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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsIs he going through that at all?? Seems cruel to me.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,463 posts)And if they get big tear the cat's fragile skin irritating it causing wounds that tear open continually.
Cat gets mats best to get on it fast.
Faux pas
(14,672 posts)I've always brushed my cats, they don't get matted.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,463 posts)Depending on the type of fur a cat has matting is inevitable. Othello is a shorthair and he gets brushed everyday.
Faux pas
(14,672 posts)guess I've only had cats with unmattable fur then and I've had all kinds.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,463 posts)Maybe people don't brush thier cats well enough. Maybe they get the wrong brushes to reach the undercoat.
I never had a longhaired cat before.
I know if they're an indoor outdoor cat or a barn cat or feral a burr or other plants can get embedded and cause mats.
Some cats won't or can't groom adequately too.
So it happens.
wnylib
(21,438 posts)their back portion and tail to be brushed. I live alone, so there is no one to hold her down for a brushing and I don't have equipment that would immobilize her.
She is much worse just at a vet appointment than this cat in the video. At home, she has swatted the brush right out of my hand. At the vet's they muzzle her and two assistants hold her down under a blanket in order to sedate her before clipping her claws.
Some cats are just hypersensitive about being touched in certain areas. My previous cat was just the opposite. He LOVED being brushed and the vet could do anything with him without a muzzle or sedation.
That sounds like a nightmare for the poor kitty and for you. I'm sorry
wnylib
(21,438 posts)But sometimes she needs to see the vet.
I've learned that spraying Felliway onto a towel in her carrier, and leaving her a little hungry before vet visits helps. The Felliway calms her much better than the pill they sold me for use before visits, which really doesn't work at all. The vet has a container of treats in the exam room. I give them to her, one at a time by hand while she is being examined or given a shot to distract her.
The problem is partly her breed background and partly her early life history. I got her from a coworker when she was 9 weeks old. The coworker had the mother, an older kitten, and a dog. My gal, Ember, was the runt of her litter, so she had to be a fighter from the start. The coworker was not a good pet owner. While I was there, the coworker tossed Ember on the couch, flipped her onto her back, and jostled her around with her hand on Ember's belly. Rough jostling, far too rough for a tiny kitten. Also, the older cat had previously attacked Ember, who was rescued by the dog.
Consequently, Ember had a fear of human hands. It took me several weeks to get Ember to let me to pet her on the head. Whenever she saw my hand she went into full attack mode. These were not playful attacks. She meant business. (Now she nudges my hand when she wants to be petted.)
She looks like an ordinary non pedigreed cat, but her body shape and several behavior traits made me suspect a pedigreed breed in her recent history. She was a year old before I knew for sure that it was Egyptian Mau. She does not have the Mau spotted coat, but has one behavioral trait that ONLY Maus have. It's called a "tail wiggle" or "butt wiggle." When excited and anticipating something she loves, her tail goes straight up in the air and vibrates, from her rump to the tip of her tail.
I learned that Egyptian Maus are affectionate, but very touchy about being handled. They require socializing at a very early age. Poor Ember got just the opposite as a kitten before I got her.
She is 6 now and has mellowed from her early defensiveness. She is very affectionate, sweet, and loves to be petted, kissed, and played with. She is friendly even with people she doesn't know. But in her mind, the vet is a bad person who hurt her with needles and surgery (spaying) when she was still a scared kitten. She has an excellent memory.
Example of her memory: When she was 2 years old, the coworker stopped in at my place to see how Ember was doing. The instant that Ember heard the woman's voice and smelled her scent, she leaped onto a counter, arched her back with hair on end, and hissed and growled furiously. She would not let the coworker closer than 6 feet.
Ocelot II
(115,681 posts)and even though I brush her every day she gets mats on her hindquarters, which she doesn't want me to mess with. I took her to a groomer once, which resulted in a lot of shrieking, and more recently I had the vet sedate her so she could be de-matted in certain personal areas. I find tiny mats in her fur almost every day that I constantly have to detangle.
TomSlick
(11,097 posts)I have a big tom cat that really needs grooming but I like the local pet groomer.
question everything
(47,474 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)He usually handled clipping nails well. Miss that buddy.
Jacson6
(350 posts)But if I tried to touch him he would scratch me with all his might!
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Havent been the same. Love em.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,463 posts)I had my friend over to assist me, expecting the worst. Othello was such a good boi.Didnt meow,fight or anything.
We were both blown away he was so good.
I was getting rid of fleas the neighbor downstairs brought to the building and the frontline stopped working.
However he almost made me cry he looked so pitiful wet.
3catwoman3
(23,975 posts)a wet cat.
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)pansypoo53219
(20,974 posts)made it worse, but she was also baby bitch + hated a lot of things, but i managed w/ help. she did love brushing. she might have killed me if i gave her a bath.