I have a two year old long haired female Siamese. Now that it is shedding season my house is covered in fur but when I try to brush her to help with the shedding she becomes extremely angry. She is normally affectionate, on her terms, but when I brushed her she began growling and hissing and bit and clawed me several times. Her fur is not matted in any way and I cannot find any other possible reasons for her anger. She is very opinionated and extremely independent. Is there anything I can do or give her to calm her down so I can get this done? I don't really want to sedate her but she really does need to be brushed. It may sound crazy but it's easier to bath her than brush her but a bath doesn't get all the dead fur in the undercoat. Please help.

They make posts that 'brush' the cat. You could try one of those. I'm not sure how well they remove the undercoat, though.

Scratching post brush Cat Supplies at bizrate - Shop online for Pet Supplies. Compare Prices and Read Consumer Reviews

I originally stated that I didn't want to resort to sedatives but I have done the best I can on my own and my hands and arms have paid the price. I have been clawed and bitten all over them. I am finding that she is not so much matted but the dead fur has become tangled in the undercoat and I really need to get it out. Is there anything over the counter (for people) that I can give her to calm or sedate her that won't hurt her. I have given her dramamine in the past for long car trips but that hardly makes her drowsy. In order for me to really help her with all the knots she would have to be fairly out of it. Should I call a vet and get something from them? I have called professional groomers and they want over $200.00 dollars just to bath and brush her. I absolutely cannot afford this. I'm at my wits end with this but she REALLY needs help. Please help me!

Hmm... I have a cat that wasn't too happy about it when I first started brushing him. He's short-haired and doesn't even shed much, but for some reason pukes it up easily so I brush him anyway. He would try to bite me.

Most cats love brushing so I thought that weird. (The other cat just loves it, everywhere, even her belly, and rolls around all over, content as can be.) I once tried sneaking up behind him and running the brush down his back when he didn't see it coming, and he actually purred. I kind of started wondering if he just didn't trust it or something, thought it was something trying to attack him, and just bit and moved away before bothering to find out.

I just kept that up, trying to sneak a few brushes in before he would look and see what I had. Slowly over time he got used to it and now sometimes even stays still and likes it. Sometimes he still gets upset and runs off.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that you can try spraying Feliway around her or Rescue Remedy. Just Google them and you'll find them easily enough.

I would suggest you take her to your vet and ask them to clip her. I would then start bribing her with a food she REALLY loves to get her used to the brush and start slowly getting her used to it.

Threads merged to make the information easier to follow.

These threads are a few months old, though, so I'm not sure if the OP ever came back to read the responses.