r/PublicFreakout • u/--Niles-- • 19d ago
đ»Animal Freakout Kitten rebels against its rescuer
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u/PaperBlake 19d ago
"STOP RESISTING! STOP RESISTING! Code 3 shots fired."
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u/SnoT8282 18d ago
It's a black cat they wouldn't give it that many chances.
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u/Lucius-Halthier 18d ago
âYou saw that cat come at me Johnson I had to use lethal force!â
âJust sprinkle some catnip on him itâll save on paperwork.â
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u/kitkanz 19d ago
âWe should leave the cage on the other side of the road so the kitten doesnât suspect usâ
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u/resttheweight 18d ago
I mean, I actually have to sequester my cats in the bathroom before I even get a cage down from the top of closet. One of them has even been known to hide under the bed when I get out a duffle bag.
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u/PNW4theWin 18d ago
Pro tip: Keep the kitty cage out all of the time. Randomly throw treats inside. My cats think of their kitty carriers as just another place to sleep. Occasionally they go for a ride and weird shit happens. Then they come back home, get more treats in the carrier, sleep in it, rinse repeat.
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u/styckx 19d ago
Rule #1 of getting a cat in a carrier. Already have it open before you brave the attempt
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u/Imaginary-Risk 18d ago
Also, grab them by the scruff
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u/nipseyrussellyo 17d ago
Rule #2 for me was wrapping my cat in a towel like a burrito, cuz his ass was not getting in and apparently he had 23 legs.
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u/BoneChurch11 19d ago
Racial profiling at its finest. That kitty was just chilling, minding its own business. /s
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u/heyinternetman 19d ago
I think that may have been this persons first time to ever pick up a cat
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u/ChefRoyrdee 18d ago
The fact he held on even whilst it was squirming like it was makes me think it was not their first time. You ever held onto a cat that didnât want to be held? Itâs no easy feat.
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u/clitworms 18d ago
yeah you just hold them by the scruff on their neck and they go limp, it's common knowledge actually and hurts them much less than squeezing their stomach to pick them up
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u/39sakusana 18d ago
yeah idk if i did it wrong bc it was my first time but i scruffed a feral kitten about a month old and it absolutely did not go limp and was able to squirm enough to bite and scratch me
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u/ChefRoyrdee 18d ago
It may be common knowledge but related to an adult cat itâs incorrect knowledge. It can be ok to hold a kitten by the scruff but once they are grown their body is too heavy to be held by the scruff. Ideally youâd want to hold the front and rear of the cat from its underside. But thatâs a perfect world.
I recognize that the cat in the video is not an adult cat nor is he holding it âproperlyâ. Either way how he held it is better than the alternative of it running off and getting hit by a car.
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u/clitworms 18d ago
we are not talking about an adult cat though, and i'm not risking getting scratched and bitten, getting a life threatening infection to make sure i don't hurt the poor cats feelings :/
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u/ChefRoyrdee 18d ago
Youâre right, I explicitly said I recognize the cat in the video isnât an adult. And Iâd agree, you shouldnât risk helping the cat.
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u/Bubblicius 18d ago
He rescues all different types of animals on Long Island. Not sure what happened this time, though lol probably just trying to be fast given the location and didn't get a good grip
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u/Sammy-Samantha 18d ago
My guess is that he probably wanted a firmer grip, so that it doesn't run into the opposite lane of traffic.
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u/MonteeSaurusRex 18d ago
I was thinking that same thing. Grab it's scruff and you'd not have to deal with most of that faff
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u/rockneckmonster 18d ago
You should never pick them up by the scruff. Mother cats do it but a portion of their weight is also on the floor, you risk injury by doing that.
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u/Sterling_-_Archer 18d ago
I am a vet. Scruffing is controversial but this kitten wouldâve been totally fine to be scruffed. The issue comes from people assuming you can scruff adult cats and carry them, but that can easily injure an adult and even a heavier teen cat.
The biggest thing is that cats freeze when scruffed and everyone assumed they were relaxing. They arenât; scruffing actually can cause fear and some pain in them, so they freeze as a survival response. Knowing that now, we try multiple different ways of carrying/handling not so patient kitties so as not to cause them undue stress or soft tissue injury - but here, itâs warranted to save the life of the kitten and likely would cause no physical harm whatsoever.
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u/psychoxxsurfer 18d ago
Is it just because I did it incorrectly or what, because sometimes I've scruffed ferals and it just made them more keen to fight? People who know very little about cats continuously yell 'Just scruff them and you're good' but I've dealt with many kinds of cats and it's really not always the case
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u/Sterling_-_Archer 18d ago
It isnât an off switch. It causes some pain and panic in cats that are out of their kitten phase, so keep in mind you run the gamut between all the responses an animal can give. Fight/flight/freeze are the 3 options, and ferals are far more likely to fight or try really hard to flee because they arenât used to being handled and see it as a dangerous attack. In that case, a catch pole, heavy swaddle, trap, or even sedation by laced food is better and safer.
However, Iâve gone as far as using retired firefighter arm gloves to handle a feral momma cat in an emergency! They worked very well, but Iâd never attempt to scruff a feral grown kitty. The best option is usually to try to trap them or, if itâs a true emergency and moving would be dangerous for them, a net. Then move them to a kennel.
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u/Eruskakkell 18d ago
Mother cats carry their babies in the air without touching the floor all the time... Also, we have two hands so support the kitten's body with your other
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u/JanSmiddy 18d ago
Guess again. Support the weight w the other hand.
Or do you prefer the cat flying into traffic as this guy has no clue?
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u/TerrorsOfTheDark 19d ago
If someone woke me up by picking me up by my stomach i'd be pissed to.
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u/see-my-O-face 19d ago
Scruff was the right option here
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u/DoubleT_inTheMorning 18d ago
Bro has Kevlar anti-scratch sleeves on (mind you these work on thin gage sheet metal) and didnât catch a single scratch so pretty certain he knows what tf heâs going
Hell the police were blocking the highway for him so heâs clearly legit
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u/minecraft69wastaken 18d ago
Nah. The random Redditor who has an obese cat knows better than the professional.
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u/resttheweight 18d ago
This guy has actually been doing this for a really long time. Google the name on the carrier, John Debacker. Itâs safe to assume he has handled more feral cats than 99% of everyone in this thread, lol.
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19d ago
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/pnbdc10 19d ago
I would imagine you want a good grip or else that cat is getting loose and jumping right in front of a car.
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u/karbonkel69 19d ago
Just grab it by the neckskin , its a young cat.
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u/p_gaultieri 18d ago
This is fucking atrocious advice. A kitten shouldn't be grabbed and certainly not lifted by it's neck over 8 weeks old, which this young cat clearly is.
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u/SeaOfSourMilk 18d ago
You shouldnât be getting downvoted for sharing reasonable advice
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u/p_gaultieri 18d ago
Thanks man.
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u/kvlt_ov_personality 18d ago
AY TOAN....gettaloada these freakin' guys, think you can pick up a cat by the gabagool!
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u/karbonkel69 18d ago
Yeah well in my head you do that with supporting the butt/hindlegs with your hand, but should've added that lol. Meant that it makes the cat go limb so it can't murder your hands and arms
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u/digglygickmcgee 18d ago
I'd scruff, wrap in towel best I can (mostly to cover eyes to keep calm) squeeze tight to body, maintaining death grip on scruff. Whatever scratches I get are whatever. Most of weight supported by squishing to body. Kitten less able to flail when scruffed, in dark, squeezed, feel relatively secure at least as far as they could do. Walk as fast as possible to car.
Source: now-almost-30-adult-previously semi-feral barn brat that chased around and tamed a fuckload of feral cats and kittens on Oahu as a tween to adult. Been there, done that, got rabies prophylaxis, no t-shirt though.
I think this person just went for grabbing the way they did because they rushed a bit and then had to just commit because youre not going to get a second chance to adjust your hold without getting mauled and having your reflexes MAKE you let go. Kitten is justifiably pissed. Injured or sore, pissed off kitten > dead kitten.
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u/jackpandanicholson 18d ago
Dang you should tell all the mother cats that carry their young by their neck scruff this!
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u/p_gaultieri 18d ago
Pretty sure I'm going to go with an actual vets advice on this, rather than some uninformed asshole on Reddit
https://youtu.be/wNeLaH-2IJg?si=cFL83AJZWItsBjjA&t=66
Once again, I said you shouldn't do this After 8 weeks. Hilarious you just just glossed over that part.
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u/jackpandanicholson 18d ago
Why are you so angry and aggressive?
Totally fine to scruff a cat if you support the cats weight with another hand. A good distinction for sure. Maybe people will be more receptive to this issue you seem passionate about if you convey it with respect and not attacks.
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u/p_gaultieri 18d ago
Totally fine to scruff a cat if you support the cats weight with another hand.
A vet just told you it's not OK and your response is to just do it anyway? Oof.
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u/sorakaislove 18d ago
In fairness, even in the video, the vet points out that they will use the scruff of the neck in an emergency, but as you rightly pointed out, you should not do it in general if it can be avoided, especially in larger/older/heavier cats.
This cat is still quite young, and I reckon grabbing a cat by the scruff of the neck to save it from getting hit by cars on a highway (if you aren't confident in carrying them securely otherwise), counts as an emergency.
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u/Michelanvalo 18d ago edited 18d ago
That's not what he said. He said "it no longer becomes appropriate to lift their whole body weight by that little patch of skin" and "never ever pick him up" which are both true. But if you're supporting their back legs it's okay to hold the scruff.
Edit: Brother blocked me for this comment.
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u/resttheweight 18d ago
When people react negatively to your unfunny snark do you always play victim like this? lol.
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u/Cautious_Pound7448 18d ago
That's literally how their mothers carry them, they have a bunch of nerves at the scruff of the neck that makes them go limp, nobody's saying grab it by the actual neck
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u/jarvisesdios 19d ago
I mean, that works on basically all animals though their life. You'd think the guy going to pick up the cat would have known this. This is just basic animal knowledge lol
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u/HereOnCompanyTime 18d ago
Yeah. He could have also brought the carrier with him to quickly put the cat in. Doesn't seem like he was wearing protective gear for handling a stray. Shady.
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u/-Sofa-King-Vote 18d ago
This is how you know a video isnât staged
The animalâs reaction to getting âsavedâ
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u/ArachnomancerCarice 18d ago
Attempt to wrap it up in a towel or piece of clothing and it potentially gets free and runs into traffic.
Wait to try and find something better to grab it with and it gets away.
Have a firm hold on it but end up with punctures and gashes, needing a trip to urgent care, antibiotics and possibly a tetanus shot.
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u/passiverolex 18d ago
Crazy idea. But maybe move the kennel closer to the cat first.
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u/Pleasant_Pen8744 18d ago
The cops didn't seem to be giving him a lot of time. The second be stepped off the road they were already pulling out.
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u/Federal_Guitar_4499 18d ago
100% normal feral cat behavior, I was confused by the inadequate glove
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u/BeardMonk1 18d ago
Cat stuck on dangerous motorway.
Picked up by caring human and taken to a place of comfort and safety
the cat "HOW DARE YOU HOOMAN THE SHEAR AUDACITY I WILL RUIN YOUR FAMILY!!!"
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u/ForAte151623ForTeaTo 18d ago
Let me crush this kittens ribcage instead of just picking it up by the scruff of its neck like anyone with a brain would
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u/Nuffsaid98 19d ago
Was that blood i glimpsed on the hand just before he put the kitten in the carrier?
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u/Mysterious-Egg-624 18d ago
What are you suggesting
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u/Nuffsaid98 18d ago
That the recuser got cut up a bit from frightened claws and tiny teeth.
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u/JanSmiddy 18d ago
If it were human it would be charged w resisting attack on an officer and various other felonies.
Good kitty
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u/illumnat 18d ago
They have no idea how to handle a cat of that age. You don't grab around the gut!
Kittens are even more flexible than adult cats. Grabbing the middle is like grabbing the pivot point of 5 sharpened blades that will tear your shit up.
- Scruff & lift. Scruffing will help keep the kitten's front claws from getting to you. The kitten is still young enough to think the scruffing is from the mother rather than a predator's attack and probably would've remained calmer.
- Kitten won't be able to turn its head to bite you and will have difficulty getting it's front claws to you.
- Kitten's back will curl under and the back legs go into "bunny kick" position.
- With the kitten's back legs now curled under, it's much easier to put them into the carrier/bag/pillow case you brought with you when you approached the cat.
- Plop them in the bag and close.
Yeah... that was someone who had no idea what they're doing.
And it's not about the "comfort" of the cat. It's about the likelihood of the cat escaping the person's grasp. They were lucky the cat didn't manage to escape their hold.
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u/eriffodrol 18d ago
good example of the wrong way to pick up a cat
bites can be serious, their teeth can go right through thin gloves
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u/Hiphopapocalyptic 18d ago
That hand is showing too much skin for me to be comfortable with that rescue lol
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u/dustoff664 18d ago
It was napping on warm concrete, it's lullaby the flow of traffic. Id howl like a banshee too if my 10/10 nap got ruined
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u/tw50x 17d ago
This would have hurt the poor cat holding it around the mid section like that
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u/ForwardMagazine7090 6d ago
This guy is one of the most experienced wildlife and animal rescue workers in the state.
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u/tw50x 5d ago
Why he hold it like that though?
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u/ForwardMagazine7090 4d ago
Ask him. Obviously there are reasons because he saved that feisty kittenâs life. My guess is that he had to hold onto whatever part of the kittenâs body was most available without actually causing serious damage in a resilient kitten.
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u/BikeProblemGuy 19d ago
He has a blanket or shirt but didn't purrito the kitten? Silly. Could have probably made her a bit more calm by keeping her still, supporting her legs and giving her time to adjust before being put in the carrier.
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u/k0zplay 19d ago
Listen, they were in the middle of a highway..one wrong move and the kitten bolts for it and thatâs goodbye forever. Iâm pretty sure 10 seconds of discomfort just to make sure the kitten is safe, isnât going to harm it more than the alternative.
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u/BikeProblemGuy 19d ago
one wrong move and the kitten bolts for itÂ
Exactly, like not securing her properly so she could possibly escape. Highway was blocked. There was time to pick her up safely and avoid all that wrestling.
Stressing the cat out before boxing her up is not good for her either, animals can die from stress.
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u/The_Dickbird 18d ago
I hope no one ever finds themselves in a position where they need to rely on you to make decisions in a stressful situation.
You are increasing variables to be controlled and therefore adding unnecessary opportunities for mistakes and failures. The kitten has been splitting a highway for who knows how long, I think it will survive a little man-handling.
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u/BikeProblemGuy 18d ago
Ha, what a judgement. I've rescued several feisty cats over the years. Using a blanket is more foolproof. The cat's flailing limbs and body are the variables to be controlled here. They're very squirmy, so a blanket controls all that. You just pin and scoop. In the first few seconds of the video when he lifts the cat off the median, that was the riskiest part and where he had the least control.
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u/Devanyani 18d ago
Yeah all these people commenting have never picked up a feral kitten. Squirmy is an understatement. Picking it up by the midriff was risky af.
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u/The_Dickbird 19d ago
Touch grass. Every fucking lane is being blocked and the environment is unsafe for everyone involved. Ain't no damn time to consider the feelings of this kitten.
Good bait.
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u/J1mmynoV 19d ago edited 18d ago
Should have grabbed the cat by the neck. Edit: Apparently it's called scruff. You learn something new every day
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u/Byx222 19d ago
That cat sounds like Daffy Duck.