Another grooming problem...

She is a Kitten and wants to play. My little guy wouldn't let me brush him until he was 6 months old, and even then its tough. Try to catch her when she's sleeping and get a few strokes in before she wakes up. I always reward with treats afterward so that my kitty knows if he's a good boy and puts up with the comb then he gets a yummy treat when he's done.

Take control of the grooming session. You have to be more firm with her. Tell her to "stand", "stay still", etc. while she is on the table. In time she will learn what you want.

Handle her gently but firmly and don't put up with any kind of play or biting at the brush, comb. No more then 5-10 mins and THEN allow her to play.

Interesting post! My cat Samson, a Main Coon/Angora mix with thick wooly long hair has *hated* being brushed or combed from day one. How did I solve this? Well, I combed him in stages. A couple of swipes here and there while he was eating or sleeping etc.


It took a lot of patience both on his part and mine but after 4 years he now lets me comb him. I still have to do it in stages but he is a lot more patient about it.


What I found interesting about your post is your kitten's desire to play with the comb. About a year ago the same thing happened with Samson. Although with him I think it was more of an aggressive reaction to being combed or to the comb itself.


Well I turned his aggression towards the comb into a game. As he would attack the comb, I would start playing with him with the comb and let him bite it and chew it (I use an ordinary plastic comb that you would use on your own hair, with wide teeth on side and fine on the other) and I would just let him get some aggression out, but also play with him at the same time.


There would be times that I would be holding him like a baby in my arm playing with him with the comb all the while sneaking a few passes here and there. Sure there were days when there was more playing with the comb going on than actual combing, but the point is that now he doesn't get upset when I come to brush him. He probably would never admit to me that sometimes he actually enjoys me brushing him, but judging by his purring I think he does. I've also learned to gauge his tolerance level. And, he has learned to trust me


So why not let your kitten enjoy playing with the comb? In the long run when she sees you coming with the comb, she will view it as something pleasurable and fun, not something she has to endure.


Just thought I would share

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Also you can put another brush or comb near her to keep her occupied, but the trick is to take charge when you need to comb a certain part.

Absolutely! In fact I did that for quite some time, keep another comb near him to keep him distracted. Sometimes we have to be sneaky! I also talk to my cats quite a bit and most of the time when I tell them "Ok now, No wiggling, No wiggling" they do tend to keep still including when I trim the nails. But if I'm attempting to cut out a knot in a delicate area and my cat decides he would rather take off, I just pull back and let him go, rather than risk hurting him.


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i totally agree with this. of my 3, lola requires combing the most. she has long hair with a heavy undercoat, and always HATED being combed. she'd wiggle around, bite the comb, and make all kinds of noises just to make it end. (of course, the 2 that LOVE to be combed/brushed barely shed fur, so i usually end with a an empty brush.. doesn't it figure?

after 4 or 5 sessions like this, i had had enough of letting lola decide how the grooming session was going to go. i became very firm with her, both vocally and physically (still handling her gently, of course, but no longer tolerating all the nonsense). within a few seconds she backed down (i actually felt her resignation to floppiness), then just laid there and actually enjoyed it (i think)... she was purring! we haven't had a problem since, she just knows it's something that has to happen.

as alpha cat in our household, i think she was just trying to strong arm me into giving her her way. when she realized that she wasn't going to win, she just surrendered the fight. be firm... for some, grooming and play do NOT mix. good luck!