I am trying hard, seriously.
Every morning I have a routine with this little boy of mine. I put him on the same bathroom counter and do his eyes and brush him once through quickly. I am having a hard time doing his arm pits.
Today I am playing with him while he is laying on his back being very silly and I can feel some small matts in his pit area.
Any brushing ideas.
How DOES one get a very inquisitive and playful kitten to sit still long enough to do the proper grooming?
Please?
Anyone?
He just ran by 100 miles an hour.
I have a flicker brush, a toothbrush and a comb.
He is just too damned wiggley.

Paula,

I just love hearing about your lovely boy - I am sure he makes you laugh every day !

Grooming issues is different from cat to cat but I think about all the members have this problem with the underarms.

As you could gather from my post's I don't qualify in the grooming department as yet that is why I am also eagerly awaiting
the responses to your dilemma.

Thanks for sharing your baby with us and I am sure you also understand why we are all so in love with our fur kids.

Paula,the post is so right, since I got Bluie at 8 weeks, she has made it a personal war when it comes to her tummy,hoohoo area,under her arm pits. I have her get a santairy clip for the back of her legs, her hoohoo area and include the tummy in the summer. In order to get under her arm pits I wait until she is napping soundly , rub her little head and use nurses safty shears to clip them off. The are shears with blunt ends. if it is very tight to her skin, I slide a comb between the matt and her skin.. usually I do it when John is home incase I need his help..

I have a ritual, and after a week or so your kitty will figure out he has to cooperate...first, do his eyes. Then pick up the comb- start with the chin and ruff area, then do behind both ears. Now pick up each front foot and do the armpits, using the fine teeth if necessary. Now lift the cat by putting your hand on the chest and standing him on his his hind legs. Do the whole belly area and down to the groin. Do the top of the cat last - the back, the base of the tail and the tail. The last thing I do is grab the tail and comb down between both back legs. The whole ritual takes less than two minutes. If you do this at least once a day, you should keep everything as free from mats as is possible. Good luck!

So that explains my problem -- I have a girl kitty so she doesn't have to cooperate!

Seriously, your idea of a ritual is fine, but a week might be a bit too soon for the more stubborn kitties. I've been working with Isabel for about 2 months and the armpits, crotch, and tail are all still no go areas. I have to do Pat's sneek up on her when she is sleeping. Then it's three strokes and I'm in trouble!

I would never consider myself an expert, but I follow a routine similar to gempaw's above. After over a year's worth of daily grooming and my learning to be less timid with my combing, the boys are more cooperative. Often they will purr and roll over to make their bellies accessible. Mind you, I groom them in the late evening when they are relatively sleepy and I give them each a treat when the ordeal is completed. That one treat made a whole lot of difference. I get the impression they even make themselves available for grooming in anticipation of the treat.

Thank you my fellow cat people. I am going to do a 'dog whisper' and blow out all my anxieties, be more confident, and be consistent and follow the routing. I love the idea of a treat after. THAT may be the way to my little boy's heart. I mean my daughter's little boy's heart. Remember I bought Michelangelo for her....
Paula

I am embarrassed to type this post, but we ran into a snag, a matt actually.
Michelangelo has a matt under his front arm pit area. I have been working on him upsidedown in my lap. Little guy is so patient with me, I am afraid to cut him, so I am working on it slowly. I don't have a shaver and if I can't work it out myself, I will take him to a groomer as soon as I can get an appointment.

I feel bad for this little guy, as I must not have not been getting down to his skin when I groom him every morning.
sigh.
I can not find a 'greyhound comb' but have found something similar to this.

Mats happen.

It's very easy to comb a Persian and get only the top layers of hair and not down to the skin. This is especially true of difficult areas such as armpits, so don't feel bad. Just be thankful you have a cat who cooperates!

As for the mat, what I do is take a pair of blunt nose scissors and cut perpendicular to the skin through the mat. The lower 'jaw' of the scissors is near the skin, but at right angles to it, so there is little danger of cutting the skin. (Just make sure you can see the skin.) I make several cuts through the mat to break it up and then very gently comb it out.

Mats do happen and LindaH's suggestion is very good. It is difficult to get down to the undercoat and that is why I have decided to be as gently aggressive in combing them as I can this time around. I currently use a comb like the one you pictured. Half of the teeth are longer than the other half. It seems to be working. Perhaps I did not use the greyhound style comb effectively. If the mat is relatively small or if it is a small knot, you can pick at the mat/knot with the teeth at the very tip of the comb. That teases the mat apart (if you are lucky). My boys let me backcomb them and that helps get out excess undercoat. I finish off with regular combing ... and a treat, of course.