i have a mid-length/long haired cat and she will not allow us to groom her. she is a rescue cat and was about 2yrs when we got her. everytime we go to groom her she hisses and spits and bites and claws. we've tried so many methods and all we can do now is one of us clamp her down while the other one grooms. it's horrible that we have to do this. has anyone got tips on how to calm her down so we can try and groom her without us feeling cruel. she has to be groomed as the cots pull at her skin and she's a very outdoorsy cat.
any tips?

You could always try anxiety drops which i think you can buy at most good pet stores, they are herbal and have no known side effects, perhaps something like this may help to calm the cat down, good luck with grooming her. CHRIS.

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Does she like to be stroked?

If so, what about a zoom brush? This is a rubber triangular shaped with big triangualr shaped teeth. You put it in the palm of your hand and stroke.

It is not going to get existing tangles out but if you can sort those maybe this would be a first step........

Will try to find a picture or if any one else can...?

Hi,

The zoom grooms are great, Try this link for one off ebay failing that Pets at home sell them too. They really do remove alot of fur and it doesn't pull or anything.

KONG Zoom Groom Grooming brush cats combs on eBay, also Grooming Health Care, Dogs, Pet Supplies, Home Garden (end time 13-Mar-09 14:18:08 GMT)
hope the link works

Izzie

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Somebody also suggested a stitch picker. This is something for rapidly unpicking a hem on the bottom of a skirt, say.

After reading that post I dug out mine (bought from any store selling sewing stuff or dressmaking stuff - John Lewis etc) and tried it on my cat's under armpit knots - it was great. No stress and divided the knot so could either zoom groom it off or tease it better with fingers.

But cat needs to be able to be handled and, better, like being stroked and fussed over.

thankyou for your comments. we have considered a grooming mit before but she will only tolerate stroking for about a minute before she tries to take off your hand! and stitch pickers are fantastic for longer haired cats as your pulling away and there is less chance of hurting them.
i've never heard of anxiety drops, i will have a look for these and also a zoom groom.
she does love to be stroked, but only on her terms. she's generally quite laid back as long as she's allowed a lot of independence and space, she's less of a pet and more of a lodger. it took a along time to build her trust, i don't want to ruin it with a bad grooming experience.
thankyou all for your tips!

we have a zoom groom - it's blooming fantstic - it gets out masses AND the cats feel like they are having a massage. FOr a normal brush our moggy runs away, for the zoom groom he actively encourages us to keep going. It's brill!

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He he i think that was me,lol glad it worked for you.

izzie

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