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- Aug 20, 2016
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Hi lovely folks,
I'm a new cat owner and have had our kitty for a month now. He's a mostly lovely 16 week old kitten, and is doing very well -- snuggles up with us, plays, poops and pees in the right place, and is super unfussy about food. The only thing is, he won't have anything to do with grooming. I initially wanted to get him used to such things since he's young, but it appears he has already taken a dislike to having his paws touched, he hates being brushed, and I don't want to think about bathing him yet.
Now this might not be such an issue if I weren't slightly allergic to cats. It is mostly controllable, but It's even more important to get him used to brushing to help with the allergies. The last time I tried brushing him, he attacked the brush and tried to chew it repeatedly. I've tried two different brushes, he hates both.
I've tried doing the gentle "press his paw pads while he's sleepy and then offer a treat" routine, but it's almost impossible to sneak up on this guy. He'll get sleepy, and then I go "Perfect!", get up to get the treat, but he senses me moving and is fully alert. He's started this habit of biting my hands when he knows I'm trying to stroke his paws. I'm completely at a loss. I wanted him to LIKE grooming, but all my efforts have failed. Am I resigned to getting his nails trimmed all the time at the vet?
I would be so thankful for any help.
I'm a new cat owner and have had our kitty for a month now. He's a mostly lovely 16 week old kitten, and is doing very well -- snuggles up with us, plays, poops and pees in the right place, and is super unfussy about food. The only thing is, he won't have anything to do with grooming. I initially wanted to get him used to such things since he's young, but it appears he has already taken a dislike to having his paws touched, he hates being brushed, and I don't want to think about bathing him yet.
Now this might not be such an issue if I weren't slightly allergic to cats. It is mostly controllable, but It's even more important to get him used to brushing to help with the allergies. The last time I tried brushing him, he attacked the brush and tried to chew it repeatedly. I've tried two different brushes, he hates both.
I've tried doing the gentle "press his paw pads while he's sleepy and then offer a treat" routine, but it's almost impossible to sneak up on this guy. He'll get sleepy, and then I go "Perfect!", get up to get the treat, but he senses me moving and is fully alert. He's started this habit of biting my hands when he knows I'm trying to stroke his paws. I'm completely at a loss. I wanted him to LIKE grooming, but all my efforts have failed. Am I resigned to getting his nails trimmed all the time at the vet?
I would be so thankful for any help.
I started doing this when they were kittens. Also, cats notoriously don't like their feet being messed with, but I think if you play with their toes fairly often they get used to it. 
