Kitty Question

Teddy917

My cat is a pain in the butt. He won't stay still to let me brush him regularly. So when I can wrangle him, he has huge tangles. Short of cutting them out (some are too close to the skin to risk it) what can I do?

Ps His claw finally grew back.

esstee33

Years ago I had a silicone glove brush, which just feels like you're petting them, so they tend to not mind it as much.

My girls looooove getting combed, so I'm not much help.

Teddy917

That's a good idea. He loves loves and I've seen those at Walmart. Maybe that'll be his Christmas present.

themosthappy91

You've probably tried this but could food possibly entice your kitty to stay still long enough to do some basic maintenance?  My cat will sit in my lap much longer if I'm feeding her treats, so maybe that could help.

Whatever you do, don't give into temptation and cut the tangles!  I did that to my old cat once and it exposed the skin (didn't actually cut the skin, just exposed it) enough that it got irritated, he fussed with it, it got infected, and he had to have some very expensive medical procedures.

If I may ask, what is causing your cat to get so many tangles (that cleaning himself doesn't mostly take care of his grooming needs)?  Is it his breed/hair type, or some sort of activity he's getting into? 

Teddy917

I tried food. It lasted until half the can was gone then he escaped and I couldn't convince him to stay still again.

He's long-haired.

LadyMillil

I have a short haired kitty so I don't need to brush, but she's a pain when I have to clip her nails. If I play with her a lot to tire her out then try to clip the nails I have better luck. My parents had a long haired kitty. Whenever he got a tangle my dad would hold kitty so my mom could brush out the tangle. I believe the vet showed them a couple different safe ways to "restrain" kitty.

CMGragain

The technique for cutting mats out of a long haired cat is to take small scissors (nail scissors will do), and cut up from the skin, slicing the mat in half.  You then have a petting session.  When the cat is relaxed enough, take your fingers and gently pull the mat apart.  Be careful not to pull on the skin.  After he gets used to it, Kitty will actually enjoy these sessions.

doeydo

I have a long hair and I don't brush her, but occasionally I need to clip her bum and tummy for little mats.  My sister's cat, on the other hand, need to be brushed a lot or he ends up in basically one big mat, and he hates being brushed on the tangled bits so he will bite and scratch.  It's like his fur is all undercoat and it's kinky, it's really weird.  Anyways, when he needs it, my sister and I will shave him and give him the lion cut.  If you are really worried about cutting out mats yourself, you can take the cat to a groomer that works on cats or to the vet.  If he is really feisty, they might have to put a little mask thing on his face so he can't see in order to scratch the vet, you, or vet techs. If he is having a really tough time still, they might even sedate him to get it over with (this is based on when my sister's cat first got shaved by the vet, which we do at home now, not trying to claim to be a vet or doctor of anything here). 

Chipmunk415

My girls are both short haired, though my tabby has longer fluffier hair on her belly. 

The tabby HATES brushing time. I can normally handle her if I put one hand under her front legs and make her stand on her back legs. I spend the entire time cooing at her and telling her how pretty she is, how i know this is unfair, etc. I try to do everything besides her belly, since I have  to basically sandwich her in between my legs to keep her still, or DH has to hold her. Once we finish, she'll dash away, but comes back for her treat before giving us the silent treatment for 20 minutes to punish us.

The tuxedo is a different story. She looooves to be brushed, and we don't have to hold her to do her back. She starts purring like a train, but likes to bite the bristles sometimes to confirm it is a brush. She's not thrilled when its tummy time (and she's quite a chubbers, so lots of tummy), but she will lay fairly quietly as long as you use your free hand to scratch under her chin.

db1984

My vet gave me this trick.  Instead of cat treats, my tabby gets some baby food, some kind of meat (lamb is his favorite).  I put it on a small saucer for him and I honestly don't think he's even aware he's getting brushed!  It's the only time he gets this treat, so I have high hopes that it will be irresistible for a good long time to come.

CMGragain

LadyMillil said:

I have a short haired kitty so I don't need to brush, but she's a pain when I have to clip her nails. If I play with her a lot to tire her out then try to clip the nails I have better luck. My parents had a long haired kitty. Whenever he got a tangle my dad would hold kitty so my mom could brush out the tangle. I believe the vet showed them a couple different safe ways to "restrain" kitty.

I sneak up on big Kitty when he's sleeping.  I pet him to wake him up a bit, then I do as many claws as he will allow!  He loves being brushed, but he hates having his claws clipped, even though I know I'm not hurting him.  Daddy won't play with him if his claws aren't clipped, but he leaves the dirty work to me.

ChristinaS85

My future SIL bought the Purrfect Arch for her cats because they don't like to be brushed, and they love it.  She said her cats' fur is slick and soft from them rubbing against it all the time.  Also, she said it reduced the amount of cat fur in her house and on her clothes.

I bought it for my cats, but they didn't use it.  So I gave it to her.  She's got three cats, so now they won't be fighting over just one.

My cats are okay with being brushed.  If they fight me over it, I usually give them a can of wet food as a treat and brush them while they eat, and they don't mind it at all.