Can a kitten be carried by the entire neck and not just by the loose skin?

I pick up my male kitten by the loose skin or the "scruff" on his neck, but my female dog keeps trying to pick him up by the WHOLE neck, with her mouth completely around his neck. The kitten continues to purr, so I wasn't too worried, but I've never raised a puppy or kitten young enough to be carried like that before, so I wanted to make sure.

Can a kitten be carried by the entire neck and not just by the loose skin?
It surprises me to see how many people answer questions that they dont even have a clue what they are talking about!!!!! Its not harmful to the kitten, as long as the dog doesnt begin to sling the cat around trying to play. The cats not gonna die, and would protest being carried by its neck before this would kill it. Basically, if the cat starts to protest, then you should be worried!
Reply:if the kitty seems comfortable with your dog holding him with her neck, then there is nothing to worry i guess but i wouldn't personally lift him up by his neck. just sounds a big scary to me.
Reply:ALWAYS BY THE SKIN BECAUSE THE KITTEN CAN DIE BY BEING PIKED UP BY THE NECK
Reply:It is normal for dogs to do that to their pups, but cats have smaller mouths so they only pick them up from their scruff. It is fine as long as the dog is gently picking her up. If she is rough housing with the kitten then dont allow her to do it. Other wise the kitten should be fine.
Reply:How young is your kitten first of all, I'm hoping its at least 8 weeks old so it can try to get away more easily if ever necessary. What kind of dog and how big is your dog (just wondering)? I'm not one to pick up a kitten by the scruff, but my vet does it to my cats when they get wild on him to calm them down. Your dog just has a strong motherly instinct. I wouldn't let your dog continue doing this since she is putting the whole neck in her mouth. She could accidently harm the kitten. Use supervision with your kitten and dog. You may want to consider keeping them seperated when your not at home. I have 13 cats and one kitten (4 month old rescued) along with a 11 yr old wolf mix and a 4 yr. old mix of everything (another rescue). We kept the kitten in a cage at nite or when no one was home for the kittens safety until we were sure the dogs and other cats wouldn't hurt him. We use the term "baby" when introducing all pets into our home, it seems to help espically with the wolf mix. It's her cue that the pet is staying in our home to be part of the family. Good luck.
Reply:It all depends on whether or not the kitten seems to be enjoying it, or how tightly the dog is gripping the kitten's neck. If you watch any shows that feature lions (Animal Planet, etc) you'll see that lionesses will just pluck up their cubs by the entire neck, same for domestic cats or dogs. Dogs don't -normally- pick up their young by the neck, but it's not something that's a shocker. They'll do it if they feel that they should, or have to. It's a really cute thing to imagine, then again I'm sure you've heard of a bear befriending a tabby and doing the same to it---hauling it around by the neck, gently of course. (%26lt;--that sounds horrific to think about, but it's not...really.)





Besides, your dog's mouth is probably fairly big to be nit-picky about grabbing only the 'scruff', cats do it that way mostly because they have smaller mouths that aren't elongated like a dog's.
Reply:it is normal that is part where kittens feel no pain