Tuesday, August 9, 2016

A Brush with Eccentricity

I like brushing the cats. Most of them enjoy it, and it leaves them feeling smooth and clean, ridding their coats of the loose hairs that cover them as they shed, which they do every second of every day. They look great afterward, for a minute or two. I think they feel good, as well. But each of my four react to brushing in different ways.

My Tungsten used to purr during a brushing session, but was always on the move, as if trying to get away from it. I had to be gentle with her, as it was always as though I were trying to brush a furry bag of bones, she was so thin.

Cammie detests being brushed, though a little less than formerly. I thought it may have been the smell of other cats on the brush, but she has her own, and still reacts the same. I can usually manage a few strokes before the princess begins hissing and growling. Her permission lasts too short a time to obtain a photograph of it.

Josie takes after Tungsten to a certain extent. She will initially lie down, purring, ready for some attention but then, when I start brushing, my Chubs stands and attempts to leave, only to collapse a few feet away, expecting to be brushed some more. This can go on for some time.


The boys love their brushing. Tucker will throw himself on the floor in anticipation, and start purring before the tines of the brush touch him. He enjoys a firm hand and his fur shimmers afterward. When I am done, he will squeak for more. The strange thing is that the roly poly one vigorously licks one of his forelegs the whole time that I am brushing. He sometimes even nibbles it. I make sure that he does no damage - the brushing doesn’t go on for so long as that - but I find it odd. It may be an uncontrollable reaction, like the kicking of a rear leg when a certain part of the tummy is rubbed.


And Renn needs to sniff the brush. My big boy is a prodigious smeller, with that large nose of his, but he feels compelled continually to smell the brush as it is being used. As may be imagined, this causes some inconvenience, as I cannot brush him properly without risking a punch to his proboscis. Yet he loves being brushed. He especially enjoys a rough grooming of his chest. That is when he at last stops trying to sniff, and relaxes. But he gives his throaty purr wherever the the brush strikes him.


Even when being groomed, my lot are an entertaining bunch. Strange and eccentric, they are individual in every way. They are, after all, cats.

14 comments:

  1. guyz...we reeded thiz title quik lee...we thinked it red: a brush with electricitee !!!! we can ree late ta that come winter time static ....round heer...dai$y toleratez two swipes....boomer....lovez hiz brushin & me...tuna....ask me bout my mood furst !!

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    1. Ha! A brush with electricity. I'd probably electrocute myself, using that with my lot.

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  2. I found the fact that Tucker licks his foreleg while being brushed quite interesting. Marc, a cat I had years ago, would scratch his shoulder with one of his hind legs whenever he was rubbed between his ears. I always wondered why.

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    1. I don't know whether it's psychological or neurological. Tucker is probably just a bit looney.

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  3. I love grooming my cats. Some like the grooming more than others but all love being the center of my attention. I don't use a pin brush because some, like my Siamese, have thin flat hair. I got a couple of bags of combs from the Dollar Tree and put some in decorative containers around my house. When I catch one of my cats in the mood, there is always a comb handy.

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    1. That's a good idea. You're always ready for them.

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  4. Eric adored being brushed. We would leave a Zoom Groom on the top of the cat tree for him to rub his face into. He was just like Tucker and would chew on a front foot whilst being groomed. We assumed he must be ticklish. Flynn likes to be brushed too, but I also have to be very gentle with him now he is all fur and bones.

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  5. All I have to do is bring out the brush and Sami and Sasha are right there by my side begging to be the first to be brushed. Saku, on the other hand, is much like your Cammie. I might get a few strokes in and then he's off usually with a hiss or a swat.

    Of Sasha and Sami, Sami is the prodigious shedder. Sometimes I get enough fur to make a small kitten. Sasha sheds very little and is rather skinny like Tungsten so I try not to brush him very hard.
    I suspect Saku would feel better divested of some of his fur but that's just not going to happen.

    Enjoy!

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  6. Both the boys are like Josie :) I love them to death but oh does it make it a long session!

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  7. They all sound sweet and they are very cute. Most of mine like to be brushed, especially Sammy.

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  8. You have quite the beauty salon there. Jessica loved being brushed: she jumped up on the bed every time I put my hand in the box with her brushes in anticipation of a good grooming. And she always looked lovely with her long silky coat. Holly loves a good brushing too but she gets rather over excited and madly licks my hand making it hard to brush her.

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    1. It's funny that now I think of it, the cats I've had who don't like the brush are the ones who need it the least anyway. Maybe they're just telling me so.

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  9. They look so nice and comfortable!!! Liked your post
    Khloe

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  10. it is truly fascinating, with our bunch also, how unique each cat's reaction to brushing can be - sounds like you have a similarly fun and chaotic time during the brushing marathon!

    Pet lovers please check out my homeless cat blog archives for some fun posts and archived stories about the abandoned/feral cat colony I manage.

    Debby in Arizona
    http://homelesscatcare.blogspot.com/

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