Rescue cat dislikes being brushed???

[Eden]

I've never take an cat to a groomer - so no experience there...

I know at the shelter I volunteer at, they feel when there are multiple matts its pretty much impossible to do anything else besides shave them off. Brushing them out is just too painful for the cat and can actually damage their skin if you are not really, really gentle. (scissors are not recommended either unless the matt is really far away from the skin - its too easy to nick them).

Your new kitty may have been brushed hard in the past and has bad associations with it, or she might just not like it. My one medium haired cat *never* liked being brushed and wouldn't tolerate it at all on the backs of his legs, which was of course the only place he ever matted.

A lot of them like having their head and neck brushed even if they don't like it on their back and legs - if you start there you might be able to get her a little more tolerant. My old boy would also tolerate kitty wipes - they took off a little fur (not nearly like a brush, but at least a little) and cleaned him up a bit too, since he was getting a bit less fastidious about it in his old age.