# Cat Hair!?!?!?!



## whiteghost (Apr 24, 2005)

I have 3 house cats that shed like crazy. I seriously can not go to bed and get up with out being covered in cat hair and I can't get the cat hair off my sheets/blankets/curtains ect. It's insane! Is there anything I can give my cats to reduce the shedding? 

They are already on an ultra premium feed. (Natural Balance; indoor formula)

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks in advance!


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

HOw often do you groom them?


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## whiteghost (Apr 24, 2005)

I quit grooming because I couldn't find a brush that works? Any recommendations? I got tired of wasting money on stuff that wouldn't work.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

Dead serious...... I am a finicky home owner with three, large, long haired indoor only male cats, and one outdoor only long haired tortie female . Two of the males are white with huge coats, the other male is a black and white tuxedo. I know hair.

A Zoom Groom and a grey hound comb. Go over them with the Zoom Groom until the large wads of hair slows down, and then finish with the fine toothed side of a greyhound comb. 

I came to this after A LOT of experimentation and research about cat grooming. It works very well for me.

Others will mention a furminator, which I highly disapprove of, but many like it. That is another option.

Grooming is truly the only way to get it under control. I wish there were a pill, or a magic elixir, but there isn't any other healthy alternative _that works_. If there were, I would use that _and _the Zoom Groom. 

p.s. Get a Dyson. It's worth it.


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## whiteghost (Apr 24, 2005)

Is the Zoom Groom the KONG Zoom Groom Brush? 

My 3 has short-medium length hair.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

I was using a slicker brush on Io since we got her but something happened last week. She now hates it, and will seek it out to knock it down and hiss at it and attack it. I wonder if she accidentally bit it or stepped on it and that's why she hates it now? :/

Guess I'm in the market for a zoom groom now. My partner has begun to put his foot down on the "cat things" budget. Not that I blame him, it's my own fault, but now there's hair everywhere. I can't even colour coordinate to minimize it because each of her hairs is stripy.


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## Lenkolas (Jan 18, 2011)

GhostTown said:


> A Zoom Groom and a grey hound comb. Go over them with the Zoom Groom until the large wads of hair slows down, and then finish with the fine toothed side of a greyhound comb.
> 
> I came to this after A LOT of experimentation and research about cat grooming. It works very well for me.
> 
> ...


This. I agree 100%. And I also highly disapprove of the furminator. 
And the Dyson, I wish I could get one in my country!


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

What is a furminator?


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## jadis (Jul 9, 2011)

I love my dyson. I can't say enough good things about it. Otherwise I have nothing to add...

Arianwen, the furminator is a brush/comb thing. I _think_ it is supposed to be an undercoat rake for double coated dogs. I got one for my sheltie but I feel like it breaks the coat. I just use a normal undercoat rake on him.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

Arianwen said:


> What is a furminator?


Furminators look like this:










Zoom Grooms (yes, the kong brand) look like this:











The zoom groom looks like a gimmicky waste of money. I totally would have thought they were a joke until I was educated else where about how well they gently remove hair. Especially from cats with delicate, silky coats. But, this thing works wonders on my Siberian Husky, too, who puts out double the hair of ALL MY CATS COMBINED. 

*DISCLAIMER:* *I don't work for Kong, I don't sell Zoom Grooms, I don't own a pet store. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my kids, and this is what I use on all of them, who all have long plush coats.*


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## Tangerine (Jun 29, 2012)

If you wanted to raw feed, I think you'd find that your cats would shed much less. 
My kittens are completely raw fed. I groom them every once in a while, and get barely any hair off of them. My older cat sheds much more, and is on a mixture of raw, canned, and kibble. Other people I've talked to have had the same results!


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## Cats&Plants (Aug 20, 2011)

Ok on GhostTown's word I went and got the zoom groom. What's another comb, it's only $9...

Just used it on Kisa and she is in heaven - loves it. I combed her yesterday with the furminator and got lots out, this thing pulled out at least another half a cat worth of fur. I am impressed. She even chirped at me to not stop and let me do her stomach - that's NEVER happened before.


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## whiteghost (Apr 24, 2005)

Tangerine said:


> If you wanted to raw feed, I think you'd find that your cats would shed much less.
> My kittens are completely raw fed. I groom them every once in a while, and get barely any hair off of them. My older cat sheds much more, and is on a mixture of raw, canned, and kibble. Other people I've talked to have had the same results!


I have done the raw diet with one of my cats due to food allergies. I finally found a feed that doesn't cause her to break out, the dry food is the best for us, right now. I had to always separate her and when I did I had to feed the other cats...it was just too much of a pain to feed her raw and the other two regular feed....my other to are extremely picky cats. They will not eat ANYTHING but their cat food....they won't eat canned, raw, cooked, nothing. I have never seen a cat turn down canned food....or even a bite of tuna or a bite of people food....those two would starve before they would try anything other then their dry food and I even tried to mix it slowly. If their dry food had any wet food with it, even if it was the smallest amount possible they would walk away. I really thought they would give in after a couple missed meals but they didn't. 

Weird cats. LOL

Thanks for all the replies. Local pet store didn't have the zoom groom so I'm going to have to order it.


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## spotty cats (Sep 23, 2011)

GhostTown said:


> Others will mention a furminator, which I highly disapprove of, but many like it. That is another option.


Why is that? Just curious (I have a low shedding breed that doesn't require any grooming) but only hear people rave about the furminator for shedding cats.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

It is destructive on coats with finely textured, medium to long hair. The V grooves between the teeth are sharp enough to actually cut hair that needs to be left behind. I've done it to my own cats with the purple one pictured above. Now, dweamgoil owns that one, as I sent it to her.

Most people disagree with me though, so take my word based on that. It's a fact that it cuts hair though, not just my opinion.


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

I don't have long haired cats, but I can see why it would be a problem for their coats with the furminator. I have a Balinese and her hair is so fine, I don't use it on her. A fine tooth metal comb works best on her. Her coat is so delicate, even the slicker brush is way too harsh for her.

On the other 3 cats, which are all either short or medium haired, the furminator works great. The medium haired cat has a very thick coat. The furminator has greatly reduced the amount of tumbleweeds all over the house.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Bottom line is you have to vaccum every day. Plus brush your kitties. Its the vaccuming that will rid your room of cat hair. No way around it.

Im a beleiver in Meile vaccumes.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I have to agree with the vacuuming. Summer time = shedding at my house. I use sheets over the sofas and across the bed to catch the hair where they sleep most often. Pillowcases on other spaces they tend to snooze. I change them religiously and vacuum twice a week. That plus brushing every few days keeps it under control. 

Clean brush clean brush clean brush. Only way around it, imo.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

I don't have longhaired cats now, but did for many years, and found that during shedding season---spring thro summer---I had to groom every day. With my cats I found a steel comb worked fine. ime,_ white_ cats often have "loose coats" and can drop hair year round. I also had a shorthair cream cat that was the same, never could pet her without getting a lot of hair. Sometimes may be diet related, but often it's just genetics. Sheets are good to keep hair off furniture and save a lot of vaccuming and cleaning of furniture, and easy to whip off if you're expecting guests. Even my Devons shed a little this time of year, but nothing compared to my LH cats I had.


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## LadyK (Jan 30, 2012)

How does the Zoom Groom compare to the Love Glove? I understand the rubber bristles are bigger on the Zoom Groom, but does it work similarly? Josie's not a big fan of grooming so I'd like to find something that she enjoys. I thought the Love Glove would do the trick but she doesn't like it any more than the comb.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

LadyK said:


> How does the Zoom Groom compare to the Love Glove? I understand the rubber bristles are bigger on the Zoom Groom, but does it work similarly? Josie's not a big fan of grooming so I'd like to find something that she enjoys. I thought the Love Glove would do the trick but she doesn't like it any more than the comb.



I think the principle is the same. The glove thing you're talking about has rubber bristles, right?


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## LadyK (Jan 30, 2012)

Yes, that's correct. 

Love Glove Grooming Mitt


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

My wife was talking about one of those last night.


btw... no man should ever use the term "Love Glove"


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

GhostTown said:


> btw... no man should ever use the term "Love Glove"


Earl Grey...all over my computer monitor at work......


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

Thanks to those who explained to me what a furminator is. To the best of my knowledge I have never seen one. The zoom groom is very like something I use on my incredibly hairy horse when she is shedding every spring.


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## quorra (Sep 13, 2011)

I just learned to deal with the cat hair... lol! But I'm glad I came across this! Just purchased the Zoom Groom from Amazon. Can't wait to try it out!


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Quorra i love your signature.


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## quorra (Sep 13, 2011)

Thanks! I'm hoping it's not too big...


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

My cats hated the Furminator so I sent it to my Mom, her cat likes it. This is the greatest comb ever:


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## BoBear (Sep 8, 2011)

I live with three cats and two dogs... I know hair!!!

For years I used the Zoom Groom on the cats ... until Sammy the pup chewed the bristles off. When I went to replace it the pet store highly recommended the Ferminator so I bought it. It does remove amazing amounts of fur! Was quite happy with it until I attended a seminar on Canine Health and Wellness and the dog groomer who was giving a lecture advised that it was distructive to the coat. And after reading a few other reviews and the posts here, am now back on the market for a new Zoom Groom and a comb.

In this household we have grooming sessions just prior to vacuuming. Everybody enjoys the process and when it is over, the the cats high-tail it to the basement as I am picking up the worst of the fur. They know the vacuum is next!

But yes it is challenging to keep the pet hair down to a minimum. I wipe surfaces frequently, own a 'Magic Brush' that I can do quick spot cleaning on sofas, sticky rollers to remove hair from clothing (or car seats) have old blankets on some of their favourite snooze spots that can be folded and refolded to hide the fur and eventually washed, and the vacuum is passed minimum once a week and vacuum not only carpets but sofas, drapes, dinning room chairs, keyboards and even across the bedspread.

But the cleaning regime is only part of the battle. I had one cat for 17 years that shed like CRAZY! He was eventually diagnosed with an anxiety problem and when he started urinating outside the litterbox, we tried a few anti-anxiety meds and found that Clomicalm (clomipramine hydrochloride) worked wonders. It not only made life much more pleasant for him but it also reduced the shedding significantly. Feliway plug in which releases synthetic feline pheromones can work on less severe cases of anxiety. But good diet does wonders to help reduce shedding. Most of the commercial foods available would be considered unpalletable by most people if they truly understood what was in them. I use either Fromm or Orijen dry cat food and Wellness canned cat food. Morning feeding is strictly canned and in the evening they get a scoop of dry food with their canned food. Studies show that using dry food only causes low but chronic dehydration in cats which in the long run is often the cause of kidney problems. But the lack of moisture and fats can also cause other issues in cats.

I've babbled enough on this one but if you have cats, cat hair will always be a bit of a challenge....


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## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

After looking at a furminator up close, I don't know what I expected, but I can see where it could damage a coat. I mean, how does it know which hairs to cut out and which to leave? I think for my medium short haired orange cat it would be fine, he has a ton of hair and could spare a lot. He also sheds the most. Miley's coat is longer, finer, more delicate. I would not use a furminator on her. I use a zoom groom and it gets a lot of hair off. Then I vacuum. Ollie loves it, Miley is moody about it, some days she lets me brush her, some days she won't.


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## whiteghost (Apr 24, 2005)

I ordered the Zoom Groom. Can't wait to try it.

I called Petco and asked if they had it, they said no. I was over there getting cat food and guess what I saw! They had the zoom groom all along. Arg. Oh well, it's cheaper ordering it then it would have been to buy it at petco so its ok. I just have to wait for it to arrive.

Thanks for the replies!


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## Sidestep99 (Jul 2, 2012)

I ordered a zoom groom based on the input of everyone here. I was in a petsmart store the other day and notice they carry them but at a higher price then amazon.com, so I'm ok with having ordered it. It should be arriving any day now.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

I bought a zoom groom a few days ago and am really unimpressed with it, to be honest. I can see how useful it is as a shampoo brush but it doesn't really work. :/

At least it doesn't hurt Io when she bites it.


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## quorra (Sep 13, 2011)

Got my zoom groom today! I can't believe the amount of hair that came off of Igloo! She loved it too. Quorra is still warming up to it. Thanks for this thread! I don't think I would've purchased this otherwise.


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## Penny135 (Apr 6, 2011)

My Autumn used to come running from across the room when I would get it down and show it too her. She loved being grromed with it. Before I got it she hated grooming.

Mia doesnt mind it. She does better with it than other brushes but grooming is not high on her list of things to do. lol Of course she does not like to be petted unless she initiates it either.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

Jacq said:


> I bought a zoom groom a few days ago and am really unimpressed with it, to be honest. I can see how useful it is as a shampoo brush but it doesn't really work. :/
> 
> At least it doesn't hurt Io when she bites it.



_pssst.... use the "pointy" side down._


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## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

LOL! With Miley it doesn't take off as much the first time I go over her, maybe it's just loosening it up, but if I go over her a couple more times the hair starts to really come off. Her coat looks similar to IO's. Ollie is more the hairy beast. His hair just rubs off on everything. I think I could just sit and zoom groom him all day, throw out a trash bag full of hair and he'd still have loose hair to spare. I kind of wish I could just shave him like I used to do our dog. LOL. He would FLIP OUT, so I won't but geez, he sheds all over the place. Yesterday we left the house and my son's shirt was covered in cat hair. None of the rest of us were, but the kids seem to feel the need to grab a cat and rub it all over themselves before we head out. Need to find my lint roller and put it in the car, I don't know what I did with it, I thought it was in the car. Anyway. Yeah, cat hair is crazy.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

whiteghost said:


> They will not eat ANYTHING but their cat food....they won't eat canned, raw, cooked, nothing.


Oh, sure they will. And their coats will be much better, with much less shedding, on either carb-free canned (EVO 95% meat, Wellness CORE) or raw than on dry. In addition, they will not be prone to all the MANY diseases triggered by dry food (See: Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health ).

The problem is more than likely that you leave dry food available? That means the cats are never hungry enough to give something new a try.

Lots of great ideas re: transitioning to raw here: Practical Guide and the first part of it can be used to transition from dry to canned if you want to stop there. IMO the key is to first get the cats used to MEALS--feed their usual dry food but in measured amounts, 2 meals a day, taking it up after 15 min. They will learn to clean it up when it's offered and once they are doing THAT you can gradually mix in canned food. 

It would be best for them overall and would also help w/ the shedding.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Hurrr, Mister Ghost 

I guess I can explain more. It seems to loosen hair up a bit, but it doesn't pick any up. I spent all the time she could stand, about 15 minutes (_pointy side down_  ), got a fluffball maybe the size of a gumball. I get more then that with two swipes of the slicker (but then I have a much more unhappy cat). I'm still absolutely covered in hair if I pick her up.

She's going to the groomer's on friday to hopefully help mitigate the problem for a few months. Shhh, don't tell her.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

My cats LOVE a tiny slicker brush. Conrad practically grabs it and holds it out to me asking me to brush him, LOL!


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## whiteghost (Apr 24, 2005)

No my 2 cats will not eat anything but their dry cat food. I have tried, even leaving them go with out food long enough they should have gave in to the hunger. But they didn't.

As for the Zoom Groom, it worked! I couldn't believe how much hair came off of Buttercup and Panther!


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## whiteghost (Apr 24, 2005)

OK I have used the Zoom Groom brush but both of my cats hate it....I have to hold them by the scruff of the neck and hold them down to brush them!  It's hard trying to accomplish by myself!

I'm still battling the hair. I do know for a fact, if my SO and I ever live together, there is absolutely no way he will tolerate the cat hair. He hates indoor animals as it is. :/ 

Princess never had this problem...Do some cats simply shed a lot more than others? And when I first had these cats I never noticed this bad of shedding...I'm wondering why it's so bad now when it didn't use to be?


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Your S/O will have to learn to deal with it. I told my S/O Im a package deal. Hes charmed my cat and all the fosters to love him. He wants to score points with me and knew that was one of the routes. Has he pulled cat hair out of his mouth? Yes. Does he joke that hes never known me without cat hair on my clothes. Yes. Has he brushed cat and dog hair off of me. Yes. I try the best I can and hes OK with it. Your S/O will learn to deal with it too.

Plus buy a Meile vacuum!


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## Yuki'sMum (Dec 3, 2012)

I love the Zoom Groom  luckily Yuki loves being brushed but when I first bought it I didn't want to scare her with it. I pet her in my lap until she was all purry and relaxed. Then I gently brushed her with the Zoom Groom using a circular massaging motion. She was in heaven! I was amazed at how much fur came out. She doesn't shed as much now unless I don't groom her for a few days.









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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

A few people in another thread mentioned that using a human hairbrush - the kind with plastic bristles with little knobs at the ends - worked on cats that hated being brushed. I haven't yet tried it with my cat who hates being brushed. The other one loves being brushed - I use a flea comb. It seems to pick up a whole lot of hair. I've also found that one of the best ways to get cat hair off things - even the cat - is to use a damp paper towel. If I stroke my cat with slightly damp hands, the fur sticks to my hands. I use a damp paper towel on the cat furniture and the sofa after I vacuum. It gets up a lot of the stuff that seems to get stuck in the fabric.


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## whiteghost (Apr 24, 2005)

Mitts & Tess said:


> Your S/O will have to learn to deal with it. I told my S/O Im a package deal. Hes charmed my cat and all the fosters to love him. He wants to score points with me and knew that was one of the routes. Has he pulled cat hair out of his mouth? Yes. Does he joke that hes never known me without cat hair on my clothes. Yes. Has he brushed cat and dog hair off of me. Yes. I try the best I can and hes OK with it. Your S/O will learn to deal with it too.
> 
> Plus buy a Meile vacuum!


Actually, no he won't learn to deal with it. He's completely dead set against the idea of them being indoor cats. He was raised in a house with absolutely no indoor animals and he will not tolerate indoor animals even now. And I know I won't change his mind if these cats are shedding this bad if we do make it that far in the relationship.

Which to be honest, this hair is getting ridiculous. I can't even go to bed and get up and walk out in the kitchen and make me a cup of coffee with out getting at east one cat hair in my coffee.....The only way to prevent that is to change clothes as soon as leaving my bedroom. I can't sit or lay down on the bed or I am completely covered. 




> A few people in another thread mentioned that using a human hairbrush - the kind with plastic bristles with little knobs at the ends - worked on cats that hated being brushed. I haven't yet tried it with my cat who hates being brushed. The other one loves being brushed - I use a flea comb. It seems to pick up a whole lot of hair. I've also found that one of the best ways to get cat hair off things - even the cat - is to use a damp paper towel. If I stroke my cat with slightly damp hands, the fur sticks to my hands. I use a damp paper towel on the cat furniture and the sofa after I vacuum. It gets up a lot of the stuff that seems to get stuck in the fabric.


I'll try the damp paper towel on them and see how that works. At least if it doesn't work, I am not out any money! Thanks!

I wish they liked the Zoom Groom because I have NEVER seen anything as good as the Zoom Groom. I got so much hair off of them but ugh was it a difficult task. Too bad I can't just vacuum them. LMAO 8-O :grin:


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## artiesmom (Jul 4, 2012)

If finances are not an issue, you could take kitty to a groomers....
I do. I have allergies and asthma.
Artie will not allow me to brush him or to clip his nails.
I take him to the groomers once every 4-5 weeks for a: mani/pedi (they also file the nails, so no catches), a waterless shampoo, a great brushing~both before and after the shampoo, and they clean his ears~~ all for $35!!arty
I feel it is well worth it.. Just wish he would not get so upset in his carrier...

:wolfie


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

Ugh! I know what it is. I had a hard time grooming ET too initially. He probably had never been touched or groomed before, so there were lots of biting and scratching. The final straw was when he scratched me so hard that his claw dug deep into my flesh, I panicked, stood up and then had him hanging off my arm where the claw dug deep. I couldn't free him neither can ET free himself, in the end I had to sit back on the floor, so in the end both of us managed to free each other. After that incident, I stopped using any brush (furminator, zoom groom, rubber brush), I turned to using sticky lint roller. It worked, he tolerated better and though I may have to use many sheets, but at least I did managed to get some furs off him. Anyway, after using sticky roller for a some time, I decided to try again using furminator, in the end he tolerated. So, had been on furminator for some months until I found out it can thin his coat, now switched to slicker brush. Not that he liked being groomed, I guess, he just tolerated cos that's the time he gets his treats, I don't give treats at other time.

Just 3days back, I tried the zoom groom again on him, wow! no biting/scratching, but had to do only a few strokes, then back to slicker brush to finish off, then to sticky roller. The zoom groom sure takes out lots of fur off.


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## scottd (Jun 28, 2011)

Say what you will about it but the Furminator works. I use it on my cat and the dogs. They're tiny dogs so I don't need 2 brushes. Since I've started brushing them with it about once a week, the amount of hair that's on the furniture/in the floor has decreased so much. They all seem to enjoy being brushed and I have not noticed any hair thinning.

Before, I had to get the vacuum cleaner's hose attachment and use it around the walls because the hair would literally pile up.


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## Yuki'sMum (Dec 3, 2012)

Snowy  I've used a sticky lint roller to finish off the brushing session too. It works great! One day I was wearing all black and was covered in hair even though I'd just got dressed. After rollering myself I thought why not get to the source? Lol the only problem I have is Yuki enjoys it and starts rolling around, which makes it difficult. 


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