lots of treats and perhaps get the hair cut to start so it doesn't pull so
much, if he likes getting petted then you may have to just massage and keep
an eye out for tangles, Lee

Abby is long haired and didn't like getting brushed. We started off slowly.
Let Suki see the brush and rub against it if  he wants to. Maybe try rubbing
the brush against his cheek/neck area. Just a little at a time. Give him a
treat when he lets you. Always stop brushing before he get mad about being
brushed. It will take a long time but it should work. Abby now likes to be
brushed.

You could also try petting him and them try one or two short passes with the
brush.

Ann

I wish you luck!

Oscar is fairly long-haired, and I just leave her to groom herself.  I
didn't have the persistence to try to get her to accept brushing.  We
*do* get her pantaloons trimmed, but that's because they trail in the
litterbox and get all gross, and I don't want her cleaning kitty
litter off of herself.

But I'm sure it's much better to get them to appreciate brushing,
especially as they get into old age and can't groom themselves so
well.

Lucky Lady, is a pure white semi-long haired cat. She appears to be a
short haired but, but actually has long hairs. She sheds alot during
the spring, hence requires some brushing. She is a very sweet cat, and
*loves* to be petted. Though, she very much didn't like being
brushed..... Especially her tail and belly, she reallllly objected, at
first.

Some good new though, at one point it become 'semi' possible to brush
her a little bit entirely.  For Lucky Lady, she is a very sensitive
cat,  and it is something I very much enjoy.  She will still object to
her tail, but a little bit is now possible. Her belly? I have tried a
semi-dry-damp cloth (not to wet her), but to simply beable to remove
excessive loss hair. I would try to do it gently, but relatively
quickly.... The method 'might' work, for keeping long hair on the
belly, from matting: I do not know honestly <shy blush>....

Okay.... it was through not using all of the brush (on an angle) and
taking care not to 'touch her skin' with the brush. With slower
stroke, and talking to her at the same time, helped alot. Also she
would enjoy the brushing more, when she was also petted lightly &
gently at the same time <smile>. I could actually get her purrrrrring
sometimes, which was such a joy. Considering how she felt about
brushing, at first, that was a miracle.

I am sure you have tried some of these things, from the sounds of your
great loving efforts. I commend you, you are doing a wonderful job, to
brush your cats in such a tender way.  I hope the story about Lucky
Lady helps....

Will cross my fingers for you <crossing fingers> ...... Let us know
how it goes, if you could <hugs>....

Ellie

I really don't know.  I know my aunt just has her long furred cats bellies
shaved every so often before they get matted.

Jo

Doesn't that just figure? The cat who needs it hates it, but the other
cat, for whom it is not even necessary, loves it, of course.

Smudge loves being brushed around her head, cheeks, neck, front "ruff"
area, and all around her neck. She will tolerate my brushing down her
spine as well. But when I get near the flanks - where mats are most likely
to form - she starts to get agitated, and will scratch, rabbit-kick, and
eventually, bite. So what I usually do is brush her in her favored areas
for a while, get her relaxed and happy, and then get in several good,
vigorous brushes around the flanks before she can start to react. When
she starts to react, I'll quickly go back to the head/neck area (crafty,
eh? :)). This works for a while, but sooner or later, she gets tired of
my trying to get at the troublesome area, and will stalk off. I also try
to get in one or two tail swipes - she doesn't like that, either.

Sounds like you don't even get the chance to brush Suki around the head,
which would make it a lot easier. Hmm... maybe you could rub some catnip
onto the brush? He might *want* to rub his head against it in that case.
If that works, you might just want to stick with that for a while, so
he gets a favorable impression of "brush time".

Another thing I do with Smudge's mats (which come and go, and oddly, when
they come, she gets a whole bunch all at once, and when they go, they all
disappear at once) is to gently pull them apart by hand. This really does
work, so I just incorporate this into petting sessions. Again, she doesn't
seem to mind when I do this on the fur around her neck, and even the chest
area, but if I try to go near her flanks, she gets fussy and then starts
inflicting pain.

But now that I pull apart small mats on a regular basis, she doesn't
get big ones anymore. You have to be gentle, because pulling on the mat
also pulls on the cat's skin. Actually, what I've found is that the
more more gently I pull, the more easily a mat comes apart.

Then, once I've pulled apart all the mats, I can brush her. I find
that more effective than trying to brush the mats.

Good luck. Sounds like Suki's a bit of a handful!

Joyce

Try one of those "grooming gloves". IT's like petting and while not as good
as a brush for getting out matts, it will get loose fur. Maybe it will
acclimate him a bit.

My Willow cat will only allow the glove kind for her brushing.  She has that
bottlebrush tail.  After I "pet" her to get out the hair, I can use a people
comb on her to get the fly away stuff.  Our deaf cat in the family doesn't
mind a brush but likes the mitt better.

Yowie, if you ever get to know how to brush a cat that needs it and does not
give consent let me know.
Since KFC got so old, even though she is a short hair she gets matted as she
cannot care for her coat any more.
So there am I, with slicker brush in hand, saying "Kitty, this is for your
own good" and there is she saying "you touch me one more time with that
brush and you are so, so dead and slashed."
I can sometimes fool her by stroking her from head to tail first gently then
hard, she purrs up a storm then and I start to break up her mats with my
fingers and providing I continue to stroke her hard she might not notice
when I try with the brush again.  Usually she does but it is often worth the
try.  It also involves talking to her with a silly voice.  No silly voice,
no groom.

Best of luck with yours.

Tweed

Not ALL long-haired cats (thank God, Melisande would never
stand for it)!  Melli has such soft fur it NEVER mats - of
course she DOES deposit hairballs on the carpet regularly,
but no other problems. Incidentally, that "Pod" Woolite
advertises really does what they claim!  I moved in to a
new, light colored carpet, but with one of those things, the
carpet is safe from hair-balls - even if the accompanying
regurgitated food is one with food dye in it.  (I never
could understand why they must add "food coloring" to pet
food - most cats and dogs are color-blind, so it's certainly
not to make it more appealing to the critter eating it!)

Hi Vicky,

Well, Tiffy was a deaf, long-haired cat and no matter what I tried she would
not get used to brushing. I had to resort to having her groomed once a year,
usually at the beginning of Summer. She enjoyed being able to feel her skin
and she would walk around with a definite "spring" in her step.

Purrs,
Flippy.