Questions About the Furminator (Tool)

Do you use it in the winter or just the summer? Does it have a blade? What size do you recommend for cats? Is it worth the cost?

It's 53 F (12 C) outside right now - we have very cool summers. Our kitties don't even lose their winter coats. Will they be too cold if the underhair is removed?

Thanks in advance!

I saw a video on this in the vets office the other day and it looks really cool. The small brush is $35 so I'll have to budget it in for next month.

Originally Posted by JenniferL

I saw a video on this in the vets office the other day and it looks really cool. The small brush is $35 so I'll have to budget it in for next month.

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It's awesome! Jean44 posted a good link for a good price. Also, you might ask at Petsmart if you have one in your area. I think they'll match their petsmart.com price in the store, if you print the product page and bring it in. I think that makes the small one $25.

I just ordered one on Friday from PetEdge, and I am so anxious for it to get here! I can't wait to try it out!
http://www.petedge.com/FURminator-de...ls-ZX46079.pro

Do you use it in the winter? Or will it make the kitties too cold?

I don't think it would allow the kitties to get cold. You are only removing loose fur. They would be removing it themselves when they groom so all you are doing is keeping them from ingesting it.

Originally Posted by katachtig

I don't think it would allow the kitties to get cold. You are only removing loose fur. They would be removing it themselves when they groom so all you are doing is keeping them from ingesting it.

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I agree... I don't have a furminator, but use one of those round shed rakes on both the dog and cat year-round.... it's not like you're shaving your animal down, just removing hair that's going to fall off anyway - regular brushing will help reduce the amount of animal hair around your house/on your clothes/etc and reduce the risk of hairballs as well since you kinda just pile it all up and throw it away when you brush.... Oliver loves his shed rake and usually runs over when I get it out

Originally Posted by katachtig

I don't think it would allow the kitties to get cold. You are only removing loose fur. They would be removing it themselves when they groom so all you are doing is keeping them from ingesting it.

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I agree.

The first few times I used it on them, I got a lot of loose hair off. When I did it again soon after that, I didn't get as much hair as there wasn't any more that was loose. So you're not taking anything off that doesn't want to come off, just the loose stuff like katachtig said.

We also got one from EntirelyPets.com & love it. One of our cats (we have two) loves it, and the other hates it. If you are not sure which size to get, check them out first in any major pet stores. IMO the small is a good size for most cats.

how well does it work on already established mats??

It doesn't. I'm pretty sure it's only guaranteed to work if the fur is already brushed out. That's what the last groomer I talked to said.

Originally Posted by lady_tiger61

how well does it work on already established mats??

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No, in fact I think they warn you about not using it on mats in the instructions...I love mine. I bought it from amazon.com last year and I got a pretty good deal...$30 for a medium one with free shipping.

I love the furminator and use it year round. They call it a blade but it looks more like a very fine tooth flea comb or something. But it does get all the dead, loose under coat out. When I use it regularly, my kitties stay mat free. But it's a prevention tool. Not meant to be used as a de-matting comb.

Why is it the really good cat accessories are all USA only
Guess this is an ebay job, Ah bless ebay.

Whats the difference really between the small and medium? and any chance I could use the same comb on our German shepherd dog? Also whats the average lifetime of the comb (ie how long before need to bin)?

I got the furminator a couple of weeks ago and it's amazing!!! I was amazed how much hair I was able to comb off of them. It may look like a blade but it's more like a flea comb. I got mine from Amazon and it was free shipping. Forgot how much I bought it for but it's cheaper than any local pet stores. Super happy and I have noticed less hair on the sofa.

Originally Posted by Larks

Whats the difference really between the small and medium? and any chance I could use the same comb on our German shepherd dog? Also whats the average lifetime of the comb (ie how long before need to bin)?

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IMHO, if you're planning on using it on a dog too, get at least the medium. The large might be too big for the kitties, but the smaller "cat sized" one is really quite small. The thing about size is about how much territory you can cover with a single stroke. I find that I'm done faster with the larger brush, but it's still small enough to manuever on the kitty.

It's a pretty sturdy piece of equipment. I would expect you to get at least a few years worth of work out of it. The only thing I can see is maybe the comb part gets dull eventually and doesn't take out as much hair

You should order it from an American store. The Canadian dollar is very valuable right now and the prices haven't adjusted to that yet, so online Canadian stores are still charging as though the dollar is worth less.

I just got my Furminator in the mail today - and wow! It took quite a bit of fur off Chase, even though I'd been combing him nearly every day with a flea comb, since he just adores being brushed. I set after my sister's cat with it after that, and got enough fur off of her for another cat. Usually she'll bite if you brush her for long, but she let me go until I stopped for fear of irritating her skin. My dog wasn't being very cooperative, but I got a big pile off of her in the five minutes of squirming and barking to go back inside.

I got a medium sized one for only $18 (and that's including shipping!) off of Amazon. I was shocked at the price difference, they're around $50 at Petsmart here! So do be sure to shop around.

Originally Posted by Larks

Why is it the really good cat accessories are all USA only

Guess this is an ebay job, Ah bless ebay.

Whats the difference really between the small and medium? and any chance I could use the same comb on our German shepherd dog? Also whats the average lifetime of the comb (ie how long before need to bin)?

Click to expand...

Got my furminator (small) from eBay after reading about it on TCS a few weeks ago. Total was $17 w/ shipping included & it arrived 3 days after the auction ended.

It's awesome! The guys don't look any different, ex/c maybe just cleaner, glossier coats, and less of that staticky dander when they're petted. We also have a Zoom Groom and Slicker, so we'll probably rotate them (b/c I think too frequent use of the furminator might be rough on sensitive skin -- anyone??)

You should DEFINITELY get one. Our guys are munchkins & weigh about 9 lbs, so the small ended up working fine.