Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
Why does cat hair stick to EVERYTHING? What have you found to be the best way to get cat hair off of clothes before laundry? Besides hiding the clothes or covering them up, that is.
~ Mary
Siouxsie: While we think cat fur makes the perfect accessory for any outfit, we understand that not all humans think this is the case.
Thomas: And Mama often wonders how black cats manage to leave non-black hair all over her black clothes.
Bella: But that’s another post for another time. Today, we’re going to answer your question, Mary!
Siouxsie: The first and most important thing you can do is to brush your cats regularly. Most cats respond quite well to this because a gentle brushing is just like being cleaned by a mama cat.
Thomas: There are lots of brushes and tools available to get excess fur off your cat, but our favorite is the Furminator.
Bella: We actually like it when Mama uses it on us! It’s great not to have all that itchy undercoat, especially when the weather gets warmer and we start losing our winter fur.
Siouxsie: In this video, Mama demonstrates the Furminator on me — because I’m just that much of a star!
Thomas: You could have cooperated a little more, you know.
Siouxsie: Oh yeah? Well then, you do the next video demonstration!
Bella: Can I do a video demonstration, Mama?
Mama: Next time we make a video, Bella, I’ll ask you to help, okay?
Bella: *purrrrrrrrrrr*
Siouxsie: So, Mary, the first step to getting cat fur off your clothing is getting the excess fur off your cat.
Thomas: In order to pick up any other cat fur, Mama relies on her old standby, the lint roller.
Bella: There are lots of other products like pet fur removing stones, gloves, and all sorts of other custom-built geegaws and whim-whams …
Siouxsie: … but the best solutions are often the cheapest. And the reason they work the best is because they interfere with the static electricity that makes the fur cling to furniture and clothing.
Thomas: A very slightly dampened sponge, rubbed across the fur-covered clothing, will do wonders to remove stuck-on fur.
Bella: Instead of buying an expensive “fur removing glove,” why not just buy a cheap pair of rubber gloves — the kind you use when washing dishes or cleaning the tub — and use it to get rid of the fur? Gardening gloves with rubber palms also work.
Siouxsie: Another solution is to rub a dryer sheet on the furry clothing. But for someone like Mama, who gags at the smell of dryer sheets, that’s totally not going to work.
Thomas: If you get to the office and you realize, much to your dismay, that there’s a stray patch of cat fur on your pants or blouse, clear packing tape or masking tape, rolled up with the sticky side out, can peel the fur off before that super-important meeting.
Bella: How about you, fair readers? Do you have any other fur removal tips? We’d especially like to know about inexpensive and non-stinky alternatives for people who have chemical sensitivities. Purrs in advance!
JaneA Kelley is a punk rock cat mom and award-winning blogger. She is a regular columnist for Catster Magazine, and she and the Paws and Effect Gang share a home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
As to the topic of how you can see a black cat’s hair on black clothes — I have two black cats myself, and the mystery is solved when I part their fur and see that under the dark top layer of guard hairs, the undercoat is grayish. (Particularly visible this week since one of my guys had to have a patch shaved — he is a black cat with a gray spot now. )
How often is “regularly”?
I find a barely damp microfiber cloth, removes cat hair from most clothing and furniture. In a pinch, dampen your hands and a wipe them across the offending item and most of the hair will transfer and can then be washed off your hands. Don’t use the paper towel like you find I most company bathrooms though. They tend to leave more mess than they remove.
I want one of those! Which online store has it?
We just tried a glove-type product called Swipets and it’s working well for us.