Long haired cat hates being brushed

[Theincidental]

I have a very large long haired house cat that refuses to be brushed. It's been going on for ages and my current tactic is a few quick brushes and then retreat, before I get scratched to bits.

He's overweight because he's an indoor cat and extremely lazy, but he's on a diet! Poor boy!

But because he's a tubby boy, he can't groom efficiently.

I keep having cut out little clumps that he can't reach and he just won't let me brush him properly.

Does anyone have any ideas how I can groom him without being used as a scratch post?

[RippingYarns]

I used to bribe my long-haired mog with treats - those whiskers ones filled with cheese were her faves

[Theincidental]

Thanks ripping yarns.

He thinks he's being starved at the moment, so he'd be thrilled with treats. Wonder if they might undermine his diet though.

[cozietoesie]

How old is he by the way?

[RippingYarns]

Is he on a restricted diet then? Didn't realise

Maybe do it as he's eating a meal then?

I also found the type of brush made a difference as to how long she would sit - a soft rubber with flexible bed and rounded metal teeth was most successful.

[Theincidental]

He's between 12 and 15. He was a stray with FIV. I've had him about 8 years now. He's lovely, but still quite bitey and scratchy.

Yes, he's on a restricted special diet for the weight and his kidney function.

If I try when he's eating he just legs it.

Perseverance is probably key!

[Theincidental]

No! That sounds like a good idea.

Didn't know they existed! Brilliant!

[ZebraOwl]

Definitely worth trying out a variety of grooming implements to see if he'll tolerate one better than he does others. Furminators do an excellent & thorough job of stopping shedding which should help prevent matts from developing in the first place. The idea of a grooming glove is a very good one - this one has lots of very good reviews. Lots of cats (including mine) like a massage brush like this - a friend's cat goes into a kind of trance when they get brushed with it!

It might be worth giving this detangler a try, too - perhaps bribe him with some treats to persuade him to let you apply it then massage it in while making a huge fuss...

[Theincidental]

Thanks for the links zebra owl.

Looking at them, I fancy I might get away with the glove and protect my hand too! Also very cheap.

The furninator looks a tad scary!

He's had a massage brush before - it made him furious.

I love the idea of detangler! He's such a butch cat - two ild be hilarious to be spraying him with hair products.

Poor love.

[ZebraOwl]

You're welcome

I think the glove is a very good place to start. Furminator does look a bit scary but does an excellent job - between that & the malt lick we're impressively hairball-free (& less allergy-provoking than would otherwise be the case) in Castle Zebra. Although my cats are short-haired they've very thick, full, long-haired-for-shorthairs coats, so they need some human care & attention...

Detangler might be a bit of an affront to his machismo dignity but at least as a housecat he wouldn't get picked on by local cats for using fur products...

[Fluffycloudland77]

My cat rolls over for me to do his tum when we use the furminator, we had 4 Persians and they all hated grooming but the choice of brushes was very limited back then.