He Hates Brushing! - please help

Riley just simply won't tolerate being groomed.

I have a zoom groom, a metal comb, and a furminator.

He hates them all. He is long haired and his had problems with hairballs so he really needs regular grooming but he just won't tolerate it.

I've tried giving him treats after every attempt, and even treats during the brushing. I've tried doing it when he's sleeping or relaxed. I've even tried giving him a toy, or whatever brush I'm not using at the time to chew on, nothing helps.

He gets seriously aggressive the minute he even sees them now. The minute it touches him, he rolls over, grabs my hand and starts biting and clawing HARD. I'm covered in wounds now! It is definitely not playing.

What should I do?

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

I have a zoom groom, a metal comb, and a furminator...

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We have the same three comb/brushes

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

The minute it touches him, he rolls over, grabs my hand and starts biting and clawing HARD. I'm covered in wounds now! It is definitely not playing.

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Hmm...same story over here. Must be an inherent cat thing

.

Over here, it often seems like it's a MOOD thing, too...sometimes they'll put up with being brushed, but other times, it's like the brush is their enemy! and they end up trying to bite the comb to pieces

(I'm surprised our zoom groom doesn't have it's "ear" ripped off yet!

)

So we just try at different times and brush when we can...brushing while he's sitting on our laps seems to work for Munchie...Doc prefers to be petted into a pettting-stupor, and then brushed!

P.S. If you haven't tried the Whisker Smackers freeze-dried chicken treats, I'd give them a try! Our guys (super-picky

) can be bribed into just about anything for these treats!!

Well, you've already tried anything I might have suggested. I hope you can work this out with out too much more damage to yourself or Riley. So, lots of good luck to you both!

I threatened to just vacuum the hair off him yesterday!

If he doesn't see the brush coming I can get one or two swipes before he goes nuts. I thought about getting heavy gloves but then I was afraid I would brush too hard without being able to feel with the gloves on.



I may just have to give up!

When you put him on the table to be groomed HOW are you holding him? You need to train him to stand on 4 feet. Do NOT let him get away with rolling over. When he does pick him up, and tell him to STAND and then hold him that way.

Till he behaves you might want to gently scruff him to make him stand still. Do you have any one that can help hold him when grooming?

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

When you put him on the table to be groomed HOW are you holding him? You need to train him to stand on 4 feet. Do NOT let him get away with rolling over. When he does pick him up, and tell him to STAND and then hold him that way.

Till he behaves you might want to gently scruff him to make him stand still. Do you have any one that can help hold him when grooming?

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I have just been brushing him on the couch, while he stands, sits, lays, whatever, because I try to approach it when he's already relaxing. I will bring in a small table and try that. What about brushing his belly though? That is the furriest part along with his backside and really needs to be combed/brushed.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

When you put him on the table to be groomed HOW are you holding him? You need to train him to stand on 4 feet. Do NOT let him get away with rolling over. When he does pick him up, and tell him to STAND and then hold him that way.

Till he behaves you might want to gently scruff him to make him stand still. Do you have any one that can help hold him when grooming?

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Table? Grooming cat while it stands?

You might be able to do that with a well-trained show cat, but with your standard moggie it's usually them on your lap and you taking advantage of the moment.

My cats get only one side of them groomed at a time along with the top, as they immediately lie down for their combing.

Paula, you might try the grooming glove - it grooms them while you pet them.

I got Ginger and Ferris used to being combed by alternating: Comb through once, pet with hand, comb, pet, comb, pet, etc.

I also offered them a brush to chew on as a diversion while I combed them with the other hand.

Time, patience and repetition. Worst-case scenario, make grooming appointments and plan to get him lion-cut every once in a while.

Good luck, sweetie!

I disagree. Yes show cats are trained to stand on the table. If they can be trained then mixed breed HHPs can be trained for grooming. Just takes time and patience but it CAN be done

The belly is the worse on any longhair cat and that takes a lot more training. I suggest you get him to cooperate better with head/neck/back and standing to be groomed. You might need two people to do the belly. I would train him to stand on 2 back legs and I'd hold the front ones and stretch him out to be combed on the belly. If he had a tangle, then I'd flip him over on his back on my lap and work on the tangle.

Sometimes its really hard to explain in typing and much easier to show in person what I'm talking about! I could easily show the OP what to do if I was there.

Do you have ANY one that has more experience in grooming longhair cats that can help you out in showing in person what to do?

Sometimes you just have to act more in charge of things. Seems most people's approach is too gentle and timid. Like with nail clipping. So many times I've had people/friends/relatives say "I can't trim nails - they won't sit still for me". I tell them "give me your cat" - then put the cat in my lap, take CHARGE and the cat is pretty calm for me and I clip the nails within a few mins and they are amazed You don't have to be mean or ruff, but if you show more authority, the cat seems to sense that and cooperates a lot better.

I've had longhaired dogs much longer than my cat. And combing out Old English Sheepdogs once takes longer than months of combing out a cat. so I used the same training technique.

be sure you are calm and relaxed - this is going to be fun. And the furries can tell how you are doing.
I started out by making a soft ooohhhh or aaaahhhh sound when I pet the furries. A soft and pleasant sound that they would associate with something nice - even if it lasted only a few seconds at first. Be sure that everytime you pet them, whether their idea or yours, you make that sound.
After a few weeks, start using the backside of the brush in a soft petting motion - remember that sound with every stroke.
After a couple of weeks, I would turn the brush over for one stoke, then back over for the next stroke. I started on the back, then the head and legs and finally the belly.
If you can practice several times a day, you should be able to shorten the timeline a bit.

I can have my boyfriend hold him while I brush him, but I don't want to make it a traumatic experience for him, so haven't done that yet.

I have no trouble clipping his nails. If I catch him when he's sleeping or relaxing he lets me do about 2 paws before he puts a stop to it. The brushing is completely different.

I really only have the table we eat on, so I'd rather not have him get in the habit of being on that. I don't have a coffee table or anything and the only other surface is the kitchen counter, which again, I don't want him to learn to be on.

I didn't try the grooming glove because I thought it looked useless for long hair with just little plastic nubs instead of an actual prong like the zoom groom. Maybe I will try it though, to see if he will tolerate it, then try to introduce the brush slowly again. At least my hands won't be quite as torn up that way.

Well, so far he hasn't had any mats which is a blessing, but he did have a trip to the ER vet a few weeks ago for hairballs, so that's what I'm trying to avoid.

I wish I had him when he was a kitten so it would be easier to get him used to these things!

Perhaps the glove is a good start - it would get him used to a different feel other then just petting. Then sneak in a combing every so often - see if that helps.

And maybe cruise the yard sales and find a small coffee table or stand that would work as a grooming table - I don't blame you for not wanting to use the dining room/kitchen counter....we have enough problems keeping them off the darn things

I'll get a glove on saturday when I'm at petsmart and see how it goes. He knew he was in trouble last night after he got me, I put him on the other couch and ignored him. A few minutes later he comes sucking up, trying to crawl into my lap and snuggle.

He's lucky he's cute!

Haha my cats are the same way!

I don't brush them very often but when I do, my boyfriend and I have a new strategy. I play with them using a feather toy or something... They get totally distracted that they don't realize my boyfriend is using the furminator on them

With some of my previous kittie, I've had to do it just like you described.... a couple of unsuspected swipes at a time. Have you tried giving him cat nip and then try brushing him 15 or 20 minutes after?

Originally Posted by mzjazz2u

With some of my previous kittie, I've had to do it just like you described.... a couple of unsuspected swipes at a time. Have you tried giving him cat nip and then try brushing him 15 or 20 minutes after?

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Catnip makes him absolutely psycho! I don't even try to touch him then, let alone brush him

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

I didn't try the grooming glove because I thought it looked useless for long hair with just little plastic nubs instead of an actual prong like the zoom groom. Maybe I will try it though, to see if he will tolerate it, then try to introduce the brush slowly again. At least my hands won't be quite as torn up that way.

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I *think* I've seen a grooming glove that somehow attracts the hair to it. Not sure.

You've tried everything I can think of too...good luck!

I'm going to get a glove tomorrow at petsmart, so wish me luck!