Brush recommendations for long hair?

[Munchiesbuddy]

Hello,
My 3 year old male cat, Munchiekins, is a long haired tuxedo with A LOT of undercoat shedding. For a long haired cat he grooms exceptionally well but he just has SO much hair. I’ve been testing and trying brushes for a while but the only ones that I’ve found that seem to work, also seem to cause discomfort. The Furminator is the one that gets the most undercoat but it’s teeth are so hard. I know cats have thick skin and it’s hard for a brush to “hurt”. But I just can’t imagine metal teeth digging in over and over for 10+ minutes at a time is very pleasant. He’s dramatic and he screams and is obviously not in any real pain but clearly some discomfort. I just want to know if anyones had better luck or if the Furminator is fine.

 

[Maurey]

Furminators are generally poor for longhairs, especially if used frequently. They artificially thin out the coat because they can cut fur easily, and you can brush bald spots if you’re not super careful

Here’s a previous post of mine on what I find suits best for LH grooming. All you really need is a good quality comb with fine and medium spaced teeth, and something to prevent static. Anything else is more or less optional, though can be useful for a cat with a lot of dead coat. Brush recommendations?

 

[gilmargl]

I have purchased so many combs and brushes and have found that there is no such thing as the perfect solution for all long haired cats.
This is the sort of "rake" I use for my British Long Hair. The prongs are thick and rounded and cannot scratch the cat. It does a great job at thinning out undercoat, leaving the top coat intact - and it was not as expensive as a furminator.

 

[sivyaleah]

I second Maurey recommendation.

Get a comb that looks like this:

Chris Christensen 000 7.5" Fine/Coarse Greyhound-Style Buttercomb

I happen to have that one but there are others you can buy which are not that pricey. However, you get what you pay for. Cheaper brands may not be as gentle for the cat.

I also use the deshedder gilmargl posted but only for belly fur - I have a Maine Coon and her undercoat sometimes needs more than just the comb to get rid of excess fur. But it isn't an everyday tool, maybe once a week or less even.

 

[gilmargl]

I second Maurey recommendation.

Get a comb that looks like this:

Chris Christensen 000 7.5" Fine/Coarse Greyhound-Style Buttercomb

I happen to have that one but there are others you can buy which are not that pricey. However, you get what you pay for. Cheaper brands may not be as gentle for the cat.

I also use the deshedder gilmargl posted but only for belly fur - I have a Maine Coon and her undercoat sometimes needs more than just the comb to get rid of excess fur. But it isn't an everyday tool, maybe once a week or less even.

Sorry, I forgot to add that a BLH is not a true long-haired cat. My cat keeps herself felt-free and I don't have to carry out daily or even weekly grooming except when she's shedding. I regularly use a Greyhound comb (similar to the one you recommended) just to tidy her coat but the deshedder is definitely the only tool which removes any small felts and considerably reduces the amount of "fluff" she would otherwise distribute around the house or swallow.

The Greyhound comb also works well for my senior short-haired cats who are no longer too fastiduous about keepng themselves clean. They seem to enjoy being combed even though it cannot be too comfortable when it's running along their bony backbones.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Hello,
My 3 year old male cat, Munchiekins, is a long haired tuxedo with A LOT of undercoat shedding. For a long haired cat he grooms exceptionally well but he just has SO much hair. I’ve been testing and trying brushes for a while but the only ones that I’ve found that seem to work, also seem to cause discomfort. The Furminator is the one that gets the most undercoat but it’s teeth are so hard. I know cats have thick skin and it’s hard for a brush to “hurt”. But I just can’t imagine metal teeth digging in over and over for 10+ minutes at a time is very pleasant. He’s dramatic and he screams and is obviously not in any real pain but clearly some discomfort. I just want to know if anyones had better luck or if the Furminator is fine.

Hello Munchiesbuddy and Munchiekins, and welcome to TCS! Grooming tools seem to be a very personal decision, like diet and so much else. Our beloved Mainey man came to us with his Furminator, and I was worried about this, too. But he matted very much, as he had that cottony undercoat, so I did occasionally use the Furminator on him. He never seemed bothered by it. Our main and usual tool is, and has always been, a slicker brush (no particular brand) used daily. Almost all of the cats in my life have always loved being brushed. I also use a flea comb in hot weather, because even though my cats are ALWAYS indoors only, I want to be sure no fleas have come in from neighborhood dogs that are walked on the block, or wildlife (raccoons, oppossums, rats, mice, squirrels). The slicker brush has always been what my family have used, as well.

 

[neely]

All you really need is a good quality comb with fine and medium spaced teeth, and something to prevent static.

Another vote for the Greyhound stainless steel comb. I've used them for all my longhair cats and especially the Persians. I use the Geib brand which is similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007KTL8K/?tag=thecatsite

 

[Meowmee]

I have been using a stainless steel comb for Zena like the greyhound combs, I also wet the comb usually before combing him. I use a slicker and I tried the furminator on him, he didn’t mind it but he was having some hair loss and has a damaged coat from being outside so I felt it took too much off. It was a longhair one for Sybil.

That was the only thing she would let me groom her with except for a smaller one tooth size metal comb I had which I have lost. It didn’t damage her fur.

I also ordered an undercoat comb for Zena but the teeth feel a bit sharp. I am not sure if I should send it back.