1816 C. James (ed. 4) at Cat To Comb the Cat, a term used among sailors and soldiers, signifying to arrange the different cords of a cat o' nine tails..by untangling them, and drawing the whole through the fingers.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Combing the cat, the boatswain, or other operator, running his fingers through the cat-o'-nine-tails, to separate them.