Many of you know that June is National Adopt a Cat month. All month I have been showing you some of my favorite pet products for cats, such as Purr Packs, and several others that I feel are a must for anyone who shares their home with these adorable, furry felines. Today, I want to share another awesome product, one that deals with an issue all cat lovers dread, shedding.
If you have a cat, then you have fur, and I am not talking about the fur that is on the cat, I am talking about the fur that seems to be everywhere else except on the cat where it belongs. And while all that excess fur makes your house look less than clean, what it does to your cat’s health is worse. In fact, did you know that up to 2/3 of the hair a cat sheds is ingested during self grooming? This results in messy hairballs and unsightly piles of puke; plus it is stressful to the cat and the cause of potentially serious problems. So if you don’t do anything to help groom your cat, you may want to consider doing so now.
You can begin by thoroughly brushing your cat daily. This helps to remove a large majority of fur that your cat would otherwise lick off and rub off and that would naturally fall off. However, in many cases, brushing is not enough. I know that when I brush Sookie, then run my hand down her back, I still wind up with some fur in my hand. Enter Shed Control Cloths by FURminator Professional Pet Products.
Shed Control Cloths are wipes made specifically for removing loose surface hair while also helping to clean your cat’s coat. Each cloth measures around 8″ long by 6″ wide. On one side is a rough texture made with Furminator’s proprietary 3 dimensional loop technology which is supposed to grab and hold the loose hair on the cat’s coat. The other side is smooth and lightly cleans the coat. The cloths are slightly damp, but they do not have any particular scent as far as I can tell.
I have actually tried another brand of shed control cloths and they wound up being very thin, (they reminded me of a Swiffer wipe!), mostly dry and not very effective. Because of that experience, I wasn’t holding my hopes up too high that the Furminator wipes would be any different. However, as soon as I removed a wipe from the resealable package, I noticed a difference. Instead of being thin, these wipes were actually pretty thick. According to the package, they are 3 time thicker than traditional wipes – I believe it! Another difference was that I could feel the individual textures on each side. The wipe was also slightly damp, with no particular smell that I could detect. Of course the real test was to try it out on my cat and a piece of furniture where she regularly sits.
I started by testing the wipes on Sookie’s special spot on the back of the couch. I had already read the package and saw that the wipes were safe for furniture and clothes, so I went to the couch and proceeded to wipe it down. The result? I honestly could not believe how much fur came off the couch (yuck)! It actually took several wipes to get all of it, but the wipe really did get every last piece (and even some of my hair, too!) So far, so good!
Now for the real test – my cat! Although the package says these wipes are reusable up to 3 times, since so much fur came off the couch, I decided to go ahead and use a new one. I first gave Sookie a thorough brushing. Once finished with that, it was time for the wipes. I honestly did not think she was going to let me wipe her down with a damp cloth, but to my surprise, after a lot of sniffing, she didn’t run away, although I did have to hold her in place while I quickly wiped her down. I started with the rough side first to remove any loose fur, then flipped the cloth over and used the smooth side. Once done, I was surprised to see how much fur came off! It’s kind of hard to see in the picture below since she has a lot of white fur, but there was a pretty good amount. As a final test, I ran my hand from her head to her tail to see if any extra hair came off in my hand (usually when I do this after brushing, I still get some fur in my hand). This time, no fur! After a couple of minutes, I couldn’t even feel the dampness on her fur anymore. In fact, her fur actually felt more silky than usual!
My Verdict
Overall, I am very impressed with the FURminator Shed Control Cloths! They are a great way to make sure you are removing as much fur as possible when grooming you cat, and are also perfect for cleaning fur off furniture and clothes! I would definitely recommend them to anyone who shares their home with a furry feline!
You can find Furminator Shed Control Cloths nationally at several pet supply stores, as well as at several sites online. To find a specific location near you, visit the FURminator website and do a search by zip code. While you are there, be sure to check out the other products Furminator makes for cats and dogs!