Furminator ("I want your clothes, your boots... and your cat hair")

[Dawn F]

its great isn't it!  I had star out in the garden with it on saturday

[Gillian Harvey]

Returned to this thread to say that I bought one of this yesterday and have just tried it on Dot and... 

Oooh thats good news! glad it worked so well. Just a tip for after you've used it, give the coat a quick going over with a slicker brush, just picks up any loose hairs sitting on the top of the coat which she might otherwise ingest. 

[Catbird]

This is the Mikki mat breaker http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/prodinfo.asp?number=MATTBREAK&variation=
It comes with a block of replacement blades
Its much lighter than the furminator too.

Returned to this thread to say that I bought one of this yesterday and have just tried it on Dot and... 

Loads of hair, not one yowl, just a bit of halfhearted swiping and wriggling, cos she can't believe that it doesn't hurt.  All done in under 10mins.  It works so well that I will be needing to put a towel down next time, to save having to crawl around the carpet with a rubber brush.

I just can't believe how good this is -  a million for the recommendation!

C.

[Catbird]

I was suggesting the mat breaker to comb out the undercoat, not for mats or knots. (despite its name!) The blades are curved round making them safe to use, the furminator is a bladed comb too. To be honest undercoat rakes are very harsh and more likely to 'prod' than somethng like the mat breaker, jmo

Thanks!  This has been a very informative conversation and has probably saved me ££.  I definitely won't buy the rake thing then and will try the matt breaker.

C.

[Gillian Harvey]

I am a little bit worried about using something with "blades" in it.  The neuro prob means that I can twitch (almost anywhere but especially my hands) without warning.  With a comb, the worse that will happen is that Dot gets a sudden and surprising prod but with blades I would be worried about really hurting her.  Also, she is very wriggly while I'm grooming her and I am worried that this too may be a problem.  Dot doesn't have matts or knots and unless anyone can be fairly confident that this would be safe to use, I think I may try the undercoat rake first and see how that goes.

I was suggesting the mat breaker to comb out the undercoat, not for mats or knots. (despite its name!) The blades are curved round making them safe to use, the furminator is a bladed comb too. To be honest undercoat rakes are very harsh and more likely to 'prod' than somethng like the mat breaker, jmo

[karenjet]

I have a furminator too, it definitely does it's job but my cats hate it, and it's quite heavy so it's hard to hold them and use it at the same time, especially when you have to remove the hair from it every other stroke.

[Catbird]

I have just looked on the PAH www and there is a double row undercoat rake by Mikki - is that the one?  I have to ask because it is priced at £6 something but the price you stated was £15.  Apols if that is the one and the price has dropped by half and you would rather not have known!

This is the Mikki mat breaker http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/prodinfo.asp?number=MATTBREAK&variation=
It comes with a block of replacement blades

Its much lighter than the furminator too.

I am a little bit worried about using something with "blades" in it.  The neuro prob means that I can twitch (almost anywhere but especially my hands) without warning.  With a comb, the worse that will happen is that Dot gets a sudden and surprising prod but with blades I would be worried about really hurting her.  Also, she is very wriggly while I'm grooming her and I am worried that this too may be a problem.  Dot doesn't have matts or knots and unless anyone can be fairly confident that this would be safe to use, I think I may try the undercoat rake first and see how that goes.

Gill - The "Misa" model definitely came in extra-hairy only then?

[sixfurballs]

Gill since getting Lexie and Purdey I so recognise that photo! Their coats are similar to Misa but I suspect Purdeys is even longer. She has a very long top coat. I think I'll order one of Mikki Mat breakers then.

[Dawn F]

yes the link Gillian has posted is the one I have - its much smaller than the furminator which I got from qvc

[Gillian Harvey]

I have just looked on the PAH www and there is a double row undercoat rake by Mikki - is that the one?  I have to ask because it is priced at £6 something but the price you stated was £15.  Apols if that is the one and the price has dropped by half and you would rather not have known!

This is the Mikki mat breaker http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/prodinfo.asp?number=MATTBREAK&variation=
It comes with a block of replacement blades

Its much lighter than the furminator too.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Misas undercoat is very very thick and he has a longhaired coat on top, not as long as a persian although not far off LOL.

The furminator just couldnt get through Misas fur at all cos it has quite short teeth, so it only got the top coat really and its the undercoat that gets in a mess cos Misa is not good at getting to grips with his coat either, just too much bloomin fur.

This is the size of the problem 

[Millys Mum]

I got Milly a furminator and she likes it, has helped reduce her hairballs too so thumbs up from me but obviously all cats vary, Milly is DSH

[Catbird]

I found the mikki did the same job but was just a bit easier to handle because it was small (sorry not one of the G's I know!!!!)

I have just looked on the PAH www and there is a double row undercoat rake by Mikki - is that the one?  I have to ask because it is priced at £6 something but the price you stated was £15.  Apols if that is the one and the price has dropped by half and you would rather not have known!

C.

[Catbird]

I bought the furminator a few years ago and found it to be really good on short haired cats and very easy to use.

Does that mean that it was not so good on long-haired ones?  Or did you only try it on short-haired ones?

Thanks.

C.

[Teresa Pawcats]

I bought the furminator a few years ago and found it to be really good on short haired cats and very easy to use.

[Beth]

I wonder if a coat king would be any good on a cat? I have one for my cav and it works wonders on her tufty bits. She's smaller than some cats we see and it's perfect size for her.

[sixfurballs]

Interested in the answer to. A normal brush was always sufficient for me before but given how long Lexie and Purdey's coat are now (the really match the descriptions of Norwegian Forest Cats) I need something better. Lexie loves being groomed now and stands up so regally but Purdey still isn't sure and even growled at me over the weekend. They need done any day so anything that makes it easier for me and a happier experience for them would be welcome.

[Catbird]

I found the mikki did the same job but was just a bit easier to handle because it was small (sorry not one of the G's I know!!!!)

Don't apologise!  Your comment is relevant to my interests as a neuro disorder means that my fine motor skills headed off years ago.  If the Furminator is difficult to handle and the Mikki is easier, then that makes all the difference in the world.

C.

[Dawn F]

I found the mikki did the same job but was just a bit easier to handle because it was small (sorry not one of the G's I know!!!!)

[Catbird]

Gill and Gillian, please could I ask for some additional advice?  I was initially interested in Furminator because Dot does not like being groomed, although she knows that when I start, I ain't quitting!  What attracted me was the idea of doing a really thorough job, really quickly.  I only have one cat, while cat hair all over everything is not exactly desireable, it's not a huge problem.  Dot is a Maine Coon with a medium length coat - would the Mikki comb you mention be good for this?  As I do groom her regularly, mats and knots are not a problem but would the Mikki be an all round easier tool to use?

Why was the Furminator useless on Misa's coat and why did he hate it?  Is his coat similar to Dots (ie long silky topcoat and dense-ish undercoat)?  Does he just hate grooming generally?

I'm really grateful for the advice, I'm so tired of buying stuff that looks useful and then isn't.

C.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I was loaned a furminator and it was useless on big Misas coat and he hated it too.

At the time my birmans looked like the one in the picture and they wll just have fur everywhere after using it cos their fur comes out so easliy so had piles just like that.

I didnt like it but reckon it maybe good for the heavy furred shorthaired cats but usually they dont need a lot of grooming. I think

[bunglycat]

I had a look at it too - but also had same misgivings and as all mine are middle/older now i wouldn''t like them to get cold ! They love the warmth so much and at the moment are all lined up in their heated beds . I will stick to the comb i have for now .

[Gillian Harvey]

I don't rate the furminator - there are better grooming tools out there. I found it cumbersome, heavy and, well, 'clunky', especially on skinnier cats! They don't just take out the undercoat either, they remove a lot of top coat too. The mikki mat breaker Dawn mentioned is much better - its the wrong name for it really, because its not that good at breaking mats, ok on tangles - but used like a comb (whilst parting the fur) it will lift the undercoat out and leave topcoat intact.

[Kirst]

 

[Wibblechick]

Blimey - knit your own pet time!   I'd love to try it on Chloe but .......  I share your misgivings

Did remind me of this, though  

[Dawn F]

I had one but found it a bit bulky - I new use the mikki  mat unpicker thing that Gillian recommended its about £15 from PAH

[sheryl]

My sister uses one and I borrowed it for my 2 moggies (dont need to use it on the Bengly coats) it was fantastic on the moggies and left them lovely and shiny and soft - I was a bit alarmed at first and expected baldy cats  but it was okay

[Catbird]

Has anyone tried the Furminator?  See furminator.com for details - it's a US site but the tool is now on sale in the UK.  I am sorely tempted to give it a go BUT I am worried that it might be removing too much hair.  Should that much undercoat actually be removed?  Will Dot get too parky as a result?  Will I miss picking cat hair out of my tea?

Any views?

C.