Kaleea thank you so much for your wonderful post! Lots of useful insights into the kitty psyche there ... Nicole, Sharon, Ely -- thanks for the suggestions about brushes and alternatives to brushing.

Tommorrow I'm going to hit the pet stores and see what's available. Then I'll "hit" the Roo and her 2 zillion hairs with a whole new gentler and more effective approach, hopefully ... thank you all for sharing your pussy kitty tactics and experiences.

And for all laughs too!   :>)

Good luck with your futon, MAG. And you're right -- scissors do work just great on those mats. Roo's only had one in her life, but it was a big one. I looked at it woefully for weeks, tried to take it off with a comb and Vaseline etc, earning myself quite a few hisses and scratches in the process, before I got up the nerve and do what my son suggested "Quit beatin around and cut the d*** thing off!" And he was right -- it did grow back in no time. And she did forgive me!

daylia