Badger Brush Cat Scan

Second morning of using the badger brush. I was rinsing when in walks the cat. Usually that's a signal that he thinks I'm taking too long, But today he's sniffing. I put away the brush, thinking he's wanting attention, and he hops on the counter and sniffs some more. Then I happened to think about the brush funk. I took it down and let him sniff.

The reaction was impressive. His eyes went wide and he immediately backed away, then ran from the bathroom. He stood outside the door, looking in, his back slightly arched.

Thinking this is an instinctive reaction to the badger fur. Either he was keying on the badger smell or if it was just a strange animal odor, but he interpreted it as a threat or danger.

Out of curiosity, I took down a boar brush. He's never reacted to them. He tenatively took a sniff, but it was clear he was associating that badger smell with all brushes, and he really didn't want to. He didn't react as he did with the badger.

Just found it interesting.

Based on the cats I know, you'd better good about putting your brushes away..... Or the next thing they smell of will be cat pee!

Watch that cat. They can be very nefarious. He may have been giving you a head fake.

Interesting!! Better watch your brushes. The cat is giving you fair warning!

Oh, it's on!

BSAGuy said:

Watch that cat. They can be very nefarious. He may have been giving you a head fake.

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Nefarious is the word for them. There are three in my home, and we live in constant danger.

I think you mean there are two humans in the three cats' home, correct?

Graybeard57 said:

Nefarious is the word for them. There are three in my home, and we live in constant danger.

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BSAGuy said:

I think you mean there are two humans in the three cats' home, correct?

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We are tied at three, but it's not an even match. Throw the bird into the equation, and beasts outnumber us. And yes, it is their home. They allow us to feed and clean up after them. For this modest price, we are not considered their primary prey.

Interesting. Maybe the cat was smelling a carnivore that wasn't a cat. Or, maybe it was smelling a dead cat where did you get the brush?

BigJ said:

Interesting!! Better watch your brushes. The cat is giving you fair warning!

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We removed most of what the cat can sample or knock over long ago. He's fortunately outgrown rummaging through cabinets. He can't open the medicine cabinet, where I keep my brushes and razors, because it has heavy sliding doors that's out of his reach. The door knobs, OTOH . . . well, he's figured them out, but hasn't been able to get a good grip with his paws. He has figured out toggle switches and can and has operated them to gain attention.

Sounds like our cat!! Very cleaver beasts IME!

My dog (7lb yorkie, so almost a cat) went nuts on mine last night, she attempted to bite it multiple times (jumping and chomping the air). Must be a real animal...

Raissermesser said:

Second morning of using the badger brush. I was rinsing when in walks the cat. Usually that's a signal that he thinks I'm taking too long, But today he's sniffing. I put away the brush, thinking he's wanting attention, and he hops on the counter and sniffs some more. Then I happened to think about the brush funk. I took it down and let him sniff.

The reaction was impressive. His eyes went wide and he immediately backed away, then ran from the bathroom. He stood outside the door, looking in, his back slightly arched.

Thinking this is an instinctive reaction to the badger fur. Either he was keying on the badger smell or if it was just a strange animal odor, but he interpreted it as a threat or danger.

Out of curiosity, I took down a boar brush. He's never reacted to them. He tenatively took a sniff, but it was clear he was associating that badger smell with all brushes, and he really didn't want to. He didn't react as he did with the badger.

Just found it interesting.

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No worries.......unless he comes in and pees on the badger brush in protest.

Jblanke said:

No worries.......unless he comes in and pees on the badger brush in protest.

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Probably already has.

I've heard that cat urine and badger funk combine to smell something like singed hair.

I wonder if that could explain this?

ChiefBroom said:

Probably already has.

I've heard that cat urine and badger funk combine to smell something like singed hair.

I wonder if that could explain this?

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Could be, Chief. Take his tail and swirl it around in the Soap in the lathering bowl. If the cat refuses to lather up, I'd throw that badger in the trash!! Or, you can try lathering with the cats tail. Only problem is, if the cat becomes disenchanted with your lathering style, he's prolly gonna give you a "cat salute" (spray), in which case shaving will become the faerthest thing from your mind!!

Jblanke said:

Could be, Chief. Take his tail and swirl it around in the Soap in the lathering bowl. If the cat refuses to lather up, I'd throw that badger in the trash!! Or, you can try lathering with the cats tail. Only problem is, if the cat becomes disenchanted with your lathering style, he's prolly gonna give you a "cat salute" (spray), in which case shaving will become the faerthest thing from your mind!!

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Your observations, insights, and advice are always priceless. I hope newcomers to the practice are taking this in.

Update:

This afternoon I tried washing the brush, first in hand soap, then in shampoo, each time making a lather with it, then making a lather in shaving soap, shampoo again, and finally shaving soap. The interesting thing is the funk is not present when the brush is dried, but still damp.

Fast forward to tonight. I go into the bathroom and the cat slowly follows. He jumps on the counter and eyes the medicine cabinet. So I open it to show him it's just a brush. He raises up to sniff it, so I take it down. This time he gets within a couple of inches of it before it's wide-eyes and out the bathroom door time.

After laughing (which the cat did not appreciate), I put it back and closed the medicine cabinet. He slowly walks in, jumps on the counter, raises up with his paws on the glass, and tries to open it. Failing that, he tries to get behind it. I open the medicine cabinet again, and he eyes the brush and sniffs.

Gentlemen, I have an honest-to-goodness surreptitious brush sniffer cat.

This is obviously presented a problem, as the sliding doors are mirrors. I put the badger brush in the closet and put the boar brush in its place. Maybe he'll get use to the new animal smell, or it will fade enough that he doesn't care.

ChiefBroom said:

Probably already has.

I've heard that cat urine and badger funk combine to smell something like singed hair.

I wonder if that could explain this?

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Actually, cat urine has a sulfur component along with the urine smell. Spraying to mark territory has a strong component that smells like skunk. In milder versions, it smells a bit like musk. So if you have a cat and discover your muskless shaving soap has developed a musk smell . . . just saying.

ChiefBroom said:

Probably already has.

I've heard that cat urine and badger funk combine to smell something like singed hair.

I wonder if that could explain this?

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Sounds like LOTH describing the VEG!

This thread is more hilarious than it should be.