# Furminator or Imitation Furminator



## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

Talk me into it or out of it; what do you say?


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## sunset97 (May 24, 2011)

I had the original Furminator for dogs and loved it. But it was for large dogs so it was too big for cats. I bought a imitation Furminator for the cats (can't remember the brand) and it works pretty well. But if you can afford the real Furminator I would go with that.

The first time I used it I could not believe the amount of hair that came off them. The cats actually love being brushed with this. So getting rid of all that old hair must make them feel better.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

They're great at removing hair! They aren't any kind of weekly grooming brush to me, as especially on longer haired cats you can only do an extremely small brush stroke, over and over until you think you've removed enough hair. Because of that I brush Blacky in stages, the shoulder area until one go, the back end in another. You can get an insane amount of hair and need to stop before you make your cat bald, heh... but otherwise there is no downside, it's a fabulous tool for serious hair removal when they're shedding.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

Absolutely terrible for delicate coats. Cuts and damages the heck out of fine hair, but gives off the appearance of removing old hair.

I'll send you the two I have, cheap.


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## 3furbabies (Dec 7, 2011)

I love it! I have two... One long haired one for dogs(I use it on the long haired cat) and one short haired cat one. I only use it once every few week though. It's great when you see loose fur floating on them, but be careful with short haired cats. I made the mistake of using it too much on one(she loves it... looks like she is in heaven when I use it on her) and I almost made her bald. 8O So now I just do a quick once over, but for everyday I use a normal brush.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

I have a Furminator and I brush my cats with it once a week. It's good. My cats like it. It removes quite a bit underlayer coat from my Meatball, but with my Metoo, I don't get a lot hair off even if I brush many rounds. So I would assume it's not pulling off good hair.


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## maggie23 (Mar 10, 2012)

i was really reluctant myself to spend so much $ on one of those, but then i got a coupon from Petsmart and combined it with the 15% off advertisement on furminators and just bit the bullet and bought one. i had heard so many people say how awesome this tool was and i couldn't imagine a simple brush being so much better than any others - but i am a believer now! it really DOES get a lot more hair out. i'm assuming it is getting more of the undercoat out than a normal brush. that's the claim, anyway. all i can say is i gave our Angel (long hair) @10 gentle slow strokes with it (she's pretty sensitive so i was being really careful) and i probably got out 4 times the amount i normally would with our other brush. and the hair doesn't go flying around the room! you can actually feel it grabbing those other hairs, and Angel wasn't bothered by it. it was funny cuz when i started brushing her, she was really still as if thinking to herself, "hmmm, this feels a little different, but it's not so bad..."

i got the one for large cats over 10 lbs. normally @$52 bucks! ended up being $42 including tax. some guy in front of me in line was trying to save me some moola though and told me he bought the japanese knockoff on ebay for 1/4 of the price and it works just as well. i didn't want to bother with the wait and the shipping, though, so i just bought it at Petsmart.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

I'll ship you two for $30.


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## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

I voted on the fence. I love it and the hair it brings up but my cats absolutely hate it, so I have to chase them around to even touch them with it.


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## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

I don't have a furminator, I have just been using a brush and a flea comb. I read the reviews on amazon and I'm getting one on payday! I figure what have I got to lose, it's cheaper than one trip to the groomer. I have cat hair tumbleweeds all over the house.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

If you don't wish to butcher your cats healthy coat, buy a Kong Zoom Groom and a greyhound comb. Your cat will thank you. So will your wallet, if that matters.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

I tried a Furminator on Rookie once (she was long-haired), and she wasn't havin' it. She was fine with a brush or Zoom Groom, but not the Furminator.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

How much to send one to Canada, GhostTown?


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

NO! don't buy a $45 one at petsmart. you can order one by sergeant's for 11.99 at amazon. never having had a furminator, i looked and looked, and i'm not an e-bay person, i don't have the patience. but as far as i can tell, this one works just as good. two of my cats don't seem to shed much undercoat, but the big one does, and you can really tell because he goes from coarse burly man to silky smooth.

this one probably doesn't pull as much hair, because it's never caused any bald spots like my vet warned me about, but never having had the other, i have no complaints.

you do have to be gentle with it though, or the cats will hate it. make short little strokes and don't pull too hard. it's tempting, especially when you know they're way overgrown and need to get rid of a lot, but i think it probably feels like someone pulling your hair.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

My girls hated it. I sent it to my Mom, her cat loves it.


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## LilyC (Aug 23, 2011)

I have one but only for taking mats out. I don't use it to groom Tequila and Maya. I use a comb and a brush for their grooming.


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## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

Hmm, I'll have to look up the zoom groom, haven't seen one that I know of. Ollie doesn't have what I would call a delicate coat, it's just super thick and dense but Miley's is more on the delicate side.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

I'm sending mine to dweamgoil, only because She promised not to use it on her Balinese.

Hopefully when she realizes how torturous the terrible device is she'll join the "furminators are junk" cause with me.


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## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

Lol. But it gets rave reviews on amazon....


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

My sister has a fat old monster whose coat gets matted and awful. I was thinking he'd be a bit more comfortable with some bald spots from a brush (which he loves) then the shaving (which he hates). You can see the discolouration from matting here (this picture's about 2 years old)









If I see one around for cheap I'll pick it up. Hopefully I can make that old fuzzslug's end-of-days a bit more comfy.


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

kty78 said:


> Lol. But it gets rave reviews on amazon....


lol. i know, and sometimes don't you wonder about the people who wrote something when everyone loves it so much and it comes and you hate it?

i've never had a long-haired cat so i don't know how well this it works on them, but the groominator 



 is 11.99 and the zoom groom is six or seven dollars so i definitely recommend going with the less expensive options. 

some cats hate them, some love them, but i even took mine with me to the vet and since we didn't have a real furminator we couldn't compare side-to-side, but he said it's basically the same and especially at (at least) $30 cheaper, spending all the extra money was silly. 

so do what you want. if you have all this money lying around getting dusty and can't find enough ways to spend it, buy a $50 grooming tool. obviously it would be ideal if there was a way to try before you buy, but since you can't, you buy at your own risk. i figure why spend all the extra on something you might not like, and if i had found the sergeants to be inferior, i was only out $12. if not, i'd be happy. i like it.


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## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

Amazon has the furminator for long hair cats for $27 with free shipping. I might consider paying that but not $50, no way. But hey, if the zoom groom is $7 I will definitely try that first. I will look at feeders supply and see if they have it.


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## razzle (May 20, 2010)

I think it does an excellant job but you can't use too much pressure or you will hurt the cat

Kathy


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## mainecoonmama (May 24, 2012)

Winston sheds a kitten a week. So I got a furminator ( online for $18...im sure you all can find that same deal  ). I was amazed at the amount of fur that thing took care of. He loves it too, its like he is saying 'yesssss get rid of that stuff!!' It really helps and they seem to love it so I am a happy customer. Cant say anything about an imitation though.


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## meow79 (Apr 16, 2012)

I bought the bambu brand one. Seldom use it on my short hair (she gets the zoom groom). Mainly use it on Izzy who is med hair. I need to get a nice wire brush for her though (got a $5 one on clearance once and it is breaking down). The zoom groom does not work on Izzy. And of course the short hair just loves her kitty massage (the zoom groom) but miss medium hair hates being brushed.


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## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

I would say Ollie is medium haired, possibly short haired with a bushy tail. Miley is long haired. I was looking at the furminator for long haired cats. Online I found the Petzoom self cleaning grooming brush. It adjusts for long and short haired cats and is about $10 online. Bed bath and beyond and Walgreens have it on their websites, I'm going to check the stores. I have a coupon for Bed bath and beyond. Looks similar to the furminator.


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## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

Yesterday I bought a Zoom Groom... actually a Rush Brush by Oster, for $4. That and a slicker brush with the round knobs on the ends for $2. Came home, brushed the cats with the slicker, got some hair out but not much more than I get with the flea comb. Hair was flying everywhere by now so I put on a leash and took them outside. Took the rubber Rush Brush, and I could not believe the hair this thing got out! The cats didn't mind it either, they were rubbing around all over me so I guess they liked it. I mean, every time I went over them with this thing I got a handful of hair. I thought if I kept at it eventually I would stop getting much hair but eventually I just had to quit. So, yes it works, my only complaint is it takes a while. I probably spent 30 minutes on each cat. But I don't see hair flying off of them now and my kids' shirts aren't covered with hair from picking them up. They need a bath and then I will go over them again and just probably do it once a week.


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## littlesushi (Jun 8, 2011)

i have a furminator lying around if anyone is interested. i'd be happy to give it up for $25..PM me 

i got the long-haired cat version and it doesn't seem to take off much fur, unless i put more pressure, which our kitties don't like. this is where the cats run away.

we love zoom groom in our house. yes, the fur flies everywhere, but it has worked the best for us in getting their dead fur off.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

Can't beat a zoom groom. They don't harm the coat, and get out tons of hair. More than a metal brutalizer....

Many women worry about "split ends" in their own hair. Think about what the sharp v shaped grooves between teeth on a furminator do to a long haired cats fine coat.

Ever run a furminator through your own hair? Try it!


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

I have a furminator knock off, Bamboo brand. One cat out of three likes it. I use it on her once or twice a week. Regular combing on the other days. My Bridge Angel boy liked it, too.

I hated the zoom groom and so did all my cats. (all short hairs) If it does anything it all, the rubber spikes seem to grab onto the fur and yank it out by the roots. But mostly it did nothing, and I do not understand all the raves I read all over the place.I sent it back.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

lol @ "rubber SPIKES"












I could see where zoom grooms would be more effective on a medium to long hair cat. Rubber spikes though? Yanking out hair by the root? That's a good one.


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## kty78 (Mar 18, 2012)

My cats liked it, I was gentle with them and all it does is pick up the dead hair, the hair sticks to the rubber.


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## orrymain (Dec 9, 2011)

I voted on the fence because I believe it's either ripping/pulling out some of Orry's fur or I'm not brushing him right. I was brushing him about 4 times a week and the amount of fur removed always seemed excessive. He is medium long haired but still it's a lot of fur being removed. He absolutely loves it and enters a state of "bliss" when I brush his tummy but now I brush him once a week with it.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

GhostTown said:


> lol @ "rubber SPIKES"
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> ...


Yep. Rubber spikes. And yes, that's what I said, the fur seemed to be pulled out by the roots. What little fur it took.

This is why there are so many options. You don't like the furminator. I love it. You like the zoom groom, I hate it. Different strokes.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

When I get home I'm going to have to post a video demonstration of those rubber spikes and their flexible, soft nature. Truman needs a quick go over anyway.


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

GhostTown said:


> Ever run a furminator through your own hair? Try it!


lmao! no thank you.  i'm still looking for the quadruple row plastic comb goodie made. the tips were rounded and it did a really good job. i've thrown away three combs in the last year because the plastic was too hard and it felt like it was scraping on my scalp.

my hairdresser raises borzois, and she told me one of her pet peeves is when she goes to shows and sees people combing their dogs with their own comb and then combing themselves.


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

GhostTown said:


> lol @ "rubber SPIKES"
> 
> 
> 
> ...


that kitty loves it. i would think groominators/furminators are too drastic for long-haired cats. mine are all short-haired but two of them have really fine, silky hair. baci seems to have a lot of traits that aren't so siamese-like, like his coat. he sheds the most and is the one the groominator who gets the best results from the groominator.

i'd look into a zoom groom but what i have is doing the job.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

GhostTown said:


> When I get home I'm going to have to post a video demonstration of those rubber spikes and their flexible, soft nature. Truman needs a quick go over anyway.


I bought one and used it. I know the nature of the rubber spikes. Just like you don't like the furminator, I don't like the zoom groom. 

It's perfectly okay for two people to disagree on grooming methods, there is no need to try to force me to agree with you, or to prove me wrong. 

Furminators were not designed to be used on humans, so running one through my own hair would serve no purpose. But to please you, here is the furminator, I will brush my hair with it......

...it felt quite nice on my scalp, but because my hair is much much longer than my cats' fur, and of a different texture, I did not try to pull it all the way through my hair, just at the top. I don't shed like a cat, so I did not get out any undercoat from my head.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

It's alright. I'm not trying to change your mind. I'm merely attempting to show others, who use this forum to get ideas, how to better treat their cats. You've made up your mind, other people haven't.

If I didn't think furminators are destructive, and didn't feel that proper grooming is very important to a cats health, I really wouldn't care make a point. This topic is one I happen to get into.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

lovetimesfour said:


> It's perfectly okay for two people to disagree on grooming methods, there is no need to try to force me to agree with you, or to prove me wrong.


Though I'm sure we'd all enjoy seeing a video of your cat enjoying it, even so.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

GhostTown said:


> It's alright. I'm not trying to change your mind. I'm merely attempting to show others, who use this forum to get ideas, how to better treat their cats. You've made up your mind, other people haven't.
> 
> If I didn't think furminators are destructive, and didn't feel that proper grooming is very important to a cats health, I really wouldn't care make a point. This topic is one I happen to get into.



Proper grooming _is_ important. There is more than one way to properly groom a cat. Lots of different methods, in fact. 

I know what you mean though. It's like the way I feel about those disgusting rolling litter boxes. I'd like to see those awful things eliminated, I feel so sorry for any cat forced to use one.


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## Penny135 (Apr 6, 2011)

I have an imitation furminater that I got at Walmart. It works really well. I use it twice a week, then the zoom groom daily. I use the zoom groom even on the days I use the furminatoras it gathers all the loose hair that is left behind.


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## Penny135 (Apr 6, 2011)

GhostTown said:


> lol @ "rubber SPIKES"
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Mia loves the zoom groom. She runs to me when I get it out. My old cat Autumn loved it too. I always called it their daily message. lol


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

*You decide which grooming tool is better for your cats coat.*

_*Razor blades of death:*_ 8O (I'll ship it to you Friday, dweamgoil)










*Rubber spikes:*


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

The tines of the furminator are not razor blades and will not kill a cat. I am holding it in my hand right now, and rubbing my fingers across the blades, both crosswise and up and down. My skin is not being cut or scraped.

I have one very small slender (young adult) cat who isn't a fan of being groomed at all just yet. Not an ounce of fat or padding on her, she is very slender. She is sitting here on the desk watching me rub the furminator over my skin. When she poked her nose in I ran it down her back. Her first reaction, as always, was to swat at it, because that is her reaction to everything (everything is a Game) But once she got a feel for what I was doing she leaned into it, hummed, and allowed four strokes before she was off to some other business.

Those four strokes did not kill her, or cause her any pain, in fact she quite liked it. I haven't tried it on her in a while, it's good to know she's developing a liking for it.

I know the Zoom Groom is a popular tool and many people rave about it. I am happy we have so many choices on grooming tools for our cats.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

I will agree with you on one thing, a furminator will not _literally_ kill a cat. lol


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

My vet warned me not to use the Furminator too often. So I dont. I do have a long haired foster cat Ace and regular grooming doesnt get his extra hair out. When you live in the desert its important to manange the amount of hair because of the heat factor.

I used my furminator a couple days ago on him. He looks and feel so much better. It does pull and cut the hair like Ghosttown said. Use it sparingly.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

I agree with GhostTown, the furminator is not appropriate for cats with delicate coats. I have the dog size and the cat size. It is a god send for my dog, who is a GSD mix with a smooth coat but plenty of undercoat to spare. When he started blowing his coat he looked so shaggy now after furmination he is totally sleek! 

As for the cat one... it worked wonders on Magneto. He has the right sort of coat. It works fine on the girls but I am a lot more careful, especually with Winry who has shorter fur and less under coat that anyone else. She tends to have the thickest fur around her neck and this is where it works the best. On her back end, not so much (probably because she was shaved so many times for her surgeries over the past year). 

I don't even bother using it on long haired cats. I take my furminators around with me and brush my friend's cats for them and it is a no no on long hair in my experience. (for the record I *have* tested it on my own hair. It just doesnt work with long hair, it's meant to catch soft undercoat, not comb through course guard hairs)

I've also seen people overdo it and nearly make their cat bald so all in all I would say:


AMAZING brush, but very powerful so proceed with care.


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

Received my new furminator from GhostTown. I took into consideration everyone's input and decided to try it on all the cats, except for Lacey, my Balinese. Azalia LOVES it!!! She purrs and jumps on my lap when she sees it. I have done it twice on her, but she's always shedding, anyways.

I tried it on Egypt. She hates brushing, but she liked this. She actually became overstimulated and got the wild kitty eyed look, and was more interested in sniffing it and biting the handle. I managed to pass it over her for a good 2 minutes time, and her coat looked very shiny afterwards. She usually will not tolerate a slicker brush for more than 30 seconds if that. I think in time, she will take to the furminator a lot easier than being brushed.

I haven't tried it on Sasha yet, but he's next on my list. However, so far, seems like a good tool to use. Now, I am going to run and hide from GhostTown, the resident Furminator hater


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## nicolee (Feb 1, 2011)

I have a furminator and use it on my two adults and very rarely on the 9 month old. One of the adults is long hair and it works okay on her but is awesome on the big boy. Sayonara has always loved being brushed and she gets so excited when I get it off the end table. Snickers isn't really a fan but if he's chillin out on my lap he will let me use it on him, and ever so often he will purr. I've tried it on Victoria a few times and it does get out a lot of hair but she's still in terrible twos kitten age and tries to bite the handle.

I was pleased at how well it works and glad I spent the money. Of course, the fact that I had a $5 coupon and had gotten my tax refund helped, lol.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Thanks for the happy update! 2 or 3 minutes once or twice a week is about how often I use it on my one girl who tolerates it. She has short fur but it is very heavy with a thick undercoat and the furminator works great on her, and she loves it.

The other days I use just a regular comb.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

This is terrible news.

I have contributed toward something I despise!


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## Yulia (Jun 5, 2012)

My both cats loved being furminated, I do it regularly, and they sit still for 15 minutes and purr sometimes. The fur even looks better after furminating.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

You probably need glasses.

I even put skulls, eyeballs, and spiders in the box with the horrific torture tool to serve as a warning.

Ultimate backfire.

Crap.


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## Yulia (Jun 5, 2012)

LOL. There're as many opinions as there're cats (and people)


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

GhostTown said:


> You probably need glasses.
> 
> I even put skulls, eyeballs, and spiders in the box with the horrific torture tool to serve as a warning.
> 
> Crap.


I saw those and figured you just really like Halloween  The cats thought they were really cool cat toys


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## kittycat3485 (Jun 13, 2012)

I love my furminator!! My cats actually all enjoy being brushed, but the two boys don't really shed much at all. My girl is a medium haired cat and she definitely does shed. When she was in the shelter, we bought the furminator and used it on her and it was AMAZING. The first brushing she ever had, we seriously pulled off like 3 softball sized globs of fur. She looked like a whole different cat and we could see more of her tabby markings lol Now, just a little bit comes off when we brush every so often, but the brush has been so wonderful for her lovely coat. I've been recommending the furminator to everyone!!


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

dweamgoil said:


> I saw those and figured you just really like Halloween  The cats thought they were really cool cat toys


I saw your Nightmare Before Xmas check and thought you did too.


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

GhostTown said:


> I saw your Nightmare Before Xmas check and thought you did too.


I do like Halloween. I usually dress up with the kids when we go out. Don't worry though I won't furminate Lacey.


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