How do you manage the fur?

Especially for folks with four or more cats, how do you manage the fur that gets shed around the house?

With my two new additions, I now have five cats. My last apartment was all hardwoods and I bought a vacuum cleaner that works exceptionally well on floors - but doesn't do a thing on carpets. My new apartment has a rug in the (huge) living room and pull shades on the super-sized windows that can't be thrown in the washer and in the three months I've been here, the fur has really begun to fly. It's on the pull shades, the furniture, my clothes, in the air, everywhere.

Besides brushing the cats (which I have begun, with limited success), what are your tips for keeping the loose fur to a minimum? If you have a vacuum cleaner you especially like, can you tell me what make/model it is? I'm considering a steam cleaner over a standard vac, but, wow, the prices!

Thanks for your inputs, everyone. The fur is the only cat-related issue I have trouble managing; getting that under control would be really nice.

lol get curshed veltet lint remover and rub every thing down it will get the house clean and if its a long hair get a horse hair brush it works the best and try to do it out side!

My keys to success?

1) Furminator
2) Lint Rollers
3) Vacuum/Steam cleaner

I have 6 housecats, 2 big labs & a froo froo non-shed dog. The majority of my carpet is dark, with white cats that's a nightmare. But the couch coverings are white, with brown labs that's a nightmare, too! I wash the couch covers once a week. Carpet gets done 1-2x a week. Froo Froo dog sometimes has "accidents" on the carpet (decreasing over time, thank god) so I steam clean the carpets weekly. Steam cleaner gets out even more hair right after vacuuming!

ETA: I paid about $150-200 3 months ago for a carpet steam cleaner in Target....I can check to see what make/model if you'd like!

I only have two right now, but have had more in the past. I would second lint rollers and the furminator-- we also have a Kenmore canister vacuum that can extend up to the curtains & blinds and does upholstery too. We try to do a good cleaning job every week--usually Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

I also have a Bissel Carpet Sweeper that is good for quick jobs.

I have no carpet in my house any longer....I vaccum 2 times a day....I even do the couches as well....with the larger upright vac...might look silly but its the only way I can get the fur off the couches...And the bedding is done 2 times a week as well..I wash it or change it..They all loveeeeeeeeeeeeee to sleep on my bed now that I have this extra comfy thick and soft mattress pad....plus alot of them have their own sleeping spots ..which I wash once a week....Its never ending thats for sure

Thanks, everyone.

Three of the five cats have long hair, so I'm pretty leery of the furminator. However, I've heard of a glove that does wonders for capturing loose hair. I'm planning a trip to the local pet store to try out different brushes and stuff to find one that works for us.

I've also heard that Eureka Boss vacs do really well picking up pet hair, so I'm looking into maybe picking one of those up. I'm not willing to pay for a Dyson for a single room rug, no matter how big the room is.

White cat lover - I'd love to know the make/model on the steam cleaner, thanks!

I have two Persians and two Cocker Spaniels. For getting the hair off the furniture,clothes and such I got a little item called the sticky roller. You use it over and over, just wash the hair off with hot soapy water and it is ready to use again, lasts for years. It can be purchased over the internet or at home and garden shows if you have them in your area. I also get a bowl of water, dip my hand in it to get it wet then wipe the hair off, repeat. Vaccuming has always been a problem but my wonderful hubby bought me the Dyson Animal vaccum for Christmas and it is wonderful at getting up the hair. bonus points for him Guess he got tired of hearing me gripe .

Why would you not want to use the furminator on long-haired cats? I don't have any long-hairs, but Miss Patchwillow's fur is thicker and longer than the others. I've found that the furminator works better on her than on the ones with really short hair.

I changed my cats to TOTW grain-free food. I was trying to get the best quality I can afford, but an unexpected side benefit is that the shedding has decreased dramatically. I find that I have less than 1/4 of the loose cat hair that I had before.

I bought a vacuum at WalMart made by Dirt Devil and it's made for pets.That was a few months ago and at the time I paid around $80.00 for it.I have no carpet in my house,and it does a great job on my linoleum and wood floors...it's amazing what it picks up!It has a hose attachment,the usual crevice tool and also a brush with rubber fingers.What's so cool about the brush is that when you connect it to the hose,the suction makes the brush revolve...lots of power and that's what I use for my chairs,etc.The container that holds all the hair,etc,pops off to empty in the trash and it has 2 filters...one you rinse out and let dry(it's a square of dense foam rubber)and the other it sets on top of.The whole filter thing it says to replace once a year...they run about $20.00.I have never been sorry that I bought it...I recommend it highly.I have seen others made by Bissell advertised and other brands as well,but I can't speak as to how well they work.I love my dirt devil!

Never thought about it.Sphynx don't shed

The furminator works wonders on Stan and he is medium haired (his fur is very soft --like a bunny) and tends to just shed constantly--he has a think undercoat that I use a wide rake-like comb for and we also use a fine metal comb most often. We "furminate" once a week.

I have to add that we have mostly hardwood and area rugs. In the spring I take the rugs out and beat the crud out of them

I use the furminator on my boys every couple of weeks (they hate it) and the zoom groom every other day (they also hate that). The furminator did wonders for my Libbi who had long fluffy hair.

I keep throw blankets on my couch and bed whenever I'm not home so that catches most of the fur when they lay around and can be easily washed.

For my linoleum I use the Swiffer Vac and for the carpet I use a Eureka Optima. The Optima isn't designed for pet hair but it gets it up. And Swiffer dusters for like lampshades and such. I also have a Black & Decker Pivot Handheld (Model PHV1800) that I use for everywhere the regular vacuum is inconvenient. The handheld also doubles as a great litter/kibble/whatever picker upper.

I replace the apartment air filter every 2 weeks (due to dust allergies, but it also catches cat hair) and I keep a miniature lint roller clipped onto my purse for easy touch ups after I leave the house.

10 cats and 3 large dogs here. I've noticed that the dogs deliver a lot more hair than the cats and my carpet looks unkempt within 30 minutes of vacuuming. I plan to replace the carpet with bamboo as soon as I have the money saved to do so.

I keep blankets on the furniture in the living room and wash those at least once a week. My curtains are a slippery material and the hair doesn't stick to them, and I hang them about an inch above the floor. I buy throw rugs that can go in the washing machine and those get washed at least once a week.

I have a Kenmore Elite vacuum cleaner that was rated better than the Dyson Animal for picking up hair. It "sucks" so well that I have to empty the canister about 3 times just on the living room alone. It also does a great job on furniture. For my non-carpeted floors (kitchen, foyer, bathrooms, etc), I have a canister vac and use the floor wand on them. Uprights do a poor job on hard surfaces. I vacuum about once a week. I should do it more but I've decided that it's a lost cause to stay on top of the hair.

Luckily I have hardwood floors throughout my house so that helps a lot, a swiffer works fantasic to pick up fur on them. Also my furniture has a smooth surface which is very easy to vacuum. Pixie and Linus both have very short fur and don't shed a whole lot if I brush them every couple of days. Sassy has longer fur and I try to brush him at least once a day.
Lint brushes work great as well and keep one handy because no matter what as soon as I get ready to go somewhere someone brushes up against me or wants up.
Oh and my furniture is light grey and yes I choose it to match Sassy and my RB kitty Flip when I purchased it. I have always had a thing for grey or Grey/white kitties so Linus and Pixie also match the furniture.