Brushing my former feral

I have a former feral who is almost 4 years old now. She has been inside with us since she was a little over a year old, but she has only just fully adjusted to being a housecat (meaning coming for cuddles, etc.)

I have a basic plastic cat slicker brush I have been using on some areas of her body but she hates it. She tolerates it on her head, shoulders, and around the ruff of her neck, but nowhere else. I don't know if it pulls on her or not. Here's her picture so you can get an idea of her coat type. It's short on her head, medium length around her shoulders, and long everywhere else, silky consistency not fluffy. It's winter so she's a little fluffier than this picture. She doesn't mat up much, but there have been a few times where I have had to work a mat through with my fingers.


Anyway, what kind of brush/comb should I be using on her coat type? I don't want to stress her out too much. I can brush her for about 5 minutes with my current brush, and only in the areas I said, before she starts looking like she's going to murder me.

5 minutes of brushing is better than nothing! Do you offer her treats after the brushing? The treats will help her associate the positive rewards after brushing.

My cat has the same coat by the sounds of it! I use 2 tools, the comb (longer spread apart "teeth"), and a slicker brush for after using the comb. She doesn't like getting brushed for long periods of time either. Usually 10 minutes is the most. I've practiced being quicker to ensure I can get her brushed all over hahaha!

Just keep rewarding and being patient

I like to use a regular metal pet comb. You can buy them online or in any pet store. Most cats are fine with the area around the head, but get increasingly sensitive as you move back toward the tail or down to the stomach, so a few minutes at a time is a good way to do it.

My own precious former feral, never-quite-tame Shunra loved brushies above all else. She had a very thick coat and dry skin and brushing helped her be more comfortable as well as helped make her coat sleek and got rid of the flakes.

I used  several different brushes in rotation. The Furminator and a wire-bristled slicker brush were for serious "therapeutic" brushing to get the undercoat out, but I always had to pay close attention not to overdo it and stay away from sensitive spots. Her favorite brush turned out to be a very soft one, the Kong ZoomGroom, with fat, soft, rubbery bristles. It did not reach down to the undercoat or get out the dead hair like the wire-bristled ones, but it did soothe her very much and it is so soft and benign that I could brush her endlessly without even paying attention to it. It was more like a massage than a brush, and she even liked when I brushed her nose with it. 

Shunra was very picky about being touched at all and never allowed us to pick her up, but she would sit still for brushies anytime. Let your kitty play with the brush before you use it and she will likely come to love brushing sessions too.