Best brush for shorthaired cats?

September 12, 2024 7:37 AM

What's a good brush for our short-haired cat?

Our 14-year old shorthaired cat has been a little lax in fur upkeep, so we'd like to help him out. We haven't had to brush him much thus far, so we don't have any tools. I know not to use Furminator-type brushes on cats, as they can pull healthy fur out. Maybe one of those rubber or silicone brushes with the little nubs?

Any advice is welcomed. Thanks!

(NB: he's a healthy cat otherwise, gets regular checkups/bloodwork.)

posted by cozenedindigo to Pets & Animals (16 answers total)

My short haired cat likes a regular slicker brush like this. But you have to get the pressure right and stay away from the bony bits. It picks up a good amount of loose hair without pulling.
posted by bluesky78987 at 7:48 AM on September 12 [1 favorite]

All my cats like a slicker brush from time to time, or a flea comb. I have one cat I use a furminator on because she likes it. The GOAT is a natural boar bristle hair brush I bought for myself but had to stop using because it made me break out. It was about $40 from a local health food store. Everycat loves this brush, even my youngest asshole who usually fights the brush like his mortal enemy. It's made my elderly cat have a beautiful coat that's not greasy or itchy. It does have to be cleaned a lot tho.
posted by fiercekitten at 8:24 AM on September 12 [3 favorites]

A slicker brush is a good place to start; I have this one from Hartz, mostly because it's cheap and easily available, but I like the oblong head shape and the coating on the tines. I also use a normal plastic comb sometimes, the kind with two different tine spacings, my cat particularly likes to have her cheeks combed.

I'm sure you know, but introduce this new activity to him slowly and give him plenty of opportunity to opt in (or out) of brushing. Grooming is a great bonding activity to do with a cat, but it can also be overstimulating for them, so keep an eye out for his "enough is enough" signal!
posted by radiogreentea at 8:30 AM on September 12 [2 favorites]

I use a slicker brush on my 11 year old boy who appreciates a little assistance on his lower back, and he loves it so much that if I just pick up the brush and show it to him he immediately starts purring and comes right over for it.
posted by Rhedyn at 8:50 AM on September 12

I like this one for when the cats are shedding a lot, because it has a simple mechanism to eject all the hair that it pulls off, in a square of fur that I can drop in the trash easily.

One of my cats loves it, the other one tolerates it, but I don't think that has anything to do with which brush it is, because it's the same way for all "groomed by a human" interactions.
posted by aubilenon at 8:58 AM on September 12 [1 favorite]

We use one of those wire-bristle brushes on our short-haired tabby, which he likes but gets very overstimulated by it (wants to play-fight, wrestle with the brush, etc.) ; we have a brush we use on our dog, which is rubber with short nubs on it -- google tells me this is a 'curry brush'? -- which is just as effective in brushing hairs off him but he gets less worked up over it.
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:59 AM on September 12

we had a curry brush like thing that was silicone, called a Zoom Groom, that went over well.

they also liked the wire style slicker brushes though.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 9:23 AM on September 12 [1 favorite]

My short-haired cat is *obsessed* with this brush. As in, she runs across the room to me if I pick it up. It's easy to use and gets off a lot of fur. Josephine gives it 4 paws up.

CeleMoon Cat Brush with Soft Rubber Pins, Washable Silicone Pet Brushes for Indoor Cats Grooming Shedding Massage Bath, No Scratching Removes Hair Mats Tangles and Loose Fur for Short to Long Haired https://a.co/d/83aTxh1
posted by gingerbeer at 10:03 AM on September 12 [2 favorites]

I watch a pet groomer YouTube channel called The Girl with 2 Dogs 2 and she often grooms various cats. She has some pretty good recommendations and you can see her use the brushes in the video. Here ia video of her grooming a very big shorthair cat. She lusts her brush recommendations on the bottom. Maybe something to consider?

Incidentally, the videos are very soothing to watch.
posted by ichimunki at 10:20 AM on September 12

We have a glove that has plastic nubs on one side, and we've found that most cats love that thing. It's gentle and it still removes a lot of loose hairs.
posted by Too-Ticky at 11:12 AM on September 12

It kind of depends what sort of fur your cat has. I have three cats, all short-haired, but they each have a different texture and quality to their fur. A "greyhound" comb (not sure why it's named that; I have greyhounds and this kind of comb is useless on them) is best for the one with the thickest fur (who also gets the worst hairballs). It gets through tangles and pulls out a good amount of fur.

The one with less thick but fluffier fur does best with the slicker brush. Try to get one that has the comfort tips on the ends of the pins; some of the cheaper ones are really sharp at the ends and could scratch your cat's skin.

I have yet to find a brush or comb that does much of anything for the one that has super sleek fur. Her fur just sort of falls out so it doesn't build up and there's not much to brush.
posted by misskaz at 12:16 PM on September 12

Our (short-haired) cats all greatly prefer the rubber-nubby Zoom Groom brush over any other brushes we've tried. Not sure why; maybe it's more massage-y than the slicker brushes? Anyway: looks weird, works well at removing loose hair when they're shedding; they usually get a brush daily and all enjoy it.

(I'm always a little worried about scratching their skin with a slicker brush, particularly on their bony parts; no such worries with a nubbly brush.)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:28 PM on September 12 [1 favorite]

The Zoom-Groom is fantastic, and the cats love it
posted by Ferrari328 at 2:36 PM on September 12

Our cats love a boar bristle brush. I try to avoid buying plastic things, but this is genuinely our cats' favorite brush. Nothing poky or scratchy- I think it feels more like they are being groomed by another cat.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:37 PM on September 12

I just remembered, in addition to the cats, the Zoom Groom also did a really good job picking up fur from carpets. It was especially useful on our carpeted stairs.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 8:54 AM on September 13

My shorthair likes the grooming glove with the nubby thibngs.
posted by kathrynm at 11:00 AM on September 14