HELP....possessed kitty

[becca24jg]

OK, so I am a animal lover. Our dog passed away 6 months ago, so we now only have 3 cats. I have a 14 year old cat that is my baby, and because he seems to only like me, my 12 year old step daughter talked me into another cat. Yes I know, thats 2. Well a year later, we were at a cookout, and in this barn is a kitten, that looked liked it was ready to kill over, tiny little thing. They were not even feeding it and said the mama ran off. Hubby was even mad, so we took the kitten, got it to the vet, and he told us this kitten would probably not make it. The poor baby had worms, fleas and was seriously malnourished weighed around 1 pound. Well guess what, here were are over a year later, and other then still being a tiny runt size, hes raring to go, our most playful cat. Hes healthy, vet said hes good to go. I figured he will always be tiny.

Now for the problem, my previous 2 cats were short hair, and loved to be brushed. Moby, the new kitten, is a long hair and attacks you if he even sees the brush. I can brush his back while hes sleeping, but the belly and rear end, well nope, just wont happen. Hes so tiny and squirmy its even almost impossible to have someone else hold him still while I brush. So he gets matted hair a little on his belly, and more then a little on his rear end. So how do I cut his hair to get the mats out? I am worried a noisy shaver thing will scare him to death and he'll tear us up. What do I do?

[AnimalLoverCatRescuer]

It might scare him but it is worth a try. You might have to take him to a groomer who will put him under to groom him. In that case I would have them clip the areas he gets matter really short so you can go longer in between groomings. Keep the brushes out and in plain site for the cat to get used to it being around. Try different combs, Zoom Groom works great. There are also ones that look like gloves with rubber to pick up the loose hairs, this will not be effective for the mattes but it is a start.

There may be natural or herbal remedies you can use to calm or soothe the cat before groomings. You could also feed the cat his favorite treats or wet food while grooming.

[ToscasMom]

What kind of brush are you using? The cat may have matting that you can't see, closer to the skin, and the brush might hurt. As a test, get a wide tooth comb, one with lots of space between the teeth and gently try to comb him. If you hit snags, then it is probably why he doesn't want to be brushed. A groomer might be a good idea to get his fur off to a fresh start. Then maybe you can brush him more easily and it won't hurt.

On the other hand, maybe he's just one of those cats that doesn't like to be groomed at all. Lotsa luck. lol.

[Maxy24]

it's very hard to brush a cat who does not want to be brushed, and you'll probally have to teachhim that brushes are good by using treats when you bring the brush near him. Hold the base of his fur with your fingers so that between your fingers and the skin is loose not tight fur and gently brush in front of your fingers for the most pleasant brushing experience

[2nd2none]

Originally Posted by AnimalLoverCatRescuer

It might scare him but it is worth a try. You might have to take him to a groomer who will put him under to groom him. In that case I would have them clip the areas he gets matter really short so you can go longer in between groomings. Keep the brushes out and in plain site for the cat to get used to it being around. Try different combs, Zoom Groom works great. There are also ones that look like gloves with rubber to pick up the loose hairs, this will not be effective for the mattes but it is a start.

There may be natural or herbal remedies you can use to calm or soothe the cat before groomings. You could also feed the cat his favorite treats or wet food while grooming.

I am with you on this thinking. I have been working for vets for several years, and this past year, I have been helping to run a feline boarding facility, where we board sometimes up to 100+ cats per day, especially during the holidays, so I have seen/handled/medicated and worked with MANY cats with varying types of personalities, and some, no matter what you do, just do not like to be brushed. You can slowly intorduce a brush to your cat, associate it with treats, a calm voice, pats, etc, but if he is still "fighting" you on it, I would go with a groomer as well. Your cat can, as mentioned be sedated, and as recommended, shaved in the "trouble" spots, and most cats do very well with the procedure. The facility where I work has an in-house groomer, who I work hand in hand with and the situation you are describing is very common. If he is too fiesty to handle, a groomer is your answer, imo. We have two who won't even handle the cats, and one who is great with them. I would ask your vet to recommend one who both enjoys and has experience with felines. I personally have two Maine Coons, and my male can sure fight me like the dickens! So, I can relate!
Good luck. I have been here two years, and honestly, have not had one feline complaint about our groomer. Ask around. A verbal referral can work wonders!