Help My Cat Is Attacking Me When I Groom Him

[Scratchy22]

Hey guys my cat is a super chill and nice cat until it comes to brushing his fur ( he is a long haired cat) or trimming his nails. The vet told me that since he was young without a mother, i should take the role of the mother and the only thing i can do to teach him "No" is to scruff him and place him in another room. Now when he started getting aggresive after just 2 strokes of the brush, i stopped he glared at my leg and attacked it. I then put him in the other room and he started chasing me to attack me again. I closed the door and i am giving him some time to relax. He is a very calm cat and we sleep together and play everyday but he acts aggresive on some occasions and he can break skin. Any recommendations? I need some help.

 

[Scratchy22]

Edit: He is out of the room now and he is relatively calm. Still i dont like the side of him that runs to attack and bite

 

[susanm9006]

There is a grooming bag you can purchase that has zippers all over it. You put the cat in it and then I zipper the section of him you want to groom.

 

[CL56]

Could what you are grooming him with be causing static ?

 

[Hellenww]

It sounds like more than overstimulation but I can't tell if he dislikes getting brushed or sees it as an invitation to play rough. My boys get overstimulated and try to love bite. I use 2 brushes, one to brush, and one to hold by the face for them to rub/bite. If you attempt this, have a good play session and a meal before hand since your boy gets very worked up.

 

[CatLover49]

Hey guys my cat is a super chill and nice cat until it comes to brushing his fur ( he is a long haired cat) or trimming his nails. The vet told me that since he was young without a mother, i should take the role of the mother and the only thing i can do to teach him "No" is to scruff him and place him in another room. Now when he started getting aggresive after just 2 strokes of the brush, i stopped he glared at my leg and attacked it. I then put him in the other room and he started chasing me to attack me again. I closed the door and i am giving him some time to relax. He is a very calm cat and we sleep together and play everyday but he acts aggresive on some occasions and he can break skin. Any recommendations? I need some help.View attachment 287285 View attachment 287286

Such a CUTIE..

 

[Kflowers]

At his size, when you scruff him you need to put your other hand under his rear. If you carry him by the scruff only at his weight you can cause damage to his eyes. Scruffing will be just as effective this
way.

They told me to start brushing my cat early. I started before he even had any fur, he was a premi. I used the powder puff soft human baby brush. When he grew fur, I got a soft brush but a real one. The day he reached 8 or so pounds he decided he'd had enough and grabbed my wrist. He held my arm, claws resting on my skin and stared into my eyes. We came to our understanding. No more brushing. He did have to go to the vet to be sedated and have the mats cut out from time to time.

 

[CatLover49]

At his size, when you scruff him you need to put your other hand under his rear. If you carry him by the scruff only at his weight you can cause damage to his eyes. Scruffing will be just as effective this
way.

They told me to start brushing my cat early. I started before he even had any fur, he was a premi. I used the powder puff soft human baby brush. When he grew fur, I got a soft brush but a real one. The day he reached 8 or so pounds he decided he'd had enough and grabbed my wrist. He held my arm, claws resting on my skin and stared into my eyes. We came to our understanding. No more brushing. He did have to go to the vet to be sedated and have the mats cut out from time to time.

Oh my...yikes...

 

[Scratchy22]

At his size, when you scruff him you need to put your other hand under his rear. If you carry him by the scruff only at his weight you can cause damage to his eyes. Scruffing will be just as effective this
way.

They told me to start brushing my cat early. I started before he even had any fur, he was a premi. I used the powder puff soft human baby brush. When he grew fur, I got a soft brush but a real one. The day he reached 8 or so pounds he decided he'd had enough and grabbed my wrist. He held my arm, claws resting on my skin and stared into my eyes. We came to our understanding. No more brushing. He did have to go to the vet to be sedated and have the mats cut out from time to time.

I do put my hand under his belly to minimize the weight, i dont pick him up by the scruff

 

[walli]

My Cat Joey is the same way, haven't figured out the solution yet, so will be watching! It's like he likes it for a second and then he get's aggressive!
He was a stray that showed up at my house, he was about 6months old, so I don't know his past but I know he wasn't well cared for and may have been an outside cat that was abandoned?

 

[Columbine]

I agree with Hellenww - this sounds like over stimulation or petting aggression. My old (ex feral) girl was like this, and I couldn't groom her very much at all in one session, and claw clipping was out of the question. It took a lot of trial and error to find a grooming tool she'd accept. In the end I found that an old plastic hair comb was acceptable, provided I only used it when she was sleepy, and only then for short periods of time (10 passes of the comb or less most of the time, maybe 20 passes if I was extra gentle and it was a really good day).

Find a tool your boy will accept, use it sparingly, and don't try to give him a full groom in a single session. Watch his body language too - if that tail starts twitching or he starts to tense up, STOP. Even if that means one single pass of the tool at a time, and a full groom takes a few days. There's no need to get into a fight with him about it.

Some cats do better with a vet/vet tech/groomer clipping their claws, and it sounds like this might be a better solution for you. Remember, though, that claw clipping can also be done claw by claw rather than all in one go. Whatever works and keeps your boy calmest.

Play aggression is another possibility, likely in combination with the over stimulation. As he was young and without a mother, it sounds like he never got to learn cat etiquette and boundaries from other cats. Kieka and mservant have experience with only or orphan kittens, so they may have more suggestions for you.

The Dos And Don'ts Of Cat Behavior Modification
How To Stop Playtime Aggression In Cats
Cat Aggression Toward People

 

[Kieka]

It does sound like overstimulation and/or play aggression.

I've never had much luck with the time out and cat in another room. My understanding is that cats have relatively short relation memory; this leads to that only works for a minute or two after the incident. With my singleton/young orphans I find a nice hard "no" and ignoring their existence for a few seconds works wonders. It really draws the correlation that behavior X equals no attention/play. Whereas a "time out" looses it's affect when the cat because the cat doesn't understand why the human threw it in a room and left it alone. If the kitten doesn't get the tie between action and reaction after a few times then I walk away from the kitten. Which works to draw the correlation between behavior means human leaves me. All of my guys catch on fairly quickly and hold it into adulthood.

On to the grooming and nail trimming..... Link hates being touched on his body. Touching his body is asking to be bit. He doesn't get groomed or claw trimmed unless the vet does it. It's just not worth the stress on either side. I have plenty of scratching surfaces around the house and his fur is short. So I can't offer much advice on that front. Maybe try different style of brushes, limit to short sessions and trim one nail at a time over a period of time to make that work.

 

[Kflowers]

time out works best if the cat is in a frenzy or close to it, or if his pupils are dilated (in which case pick him up in a blanket to move him.) It's good for letting the adrenaline rush pass on through. The other thing time out is good for is to keep you from reacting more strongly than you really want to. The pain of the slash from a fist full of claws doesn't always bring out the best in us.

 

[mservant]

Hm, yes, there is a good reason I chose a short hair cat that a good stroke and hand ruffle through his fur is all the grooming needed.


A good friend of mine has a couple of Ragdolls. One is super fluffy and rolls about in extacy when he's groomed. He will sometimes squirm a bit when I pick him up and clip his claws but that's as far as he goes - I started clipping his claws every couple of weeks from when he was about 16 weeks. The 'big brother' is a healthy 6 1/5 K cat with massive paws. He most definitely doesn't like being groomed. I met him when he was a year old and he had a definite dislike of being handled for any more than a few seconds even when he had come over for attention. He does love being stroked and touched but only tolerates that for a few seconds. He's the only cat I know well that I haven't managed to clip at least front claws. His fur does get a little matted but thankfully it isn't too bad and he manages to keep it mostly mat free. His human tried loads of different brushes and combs with him but wasted a fortune as he wouldn't let her get in more than a couple of strokes before he'd turn his head to indicate he would bite or swat if brushing continued. This past year she found a cheep little plastic brush (think it was in a local pound store) he will let either of us brush him gently with for a few minutes at a time when he's relaxed and in the mood. It's enough to keep his fur looking healthy. It's a soft, plastic or silicone type flat brush and the prongs are not too close together or sharp.

It does sound to me more like an over stimulation reaction than not liking contact or not wanting fur groomed. Some cats must have more sensitive skin just like some humans do. That and no doubt some will have have had bad experiences.

I like the idea of 2 brushes so one for play / swat and one to brush with. That and only grooming for very short periods after which you may well find your cat will come back for more - slow, gentle strokes even if it's just a couple at a time so there's a chance of building trust that it is on their terms and stops before they start to feel pain or over stimulation.

I'm not a fan of scuffing cats as it feels so aggressive. It also tends to make cats feel more threatened and likely to attack. I prefer to use more even, constant pressure using body weight. That leaves you with both hands free too which is a big advantage. Kneel and use your legs or hold in to body with length of arms. You can position so your hands and wrists are naturally holding front legs down and make it hard for them to reach round to bite. Firm, constant pressure tends to have a calming effect. You do have to feel your way with the cat though so they can breath. It's much more controlled and less likely to hurt the cat. (My previous cats were a nightmare to handle so I had plenty practice).

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

... It took a lot of trial and error to find a grooming tool she'd accept. In the end I found that an old plastic hair comb was acceptable, provided I only used it when she was sleepy, and only then for short periods of time (10 passes of the comb or less most of the time, maybe 20 passes if I was extra gentle and it was a really good day).

Find a tool your boy will accept, use it sparingly, and don't try to give him a full groom in a single session. ...

^ This is how it was with my cat, too!

My cat attacked a brush at first. I tried using a small comb when she was dozing and that worked a little. After some months of combing, I went back to trying the brush I had used earlier and she accepted it this time (after having gotten used to the comb).

 

[kissthisangel]

Please don't scruff him at all, unless it's an emergency. You can build trust and petting. In my experience that can be wiped away with inappropriate scruffing. For me, anything that isn't a threat to health is inappropriate.

I recommend that you use a big big play session to ensure that he is tired before you attempt grooming. Then do a couple of passes with the brush so it contains his smell. Leave him be then, you don't need to focus on every single spot every time.

Slowly increase the passes that you do with the brush, 2 today, 3 tomorrow etc and vary the areas. Give a couple of treats when he accepts it with no fuss and leave him well alone after. You can leave the brush laying idle in his area as well. Just to get him used to it.

My Charlie used to hate any grooming, but now he sniffs up on the comb and allows some grooming.

We got one of those grooming arches it's like a giant pipecleaner mounted on a base. Anyway, it's probably the least hairy item in our house.

 

[CL56]

We got one of those grooming arches it's like a giant pipecleaner mounted on a base. Anyway, it's probably the least hairy item in our house.

 

[Suru]

have you tried those grooming mitts? flea combs also seem to work better than brushes. My cat hates brushing too, i dont usually groom him, but it’s shedding season... our grooming routine is pretty hilarious. at first he tries to walk away, then he tries to release the stimulation from the brush by using his scratcher, next he goes to his food bowl, next he tries to hide a bit in his little cat house, he may or may not repeat the previous steps, all the meanwhile with me chasing after him getting in as many brushes as possible. ultimately he’ll flop over and attempt to attack the brush. He knows to avoid my hands and will only go for the brush. Usually by then he’s brushed enough and we stop, but if he isn’t I stop anyway because its an indication of him reaching his tolerance threshold.
I give him a treat afterwards

You mentioned your cat is chill, but i don’t think this has much to do with personality. you can look at it as it being something physically irritating for the cat. every cat has a different tolerance level for this, just like how some people are ticklish and some are not.

For example, if I put myself in the shoes of a cat....

I’m a nice person, but if someone who can easily over power me and tickles me non stop, I would likely retaliate eventually trying to stop them from continuing. It would be super upsetting for me if that person then punished me for not tolerating the torture (which is essentially the scruffing and time out). In the future i would see such incidences with dread and fear.

So instead of punishing your cat for not tolerating the grooming, it would make more sense to reward him

i aways make sure to hiss at him properly if he nicks my hand, whether it’s on purpose or by accident. His sister yelps and hisses at the slightest scratch, so he is very well mannered. To be consistent, I make sure to do the same.

I wouldn't scruff your cat, he looks to be too old for that.