He Hates Brushing! - please help

Good luck - let us know if he allows you to pet him with it - and DEFINITELY give him a distraction so he doesn't attack it!

Ginger, love the new siggy

I've got a similar one for Charlie - for the show cage when he wants to sleep and people want to see the wild cat....sits on top of the cage with a sign. "Shhh I'm Sleeping" and shows a picture of what he looks like if he was awake

I have recently started trying to brush my guys once a week because they are very sheddy. I have a soft bristled brush and a metal toothed one. I just started out very gently and soft so they would think I was just petting them. Now they seem to love it, like I am scratching their back or something. I make sure to give them a treat afterwards and I always talk to them really softly and comforting so that they associate the brushes with a positive feeling. I would definitely recommend any type of glove too!

You can always shave him! My boyfriend has Persians and he shaves them and they love not having all of that hair!

I would recommending starting over from the beginning, as though your cat has never been brushed before. Start when the cat is sleepy, and start (the glove might be a good way) by only brushing the part the cat prefers to have touched best... in most cats this is the head, face, neck. Brush for only a minute or two and then stop for the day. Leave the rest of the cat untouched. I think if you go for several weeks only brushing for a very short time, on and around the head, the cat will develop better associations with grooming.

Then you can start to brush the other parts a tiny bit, but returning frequently to the head so that the cat is happy. Have a toy handy in case the cat wants to attack your hand or the brush... often they will shift their focus to attacking the toy, allowing you to get a few brushes in on areas they otherwise won't let you touch. The stomach is a tough one -- my cat hates being touched there and the occasional swipe with the Furminator is all I get.

I don't think standing the cat on a table is the way to go, either. The floor or whatever chair the cat happens to be on is the best.

It may be the case that this cat is one you'll never be able to groom for very long. But you should be able to get in a little here or there. And you could add some hairball remedy/treats to his diet to make up the rest.

Yes but if you are gonna start all over, why not train the cat to be groomed in a certain place (table, etc.) and train them right?

I don't think he ever was brushed before I got him, so it really is all new to him. I got the gloves but they were pretty useless. I've just been using them, or his brushes, and brushing a few strokes here and there when he's sleeping. After about the 3rd one he wakes up and attacks.

I guess he'll have to keep taking that hairball goop every week until he gets used to the brushing a little better.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Yes but if you are gonna start all over, why not train the cat to be groomed in a certain place (table, etc.) and train them right?

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Because this cat isn't a show cat, it's a regular cat. And making the cat stand up and on a table *adds* difficulty... when this cat is already prohibitively difficult to groom. She's looking for the easiest way to get even some grooming done.

I realize he's not a show cat. My point is that if you establish a grooming routine from the start (even if you start over) you do it where its easy for you and teach the cat how to behave.

Doesn't matter if its a show cat or not; the cat has to be trained to accept grooming since its a long hair. A little time and patience and practice to train right will go a long way for the future.

Why follow the cat around or try to groom when sleeping? You can't groom right and its not teaching the cat anything.

If need be, the cat CAN be muzzled for a short time. Its not cruel and it will help. You do a small part of the cat one day, another part the next - sooner or later the cat will learn to accept grooming.

Coming from someone who has an 'ungroomable' 14 year old MEAN persian, your best bet is to just hold the cat down and brush it. When Copper was younger and actually groomed herself, my parents never brushed her because she was so bad, and she didn't really need it (in their eyes). When I took her, I had no option but to take her to the groomer's because she was pretty matted. The groomer was a CAT ONLY groomer, and she said it was cats like Copper that made her want to quit her job. That should give you an idea of how bad she is.

Not wanting to pay $40 a month to get my cranky kitty groomed, I set out about finding how to groom her properly myself without getting killed. Turned out my roommate used to groom dogs, and did some cats too because she was the only one who could handle them. When she first showed me how to hold Copper, I thought "oh, how mean! i'll hurt her". Nope, she's the strongest old bat out of all the cats i've got. To do a thorough job, you really need two people. One of us holds the front paws in one hand, one paw between thumb and index finger and the other paw between index and middle finger (hold them hard! they're stronger then you think). With the other hand, we hold her mouth closed (she's a wicked biter). The other person holds the back feet in the same manner as the front, and brushes with the other hand. Don't be rough, but go ahead and brush quickly and get it over with. If you need to get between the front legs, lay a towel over kitty's face so they can't bite, and hold a paw in each hand. No, it's not pretty, it's not nicey nice, but if it saves your cat from being shaved or in the op's case, having an $$$ vet visit, it's worth it.

I tried and tried and tried to find a nicey nice way to brush Copper. If she had been brushed from day 1, i'm sure that would work. For a cat as crotchety and mean as she is, it's easier to just get it over with.

As I said before, I don't have a table to put him on for grooming other than food surfaces, and I don't want him in the habit of jumping up on those.

I could have my bf hold him while I brush, but I don't want to make it a traumatic experience for him, which is why I'd rather just brush a bit here and there when I can. Perhaps it will be easier when he grows out of his kittenish "bite everything that moves" stage.

One very important thing to keep in mind. The more you seem "afraid" of him to comb and groom, the worse he will get. Doesn't take them long to figure out that if they act up, then you will stop.

You need to be "in charge" and tell him point blank "Look, I"M gonna comb you and I do NOT want to take any stuff from you - so BEHAVE". Make it authoritive with your voice tone. Believe me they will get the hint. I've done that with cats that didn't like nails done and they shut up fast and are a lot more cooperative.

Do NOT be afraid of your cat.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

One very important thing to keep in mind. The more you seem "afraid" of him to comb and groom, the worse he will get. Doesn't take them long to figure out that if they act up, then you will stop.

You need to be "in charge" and tell him point blank "Look, I"M gonna comb you and I do NOT want to take any stuff from you - so BEHAVE". Make it authoritive with your voice tone. Believe me they will get the hint. I've done that with cats that didn't like nails done and they shut up fast and are a lot more cooperative.

Do NOT be afraid of your cat.

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That may be part of the problem. I'm not "afraid" of him, but it is very stressful for me to try to groom him, so he is probably sensing my stress when I approach him, which then stresses him, and on and on.

I have the grooming gloves (just tiny plastic nubs on them, no real use for tangles or undercoat), a zoom groom, metal comb and a furminator.

Which do you suggest I use as the "only" brush until he can learn to accept it better?

"sigh" - he's just a pretty cat and he's a brat

If he were mine, I'd take him and put him on a table or small stand (go to yard sales and pick up a small table you can use) and get the comb out and start making him behave.

I really wish I could just come over and show you how its done

I would suggest starting with the grooming glove only, or the zoom groom if he likes that. But it depends on the cat -- use whichever one he's reacted least badly to in the past. Since the glove is new and he may not even think of it as grooming, that's probably your best bet.

It will help to be calm, but if the cat gets to scratching and biting, then the gooming session has gone too far and the human's attitude won't help. The key is to do very little, and to stop before you see signs that the cat is getting excited or angry (like the tail swishing).

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

That may be part of the problem. I'm not "afraid" of him, but it is very stressful for me to try to groom him, so he is probably sensing my stress when I approach him, which then stresses him, and on and on.

I have the grooming gloves (just tiny plastic nubs on them, no real use for tangles or undercoat), a zoom groom, metal comb and a furminator.

Which do you suggest I use as the "only" brush until he can learn to accept it better?

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I'm sure he is sensing your stress. Do something to relax yourself before approaching him. Put on some classical music and have a cup of herb tea or something that relaxes you. When you approach your cat, start by just petting and talking to him for a minute or so. Then pull out a comb or the furminator and just take some slow, short strokes around the head and work your way down as far as you can and just keep talking to him. When he starts fussing, stop and put the grooming tool you're using down and just pet and talk again. It can't hurt to try. May not work but it's often trial and error!

Ok even if you stop for a min or two do NOT let the cat leave. Just pet awhile and continue to comb till YOU decide when to end it. If you stop and let the cat go, he will learn that if he makes a grand production, you will let him decide when to end.

Again, be in charge of the grooming - not the cat be in charge

Well, I had my bf hold him this weekend and gave him a good all-over combing, because he was getting tangly and it just couldn't wait, but he was not happy and we both came out with war wounds

I gave him some treats right after though and petted him and he calmed down very quickly. He did go right to the basket with his brushes though and attack it. He really hates those brushes.

Not sure we will try that approach again. I'm going to scout around for a little folding table or something to put him on before I try anything again.

Folding tables may not be sturdy enough which will scare him. I'd look for a small end table that is more solid. And maybe give him a brush to bite on when you groom him.

Have the treats handy - give him one as you groom him IF he's cooperating. The more confident and "in charge" you act, the better he will behave. And maybe only wait a day inbetween grooming - not a week or two - you have to get him on a schedule if you want success