How to know if cat has undercoat?

[shlampoetry99]

I recently became a first-time cat parent to a very energetic 1.5 year old girl, and I'm trying to figure out if she has an undercoat. She doesn't shed very much when I brush her but she coughed up a hairball recently, so I would like to try the Furminator to try and remove more of the dead hair. Their website says not to use it on cats without an undercoat ... how can I tell if she has an undercoat? Her coat is silky soft and I can't tell if there are smaller hairs underneath (photo attached).

Thanks in advance! Cici says thank you too

 

[catsknowme]

Welcome to TCS! Your kitty is a real beauty! A chocolate point! She has an undercoat. The easiest way is to wiggle your fingers into the fur until it reaches the skin. In some sleek cats, you can simply spread the cat with your fingertips to see the skin.

 

[lutece]

I agree, she's lovely! I would describe her color as seal point and white. (Chocolate point would be lighter in color.)

Some cats have a thicker undercoat than others, but nearly all cats do have undercoat, unless they have an unusual coat mutation such as hairlessness or the Lykoi gene. Your cat appears to have a normal coat, so we can infer that she has undercoat. She might not have a lot of undercoat, though.

Cats with normal coats actually have three types of hair: "guard hairs" (long, straight and shiny), "awn hairs" (slightly shorter and more crinkled in texture), and "down hairs" (shorter, thinner and more crinkled). Here's a picture from Wikipedia showing the different types of hair. The down hairs (also known as "wool hairs") are on the left, awn hairs in the middle, and one guard hair is shown on the right. "Undercoat" usually refers to the down hairs.

 

[catsknowme]

Wonderful explanation, lutece !!! And thank you for clarifying about the point colors

 

[susanm9006]

What a beauty! Just a regular cat brush or comb or even your damp hands would work fine to remove some shedding fur.

 

[Caspers Human]

Cats with normal coats actually have three types of hair: "guard hairs" (long, straight and shiny), "awn hairs" (slightly shorter and more crinkled in texture), and "down hairs" (shorter, thinner and more crinkled). Here's a picture from Wikipedia showing the different types of hair. The down hairs (also known as "wool hairs") are on the left, awn hairs in the middle, and one guard hair is shown on the right. "Undercoat" usually refers to the down hairs.

+1

Virtually all mammals have at least two layers of fur. Humans included.

When the manufacturer of the Furminator says not to use on cats without an undercoat, I think they mean to say cats that don't have a thick enough undercoat. It is my guess that some types of shedding combs can scratch or irritate the cat if they go all the way down to the skin.

I think the company is just advising you of that and saying, "Don't use this product if you think it will scratch your cat too much."

Consider... You wouldn't want your cat to run away every time you try to brush out her fur. Right?

Back when I was a kid, people used to brush horses with something called a "curry comb." Basically, it looked like a long piece of a saw blade wound up in a spiral, attached to a wooden handle. Yes, you can certainly imagine brushing out a horse's coat with something like that but definitely not a Chihuahua!

One of our neighbors had a Saint Bernard and they used a curry comb on him but our dogs were all short haired English Pointers or medium haired Brittanys. I would never use something like a curry comb on one of our dogs.

I think that the Furminator company is saying just that same thing.

 

[Docs Mom]

It's also VERY easy to take off too much with the furminator.... found out with my Australian Shepherd.
I think it is way too harsh for cats, at least that's what my cats said....