How can i get my cat to like being brushed?

Question

My cat is 4 years old and she has never really liked being brushed.She has medium length hair (not quite a Persian but not a short hair either). I can get her to sit through having a bath, but the only time i can brush her is when she is sleeping or extra relaxed and even then i have to stop after about 10 brushes. If you continue she can get very angry and start hissing and biting.

She is my first cat so i'm not too sure what to do. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

I have long haired cat, also, so I know what you're going through. A metal-toothed comb was the best course of action for me. I bought the comb for the Vets office. It has the letters "VPL" on it (if that helps). I just sit on the floor when my cat is in a good mood and I hold the brush out and let him some to it. That way brushing doesn't become a negative experience for the cat. At first he would sniff it and walk away, but then he started to rub against it and began to like it. Now I can go sit next to him while he's laying down or asleep and brush when I please, and he will let me do it for about a half hour at a time. Eventually he walks away but I don't follow him with it, because I don't want him to avoid it. A treat after he has behaved makes him want to be brushed all the time! Good luck!

Answer 2

Reward your cat after every brushing session and she will come to associate brushing with good things. I hope this helps! I recommend food treats.

Answer 3

I know your problem: I have a siamese and when she was younger I couldn't brush her at all it was like entering a war zone. Darcy [my cat] gradually got used to it as it became routine but it is difficult when the cat is older.

The advice I would give to you is a couple of small things:

Look at the brush, she might not like the material of the bristles I now use a metal comb [not brush] and Darcy likes that better. I recommend metal or if thats what you have you could try others.

Make it routine, like a specific time of day when you know your cat will be relaxed [after a good meal Darcy lets me comb her]. If you do it continuously at this time of day she might loosen up. Its probably not a good idea to do it when she is sleeping [cats like their sleep] maybe if she comes and sits on you lap you could have the brush at hand.

Wow long but I hope it helped!

Answer 4

You may already have this type of brush, but you can get a brush which has large soft spines, (not like a hair brush like normal cat brushes).  I was recommended it by a vet, my cat loves it (but she may just like being brushed).  Its worth a try though, large brushes are less painful if they have knots (like with human hair) but the one I have is almost like a massage for my cat so she loves it.

Answer 5

Shock therapy or a good whoopin'

Answer 6

Think the brushing maybe hurting her. Longer hair cats have such thick coats that, to brush well, pulls not only the longer top coat, the undercoat, too. Think about bushing out a kid's rats nests in their hair. A kid can understand, a cat only knows it hurts.

Try one of those hand mit brushes (with the sticky nobs), and brush her while she's on your lap. Do it at the same time at night, and she'll associate it as a routine. Some cats need this type of assurance. A friend groomed his big boy kitty at 10pm every night with a bowl of warm water and even a steel comb. Kitty got so used to it, he'll jump on the table and "MEOW!!" if it was 10:15 without him there with comb in hand.

Once the kitty gets used to it, you can groom them directly after a bath.