Missy has a bad Meowmy

After reading some of the posts here i realize i am a BAD MOM to my Missy. She is a maine coon, that i got when she was 3 months old. from a neighbor. Missy was not a loving kitten, she would stay off by herself but she liked being in the same room as me and my husband. she would follow us room to room. but wouldnt allow us to pick her up or love on her. when i couldnt stand it i would do it anyhow only to get bit an scratched..

now its been a year and she is getting better, i have a tv tray by my chair and she will lay on it and let me scratch her ears and under her neck. but only for alittle while then she will use those claws and scratch when she has had enough.
But i love her dearly.. My problem is she has never allowed me to brush her. i have tried and have the scars to show it. now she is matted and around her bottom is really large mats and i am sure they are full of feces. and i feel terrrible..i tried to cut them out before once. my husband held her with a towel and i cut some of the mats away but that was a month ago.. now it has to be done agian cause they are more now than then..

I have a set of hair clippers and i wonder if i can use those on the mats and shave the area around her bottom. would the clippers do it with one of the atachements? Her belly is full of mats too. can I use them on her belly too? would it cut her?

I used the scissors last time and was afraid i would cut her , so i didnt get the mat cut out completley.

I tried all the things you all talk about to get her to let me comb her i would give her a treat. but she would bite and scratch.. and it didnt work.. SHe loves me, i know it, but she just isnt a lovable cat like most cats. I hope someone answers right away on the clippers.

if they would work i will do them tomorrow . if not i will just use the scissors. WOuld the vet give her a tranqulizer? or is that out of the question? I just dont know what to do.
I know the people at pets smart refused to do her.. becaude of the biting and scratching.. I need help

I have a cat like yours, and what I do is ask my vet to groom her and shave her butt when she is anesthetized for teeth cleaning. It works pretty well. She comes home all soft and pretty and she has no idea .

This guide says to use a little bit of vegetable oil to remove mattings and not to cut them out. http://books.google.com/books?id=asN...F4dHckZhOaRIpY

If you have to comb your kitty yourself, you might try doing a tiny bit of brushing and give her a treat so she associates it with something good.

While I can't relate to the matting issue, I do have a cat who was just like yours for his first year home, no hands on him, no picking him up, etc. and I like you have the fading scars to prove it. When he did finally let me pet him, he had a very short tolerance for it... I would watch him when I was petting him and only pet him until his patience seemed shot, but before he would let me know it. Slowly but surely he wanted more. It was the same with the brush. I started by laying the brush down by his head when I pet him and he would rub his face on it. Soon after he was comfortable with me brushing his head, and soon after his entire body. Watch for her signs of restlessness, and stop, and she'll tell you she wants more, rather than the scars that tell you she's done. Now, at 2 years old, you'd never know he was the cat who would never come near me, he nudges the brush, wants to be brushed daily and lays down right next to me to be pet and when he's done, he just walks away politely. I think not allowing it to get to the point of his frustration showed him that it was ok to sit and be pet and brushed.

I believe my vet has an on-site groomer, and when he was under for his neutering recently someone did cut the nails for me, though it was likely just the vet tech. Maybe call the vet and see if you can work something out until she gets comfortable enough to be brushed by you?

I agree that slowly introducing your cat to brushing will help this problem over time. I also have done that with my cats and they become "slave to the brush LOL".

But my one cat doesn't like to be touched in certain spots, brush or no brush, and hence the mattings .

I don't have an answer for your question. Can you call a local groomer and ask them if it is OK to use the clippers. I don't know how long it may be before someone who knows these things will come along to help you out.

I honestly don't see a problem using the clippers, IMO it would be safer than using scissors but again, that's just my opinion.

It's the wrong season (here) probably for this, but what about getting kitty shaved, and then pet, stroke, brush, and gradually comb as the hair grows in? So that you have some time to get you both used to it.

Also you might want to check out feliway or some calming kitty essences - they sell them in pet stores. I think they are lavenderish or maybe honeysuckle? But those are definitely supposed to work.

The clippers might work, but first, turn them on and listen to how noisy they are. If your kitty is at all skittish, she's probably not going to sit still for noisy clippers coming near her. They also vibrate, so if she's not tolerating brushing or scissoring her mats, she might not tolerate noisy, vibrating clippers. I think I agree with Kluchetta.....have the vet or a groomer take care of the problem that is there now. Then while her hair is growing back, you can introduce her to the joys of brushing slowly while her fur is growing back in. The vet or groomer will know how to deal with a difficult cat, have someone who can assist them to hold her, etc., and she won't blame you for the trauma of the shave....you can be the hero who gives her pets and treats when she comes home all clean and trimmed.

Good luck!