Ember the cat is freaking me out with a miraculous behavior change.

[wnylib]

She has always DESPISED being brushed or combed. When little, she squirmed and wiggled loose. As she got older, larger, and stronger, she got more assertive - hissing, slapping me, and slapping the brush right out of my hand.

I tried different kinds of brushes and combs. Even tried a toothbrush in case the cat brushes were too harsh. Nothing doing. She howled and as if being tortured. I tried treats as a reward afterward and a lure before brushing. Ember wasn't having it.

And then, a couple days ago, the miracle happened.

I cleaned out a bathroom drawer and removed an old hairbrush of mine. I still had it in my hand when I walked to my desk, where Ember likes to perch next to me. I laid it down to type something. Ember sniffed it. Then she rubbed her face against the bristle side. I picked it up slowly and cautiously and ran it over the top of her head, where she loves to get scritches and even tolerates brushes sometimes, very briefly. I was shocked at her reaction. She leaned into the brush so that it ran over the side of her neck. I tried it on the other side and she leaned into it again. Dreamy, half-closed eyes of contentment. Was this my fierce Ember or an imposter?

I let the brush slide down a bit to her shoulder. No hissing. No finger shredding. No slapping at me or the brush. Nevertheless, I stopped, not wanting to push my luck. And then the second miracle happened. Ember looked at the brush and me as if wondering why the brushing stopped. She nudged the brush and my hand to continue. So I did.

OMG!!! Was this just a feline suckup job? No, it wasn't feeding time.

And it has happened a few times since then. I left the brush on my desk. When she feels like it, she rubs against it. That's my cue to pick it up and let her rub against it, then brush her.

Thus is so uncharacteristic that I am spooked.

[Ocelot II]

1. She likes it because it smells like you.

Also, cats are weird.

[wnylib]

3. I wondered if it might be due to my scent on the brush.

It's the only possible explanation.

I'm happy for her change in attitude. It will cut down the shedding on furniture and carpet. She is shorthaired, but has an undercoat. And it looks sleeker and shinier when I can brush it.

[Siwsan]

2. If only that would happen with Gryff when it comes to clipping his claws

He has claws like daggers and hates getting them snipped. And not only are they like daggers, they are like huge SHARP daggers that he sometimes extends when he jumps on or off of me. I have about a 3 inch wound on my ankle from this morning.

[wnylib]

5. Ember is ferocious about claw clipping.

Her vet does not want to do it any more. Last time they sedated her and charged me a huge amount.

But Ember has taken over her own claw care. She scratches hard on her posts and later bites the tips of her claws. It's funny and weird to watch her, but it works.

Also, she has been careful to keep her claws in ever since the time she accidentally drew a large amount of blood from my ankle after ambushing my leg. She was visibly upset as I cleaned off the blood and bandaged the ankle. Now she gently taps my legs instead of a full on ambush attack. For a cat, she's squeamish about stuff like that. I have a National Geographic video about African wildlife. She was fascinated by the tigers until the camera showed one taking down a gazelle. Ember stopped watching and ran out of the room (under my bed).

She is the most peculiar cat that I've ever had. But I love her quirkiness.

[3catwoman3]

6. Our vet uses a muzzle that covers the whole face, including the eyes. The explanation...

...was if they can't see it, it doesn't bother them so much and keeps them calmer. Plus, they can't bite.

Our tuxie female hates having her claws trimmed. I got one of these muzzles and it works like a charm. I can get all 10 claws trimmed in not much more time than it is taking to type this message.

There are lots of choices. Here is a link to the one my vet uses:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07331DK22?SubscriptionId=AKIAJO7E5OLQ67NVPFZA&ascsubtag=758856540-2-454470512.1691017960&linkCode=ogi&psc=1&tag=shopperz_origin1-20&th=

[Ocelot II]

7. I tried one of those on my cat and she went completely nuts.

She ran frantically around the room shrieking and running into the furniture. So that was the end of that. We do not attempt claw trimming any more.

[wnylib]

9. I don't think it would work with Ember.

She does not allow her paws to be touched, let alone have her claws trimmed.

Ember had a couple traumatic experiences by the time she was 9 weeks old, when I got her. One was a physical attack from an older half brother. The other was some rough handling by the woman that I got her from. She developed some serious trust issues about being touched. It took weeks for me to earn her trust enough to be able to pet her. In addition to that, she is a mix of ordinary domestic cat and a breed that does not like to be handled and requires early socialization, which she did not get.

So it's remarkable, with such a bad early start in life, that she is as affectionate as she is. She loves being petted now and likes to snuggle up to me. She greets strangers well, even rubs up against them. Loves kids and enjoys interactive play with people and her toys. But she is still guarded and sensitive about having things done to her body.

[niyad]

4. Hmmm, maybe the full moon is affecting her.

[slightlv]

8. I tried my personal hairbrush on each of my cats...

no go for any of them (sigh). Maybe I cleaned out too MUCH of my hair first? I just finished having my Maine Coon shaved with a lion cut. He's a tabby, and I had no idea the colors and shapes under all the fur on his skin! He looks so funny, but he's forgiven me. The groomer well-earned her money, let me tell you! This was the shaving experience from hell!