deshedding tool?

[Mama Zoe]

Hi all!
As I was standing in a very long line today at Petco, they had a video running advertising a deshedding tool called the "FURminator." It is basically an electric brush, but makes all sorts of claims of greatness (reduce shedding, healthy skin, shiny topcoat, no hairballs etc.) My kitties don't have long fur, and they love being groomed with a regular ol' cheap brush, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with a tool like this and if they work as well as they say?

Update: Mama Zoe and her kitten Rocco are healthy, happy and doing great. It's now been just about a year since they've become part of our family! The other two kittens that I had fostered last year were successfully adopted into wonderful families that I keep in touch with and get updates from too.

Take Care!
Eileen

[Cleo]

I have the Furminator deshedding tool but it is not electric. It works really well in removing the undercoat. Take care to avoid brush burns and use slow, gentle strokes if you get it.

I got mine on eBay for a lot less than the retail price.

[Traci]

The furminator is NOT electric. Do you have a link you can provide to the item you saw?

I have a furminator and only my opinion, but I hate it. My cats hate it too. While it gets the fluffy undercoat stray stuff, it also sends it flying through the air, on you and your clothes and everywhere else, you have to get the fur off the blade every single swipe. You also have to be very gentle with it, because the comb is very sharp and if you're not careful and gentle, your cats will hate you!

I feel like it was wasted money, and I can do just as well with a cat slicker brush, which my cats tolerate.

[Cleo]

Truth be told, I think I used it twice on each cat ... if that. It does make the hair very static clingy so when I've done it, it was in the middle of the kitchen floor with the garbage can right next to me.

[Mama Zoe]

Thanks for the advice. The lady I was standing in front of in line thought it was battery operated, and for $39.99 I assumed it was. I'm glad I asked you before I bought it! You are right, I checked and it is much cheaper on ebay, but still....my cats do just fine with their brush and the last thing I want to do is turn what is a pretty easy grooming experience now into a bad one!

[momPaws]

I have a great soft dense brush and another one with soft plastic multiple fingers on about 30 base bristles that gets the undercoat (both from Kmart- cheap too) , but the best for the undercoat is a simple fine tooth comb from the dollar store that I use gently. The furminator has tightly space metal teeth just like a flea comb, which I have and is too rough on my kitty for prolonged general brushing.

[Tambrey]

I got a similar one at WalMart for $10.00...wish I had kept the package so I knew what it was....aahhh...it is ON the comb....it is called Shed Ender....and ALL of my cats LOVE it...and I LOVE it.....

they see it and brush up against me and the comb to get combed out....Sissy laid for an HOUR one night and let me detangle her...I was to the point of taking her and getting her shaved....that is how bad she had gotten with NOT wanting brushed with anything else....but she just LOVES this one

https://www.shedender.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1

[Traci]

Well, I think I'm done with fine tooth comb stuff, they just aren't soft enough for cats - I ran the furminator over my hand/fingers once and it hurt! I can imagine what the cats feel like!

Mama Zoe, for what it's worth, I would not buy any cat health tool that was electric, save for a trimmer kit, I just think they'd be more trouble than they're worth.

I think if your cats like what you're using now, don't change a thing, you're absolutely right, you don't want to disrupt an already good grooming experience.

[Tambrey]

Traci...this one has blunt end teeth...I can comb it across my palm and it does not hurt at all....I guess it reminds me more of a metal flea comb with a bigger handle!!

[Phoebe's human]

I watched a couple of demos online about the FURminator because I was interested in cutting down on the number of hairballs my cat has.

It looks to me as if the FURminator has a blade, and the posts here confirm that. I noticed that the cat who is getting the FURminator treatment in the demo has to be held by the scruff of the neck, and it does look painful.

I was about to put up a thread here asking if anybody had tried it, but luckily there's already a thread going.

Thanks so much for providing the information I wanted. I'll stick with the fleacomb and brush.