Brushing cats

I have two cats.  They are as different as night and day.  One way they are different is one hates to be brushed while the other loves it.

Buddy, my oldest, absolutely loves being brushed.  All I have to do is take the brush out of the drawer, and he’s practically begging for me to use it.  I find this comical, because normally, Buddy hates to be touched.  But he loves being brushed. Max, on the other hand, tolerates brushing only if he has to.

I use a wire-bristle slicker type brush.  I thought for a while that Max didn’t like the wire bristles, but he still hates being brushed even when I use a soft bristle brush or comb.   I find that the wire-bristle works better on Buddy, since he’s got thick, medium-coarse fur.

I brush Buddy a couple of times a week; more often if it’s shedding season.  Although, since we moved to the southwest, it seems like it’s constantly shedding season now.  They do still tend to shed less in the winter months, even though it doesn’t get that cold.

Buddy will stand still and let me brush every inch of him.  He meows and nudges my hand when I have to stop and clean fur out of the bristles.  He’d let me brush him all day, everyday I think.  After I finish brushing Buddy, I let Max sniff the brush.  Once he’s thoroughly sniffed every inch of the brush, and finally rubs his chin against it, I attempt to brush him.

Usually I can only get a small part of Max brushed, like the top of his head, or maybe his back, before he starts squirming.  I’ll let him go, and run the brush over Buddy’s head a couple of times.  Max’s curiosity usually gets the best of him then, and he’ll wander back and let me brush a little more.  After a couple of attempts, he’s had enough, and will head off into a corner and glare at me.  Then he’ll start grooming himself.

When cats don’t like being brushed, it’s best to do just a little bit at a time.  Hopefully, the cat will warm up over time to the idea of being brushed, and will let you brush more area each time.  Or maybe they’ll be like Max.

I guess a little bit of brushing at a time is better than nothing.

Photo credit: Beth VanHoose

July 13th, 2009 by Beth VanHoose | Posted in Cat Stories, Grooming Tips | (1)