FURminator Review: Eliminating Shedding

If you are tired of finding cat hair on your clothes, couch, and in the air, the FURminator deShedding Tool is one of the most effective grooming brushes you can buy. It claims to reduce loose hair from shedding by up to 90%, and used correctly on a short weekly schedule, that claim largely holds up.

How It Works

Unlike standard bristle brushes that only smooth the topcoat, the FURminator features a stainless steel deShedding edge that reaches beneath the topcoat. It grabs and removes loose undercoat hair before it can fall out on its own. The SkinGuard design sits between the teeth and your cat's skin so the tool glides without scratching.

The hair you pull off is the hair that would otherwise end up on your furniture, in your cat's food bowl, or swallowed into a hairball. That makes this tool as much a health purchase as a cleaning one.

Choosing the Right Model

FURminator makes variants for long-haired and short-haired cats, in small and large sizes, plus deshedding rakes and undercoat tools. For a domestic shorthair, the short-hair deShedding edge is the right pick; using a long-hair tool on a shorthair risks removing too much of the healthy topcoat. The handle, FURejector button, and SkinGuard work the same across the cat line.

How to Use It Without Irritating Your Cat

More is not better. The technique that keeps cats tolerant of the brush:

• Work in the direction of hair growth, in short strokes, never against it.
• Use light pressure; the teeth do the work, your wrist should not.
• Empty the blade with the FURejector button often so it does not tug.
• Keep sessions to 10 minutes, roughly once a week for shorthairs and a little more often during heavy shedding seasons.
• Skip the belly and other thin-skinned areas unless your cat is relaxed about them.

Performance

Pros and Cons

FAQ

How often should I use a FURminator?

Once a week is enough for most shorthairs; long-haired cats may want every five days during a shed. Daily use removes too much healthy hair and can leave skin sore.

Will it stop my cat's shedding entirely?

No brush does. It removes loose undercoat before it falls out, which is where the claimed reduction comes from, and the effect is most visible within the first two sessions.