I was going to say that I and my cats loved it... until I read about why you asked and how it thins out the fur. Yes... I believe it does that.... I think the whole point is to thin out the undercoat or at least remove the loose stuff before it falls out. Maybe like anything it should be used only in moderation? Whether it cuts or pulls out the hair - Im not sure. My cats complain if I use it to much (it probably irritates their skin) so Ive backed off using it as much as I was at first. Mostly use it in spring shedding season and its very gratifying to get out the huge handfuls of fur before it falls out over the furniture and your clothes.

Does no one here use a Furminator but one person? Anyone?

I've used it in the past (it's now sitting in a drawer) but stopped since it seemed to pull more hair than just the loose undercoat of my long-haired dog. Plus, if one isn't careful you can overuse it and scratch/irritate the skin of the dog. I tried to make sure I didn't press too much against his skin but after a while my dog would start acting like it was hurting. Since my dog is a seasonal shedder I just brush him more during that time..........but I also have him groomed on a regular basis.

I am interested in this as well. I have a longhaired cat that spews a hair ball at least once a week. Staining my carpet horribly.

I used a rubber type brush on him now and get a ton of hair, but I think it loosens (but not removes) a lot too.

I hate to spend that kind of money, though, and he won't let me use it on him...

Does it hurt?

It doesn't seem to hurt the dogs. My dog loves to be combed or brushed so I used it on her when she had a bunch of loose winter undercoat. I only used it a couple times and her hair looks nice now. I think from what I have read, you do have to be careful and not use it but maybe once a week. You will be freaking out though at the amount of fur that comes off. I think if you have a heavy shedder and they are OK with brushing and grooming, you will be happy with it. Just don't over use it...that's what I think anyway.

The same type of thing is made by other manufacturers but cheaper. My cat didnt like it at first, kept trying to bite and swat it - but now he loves it and seems to feel good to him... but you do need to know when theyve had enough and dont over do it.

I've tried to find alternatives to the furminator. I haven't had any luck...could you tell me what they are called?

arkansas girl, a good quality slicker brush is a good alternative. I used to own a lab who shed her undercoat twice a year, and a slicker brush was what I used to pull the loose undercoat out (I used to fill bags and bags with loose hair) while she was moulting. I have also used a slicker brush on my long hair dogs over the years to prevent and remove any knots and mats in their hair. I highly recommend the Lawrence Tender Care ones, some of the cheap ones have dastardly hard bristles which could be really harsh on the skin, but the tender care ones are nice and soft, they are a good quality brush (the ones I have are made in England - been a long time since I had to buy one but hopefully it's still the same) and I've been using these for years on my dogs and highly recommend them. They are well made and last for years too.

I own the slicker brush and lots of other brushes and combs. The Furminator is just different.

LOVE IT. My dog loves it. It really does a great job.

Interesting, since I just bought one on Ebay and used it on my shedding dogs this weekend. I was thrilled with the amount of hair that came off with it. They are still shedding, so I will watch and see how they like it once the heavy shedding stops.