Charlie was a semi feral kitten that we worked with for WEEKS before even attempting to pick her up & hold her. After several weeks of non-invasive socialization techniques she learned to trust humans, loved to be pet & played with. Now, if she fought through this process of teaching her to be held for short periods of time, we would immediately stop & not continue with this protocol. We should never force any animal to do something they don't want to do, unless because of an emergency or medical reason.
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Having cats desensitized to being picked up & held for short periods of time can be important for transport, emergency issues & medical reasons. BUT we can certainly teach a kitty to be okay with being picked up & held for very short periods of time, rather than forcing them to be held for long periods of time, causing them immense stress & discomfort. We always need to do what is best for the animal & not cause unneeded & unnecessary stress.
6 дек 2020
