and trained with Cornell for her certification.

This is exactly how you hold them to give shots, etc. to prevent them from being a danger to themselves or to you.

I should probably reiterate that she had escaped. I was outside with her.

She's never acted like this in 12 years. She would not stop attacking me.

Again, this was happening outside. She's an inside cat. I can not leave her outside. She had a foster family until she was 9 weeks and then us. She would get lost outside. She would get run over in the street.

So, I put her in a small nylon shopping bag to get her and me safely inside.

I have always picked up cats by the scruff of the neck if I wanted them to go limp and not resist. Granted, I've never had a Maine Coon. I don't know if I would try that tactic with a really large cat.

Aha. She was an inside cat. You know, we had this problem with our most recent cat, Boo. She had totally been indoors, but a couple of times we either allowed her into the backyard or she escaped through the back door. Both times, she turned into a wild cat when we tried to bring her back indoors. I think the sudden stimulation of the outdoor smells and spaces just overwhelmed her somehow.

quote:

Originally posted by LL:
THAT was open arms?

Horrible.

grrr....

"Finally, we had to stuff her in a nylon shopping bag and tie it up."

grrr....

No, LL. That was catch and release. She had to be caught outside and brought inside and released. She made abought 18 bloody gashes on both my hands. The alternative was to let her get lost in the streets and run over by a car or truck. She's walked out the front door in the past and even made a game of running away into the back yard, hiding under the shed. She once even got lost for three days in a wind storm. She has never been in trouble when she returned home, not even in this unique circumstance when she was violent, because she sensed the presence of another animal, or because she was was sick. I never do anything but welcome her back into the house with open arms because it is imperative that she feel at home.

quote:

Originally posted by RealPlayer:
Aha. She was an inside cat. You know, we had this problem with our most recent cat, Boo. She had totally been indoors, but a couple of times we either allowed her into the backyard or she escaped through the back door. Both times, she turned into a wild cat when we tried to bring her back indoors. I think the sudden stimulation of the outdoor smells and spaces just overwhelmed her somehow.

What's up with the cat avatar? I like it!

quote:

Originally posted by Daniel:
What's up with the cat avatar? I like it!

It's a stock avatar on WTF. Go to Personal Zone, then "View/Edit Complete Profile" and "Edit" your avatar. There are 3 or 4 screens of avatars you can select from.

Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:
I've never had a cat. I know it's common with rabbits, but is it common to pick up cats by the scruff of the neck?

Kittens, yes. Cats, not so much.

jf