Never mind the toys---BRUSH MEEEE!!!

OK this will be my 100th post, and I have to say I am REALLY happy about this post. I showed up on this forum to ask for help as to how to get my escaped semi-feral back, what to do once I got him, and how to get him to the vet. After accomplishing all three I now just have to get him to feel more comfortable in our home.

So far he has seemed more scared of the toys than anything. I do notice that sometimes the jingle ball and lighted ball have been moved around in the night. But interactive toys? Forget it.

While we were at the vet I finally got a good look at his coat. OMG he is beautiful, or maybe I am biased. He has the look of a wild animal. His tail looks like a raccoon, although not as bushy. We are in the right part of the world for him to have a little Maine Coon in him, and he is one sturdy, hardy boy. I kept seeing the hairs fall off as the vet and I were holding him, and DH hates the fuzz all over the house from the two dogs.

So I thought, why not try to BRUSH him. Our last cat hated it, but I thought heck, I have nothing to lose. His nails have been trimmed, and if he attacks the brush, it won't hurt ME, right?

I waited for Brady to come out from under the bed and rub on me as he has been doing, and had an animal brush ready. First I held out the soft side, and he seemed to like rubbing against it. But when I turned it so he could rub on the "bed of nails" side, holy moly!!! He was rubbing, rubbing, started arching himself, I mean, he LOVED IT!! I hated to leave for work! I can hardly wait to get home and brush my cat!! Even got a little slicker for him!

He just might make a cat person out of me!!

That's great news!!

(Also, congrats on your 100 posts!)

LOL, your post made me laugh when I go to the part of you being excited about going home to brush your kitty! hehe

My cats love to be brushed. Especially the sides of their face along their cheeks. Both will let me brush them 24/7 if I would agree to it.

I have this brush and it does a great job with getting to the undercoat, but I find that the wires while angled are quite sharp and I was afraid that I was scratching them while brushing them:



And then I bought one like this. They seem to like this one the best as the metal wires are bent slightly about 1/4" from the top and doesn't seem to scratch them like the above one does sometimes. Plus because it's bigger it covers more surface area and I find that I'm not covered with hair after brushing them.

That's nice. You know, for a feral, who is used to hunting in the wild, I think the best toy would probably be a mouse covered in real fur. It's simple and it's the closest to what he's used to.

How did the brushing go?

Not only did he LOVE it, he has started to play with his toys. The folks on the feral board said to get him a mouse with a rattle in it. Until yesterday he ignored it, but after the brushing, there he was with the thing dangling from his snout by the "tail" (string) and batting at it. He didn't even mind that is probably smelled like DOG. (While Brady was outdoors our Golden Retriever Sophia kept sneaking downstairs to the spare bedroom and stealing the cat toys.
Also, my step-daughter came over and I asked her to come into the room with me to get Brady used to people. I figured he would hide under the bed, but he came out for more brushing. Of course, DH said that it was because she smelles like two young female cats.

Sounds like you have a new best friend!

He equates you with good feelings now and that goes a long way in gaining trust and you found his weakness, hehe

He sounds like a great kitty

If you brush him daily you will find that while he will still shed, the amount of hair he leaves behind on the furniture and rug are much less. Plus if you brush him daily the bond between you will grow and you and he will both get some quality time with each other

It sounds like you have found his Achilles heel. My cat, Petunia (RIP), didn't like my husband at all. Hissing at him any time he looked at her. But he slowly started brushing her and in her later years, she loved to be brushed (we had a name for it but can't say it here - brush .)

I'm so glad you are making such quick progress given your shaky beginnings.

YAY!!! I'm so happy for you! Sounds like you guys are on the way to a very trusting relationship!