I have two long hair cats. Both shed with a vengeance.
I clean the house once a week, I vacuum twice a week. At any given moment, If I had a good thunderstorm and the appropriate mad scientist equipment, I could create a large third cat from the loose hair in my house.
I brush them regularly, and that helps some. I tried a knockoff of the Furminator, but that didn’t seem to work very well.
Any thoughts? Is it worth taking them to a professional groomer a couple times during shedding season, (now)?
I’ll be watching this space too. I wish I could give my two cats a pill to turn them into hairless cats!
I have tile floors and I Swiffer them every day and I still have lots of cat hair each day. I’m not sure how it is possible for them to have any hair left on their bodies.
One thing that I found helps is not just brushing them with a regular brush but with a FURminator. Holy crap what a difference that thing makes. Dog or cats, just get the right size for your animal.
Our Maine Coon just got his yearly clipping. (He’s a docile pushover, so we just do it ourselves in the afternoon while he’s napping on the couch. I mean, he doesn’t sleep through it, but it helps if he’s sleepy.) He doesn’t shed constantly, but he does blow out his prodigious winter coat right about this time every year. As soon as the brown tumbleweeds start rolling through the house, he gets his coat clipped short. That way, what he does still shed is very short - it doesn’t mat and it doesn’t form sentient beings under the couch. It also cuts way back on the whole regurgitated hairball issue.
My mom’s cat was a constant shedder, and she bought a supplement. There are a few on the market, but basically they’re all yellowish oils you dribble on their kibble. She reported very favorable results - much less shedding. Then again, she’s cheap and wasn’t feeding the highest-quality kibble around, so the supplemental oil basically made up for sub-par nutrition.
Also, brush frequently with one of those big flat slicker brushes. You can put the resulting mats of fur outside for the birds to line their nests!
It really is awesome. This lady would get a LOT more off her cat if she’d bang the furminator on the floor (hard to pull it off with one hand) and remove the hair that is built up on the comb. If she’d do that every other brush or so she’d pull a lot more hair!
I’m not sure how to describe how it is better, but it does just remove loose hair. The teeth are very close together and the handle is super sturdy. It doesn’t rip the hair from the animal at all, the teeth just seem to get down in there and get all the stray hairs. I’m told that for a dog with an undercoat is it really a miracle.
I bought mine back when you could only get them for a lot of $. I think I paid $40 at the time.
If you are going to get one, I think getting it from Amazon is the way to go as they have the real thing for a lot less. Hell, even on Amazon there are large differences in the prices. The link I have has the large at less than $20 and is eligible for free shipping.
Ah! Looks like the teeth are really close together - that’s going to be a huge help. It’s weird how the different sizes are priced differently. The one I need is $45, so I’m going to watch it and see if they reduce it.
I got hardwood floors last month and I’m appalled at the piles of dog hair that’s now visible, and even more appalled at the fact that I blithely ignored all that when we had carpet and different color tile that didn’t show the hair. Gak.
I love the furminator - I could fill a shoebox with the fur I get off my cat when I brush her (she’s short haired, but she has a dense, plushy undercoat). It doesn’t work so great on my sleek Siamese, it just annoys him. Worth every penny.
I have 3 of them. I think they work so well because they grab the fine, downy hairs underneath the cat’s longer hair. That’s what most of the tumbleweeds seem to consist of. I also use this on carpets, blankets and sweaters.
Do you folks not also have the problem of finding yourself covered in fur? I used to use tape rollers to give myself a once-over before leaving the house, but now I use these rubber thingies
I mean, he doesn’t sleep through it, but it helps if he’s sleepy.) He doesn’t shed constantly, but he does blow out his prodigious winter coat right about this time every year. As soon as the brown tumbleweeds start rolling through the house, he gets his coat clipped short. That way, what he does still shed is very short - it doesn’t mat and it doesn’t form sentient beings under the couch. It also cuts way back on the whole regurgitated hairball issue.