question about shaving cat

Do people ever shave short hair cats? i'm trying to figure out SOME way to attack the kitty hair problem. I can't keep up with a vacuum, and they won't sit still long enough to brush. I try, but they force me to brush their cheek only (both of them) and start pawing and biting the brush if i try anywhere else.

Originally Posted by fastnoc

Do people ever shave short hair cats? i'm trying to figure out SOME way to attack the kitty hair problem. I can't keep up with a vacuum, and they won't sit still long enough to brush. I try, but they force me to brush their cheek only (both of them) and start pawing and biting the brush if i try anywhere else.

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I tried once and it wasn't successful. Our vet noticed our chubby Lucky needed a trim to um help the bottom area. They offered to do it for free when the owner is off. They said it's not something a typical owner can do on their own.

My daughter has her short haired kitty shaved. Lucy is on the chubby side and doesn't groom herself very well anymore. She's Spud's (RIP) younger sister and she is elderly herself. Her groomer shaves her so it's comfortable for Lucy but doesn't look funny. Even old gal's like to look their best!

Just an idea. A good high quality food can help too with the hair problem. Have a groomer show you how to brush. Or work with treats and shape good behavior. Cute they direct you where to brush.

I am not entirely sure Peanut would ever forgive me for that... When he was super sick he had his belly shaved, and he reeeeally didn't like it. Poor guy!

I've never had a cat that didn't like to get brushed all over. Have you tried brushing them when they are sleeping or when they are cuddling with you?

After too many years fighting Trent to groom him I finally came upon the most obvious solution. I play with him with a string toy (feathers/mouse on a string attached to a pole) until he's tired out, then I let him chew on the toy or string while I groom him. Finally - SUCCESS!

End of it all he's happy because he got to play a whole bunch and I'm happy because I got at least 1/2 a kitten off him in fur that won't end up as a hairball on the floor.

Thanks for all the replies!

I didn't mean for ME to shave him, I meant take him to Petsmart and have him shaved.

As for brushing. here's the problem. BOTH tinker and Wilbur are exactly the same. If they even hear me pick up the brush they bolt over to me immediately and get all excited. I sit them up and start brushing lightly from front to back. this only lasts for about 20 seconds. then they start rubbing on the brush because they want me to do the same thing. I have to hold their head in my left hand (they're facing me) and take the brush, going backwards (so the teeth don't catch) i have to brush them from whiskers to the back of the neck. I can probably do this for 30 minutes if I could. they LOVE it. but they are so lazy they won't even put resistance up with the other side of their face. I have to hold it in my hand and they kind of lay their head in my hand and purr. well tinker adds a buttload of drooling for drama.

the strange part is tinker starts turning her head toward the brush, and in no time she's got her head cranked to the left and i have to switch sides because shes turned so far i can't get the brush on her face anymore. then she does the exact same thing on the other side, so i have to switch back. it's VERY annoying.

Once i start, if I mov4e the brush for more than 3 seconds to brush somewhere else, they start pawing at it and biting it if it's close to their face. I have to sneak in strokes to pick up the piles of hair that come from those repeated stroked to the face. i sneak in one stroke down the back of the neck every 10 times to try getting it.

Believe me, it's a process, and they simply won't let me do a good job. I finally got Wilbur to let me at least run the lint brush over his back, but it barely gets anything.

I have to do something to curb the fuzz.

by the way, the diet change is a great idea!

What about getting a second brush? Get one of those slicker brushes with plastic bristles for their cheeks. That way you don't have to worry about them getting hurt. Then use a wire slicker brush to brush their bodies while they are loving up to the plastic slicker brush?

Also, you might try brushing from the bottom up. Not backwards so the fur is being ruffled, but start a few inches above the tail going towards the tail, then as you brush and get rid of hair, move up a bit more.

tried all that. i can't go against the grain no matter what. believe me I've tried two brushes, and everything else (i got that recommendation here a year ago).

Yes, alot of people do shave their short-haired cats in the Spring. I used to be a dog/cat groomer many years ago and we would get lots of cats in to be shaved. They actually look very nice after they are all done. I have done Pipsqueak in the past because he has had hairball issues and it has helped tremendously with that problem in the Spring. Also, if you bathe the cat once a month in the Spring, you can help dislodge the undercoat and won't need to shave. But some cats, bathing is tooo stressful so the owner's just want a quick shave.