Butter on the pawas does it work?

[Kazz]

I know its an odd title but a lady has just moved two doors down fromm my sister she has a cat and she was talking to my sister and Mom.
And Mom said " keep her in for a week then when you let her out put some butter on her paws" - - I know its an old wives tale but wonder if it does work a cat would sit and lick the butter off their paws hence staying put and maybe summing up there surrondings.

Maybe theres an element of truth in most wives tales.

[Mags]

I know this is an age old saying Kazz but whether it works or not, I don't know. I never put butter on Sam's or Cassie's paws when they first went out and they came back, no trouble.

However my elderly neighbour swears by it, she has said she had used butter with all her cats.....and they've always come back!!

I think, personally, it tends to give the worried owner a bit more confidence about letting the cat out for it's first venture.....

I would add though, that I have always kept a new cat/kitten indoors for 2-3 weeks before allowing it out.....

[Luke]

Well my mom being an old wife herself (she would kill me if she read that! lol) tends to believe in things like this...i remember Clementine having the 'butter' treatment..and as Kazz 'for-saw', Clementine just sat licking the butter off....would wander so far then do it over again..and the next day she seemed to gather where things were.
I 'think' most of the other cats had it done to them too...didnt with Elsa-couldnt get near enough!!

[Fran]

No smoke without fire or so they say I do believe there must be an element of truth in old wives tales..Never tried the butter thing myself, however

[Snoof]

I'm sure the butter-on-the-paws thing works as a soothing thing - much like babies derive comfort from suckling, cats would have to get some sort of positive reinforcement in the form of hormones (maybe?) that calm them down and make them feel comforted/happy/whatever from licking - since they need to do it to survive and maintain good health by grooming.

I'd never heard of it in terms of making sure cats come back home, though - I tend to keep new cats in for about a month (unless they are, at the end of that month, too young or too unwell to go out, of course).