other hand, have an abundance of awn hairs and need to be brushed daily.
5. Brush your cat
Every day, my husband, Mark, and I brush our cats, who have long cottony awn-hair coats. In fact, they insist we brush them multiple times each day. We use a bristle brush, which they love. Choosing a brush your cat likes is key. Our cats let us know when it’s time to brush them, because they go to that same spot at the same time each day, give us that look, and meow until we brush them.
My husband and I have noticed that they don’t shed as much as they did before we brushed them every day. We also find fewer hairs around the house.
Cats groom themselves for about 10 hours each day, Miller said. So brushing your cat will reduce the amount of fur your cat ingests while grooming, which can minimize hairballs.
“Long-haired cats with an abundance of awn hair, like Persians, and other breeds generally need to be combed every day with a good stainless-steel, long-tooth comb that will go to the skin,” Miller said.
The very fine, soft belly hair can be groomed with a slicker brush. If long-haired cats are not groomed regularly, they will develop mats, especially in the front armpits and in the belly area, and they will shed hair that sticks to furniture and clothes, Miller said.
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A cat gets brushed by Shutterstock
“I like flea combs, slicker brushes, and Furminator-type brushes,” Brunt said.
Flea combs show whether your cat has fleas and remove flea dirt. Slicker brushes are great for untangling mats. And Furminator-type brushes remove dead undercoat hairs.
Never attempt to cut out your cat’s mats if you can’t comb them out, Brunt warned.
“Please see a vet or groomer to comb or clip them out, because their skin is so elastic,” she said.
6. Make a good vacuum cleaner your BFF
A good vacuum cleaner is essential. Many manufacturers design their vacuums with pet hair and allergens in mind. You’ll want one with a HEPA filter to reduce allergens and one that excels at picking up pet hair.
Vacuum the main living area weekly, and use the attachments to go over furniture, window treatments, and car seats as needed. My husband even vacuums the cat trees on occasion.
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7. Discover helpful cleaning aids
Go over wood, laminate, or tile flooring with an electrostatic or microfiber dry mop. Reach into corners where cat hair collects. Also use an electrostatic or microfiber cloth on any non-upholstered furniture.
Use Sticky Sheets on your upholstered furniture in between vacuum cleanings. Keep them on hand to go over cloth surfaces just before entertaining.
You can also use cleaning gloves designed to pick up pet hair on furniture and in any hard-to-reach areas where your vacuum or a Sticky Sheet cannot go
8. Save cat hair for the birds
I’m not kidding. I was surprised to see several of our Facebook fans suggest this.
“I saved the cat hair after I combed my cats,” wrote Pam Kirby on our Facebook page. “I put it in a net-type onion bag. I tied the bag on a branch of a tree in my back yard. Birds came to the bag and removed cat hair for their spring nests. I have found old bird nests that were lined in the warm fur. Several of my neighbors have found nests in their trees with the same fur lining.”
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Baby birds in a nest by Shutterstock
Several other Facebook fans reported collecting their cats’ hair for the same purpose; some identified it as a great idea. Who knew?
9. Love your lint roller
Use a lint roller on your clothing before going out and before washing your clothes. Get rid of as much cat hair as possible before sticking clothes in the wash, or you will end up with thousands of cat-hair beads stuck to clothing and in the washing machine.
If your clothes are covered in cat hair and it would take hundreds of lint roller sheets to de-fur them, you can put your clothes in the dryer for 10 minutes with a dryer sheet. The cat hair will end up in the dryer’s lint catcher.
10. Knit a sweater
Just kidding. Seriously, though, if someone says something to you about being covered in cat hair, you could just wear it with pride as one Facebook fan suggests.
“I carry it with me … all over me, even after I lint brush, I still have it … these five are killing me with fur,” wrote Pullena Pushy. “But I just say, ‘I’m the crazy cat lady. Of course I’m covered in fur. Be happy I’m not knitting you a cat-fur sweater … ‘cause I could.’”
Standing in front of the furless, well-dressed woman at the airport, I could have been embarrassed, but I chose to embrace the joys of having cats and, with a chuckle, I just said: “Well, this is their protest for my going out of town and at least I get to take part of them with me. They’re so worth any inconvenience of having cat hair on things.”
About the author: Susan Logan-McCracken and her husband are brushing their two cats, Sophie and Maddie, more regularly now that they have found a brush that their kitties love. Their Southern California home has less cat hair floating around in it now.
Posted in Catster Tips , Catster Home, Good Advice, Grooming,
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Contributions Susan Logan McCracken | Sep 17th 2015