Grasping cats by the neck is the normal holding procedure for them. It does not hurt them so do not be afraid to do so. After you have a firm grasp of the scruff of their neck, gentle place them on their sides. After Jen has grab the kitten by the scruff of his neck and gently placed him on his side. Here Jen is restraining the kitten head while holding off the vein in the arm so a blood sample can be pulled or an IV catheter can be installed.
Ferrets can be very agile and quick animals.
He Jen is holding the head and front legs so a technician can try to obtain blood from its neck. Ferrets' skin is usually thick and sometimes they are hard to obtain blood this way. Sometimes we are required to place the animal on their backs to get blood from them. Grabbing ferrets by the scruff of the neck has a tranquilizing effect on them. By doing so we are allowed to clip nails, clean ears and exam the animal.