towel wrapping technique for a scrappy cat

I am so stressed about Lucy. She is a 2-year-old DSH and very shy. I know she needs her coat brushed, but she goes into full attack mode the second I pick up the brush. I tried just holding her, but she scratches my arms and hands until I let go.

I read about wrapping cats in towels, but I don't know how to do it without her thrashing around and hurting herself or me. Is there a specific technique? I am worried because I am a new mom and my other cat, Milo, is also energetic. I don't want to get bitten while trying to care for Lucy.

Have you looked at swaddling a cat without it becoming a wrestling match? That thread had a few good pictures. Basically you wrap the back legs first so they can't kick. If she is really scrappy, you might need to stand her up on a table so you have better leverage. Gus is an old boy and gets cranky if I do it wrong, so I learned this the hard way.

The wrapping is only half the problem. The other half is that she associates the brush with pain or fear. See cat bites me when i try to brush her where I talk about this. Lulu is a DSH too and she hated the comb. I had to stop brushing for a week and just touch her with the brush without using it. If you wrap her too tight, it makes the fear worse. You have to be very gentle with the pressure.

I agree with the gentle approach. Whiskey is picky and gets upset if the routine changes, so I have to be careful. feeding a picky cat who ignores dry food mentions that stress affects eating, so if you are stressing her out with rough handling, she might stop eating or get sick. Maybe try a different tool? A rubber grooming mitt is less scary than a metal comb for some cats.

Thank you all. I will try the back legs first method from the first link. I am also worried about the space in the house. I am trying to figure out how to set up a safe zone for Lucy so she can calm down, but I don't want to block Milo's path. Does anyone have advice on how to arrange the furniture for a shy cat and a baby? I saw a thread about that but I am not sure it applies to my layout.