Ah, cat hair. The unavoidable side effect of enjoying the company of a feline companion—unless you own a hairless cat, that is. Whether your cat is short-haired or long-haired, they will shed, and you’ll have to do your best to deal with it. Aside from investing in some sturdy lint rollers, the most effective tool you have to help control the amount of cat hair in your house is a cat brush. Because there are so many cat grooming tools out there, we’ve rounded up reviews of the best 12 cat brushes for shedding to help you find just the right one. Blow the cat hair off your computer keyboard and scroll through our top picks before you make your final choice!
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024
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Product
Details
Best Overall
Hepper Cat Brush
One click hair removal for easy cleanup
60 degree needle bend to reduce discomfort when combing
Non-slip rubber grip for maximum comfort and clipping ease
The Hepper Cat Brush is the best overall cat brush for shedding. Your cat will love being groomed by this gentle and soft brush because it mimics the natural motion of petting. The 60-degree needles make brushing comfortable for your cat, limiting any scratching or fussing while you remove all loose hair. One click of the button releases all the hair for easy disposal when you’re done.
This brush makes grooming a snap, so you can get back to the cuddles that really matter. Along with the one-click disposal feature, the brush is waterproof for easy cleaning and disinfecting after grooming. Each brush is made of ABS plastic with stainless-steel needles that resist breakage.
This brush has long bristles so you may need to do a bit of manual hair removal once you press the ejector button after a long grooming session.
At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
Pros
One-click hair release
60-degree needles for comfort
Waterproof
Stainless-steel needles
Cons
May need to manually hair cluster after grooming
2. Kong Cat ZoomGroom Multi-Use Brush – Budget Buy
Our budget brush choice is the Kong Cat ZoomGroom Multi-use Brush. The unique design of this brush makes it stand out and it works on all coat lengths. It might not work as well to reach down into the undercoat of really fluffy cats, however. The rubber material acts as a magnet, collecting loose hair as it moves along. If you use brushing as a way to bond with your cat, this product is a great choice because it acts as a relaxing massager as well as a shedding control tool.
One complaint about this brush is that it doesn’t trap hair as well as other brush styles, allowing it to fly around during grooming sessions and making a mess. However, we think it is the best cat brush for shedding for the money.
The Hertzko Self-Cleaning Deshedding Tool claims to reduce shedding by up to 95% and most users seem to agree that it does an excellent job removing the dead hair. This brush is designed to reach the cat’s undercoat, the major source of shedding in most felines. The shape of the blade makes brushing more comfortable for the cat, a plus for cats that aren’t fans of the process. This brush also comes with a handy feature: the blade pops off to eject the collected fur and allow for easy cleaning. However, some users report that the blade seems to come off too easily even while brushing, which can be frustrating.
To help prepare your kitten for a lifetime of brushing, start them out with the soft Safari Bristle Cat Brush. Bristle brushes aren’t going to be the best option to control shedding in an adult cat unless they have short hair and minimal undercoat. However, the goal with brushing kittens is more about teaching them to tolerate and even enjoy the process while they’re young. You don’t want to use a brush that might be painful or irritating to their sensitive baby skin.
This brush is reasonably priced, which is good since you might only be able to use it as a training tool before needing to upgrade to control your adult cat’s shedding. If you have an adult cat who needs help tolerating brushing, this brush might be a good starter option for them as well.
Another great for the best cat brush for shedding is the Furminator Long Hair Cat Deshedding Tool. This brush is worth every penny when it comes to keeping your cat’s hair under control. It is designed specifically to reach deep into your cat’s coat and remove the undercoat that’s hard for other types of brushes to control. Both the blade and the handle are curved to keep your cat and your hand happy as you brush. Make sure to read the directions for this brush before you use it so you don’t damage your cat’s outer coat or skin. If your cat’s hair is matted or tangled, this brush won’t be as effective.
Slicker brushes, like this Safari Self-cleaning Slicker Brush, are one of the most commonly used styles of cat brush, particularly in long-haired cats. This brush’s handy self-cleaning feature eliminates one of the biggest complaints about slicker brushes: cleaning them out. Highly effective at removing dead hair, this brush cleans with the push of a button and lets you keep right on grooming.
Some cats don’t tolerate the feeling of metal slicker brushes well, even higher quality ones with softer pins. If your cat has a really thick topcoat this brush will have a hard time reaching and removing hair from the undercoat.
This Paws & Pals Deshedding Tool is designed as a lower-priced version of more expensive deshedders like the Furminator. Designed to remove hair from undercoats, it is gentle on the skin and helps distribute the natural oils of your cat’s coat for a nice, healthy shine. This product gets mixed reviews when it comes to its effectiveness on long-haired cats. The blade is smaller than the other deshedding tools we reviewed which seems to limit how well it works.
Many users purchase this deshedder based on the fact that it is less expensive than other products and they expect to get what they pay for. In most cases, that seems to be adequate but not elite shedding control.
The Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush is particularly effective at not only controlling shedding but also removing mats and tangles from long-haired cats. This brush is also easy to clean, with pins that retract back into the brush at the push of a button, allowing collected hair to fall away. However, some users report issues with the button locking correctly, leading to them having to keep constant pressure on it while brushing to keep the pins out.
This brush might be too rough for short-haired cats, but the bristle length works well to penetrate to the undercoat on long-haired cats. When it works as intended, this brush is a great choice to remove a lot of fur with minimal effort.
The JW GripSoft Slicker Brush features a round brush head instead of the more common rectangle shape. The shape and size of this brush make it easier to use on small cats than some of the other options on this list. Because it’s a slicker brush, some cats won’t tolerate the feeling of the wire pins. This brush doesn’t come with a self-cleaning option and users report it can be hard to clean out collected hair, with a danger of being pricked by the bristles. This brush gets high marks for overall quality of construction, however, and seems to work effectively at removing dead hair and controlling shedding.
The Li’l Pals Coated Tips Cat Slicker Brush solves the problem of rougher texture by coating each of the wire bristles in a softer plastic tip. This allows you to use the more effective brush type on cats that normally prefer a gentler grooming tool. The main complaint about this brush is the extra small size. While it works well enough to remove hair, even reaching down to the undercoat on long-haired cats, brushing takes a long time to complete because of the size of the product.
Users also report needing to replace the brush when the plastic tips break off because the remaining bristles are quite sharp. Fortunately, this brush is reasonably priced and offers good value for the price.
Similar to the Kong ZoomGroom, the Frisco Cat Curry Brush is a good choice to control shedding in cats that just won’t tolerate a slicker brush or de-shedding tool. The cute fish design isn’t the easiest to hold onto during use but owners of sensitive cats seem willing to tolerate it since their cats are finally accepting brushing. Like the Kong brush, this one doesn’t trap and hold fur and can turn grooming sessions into a bit of a mess. It also doesn’t penetrate the undercoat on long-haired cats.
It does a decent job removing dead hair and does an even better job of massaging and relaxing the cat during use. One user reports she uses this brush first to chill her cat out before swooping in with a slicker brush to complete their grooming session!
Pros
Gentle
Cute design
Cons
Hard to hold
Messy
12. Four Paws Magic Coat Professional Slicker Wire Cat Brush
This Four Paws Slicker Magic Coat Professional Series Slicker Wire Cat Brush is ideal for large, long-haired breeds like Maine Coons and Ragdolls. The brush head size is larger than others on our list, allowing you to cover more of the cat’s body with each brushstroke and decrease total grooming time. It also works well to remove mats and tangles in the cat’s fur. The tips aren’t coated, so more sensitive cats may not tolerate this slicker brush.
While the brush isn’t self-cleaning, it’s fairly easy to remove the collected hair. Buyers also find the handle of this brush particularly comfortable, especially with prolonged use. Overall, this brush offers good value for a reasonable price, especially for owners of bigger cats.
Pros
Good size for large cats
Works well on tangled fur
Comfortable handle
Cons
Too big for small cats
Not good for short-haired cats
Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Cat Brushes For Shedding
Now that you have been able to take a look at your top options for a cat brush to control shedding, here are some specific details to consider before you buy.
Your Cat’s Coat Type
This is the most important point to consider as you decide what brush to buy. As you saw while reading our reviews, not every brush is suitable for every coat type. Even if a brush works for all coat types, in theory, your cat may not tolerate it.
Owners of long-haired cats will most likely need to consider a de-shedding tool or a slicker brush. Some short-haired cats might be okay with a slicker brush or may prefer a gentler option, like the Kong ZoomGroom.
If your long-haired cat has thick fur, some of the slicker brushes might not reach their undercoat, leaving a lot of untouched hair to shed.
Size (Cat & Brush)
You will want to think about the size of your cat as you decide which brush works best. Some of the brushes on our list are designed for both dogs and cats and are a little bit bigger. If your cat is small, you might have a hard time maneuvering a larger brush to effectively reach the cat’s belly, underarms, or chin area.
If your cat is a bigger model, you’re probably not going to want to use something like the Li’l Paws Brush unless you have unlimited time to devote to grooming your cat.
Conclusion
As the best overall cat brush for shedding, the Hepper Cat Brush offers highly effective shedding control, thanks to its smart one-click hair removal design and angled stainless steal pins. Our budget buy choice, the Kong ZoomGroom offers a unique, massaging design that allows you to bond with your cat while keeping hair under control. As you search for new tools in your fight against cat shedding, we hope our reviews of these 12 products allowed you to get a better idea of what you should be looking for in an effective hair control cat brush.
Elizabeth Gray is a lifelong lover of all creatures great and small. She got her first cat at 5 years old and at 14, she started working for her local veterinarian. Elizabeth spent more than 20 years working as a veterinary nurse before stepping away to become a stay-at-home mom to her daughter. Now, she is excited to share her hard-earned knowledge ( literally--she has scars ) with our readers. Elizabeth lives in Iowa with her family, including her two fur kids, Linnard, a husky mix and Algernon, the worldʻs most patient cat. When not writing, she enjoys reading, watching all sports, and spending time outdoors with her family.
