We adopted two two-year-old persians (neutered brothers, one cream, one blue) almost two years ago. They had had a difficult life and been through a few homes. However they settled in with us and have been pretty well behaved since.
The only major problem we had was that they didn't like to be groomed and persians need daily grooming. We figured that they would get used to it in time and that it would become easier. For Murray the cream cat (and the larger one) this was true and he will pretty much put up with it now, sometimes even enjoys being groomed and we can keep his coat in pretty good condition and rarely get scratched by him in the process.
However Wesley has just got worse and worse about the whole thing! He goes absolutely crazy when you even put a comb or brush near him. The two of us together can't even keep hold of him (I volunteer with wildlife and wild foxes are easier to handle!) - he scratches and bites us and it draws blood (I have scars and was once asked if I was a self-harmer!). Then he starts gasping for breath and finally will wedge himself behing the U-bend of the toilet and cry! We are honestly only trying to gently groom him! It has got so impossible that we just don't bother anymore, when he gets bad mats we try to cut them out when he isn't looking so he has big bits of fur missing and looks really silly. But then it is really hard to cut mats out of his crotch and armpits where they often form. Apart from when we try to groom him he's very friendly and quite a lap cat.
I love in England and none of the dog grooming parlours on the area will take cats - not that I would inflict Wesley on anybody else.
Any ideas?
The only major problem we had was that they didn't like to be groomed and persians need daily grooming. We figured that they would get used to it in time and that it would become easier. For Murray the cream cat (and the larger one) this was true and he will pretty much put up with it now, sometimes even enjoys being groomed and we can keep his coat in pretty good condition and rarely get scratched by him in the process.
However Wesley has just got worse and worse about the whole thing! He goes absolutely crazy when you even put a comb or brush near him. The two of us together can't even keep hold of him (I volunteer with wildlife and wild foxes are easier to handle!) - he scratches and bites us and it draws blood (I have scars and was once asked if I was a self-harmer!). Then he starts gasping for breath and finally will wedge himself behing the U-bend of the toilet and cry! We are honestly only trying to gently groom him! It has got so impossible that we just don't bother anymore, when he gets bad mats we try to cut them out when he isn't looking so he has big bits of fur missing and looks really silly. But then it is really hard to cut mats out of his crotch and armpits where they often form. Apart from when we try to groom him he's very friendly and quite a lap cat.
I love in England and none of the dog grooming parlours on the area will take cats - not that I would inflict Wesley on anybody else.
Any ideas?
