DOES PUTTING BUTTER ON CATS PAWS WORK? ODD TRICK?
Does putting butter on cats paws work? Have you ever heard that putting butter on cats’ paws can prevent them from running away after moving to a new home? Is that a tale or myth from the past, or is there some truth in it?
Putting butter on cats’ paws, it said to be a way to prevent your cat from running away once he moved into the new home because he would start grooming himself, and the scent of the old house would be forgotten. It is also said to be a way for a cat to release the stress since he has to groom himself. Others say that when a cat is walking away, he leaves traces of butter in his path, and this would indicate to him the way back to the new home, so he doesn’t get lost.
Let’s examine it.
DOES PUTTING BUTTER ON CATS PAWS WORK?
There is a say or a tail that tells us about buttering cats’ paws. Standing to this tail, if you move house and you do not want your cat running away and get lost, or go back to the old house one has to put butter on their paws. Standing on this tail, cats would not run away.
I own cats for a long time; my parents come from rural backgrounds, meaning their parents had lands they would cultivate and had experience with animals, including cats. I asked them, and they told me it is just a tail and that it is not really a method to prevent cats from getting lost.
I was intrigued, though, when I heard about it, and I wondered if there was any truth in it since from time to time, it comes up and seems that some people forward to their children this method. Some people do use this method and say it works. I did extensive research and read everything there is to read about it.
I have moved several times with my cats; since my cats are indoors, I did not have to do anything besides getting them comfortable. At that time, I did not know anything about butter on cats’ paws either.
But I know my cats very well, and I can tell you that if I put butter in their paws, one will bite me and hit me, the other one will lick it all.
Standing to the people who have done it with their cats each time they moved, they stated it is successful and had gotten the results to keep their cats coming back and not bolt. The part that makes sense of that method is that a cat would groom himself after getting butter on his paws. Cats are clean animals; while cleaning, they remove the old scent and put new scent around the environment.
Does putting butter on cats paws work? Ultimately I do believe that depends on the cats, they have different personalities, and in some cats, it may work, and in some other, it may not.
Where does this tale come from? It is one of these things that goes from mouth to mouth, and from generation to generation, it is like the old grandmother homemade flu remedy herbal tea, whatever you call it. I guess there is some truth in it, in the part that works, of course.
Would I do it? I probably not like my cat’s dirty, and they do not like it either. If my cats were outdoor cats and used to go out, I may have given it a try, just because I would be too worried. I can’t really have cats that roam around. I would have heart attacks every time they don’t come back or come back later than usual.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Here some related questions to: “Does putting butter on cats paws work?” and related answers:
- Is it OK to give cats butter?
It is a diary; therefore, it is not a good idea; cats could have problems. Some cats are going to like it for sure, but it is not healthy for them. Maybe a little bit here and there as a treat can be fine, but I would not make it a habit.
- I am moving with my cat, what is the best thing to do?
I wrote a full article about tips and tricks you can use to make your cat comfortable moving and better oriented in the new house. Believe me, one of my cats is scared like a rabbit each time something moves. Can you imagine moving? So I had to learn all the possible ways to keep him cool.
I have to alert you that the article is more geared around moving with indoor cats, not outdoor. Cats that use to roam around and come back home are a different thing. It is recommended to keep them indoors for a while until they get used to the new home and then let them out. I would still supervise them outside for a while until they know the outside pretty well. But if you know your cat is smart, you can play it by ear.
- What else I can do with butter on cats paws?
If a cat has cracked paws, butter can ease the situation and make them more comfortable. It is another way to utilize butter. They even sell butter for cats paws in case they hurt their paws!
CONCLUSION
Does putting butter on cats paws work? Let us know your experience with it; write in the comment below. We would like to know if you had success or not and how your cat reacted.
