# Kitty Brushing
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [May 4, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435 "2005-05-04T20:25:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/1 "2005-05-04T20:25:02Z")
How long will your cat allow you to brush it?
Me, I get about 30 seconds until she catches what’s going on. After that, lookout! :eek:
I know some people who can’t brush kitty at all. Of course show cats seem to be pretty much resigned to brushing.
Can I train the cat to tolerate brushing? Better yet, should I?
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### Author:  [@6\_6\_6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6_6_6)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/2 "2005-05-04T21:26:10Z")
Our male cat will put up with five minutes with a little wire brush that we have, but only if it’s his idea. If we make the first move he’s likely to disappear in a flash.
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### Author:  [@Cherry2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cherry2000)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/3 "2005-05-04T22:12:03Z")
My cat doesn’t exactly _like_ to be brushed, but she puts up with it. The level of complaint I get about it tends to vary. We have an agreement though…I am the human, and I have thumbs. That means I am the only one capable of opening the can of cat food and therefore must be deferred to.
I get away with the most when I brush with one hand and follow it with the other, making her think she is getting petted.
She’s a Himilayan and pretty furry. Sometimes she gets knots that I have to work on slowly and sometimes this means I have to have boyfriend scruff her while I do it. Makes me feel like an ogre, but she always forgives me after I feed her a treat and apologize.
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### Author:  [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/4 "2005-05-04T22:40:48Z")
About 5-10 seconds max. I try to distract him with a toy but he only fell for that a couple of times.
I use this rubber brush that grabs the hair really well - I wet it so it works even better and then I do as much as I can before he snaps and tries to claw me.
LUCKILY he doesn’t shed much most of the time.
Now if only his claws would stop growing, because clipping them is a REAL challenge. ☹
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### Author:  [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/5 "2005-05-04T22:47:33Z")
My fat kitty _looooooves_ being brushed and wants me to do it for hours. I thinkit’s 'cause he’s so fat he really can’t groom himself all over. Plus he loves the undivided attention…
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/6 "2005-05-04T23:16:50Z")
Longer that I brush her
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### Author:  [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/7 "2005-05-04T23:26:09Z")
I’ve never brushed my cats. Is there some reason to do so?
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### Author:  [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/8 "2005-05-04T23:33:19Z")
About 10 minutes. If I try to roll her over to brush, she’ll jump down and stalk off.
Both cats dislike having their tummies brushed because it pulls at the tender skin there.
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### Author:  [@Typically\_Sunday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typically_Sunday)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2005, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/9 "2005-05-04T23:55:02Z")
My cat isn’t thrilled about it, but he’ll put up with being brushed long enough for me to get the job done.
Now, if I could only figure out how to clip his nails without him acting like I’m trying to torture him.
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### Author:  [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/10 "2005-05-05T00:13:02Z")
It is a good idea to brush your cats regularly, even short-haired ones, as it does help prevent hairballs. My older girl hated it at first, but with time and patience, she has come to realise I’m not trying to kill her, and that this brushing stuff actually feels pretty good. She will now tolerate it for as long as I feel like brushing her. My younger girl loved it right from the beginning.
It’s good to try to get them while they are feeling calmer, as opposed to when they are bouncing off the walls. Try about ten minutes every day, and eventually, they will come to trust the evil instrument of death and destruction, bringer of terror and horrifying apocalyptic doom - even coming to call it a brush on occasion.
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/11 "2005-05-05T00:13:52Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I’ve never brushed my cats. Is there some reason to do so?
So they will enjoy it, and expect you to do it more often. I heard that it may help cut down on hairballs but I am not convinced.
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### Author:  [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/12 "2005-05-05T00:20:06Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#):
>
> My fat kitty _looooooves_ being brushed and wants me to do it for hours.
Ditto, except for the fat part. 😉 When he sees me pick up the pink-handled wire brush, he comes running, squealing with joy. He walks back and forth, letting me run it along his back and flanks, with occasional pauses in his pacing to let me focus on his head. If I turn the brush over and put it at chin height, he rubs his jawline along it for a few strokes. Then he goes back to pacing.
I don’t know if he’s just itchy or what, but he’d be happy to get brushed until my arm falls off. He certainly complains when I stop, even after I’ve pulled enough hair off him to make a whole new cat.
Maybe he’s just weird. I had no idea this was uncommon.
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### Author:  [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/13 "2005-05-05T00:25:59Z")
one loves it. she can hear the comb being picked up.
one tolerates it for a bit.
one hates it. i sneak up on her while she sleeps.
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### Author:  [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/14 "2005-05-05T00:28:18Z")
Oh, it definitely cuts down on hairballs with my bunch. If I forget to brush, especially when they’re shedding, I get to clean up the mess on the carpet. It also reduces the amount of hair on my clothes and furniture.
My two youngest kitties actually have gotten in the habit of waiting for me in the bathroom just before bedtime so I’ll brush them. One of them even rolls over on his back to let me do his stomach, he likes it so much.
The best way I’ve found to get them used to brushing is to start when they’re kittens. Same goes for clipping claws; I handle their paws a lot when they’re little so they won’t mind later on. Liberal use of treats can help as well. Also I’ve noticed that they like it better when I come to wherever they are to brush/comb (if one is sitting in a chair for example I brush him there) rather than picking them up and putting them into my lap. The longhair especially gets annoyed if I pick her up but she’s fine if I comb her while she’s lounging in her favorite spot.
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### Author:  [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/15 "2005-05-05T01:52:28Z")
> [@mike1dog](#):
>
> I’ve never brushed my cats. Is there some reason to do so?
Sure. Here are some cites to peruse:
[Sixth paragraph in the article.](http://www.annapoliscathospital.com/showpracfaq.cfm?FAQID=18&Private=0)
[Article on hairballs](http://www.animed.org/cats_hairballs.htm)
From the [ASPCA](http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:rpVpUy8aNh0J:www.aspca.org/site/DocServer/catcare.pdf%3FdocID%3D182+ASPCA+cat+grooming&hl=en) site (warning, link may be PDF, though I chose to view it as HTML and that is what I pasted here):
"Grooming
Most cats stay relatively clean andrarely need a bath, but you shouldbrush or comb your pet regularly.Frequent brushing helps keep your cat’scoat clean, reduces the amount of shed-ding and cuts down on hairballs."
Also, the [PAW Cat Care Handbook](http://www.paw-rescue.org/cat_guide.html) - see under “Grooming”.
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### Author:  [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/16 "2005-05-05T02:30:26Z")
I’ve never known a cat that hated to be brushed. My mom’s late cat Muffin would run to the basket where the brush was kept if I said “brush” to her. She loved it. Of my two ex-cats, Conan and Schrodinger, Schro liked it the least. He preferred a brief combing to being brushed. Conan, on the other hand, would turn into a purring puddle of furry goo if I picked up a hairbrush.
I thought all cats liked to be brushed, to a greater or lesser extent.
Maybe you’re doing it wrong.
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### Author:  [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/17 "2005-05-05T02:56:58Z")
Well, Scooter likes the brush, but only his way. You can’t actually brush him, he grabs the brush with his paws and rubs his face on it.
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### Author:  [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/18 "2005-05-05T03:05:06Z")
I have three domestic longhairs, two of which do not tolerate it too much. Rubicante will tolerate it pretty well but starts to think it’s a game after a while. Kitt will tolerate it as long as I hold him. Bitey? I don’t go there. She isn’t named that for nothing. Although I can get the ninja-brush in once in a while when she least expects it.
I try to brush them all once a day (especially this time of year).
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/19 "2005-05-05T03:08:40Z")
My cats all love it. Unfortunately, three of them have hair so thick you need a fine toothed comb to get all the tangles-and they HATE the comb because it pulls.
But the brush…oh, the only problem I have is that they roll around in ectasy and purr and try to rub their faces against it.
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### Author:  [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-brushing/302435/20 "2005-05-05T04:42:44Z")
Our cat not only LOVES to be brushed, but she DEMANDS to be brushed. She long ago figured out that when she heard the blow-dryer going in the bathroom that it meant I had a brush in my hand, so she’d come running in and jump up on the toilet and give me those Puss-in-Boots eyes until I’d give in and brush her. Eventually she figured out that the sound of the shower always preceeded the dryer, and every time I’d open the shower curtain, there she’d be all poised and ready. Now, she doesn’t always come in when we shower, but she will often just go into the bathroom at random times, climb up on the seat and start yelling at us to come brush her – it’s hilarious. And if og forbid we try to stop before she wants us to, she’ll reach out with a paw, grab the brush and pull it towards her face! She is one smart (and spoiled) kitty!
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