Please help with shedding problem

deljo

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I have two kitties, it seems as if all I do is remove pet hair. I use a shedd enders on the cats. One enjoys it too much and won't hold still, purring and rubbing against the comb the whole time. We do this in the bathroom sink. The other kitty is the one who will only let me pet her on the BR floor and that goes for brushing and grooming. My back kills me as I can not get down with her and have to sit on the closed toilet lid and reach. I use a clothes brush on chairs before I sit in the AM so I don't get cat hair on my work clothes. They like to sleep on the kitchen cushions. I also use a lint roller on my slippers. I discovered today that after I used the shedd-enders I ran the lint roller over the cats and it picked up all the loose hair. They didn't mind at all. My daughter vacuums her cat. Is it the weather, or food or what with all this shedding? They both have shiny healthy coats. These cats are more work than kids, but I love them. Help.
 

nellers

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Shedding can be caused by the cat being anxious or nervous too, have they experienced any change that may have caused anxiety? I know that when Penelope moved from my apartment to here, the site of all the packing of the house caused some severe shedding issues for about 6 weeks.

Weather I believe is another cause of it. In Petsmart or Petco, there are some mild cleansers/shampoos that help to eliminate the amount of shedding your cat will have. I forget the names but they could be worth a try. Good luck!
 

gailc

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My two longhaired cats constantly shed!! It seems worse in the fall and spring though. Frequent brushing should really help-I do as long as they tolerate it.
 

seppolina

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What kind of food do they eat? I found that when I transitioned my cats from a low-quality diet to a high-quality one, shedding was much reduced. Oftentimes the addition of an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement will also help. DermCaps (carried by most vet offices) is the most-popular one, but any pet store or vet's office should be able to recoomend one.
 
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deljo

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The cats are currently eating a variety of food. Dry Nutro, Iams and Meow mix. Also wet Meow mix pouches, & friskies. They do not like wet nutro nor science diet or wet Iams. As you know cats are fussy. Both like different things. Its like feeding kids.
 

sharky

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you may want to add some salmon oil
 

mzjazz2u

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If it isn't a dietary issue then it could just be they are both cats that shed a lot. Sometimes there just isn't much you can do about it except learn to manage it. I have to constantly keep on top of the shedding fur around here! But I also feel my kitties are worth it.
 

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We have many "extra" kitties....as our four short hair cats shed and we don't have carpet....so we also get the "tumble weeds" of cat hair. For saving your work pants you may want to purchase a cushion that you sit on when your in your work clothes and hide it when your not using it. I personally just don't sit down. Although that doesn't help as its in the car too....so I just use a lint roller on my clothes when I get to work.
Hope you get a handle on it soon
Denise
:eek:)
 
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deljo

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Thanks for all the good advice. I just have one other question regarding brushing. What kind of brush works best? I'm using a brush with plastic bristles with those little balls on the end. But I don't seem to have much success with it getting out hair.
 

furry4fury

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I have the metal one with the bristles slanted...that seems to catch really good and the girls absolutely love getting brushed with it to be all pretty - the boys hiss and run when the brush comes near them. They don't care to be all pretty...ha ha ha
 
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deljo

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Okay, I'll look for a brush with slanted metal bristles. I'm ready to try anything to curb the hair problem. I do realize that cats shed so its just a matter of trying to remove the hair before its deposited on eerything. Thanks
 

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Are the cats lh or sh? I find that with my lh & mh cats a comb works best to remove all the loose hair. Our sh kitty just gets combed to get combed lol, she doesn't seem to shed at all.
 

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I've just switched to a double toothed comb (with both long teeth and short teeth), works much better than the brush I had before (metal teeth all one length) but kitty doesn't enjoy it as much - although I need to persevere as she's just produced her first hairball!

I bought a soft, fluffy 'blankee' and put it where Tilly always sits next to me on the sofa. Then, when guests come round, I just fold up the blankee and there's a hair-free patch of couch to sit on.
 

mzjazz2u

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Originally Posted by keelyg

I've just switched to a double toothed comb (with both long teeth and short teeth), works much better than the brush I had before (metal teeth all one length) but kitty doesn't enjoy it as much - although I need to persevere as she's just produced her first hairball!

I bought a soft, fluffy 'blankee' and put it where Tilly always sits next to me on the sofa. Then, when guests come round, I just fold up the blankee and there's a hair-free patch of couch to sit on.
The comb you have is a shedding comb (short and long teeth). And they do work well! Combs work much better then any brush. They get a lot more of the dead fur out.
 

nellers

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I use this soft rubbery-plastic comb which makes my babies purr when used on them
and it also causes the loose, dead hair and dander to stick to the plastic bristles easier, I have found. Its also easy to clean this brush because I just run water and it clumps off of the soft plastic. The wire brushes made them mad LOL.
 
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deljo

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Where do you get the shedding combs? My daughter was in petsmart yesterday and they didn't have them. One of my cats is a tabby with short hair and the other is a real alley cat,mixed, with medium hair. The short haired cat loves to be groomed but the other likes it but only if I reach down to her floor level. She won't sit on anything, I think she's afraid of being captured. This is my feral baby.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by deljo

Where do you get the shedding combs? My daughter was in petsmart yesterday and they didn't have them. One of my cats is a tabby with short hair and the other is a real alley cat,mixed, with medium hair. The short haired cat loves to be groomed but the other likes it but only if I reach down to her floor level. She won't sit on anything, I think she's afraid of being captured. This is my feral baby.
often in the dog dept
 
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