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Old March 27th, 2008, 06:38 PM
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BusterKitty BusterKitty is offline
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Question Is It Normal for a Cat to Chew on its Grooming Tools?

My friend's kitty was given up by a family friend of my friend. She took Buster in and has been with him for over 6 months now. She asked the previous owner lots of questions and they were answered very thoroughly.

One thing that my friend didn't ask was how it reacted went groomed. Well, my friend's been grooming him once in a while but barely enough(about...once ever 3 weeks...) and I'm begging her to actually brush him more. Buster gets his nails clipped at the vet but my friend successfully trimmed ONE claw once when Buster was grooming himself.

The thing is, my friend tries to avoid brushing Buster because he shows aggression or something towards the brush(trying to swat it/chew it). She is fearful of his playful/aggressive side because on the first day of his arrival, he(somewhat) bit her. It was more like a scratch from his teeth. Her skin is very sensitive and swelled up a little but it didn't puncture. Her skin always swells up if she scratches herself too hard.

I know that there are health issues if kitty isn't groomed enough. Mats, hairballs, etc. but when I try to convince her to brush Buster, my friend always says "But he can groom himself perfectly" She means that he can reach every part of his body. I don't know how he does it because he's overweight! I read somewhere that overweight cats should get extra help because they can't reach every part of their body. I just want to scream at her for not helping her kitty! But I still go to her house twice every week so I do the brushing for her(we go to classes and stuff together so sometimes we're on a rush but I still try ><).

So here's a typical session that I experienced a few months earlier when I had lots of time to help brush him. This is for those of you who still don't know what I mean(I can go on forever and get off track so this might help) I would be brushing him and he would lie on his side very comfortably. Then he would start grabbing my hand(he's declawed at the front paws) and try to chew on the comb. He even does that when I'm combing his back. He would roll onto his side and try to steal the comb away from me.

So is this normal behaviour or does he just see the comb as a toy?...or does he just HATE the comb? ...it's pink not a big boy's favourite colour...The comb(ahhh, it's a brush!!!!) is a slicker brush and how it looks like(the Internet is awesome ><) is at the bottom of this post.

So is it an okay brush? They can't get anything like the FURminator(even though I really want them to) but if it's something good and not THAT expensive, then I might be able to convince them.
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Old March 27th, 2008, 06:55 PM
Jim Hall Jim Hall is offline
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Yhats normal behaivior in a sense what happens is the cat will get a bit to excited and want to play with the brush. All you need to do is stop and let her calm down. Mine does the oppsite she will walk away and come back in a minute for more. also if you start out a session by playing first and getting rid of some of her energy first. I wouldnt worry to much about hairballs and stuff if she shows no signs, lots of cats never get groomed
ALl the cats i have had loved to be brushed I guess i am lucky. Almost all of them at one time or another wanted to play with the grooming tools
also maybe another kind of brush maybe a bit softer would be better for her


furmiators are fine but a regular old hair brush works to furminators are ok but i think they are overused I have used regular old 2 dollor haidbrushes on my cats and dogs too and never had a problem with hairballs well almost never lol had a big siamise that had em desite the grooming roultine.
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Old March 27th, 2008, 07:55 PM
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BusterKitty BusterKitty is offline
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Buster's a "he" but it's okay

So just tire him out? Sure! Thanks for the advice. I'll pass it on to her. Well, Buster has already coughed up about 4 or 5 hairballs...I don't know if that's serious or something >< Oh and he has fleas but the vet says they were from the previous owner.
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Old March 27th, 2008, 08:00 PM
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Frenchy Frenchy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Hall View Post
Yhats normal behaivior in a sense what happens is the cat will get a bit to excited and want to play with the brush.
My cats do the same
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Old March 27th, 2008, 08:11 PM
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onster onster is offline
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Onnie loves a brushing, will let me do it for hours

Bunduk, the fluffy one...does like buster. He actually absolutely refuses/runs away....so bunduk can groom himself Had him over a year, no problems.

is buster long hair?

u might want to try a different brush too...a softer one, onnie doesnt like thos too much (tho they are popular), i think he has sensitive skin and they bug him

Onnie's favourite is actually my brush, which has since been donated to the cause...this type (the kind u use when straightening hair)
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Old March 27th, 2008, 09:31 PM
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BusterKitty BusterKitty is offline
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Thanks for the replies, you guys. I knew I would get some answers from here

At least now we know Buster's not alone. He's shorthair and has fleas so he's been pulling out some hair on his back(but they've grown back).
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Old March 28th, 2008, 12:02 AM
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badger badger is offline
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His skin may be sensitive, as mentioned above. If he has fleas, that could be adding to his discomfort. Please ask your friend to use a flea remedy from the vet, it's called Revolution and you apply it to the back of the neck, right on the skin. She should avoid OTC products such as Hertz collars, they are full of harmful chemicals and often don't work.
I have one of those brushes, you have to use them carefully because the wires can dig into the skin. Maybe try one that is more like a human hairbrush, with softer bristles.
My cats do the same thing, grabbing at the brush, chewing on the business end, just generally interfering. If they really object, I just try later.
If he gets alot of hairballs, your friend would be doing him a favour by brushing him regularly, less hair will end up in his tummy.
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Old March 28th, 2008, 12:04 AM
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growler~GateKeeper growler~GateKeeper is offline
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Yes it is normal & you can use a regular people brush or comb they work just as well as the "pet" brushes/combs. I prefer the slicker used only for dogs with thick or rough fur.

One pet brush I recommend is the Cat Zoom Groom by Kong it is made of medium flexible rubber, the fur is easily removed from the brush after grooming & the cat gets a massage @ the sametime. Available @ most (if not all) pet supply stores
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