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Sharing combs?

post #1 of 5
3/22/09 at 11:51am
Thread Starter 
My neighbor's have an elderly cat that I don't think they pay much attention to. Blacky is obese, so at least he has plenty to eat, but his coat looks terrible. There are clumps of dirt and lose fur in his hair. I guess he is getting too old to groom himself properly (?) He comes over to meet me often when I get off from work and I pet him before going inside. Anyway, I can't take it anymore. I have got to do something about this cat's hair. I have this really great cat comb that I use to brush my elderly Siamese. She loves it. But DH forbids me to use her comb on the neighbor's cat, fearing she might catch something from him. Dumb question: Could she catch something from sharing combs even if it was washed carefully after use? I hate to spend another $15.00 on a cat comb, but one way or another, Blacky's going to have a "spa day".
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post #2 of 5
3/22/09 at 12:21pm
Yep, she absolutely could - Ringworm is an example, and a bad one...
If you must use the same comb, make sure to disinfect it with a solution of bleach - immerse the comb in the solution for a good ten minutes or so.
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post #3 of 5
3/22/09 at 12:34pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you for the advice! I didn't even think about ringworm. I think I'll just get Blackie a separate comb. He loves attention. I know he'll appreciate it.
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post #4 of 5
3/24/09 at 9:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nurseangel View Post
Could she catch something from sharing combs even if it was washed carefully after use? I hate to spend another $15.00 on a cat comb, but one way or another, Blacky's going to have a "spa day".
Not if you disinfect/clean the comb after using. It's much the same as hairdressers disinfecting their combs and brushes after each customer.

I would actually ask my vet what they use or would recommend to disinfect. It may be as simple as making up a solution of water and a touch of Javex.
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post #5 of 5
3/24/09 at 3:05pm
We had a "ringworm" scare with Zachary a while back so there was no sharing of combs or brushes between the cats, nor did I want to re-infect a cat with any fungus spores that may have been left. So, I went to the local Walgreens and bought a couple packages of multiple plastic combs (I believe there were 20 combs per package). They were really inexpensive - Less than $2.00/package.

I ended up just throwing the combs away after each use. Almost all the combs had a "fine" tooth section to them and worked great at getting out loose cat hair. At basically 0.10 cents per use it was worth it not to worry about the spread or transfer any disease.
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