Is there a breed that does not shed?? Or sheds minimally?

taralynn0930

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Hello: I have never owned a cat but my husband and I are thinking of buying a kitten. One big concern I have is shedding. Is there a breed that does not shed or sheds less than others?? Thanks!!
 

sharky

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I beleive Sphynx cats dont shed but they also dont have fur...

Longhairs tend to shed less but they often shed in clumps...

The better the food you feed with a high omega 6 the less the kitty will shed
 

evnshawn

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Originally Posted by sharky

I beleive Sphynx cats dont shed but they also dont have fur...

Longhairs tend to shed less but they often shed in clumps...

The better the food you feed with a high omega 6 the less the kitty will shed
Yup. I was going to say that I don't know as much about cats as some on here, but with my own, the short-haired ones shed much more than the ones with medium to long hair. Seems counterintuitive, but there you have it.

Also, clumps aren't bad because they're easy to vacuum up. It's the single hairs that get everywhere that drive you nuts.
 

vanillasugar

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I believe a high quality diet has a GREAT deal to do with shedding as well. Cats fed a poor quality food in my experience and from what I've heard, shed a LOT more than those who's owners take great care that their cats are getting the best diet.

I recently got my parents to switch foods, as their cats are the WORST shedders I've ever met and everyone in the house is asthmatic, and the shedding has already started to decrease
To convince them, it took me taking my cats home for chirstmas and making my step-mom brush one of her cats first, then brush mine. She brushes them daily. I never brush (they don't need it!). My cat had like an eighth of the fur on the brush.
 

kattengek

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I have 2 semilonghair cats, a Ragdoll and a Turkish Angora and two shorthair cats a Domestic Shorthair and a Siamese. The Ragdoll and the Turkish Angora shed the most(i have almost always long white hairs on my clothes
). The Domestic Shorthair a little and the Siamese almost not.
So i would say a Siamese shed less.
They all get high quality food (Felidae).
I've heard that the Devon Rex and the Cornish Rex shed also less. And offcourse the Spynx but because they have no hair their skin gets oily/dirty so you have to bath them every 2 weeks.
 

rang_27

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I'm not sure, but what about the rex cats? Either Devon Rex or Cornish Rex. I vaugly remember something about that, or am I way off?
 

laureen227

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for mine - Mouse shed the most, that plush double coat!
Pixel comes in second - her coat is fairly thick, with an undercoat, but not as plush as Mouse's was.
Cable's third - much thinner, flatter-lying coat, much less undercoat
Java - her coat is so thin - practically no undercoat! very similar to a siamese type.
and they're all DSH - so i'm thinking shedding could vary from cat to cat even within the breed.
 

zissou'smom

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Our kitty is a off-the-street tabby, and she hardly sheds at all!! Even if I brush her, I barely get four hairs in the wires. There isn't any visible cat hair in our house at all, and I know its not from vigorous daily cleaning


If you go to a shelter, the kind people who work there and know the cats can tell you which specific cats shed less or more naturally.

I agree with the food and grooming too. Even a cat that sheds massive hairballs daily can be shed-controlled by brushing and food.
 

mindyvoss

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I have a few questions. first...I love animals. I have had cats off and on for years. My best pet ever was Leo, a beautiful grey persian! I got him when he was 4 months old and he died just before turning 15. He was my friend! I loved him very much! I am saying this because my questions may be taken wrong. I want you to see I am a cat lover at heart...
Okay, we have 2 lizzards, 2 gerbils, 4 hampsters, 2 hermit crabs, 2 bosten terrier dogs, one short haired cat i had bottle fed from the age of 2 days old. She is now 2 years old....And no shedding hair. I like that part....
Yesterday my husband went to buy crickets for the lizzards, and bought a cat....He had been brought in a few hours earlier. His owner was an elderly lady who had died. he is about a year and a half old. He was very scared, of course. Well, this is the biggest cat I have ever seen! He is all white..and looooong hair. Did I say Loooong?!? You breath towards this cat and he sheds. he is still hidding in my laundry room. We go back and talk to him, we have sat and tried to pet him, but right now, we are just waiting on him to feel comfortable. Relaxed. Now when I had my persian, he dropped clumpes, very rarly did I see strands of hair. I have hair right now on my key pad from Max (the new cats name). He is in a room two rooms away!
Okay, now I have written a small book, may questions.
Could he be shedding badly because of nerves? We also have 4 kiddos, and this cat has been given to my 9 year old daughter who has been wanting her own cat for 2 years! She loves him already. We have told her that she needs to brush him every morning as part of her morning routine. (I am sure that will not always happen...
....) I understand that with a long haired cat we will always see some hair, but will this cut most out? Most of the shedding I mean. He sheds the fine, long hair that floats in the air. I LOVE pets, but HATE hair mess. Iknow, I knwo...they go together. We have, after Leo, been careful to select pets that do not shed much. But this poor kitty needed to get out of the pet store.
He looks a bit like the Turkish Angora that Kattengek shows in the pics.
Is there anything...omega oils...that I could give him? That would help with shedding and hair balls? I am assuming that with hair like that, we are going to see hair ball concerns. And, last thing, is there a certain food that can help?
We just got him last night. Even though he is scared and still "hidding"...he seems such a neat disposition. I was petting him earlier, and even though he was shaking, he started to purr. He is just so beautiful....*clears throat*...I mean Handsome!
 

ashleyjade

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Absolutley, cats stress shed. I know Parrot, who has the longest hair of my bunch, but is still short haired, will actually relesase a whole PUFF of hair if she gets stressed out. I asked my vet about it, and she told me that they stress shed. I don't know anything about oils though. I was going to ask that some question myself.
 

cagnes

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Originally Posted by taralynn0930

Hello: I have never owned a cat but my husband and I are thinking of buying a kitten. One big concern I have is shedding. Is there a breed that does not shed or sheds less than others?? Thanks!!
Ragdolls are supposed to be low shedding, but I'm not sure if that's true. I have 2 Ragdolls & the do shed a good bit, but I don't have anything to compare to. I guess they may shed less than some cats, but all I know is that I sure vacuum up a lot of fur! My domestic short hair tabby is the one that sheds the least... or maybe I just don't see her fur as much as the long white hair of the Ragdolls & RagaMuffins?


I think that if shedding is a real big concern for you & your husband then you should get a Sphynx or don't get a cat at all. If you do get a cat you need to be prepared for the possibly that it may shed a lot ...or scratch the furniture ...or track litter all over your house ...or jump on your kitchen counter ... or all of the above! Getting a cat should be a lifelong commitment to love & care for that kitty no matter how much work or trouble it may bring. There are way too many cats that are surrendered to shelters by their owners because they decide that they can't stand the fur, scratching or litter box problems anymore.

My intent is not to be down on cats. The love & happiness my cats bring into my life definitely outweigh the trouble that also accompany them! It's important to be prepared for everything involved in owning a cat & committed to deal with it.
 
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