Trouble with brushing

coldwetnoz

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Has anybody had the problem of your cat scratching at you in a vicious way while you are trying to brush her? My Marghee is 10 months old and I started combing her when I brought her home at 6 weeks and weighing 1 pound. I started brushing her then every night just to get her accustomed to it. But somewhere along the way, she decided she didn't like it and started objecting. If I'm not careful she will draw blood. She has medium/long hair so it is a must for her to be brushed. What kind of approach should I take? I get her claws trimmed pretty regular and when they're trimmed she gets a good brushing! Other times it's a struggle.
 

jersharocks

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Have you tried giving treats as soon as brushing is done? If not, I'd try that. You can even work up to longer and longer brushing sessions. Start with just her head/neck area and then give a treat and let her walk away. Next time do the head/neck area and move further back and then give a treat and let her walk away. When you move up to a full brushing session, give several treats when she's done.

You could also try different brushes and combs. My cats like the zoom groom (rubber tipped brush) and I also use a greyhound comb. They hate slicker brushes, I've never seen a cat that likes a slicker brush actually now that I think of it lol.
 

susanm9006

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For a young cat I would put on some leather gloves and persist with the grooming so that they learn they can’t fight their way out of grooming. Then lots of soft talk, stroking and working gently so they feel they have less need to struggle free. Works for some cats but not all. Another solution is to use a grooming bag. It’s a bag will zippers all over. The cat’s head is free but the rest is immobilized and then you open zippers to groom whatever section needs to be done.

Also, if you have a small enclosed place, like inside a shower stall that has a door to it, you can try that. Because there is no where to run and it’s such a small space , you can set them down and then groom most of them without having to hold or pick them up.

I would also try out different kinds of brushes. You may be using on that is irritating or even painful to her skin, especially if you are brushing every day.
 
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coldwetnoz

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There is no static electricity right now.
She is okay until I start to brush the leg fur and tail. I guess I could put the treat package in the bathroom where I'm doing it, show it to her and then reward her.

Now I I like the 3rd suggestion. I am going to find something better to protect myself and carry on. Also planning to try the grooming mitt on her, my male cat likes that one. Thank you for all your suggestions.
 

Juniper_Junebug

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My 10-month old also hates brushing (at least with the brush that actually gets the job done), but she's shorthair so at least I only have to brush once a week. I use Inaba Churu tubes, a very prized treat, to bribe her. For us, it works better than treating at the end, because she get agitated pretty quickly. But I can maintain her tolerance with access to the treat after every few strokes. I can see her little tail going in annoyance but she puts up with it for the treat.
 

tarasgirl06

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There is no static electricity right now.
She is okay until I start to brush the leg fur and tail. I guess I could put the treat package in the bathroom where I'm doing it, show it to her and then reward her.

Now I I like the 3rd suggestion. I am going to find something better to protect myself and carry on. Also planning to try the grooming mitt on her, my male cat likes that one. Thank you for all your suggestions.
Thick gardening gloves may work well (they're usually made of rawhide with heavy canvas. You can get them at home/garden stores.)
My cats LOVE brushing and pursue me for it multiple times a day. That said, Elvis will sometimes swat me if he's not in the mood. I try to pick times when they are relaxed. Baby Su and Elvis are both shorthaired cats, so a slicker brush is what I use on them. With longhaired members of the family in the past, I've used a Furminator with varying success. Slicker brushes work well for all fur lengths. Of course be gentle when using it. The wire bristles can be sharp so avoid any facial areas and sensitive areas.
 

susanm9006

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One other thing to try is to brush while he is sleeping. He is still young enough to sleep pretty heavily and you might be able to get at least one side groomed while he naps.
 
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coldwetnoz

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I use a regular human comb, gently. It's better for getting the undercoat. But tonight I used the mitten on her and got some success, then I put on some thick rubber gloves that go way up and because they were a bright Chartreuse green color she seemed to be calmer. Marghee rarely naps, she is still in kittenville. When she does it's usually at the tippy top of the cat tower.Thanks.
 

Moonlight Skywriter

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Has anybody had the problem of your cat scratching at you in a vicious way while you are trying to brush her? My Marghee is 10 months old and I started combing her when I brought her home at 6 weeks and weighing 1 pound. I started brushing her then every night just to get her accustomed to it. But somewhere along the way, she decided she didn't like it and started objecting. If I'm not careful she will draw blood. She has medium/long hair so it is a must for her to be brushed. What kind of approach should I take? I get her claws trimmed pretty regular and when they're trimmed she gets a good brushing! Other times it's a struggle.

I found out that my cat too does not like to be brushed.. I thought I was kind of losing it but i found out that she loves it when i give her a taste of new food.. the food I was giving her was so greasy and making her cry when I brush her. Since I traded up and give her Merrick Pate.. in Chicken, Backcountry Chicken with Trout, any Backcountry and Merrick products without grain... so she become so soft and she does not cry anymore.. HER hair is manageable and she allows me to brush her with a soft brush.. almost like those glove brushes... she loves it.. so Maybe its her food that makes her greasy and thick fur and tangled.. Maybe try some new food... I found that this product is yes pricy but nothings not good enough for my babies..
 

jersharocks

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I use a regular human comb, gently. It's better for getting the undercoat. But tonight I used the mitten on her and got some success, then I put on some thick rubber gloves that go way up and because they were a bright Chartreuse green color she seemed to be calmer. Marghee rarely naps, she is still in kittenville. When she does it's usually at the tippy top of the cat tower.Thanks.
By human comb, do you mean plastic? If so, I think it's likely she's getting some minor static shock that maybe you can't feel. Plastic builds up static electricity when used on dry hair.

Switching to a metal comb (a greyhound comb is perfect with its long teeth) would probably help and make sure she's not on a synthetic material (like a fleece blanket) when you comb her because those build up static quickly too.

As for why she was fine with brushing before but not now, my guess is that a seasonal change may have brought more dry air and thus, more static. That's what makes the most sense to me anyway.

I went through this with my girls, our apartment got very dry this winter and they would get shocked every time I brushed them. I invested in a large humidifier (not one of those dinky ones meant for your bedroom) and the difference is night and day. Now my girls purr happily during their grooming (except when I go for the belly but they somewhat tolerate that lol) and no more little zaps for them or for me.
 

Maurey

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If you think your kitty can handle it, any conditioning or detangling spray with minimum odour is really great to introduce at a young age. It helps prevent static, and, as it says on the tin, helps with detangling. I used Groomer’s Goop 5 in 1 for a long time, but I prefer Yuup’s take on the spray more at the moment. The smell is milder, and the bottle it comes in is better at making a fine mist. I can’t brush Jum without spray at all outside of summer, as she just starts sparking!
 
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