Devon Rex Grooming - What Kind of Brush?

[mysnafflebit]

I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with what kind of brush will work well with the very short and dense coat of a devon rex.  When I pet my cat I can remove a lot of loose hair, but because of allergies I would like to catch the fur and not have it float around the house.  I have tried using a small wire slicker brush, but she doesn't like the feel of it on her skin and shrinks away.  I've looked into grooming mitts and boar bristle brushes as well, but I'm not sure which would be more suitable.  Any thoughts are appreciated!

 

[kirathecat]

Hi, i don't have experience with grooming mitts or devon rexes 

 but here are my two cents anyways

I think dense boar bristle brush should do an adequate job in removing hairs and not bother you cat much. Density is good because it want sink in too deep and scratch his skin but will pick up loose hairs.

I usually finish brushing session with my cat by running slightly wet boar bristle brush (that used to be mine at some point) over his coat to pick up any loose hair left behind after a regular slicker brush and it works really well this way. 

Also making the boar brush a little wet or running slightly wet hands over cat's body will take away some static from brushing motions (which lots of cats find uncomfortable). And simply running wet hands over shedding cat will usually pick up quite a lot of fluff too. I know there is stuff like grooming wipes that do pretty much the same job as wet hands in picking up loose static-y fluff

Oh, and another brush you might want to check out is Zoom Groom, it's rubber/silicon type of brush and good for giving kitty a nice massage 

 Since there is no pins of plastic it shouldn't bother a cat even with very sensitive skin.

And as for allergies, I'm sure you've done your research, but you still might want to check out this article: http://jacksongalaxy.com/blog/2014/08/28/allergic-to-cats

Hope it helps

 

[mysnafflebit]

Hi KiraTheCat, thank you so much for your response!  I got a boar bristle brush yesterday, not one made for grooming pets, but rather one for men's beards!

  Great tip about slightly wetting the brush, I wouldn't have thought of that.  Pinky didn't seem to mind being groomed with it--she sat nicely in my lap purring away as I alternated one stroke with my hand and one stroke with my brush.  I already see many little white hairs accumulating on it!  I have heard a lot about the Zoom Groom and I may try that out later as well.  For now I think the boar bristle brush will do the job! 

Thanks for the link to Jackson Galaxy's allergy article.  I remember reading that article before getting Pinky (I used to watch a lot of his "My Cat From Hell" shows as well).  It was a good reminder to read it again and now I'm being more conscious of washing my hands after playing with her!

 

[kirathecat]

 
Hi KiraTheCat, thank you so much for your response!  I got a boar bristle brush yesterday, not one made for grooming pets, but rather one for men's beards!

  Great tip about slightly wetting the brush, I wouldn't have thought of that.  Pinky didn't seem to mind being groomed with it--she sat nicely in my lap purring away as I alternated one stroke with my hand and one stroke with my brush.  I already see many little white hairs accumulating on it!

That's wonderful! Glad I could help and that Pinky likes her new brush 

 Now you both can enjoy grooming sessions which are also a great way to bond with your kitty  

 
 I have heard a lot about the Zoom Groom and I may try that out later as well.  For now I think the boar bristle brush will do the job! 

Yeah, i've heard and read about Zoom Groom a lot but haven't tried it myself yet since my brushes work good. If you decide to give it a try, let me know how your kitty likes it I'm just curious.

Thanks for the link to Jackson Galaxy's allergy article.  I remember reading that article before getting Pinky (I used to watch a lot of his "My Cat From Hell" shows as well).  It was a good reminder to read it again and now I'm being more conscious of washing my hands after playing with her!

No problem I have atopic dermatitis and my skin is very prone to rashes and itching from the slightest irritation so I implement some strategies that people with allergies use, like vacuuming, air purifiers, washing hands and changing clothes frequently, seems to help quite a bit

I like My Cat From Hell show, made me understand cats so much better