A question for the groomers amongst us...

[Catjane]

Mine are all short haired, but I groom them occasionally, even though they all keep their own coats beautiful   

For that extra shine, I use a chamois leather - gets their coats really sleek and glossy!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Brushes are completely useless on mine, especially Misa 

I use a comb with long and short prongs to get loose fur out and a smaleer version for the birmans....they love it, Misa hates it

[Bazsmum]

I actually use a wire dog brush on mine....it cost approx £2.50 from Wilkinsons.....I use a nit comb also but not a regular one the one I use is called "nitty gritty" it cost about £10 from a chemists but it has lifetime guarantee and its prongs are about 2 and a half inches long....

All my cats (apart from the blackster) will happily tolerate these.... 

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

We have that too, but Lexy hates it. She likes the tickle I think

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Was just going to recommend a zoom groom.  They are brilliant for getting out loose hair and work well on long and short haired cats, but best on short hairs I think as, depending on the coat type, they can take out too much fur on long hairs (not good for somalis - I used it on Mosi but it just takes out too much hair).  I just give Jaffa a qucik brush along his back with a bristle brush and the occasional zoom groom.  He does have very short hair though and keeps it in mint condition himself 

[littleKitten_(alex)]

Another thing that is great for shorthaired cats is the Zoom Groom http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=32&pf_id=0210. It gives a massage as well as removing any loose hairs, but is gentle enough for the shorter-haired cats. Monkey hates brushes, but he's crazy about the Zoom Groom, and assumes the position as soon as he seems it (belly on floor, back legs straight with bottom pointing towards the ceiling...   )

As soon as I'd bought mine, I bought one for my parents cat, Bumerang the Siamese. He's a very grumpy cat, who wasn't used to brushing at all (and nobody dared try, really...). The very first time my mum brushed him with it, he just rolled over and went insane with pleasure. I've tried it on him since as well, and she wasn't exaggerating! On every stroke, he just HAS to push himself up against the brush, and if you just hold it still over the floor, he will do a great limbo performance.  

I do use it on Poppy as well occasionally, just for that extra bit of pleasure, but it tends to just get tangled up in her belly fluff.  

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Ooh, my sister got me one of those this past weekend. She got one for Pippa who you know is a lovely little short hair Felix cat. Pipsqueak has the most wonderful shiny coat, my sister uses it on her daily, just for fun really as Pips likes that.

So she got me one of them for £1 at the pet shop up the road!!  Have to try with Lexy. She loves the moulting comb and the flea comb  , the latter because it scratches her head nice and fine  but I wanted something to get her fur. (I think part of her little loo prob this week is because of fur TBH).

[Tiggy's Mum]

Thanks CC, you've got me singing that song again though 

don't get one of those ones that are all plastic, with plastic pins as well,  they're useless, get the one the wire pins, like this http://www.ultimateanimals.co.uk/acatalog/info_4826VIT.html

  You've answered my next question too, I've seen some with rubber 'massaging' bristles and some with wire bristles.  Will get them a wire  one for their stocking 

[Gillian Harvey]

The boys are short haired but I brush them fairly regularly (maybe once a month) so that they don't see being groomed as a bad thing.  This way I am ready to take care of their coats when they become too old to bother!

I've got a soft bristled brush a bit like a babies brush and a shedder comb which doesn't seem to shed anything from them at all - when I used it on Tiggy I could have made a coat with all the loose fur that came off!

Anyway, my question is... What is a slicker brush for?  Would it be an idea to get one in addition to the brush/combs that I already use?

Yes Helen, slicker brush is great for short haired cats, I use it on my longhairs too, but George and Harry, the shorthairs,  love being brushed with it, and it gets a lot of loose hair out. The only thing is, don't get one of those ones that are all plastic, with plastic pins as well,  they're useless, get the one the wire pins, like this http://www.ultimateanimals.co.uk/acatalog/info_4826VIT.html

[ccmacey]

I think it would be to give them a sheen on their coat, I just use a soft baby brush on Lyla.

[Tiggy's Mum]

The boys are short haired but I brush them fairly regularly (maybe once a month) so that they don't see being groomed as a bad thing.  This way I am ready to take care of their coats when they become too old to bother!

I've got a soft bristled brush a bit like a babies brush and a shedder comb which doesn't seem to shed anything from them at all - when I used it on Tiggy I could have made a coat with all the loose fur that came off!

Anyway, my question is... What is a slicker brush for?  Would it be an idea to get one in addition to the brush/combs that I already use?