Such a thing as too much brushing?

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Abby, my 7 year old is addicted to being brushed. She would let me brush her 24/7. I have a good grooming brush that gets to the undercoat and there seems to be no end to the hair that I collect.

Is it harmful to brush so often if the cat enjoys it? I'm a nurse and I checked her skin and there doesn't seem to be any rashes or irritation.

By the way, does anyone else have a cat that loves to be vacuumed? My oldest cat Chynna just loves the vacuum. As soon as I pull it out of the closet she's following me around and flopping down in front of it, or jumping up on the coffee table begging me to brush her with the furniture brush, LOL She isn't deaf, but the sound doesn't seem to bother her at all. My youngest goes and hides in the closet when she sees the vacuum.
 

nadrasmom

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
3
Purraise
0
I use a zoom groom brush (one of the rubber knobby ones) on my 3 yr old ocicat, and it works really well, but I do have to be carefull not to overbrush her with it. Occasionally it works TOO well and she gets a tiny bald spot.
 

cearbhaill

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Jan 5, 2006
Messages
824
Purraise
6
Location
Podunk USA
Useless story:
The first long coated show dog I ever owned (a Briard) just would not grow coat. I met the breeder at a dog show when the dog was around a year old and proceeded to complain about her coat- the first thing she did was ask to see my brushes. I really thought she was going to smack me but instead she dragged me over to a vendor and bought me a proper brush.

Theoretically yes, you can brush too much. But as long as the skin looks healthy and she has enough coat to suit you I wouldn't worry too much.
 

pami

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 16, 2006
Messages
17,482
Purraise
17
Location
Birmingham
That is just so hilarious with your kitty and the vaccum. 2 of my kitties come running as soon as I show them the brush. So I just keep it in a drawer until I brush them. But the brushing session usually ends when the once loved brush becomes the enemy and they want to beat the brush to death ..lol .... until they see the brush and come running again. A never ending circle. ALL of my kitties hide from the vacum, even when its not on. If its just in the room...... they are gone. It must be hard to get your vacuming done with a kitty laying in front of it LOL
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Originally Posted by Pami

That is just so hilarious with your kitty and the vaccum. 2 of my kitties come running as soon as I show them the brush. So I just keep it in a drawer until I brush them. But the brushing session usually ends when the once loved brush becomes the enemy and they want to beat the brush to death ..lol .... until they see the brush and come running again. A never ending circle. ALL of my kitties hide from the vacum, even when its not on. If its just in the room...... they are gone. It must be hard to get your vacuming done with a kitty laying in front of it LOL
Abby, the one who is terrified of the vaccum and hides, will sit by the apartment door and peek underneath when the Caretaker is vacuuming the halls. She seems to be ok with the vacuum sound so long as it's on the otherside of the door! LOL She is ok with my vacuum too, so long as it's off and just sitting there without me touching it. As soon as I go to move it, she's off and running.

And yes, it's difficult to get vacuuming done with Chynna following me around and flopping down in front of it or standing on my coffee table meowing. Sometimes I don't get the vacuuming done all in one day (bad back), so I leave it out until I do finish. She lays on the rug and uses the power nozzle as a pillow, and if the vacuum is close to the coffee table she will stand on the table and rub her head against the vacuum and/or furniture brush.

As for Abby, she has lots of hair. I was just hoping that I wasn't stimulating her to shed more by brushing her as often as she likes.


So far as brushes go, I've tried several, including grooming combs. The one I'm currently using I bought at the veterinarians, and it's similar to the second picture.

I used to have a brush similar to this one, but found that it wasn't getting the undercoat and there was way too much hair around the apartment:



Now I have one similar to this, and the amount of hair both of them leave on the furniture is way less than it used to be:

 

hell603

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 9, 2001
Messages
4,560
Purraise
3
Location
Central New Jersey
Loki is also a brushaholic - he has never met a brush or comb he does not like!!!


I give him a good grooming with the zoom groom once a day and any other time just a regular brush for no more than 5 minutes at a time to satsify his "cravings"
 
Top