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!:yell: 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:o) 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:o 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.

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.

Buster's a "he" but it's okay:laughing:

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.

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 :p

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 :shrug: 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 :shrug:

Onnie's favourite is actually my brush, which has since been donated to the cause...this type (the kind u use when straightening hair)

Thanks for the replies, you guys. I knew I would get some answers from here:D

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).

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.

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 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B00009ZJ0Q/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=284507&s=kitchen) 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 :D

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.

Yeah, my friend's already taken him to the vet and given him something to apply to his neck. I don't know if it's Revolution but it comes in four really small tubes and it seems pretty expensive. My friend's friend suggested a flea collar and even bought one but she doesn't want to use it without the vet's comments so it's just sitting there.

Is 3 - 5 hairballs in 6 months considered a lot?

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 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B00009ZJ0Q/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=284507&s=kitchen) 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 :D

Thanks Growler. I'll tell her about Cat Zoom and try to convince her to at least look for it at Pet Valu. She usually has combs lying around the house but not many brushes. Will the pointy ends irritate the cat or anything?

Thanks everybody! ^^

Busterkitty,I would not use a Flea-Collar,they are just no good,cause more discomfort to the cats.IMO
Advantage or Revolution should take care of the fleas.
When I brush my cats and they get excited,I usually let them just sniff the brush for a bit and then continue brushing.
Brushing their tummies is not usually a popular thing(at least with my cats)but my Vinnie LOVES brushing,I could be brushing him for hours:cat:

my Eclipse is a long haired and he does the same thing. Lets me brush one side the starts attacking my hand/brush. I use the same one you are. Maybe i should try a softer one. But all in all i think its something they think they should try to eat and play with :laughing:

Well, I went to my friend's house today and I successfully brushed Buster!:D It took patience in the beginning because he was sniffing the brush like crazy and rubbing his scent glands on it(he's done that since Day 1...). My friend said there's a difference between him rubbing on something he likes, and him rubbing the comb. His cardboard scratcher(he has no front claws but he still love it:cloud9:) has been rubbed tons of times by Buster and my friend just says "He loves his little scratcher" and when he was rubbing the comb, my friend said "He's saying that he hates it." I don't have a cat or anything(I'm just here to get ready for a kitty in a few years:laughing:) but it looked the same to me. Of course, my friend knows her cat better than I do:shrug:.
So, anyways, Buster let me brush him but he was wagging his tail(not fast, just steady) so I stopped. And he stopped. And I started again. And he started wagging again...Oh well, at least I covered most of him :P

chico2, I just told her not to use the flea collar(badger, it WAS Hertz ><) and she was like "Okay" because Buster hates collars and he doesn't wanna wear more than he has to.

Magicalwildwolf, yeah, I told her she should look for a softer one or just use a human brush and she said "sure". SHe's gonna go buy one from the dollar store just for Buster but if Buster just does the same thing anyways, she gonna go back to the pink one.

Thanks Growler. I'll tell her about Cat Zoom and try to convince her to at least look for it at Pet Valu. She usually has combs lying around the house but not many brushes. Will the pointy ends irritate the cat or anything?

The pointy ends of the zoom groom do not hurt they are flexible & they massage the cat while brushing, my Duffy loves it :cloud9:

growler: Thank you. I thought only the handle of the Cat Zoom was flexible:rolleyes:

Allie likes to play with the brush too. so I give her one to play with and use the other one to brush her.

i have two brushes for nero, we have a rubber one, you can get it at zellers or maybe your vet, and it works miracles (on both cats and dogs), its lift all the loose hairs and taes most of them, but for the ones it leaves behind i use the otehr brush, its w ire bristle one, but with little plastis knobbys on the end so it doesnt hurt him. i would suggest to get both of them.