The Airvet Blog

Pet parents love their feline fur babies. There’s much more love for the babies than the fur though. A common complaint among cat parents is dealing with all the fur. It’s everywhere: on your bed, on the couch, in the car, and all over your dark-colored sweaters.

Keeping up with the sweeping and vacuuming can be exhausting. But here’s one way to curb the hair loss before it ends up all over your stuff—The FURminator. This handy brushing, de-shedding tool lets you take grooming into your own hands at an affordable price.

Do’s and don’ts of brushing

The FURminator for cats has an ergonomic handle and it’s easy to use once you know all the best practices. Here are a few tips on how to get started:

1. Make sure your cat’s fur is completely dry.
2. Carefully remove any mats, tangles, and foreign objects.
3. Check for injuries such as cuts or bruises so you can avoid those areas while brushing.

Now that you’re ready to get started, here are some Do’s and Don’ts for using The FURminator cat deshedding brush:

Do:

• Brush from head to tail. Be sure to angle the teeth in the same direction as your cat’s coat.
• Use long, gentle strokes and move the brush up and away from your cat’s skin. Remove hair from the teeth as needed.
• Brush evenly across your cat’s body. Be extra careful around sensitive areas like the ears, stomach, legs, and genitals.

Don’t:

• Brush from tail to head.
• Apply too much pressure to The FURminator brush.
• Brush the same area for too long or you risk irritating your kitty’s skin. The more you brush the same area, the higher the risk of causing irritation.

The FURminator for cats is not for all cats. Due to their coat types, The FURminator cat deshedding tool is not recommended for use on the following breeds:

• Balinese
• Bombay
• Cornish Rex
• Devon Rex
• European Burmese
• Havana Brown
• Javanese
• Korat
• LaPerm
• Oriental
• Ragamuffin
• Singapura
• Sphynx
• Tiffany-Chantilly
• Turkish Angora
• Turkish Van
• York Chocolate

Good brushing method

Get the most out of your FURminator cat deshedder by setting and following a regular brushing schedule. Plan to spend at least 15 minutes brushing your cat. For long-haired breeds, brushing could take up to an hour. Make sure you have plenty of time to brush your cat—rushing could cause you to miss a lot of loose hairs and possibly hurt your kitty. Make sure you set up a place in your home that’ll be easy to sweep or vacuum.

When you’re finished brushing, remove any fur from the teeth and clean the brush with mild soap and warm water as needed. Place the plastic cover over the teeth and store it in a safe place. The makers of the FURminator cat deshedder brush recommend brushing your cat once or twice a week.

Whether you use a DIY tool or step up your professional grooming budget, make sure you have a plan in place to address shedding. Be aware that cats tend to shed more when the weather gets warmer. Keep an eye out for excessive shedding though as this could be a sign of a medical issue such as stress, allergies, poor diet, infection, medication, and even sunburn.

If your kitty seems to be shedding more than usual, try providing them with a healthier diet and grooming them more often. If the hair loss is still troubling you after making adjustments to diet and grooming, contact a vet right away to see if there’s an underlying cause for your cat’s hair loss. It doesn’t have to be an emergency for you to connect to a vet. We’re here to answer your questions whenever you need us.