Static cat - help!

[cattawallawalla]

Misa one of my current cats is terrified if I pick up an aerosol can of anything and spray, reckon someone flea sprayed him in his kitten years and he has not forgotten, so he runs away and hides, poor boy.

Yes, they tend not to like the sound of the spray, which is why I spray on my hand and then rub the leave in oil on them. It helps. I have a nervous pit bull mix who also is terrified of the spray sound, and I have to do the same thing with him. heh. A servant to my beasties, that's what I am.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

You right its their long noses I love 

However some cats have such a bad background and very long memories and Kocka was scared of anything she thought smelled suspicious.

Misa one of my current cats is terrified if I pick up an aerosol can of anything and spray, reckon someone flea sprayed him in his kitten years and he has not forgotten, so he runs away and hides, poor boy.

[cattawallawalla]

Oh, poor kitty! Mine don't seem to mind the smell at all. Of course, I trick them by using it on the dogs first, and then the cats become quite curious, and then I just rub a dub them on their sides. One of my cats, Tikka, wants whatever the dogs get, (can't keep her out of the dog biscuit box), so she starts the ball rolling and then most of the other cats line up for their "baths".

Cats. Gotta love their pointy little heads.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Yes there are some of those wipes over here, cant remember their name though, bought em from the supermarket and \kocka ran a mile cos she hated the smell 

[cattawallawalla]

We have been having a very dry, windy winter in L.A., so the static cling thing has been a topic of discussion out here. I wouldn't use the dryer sheets, because the chemicals are bad for the cats, but there is a product called HyLyt out here which is like a spray on topical oil, but it is not tacky to the touch. I get it at the vet and when the kits get staticy, I spray some on my hand and rub it into their coats. Works fine. You could also look for a leave-in feline conditioner. Or maybe you could try the kitty bath wipes, which most pet stores carry, which is a way to "bathe" them with no water. You just wipe 'em down with it, but it helps with the static cling as well. I don't know what the product names are on the UK side, but I hope this helps.

Esther

[littleKitten_(alex)]

I don't know what brush she used - I always use a slicker brush with a wooden handle, and have never had a problem with static. I don't really want to mention it to her - don't want her to think I am critizising her cat sitting! My partner and I were very very grateful to her for looking after our babies so we could have a little romantic break. (Although the break was more for his benefit than mine... I did miss my little babies quite a lot...)

[saffron]

Can I ask what your sister used to brush or comb her? In the mean time take a small fanel or towel rinse it in hand hot water & gentley wipe her all over, this should disapate the static.

[littleKitten_(alex)]

Thanks for the advice, I'm reluctant to use any chemical stuff, but soaking her a bit seems to have worked. Fortunately, she's a VERY chilled cat, who lets me do absolutely anything - and generally purrs while I'm doing it. :D

[Iluvcritters]

great tips, Thanks. lately every time I go to pet my furrys we get shocked. They are getting to the point of not wanting me to pet them and we can't have that.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

  sorry shuldn't laff but I have a mental picture of what she looks like.

I would suggest the best way of remving her static would be to damp her down a bit.  You could try the direct approach ... dunk her in the bath ... Ok that's probably not the best solution.  I would use a warm damp flannel and just wipe her down with it.  It's probably necessary to get her quiet damp but it should work.

You could also try rubbing her gently with a tumble dryer sheet (obviously only do this on dry fur) as they are supposed to remove static but be careful not to rub too much as I'm not sure what chemicals are in these.   BTW this also works on your hair if it's full of static!! Todays top tip 

Good luck

[littleKitten_(alex)]

My sister was cat sitting for me for a couple of days, and I think she might have used the wrong kind of brush or something on my semi-longhaired cat Poppy, because since I got back 4 days ago, she is loaded with static electricity - which is an interesting look on a semi-longhair...  The first night I kept getting little shocks from her too, but at least that's stopped.

What can I do to sort my baby out? At the moment I am almost scared to stroke her, since it makes her hairs stand up even more. Help!

On a happier note my other cat, 4 month-old Monkey, has just played fetch with me for the first time! He did it at least 20-30 times in a row, and he even brought the toy back and dropped it into my hand pretty much every time (I find that most cats like to at least drop it a step or two in front of you, to force you to excercise a little...). Another one of those lovely "firsts"... He is now looking rather pleased with himself, purring away on my lap.