My cat is large and has very thick fur and can't groom himself the best, any tips?

Hi all. I have a 7 year old mutt. He's huge, and I don't just mean fat, he's just a very long, large cat. (I will not lie, he's a little chunky too, but that's not the main problem.) He's shorthair, but he's got VERY thick fur that grows and sheds fast. Since he's a big guy, he can't reach the base of his tail and lower back area very well, so he's got dandruff, and it seems to irritate him when I pet back there. I think it might be itchy. I brush him as often as I can, but it doesn't seem to help much. What can I do? 

I find a slicker type brush works really well for thick shorthair coats (it works well on my British Shorthairs, anyway). The Furminator seems to be rated very highly here too. If brushing alone isn't enough, then bathing him might help. Also, check him thoroughly for fleas - they could well be the cause of the itchiness.

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With really dense fur it sometimes works better to use a comb instead of a brush. You can use the same type comb as you would for a longhair cat, something with metal teeth, not plastic. I use a comb similar to this on my shorthair show cat who has very dense fur.