How to Reduce Cat Hair in the House

Pet hair. It's the bane of every cat owners existence! One of the downfalls of cat ownership is the cat hair you will find absolutely everywhere. It gets  on everything, frequently sticks and can be quite annoying...and embarrassing if you show up somewhere covered in it! So what do you do about all that cat hair? Well, start at the source then work from there! 

Cats lose a certain amount of fur everyday. Sometimes cats will shed more than other times. This is completely normal for a cat though it will vary based on things like the cat's age, health and the season of the year. 

How to reduce cat hair in your house

Having cat hair all through your house can be quite the nuisance and it can be worrying if your cat seems to be loosing too much fur! Plus having to clean it up off furniture and clothing all the time can be a pain, so you'll want to figure out ways to reduce the shedding. To do this you will need to be quite diligent. 

Follow these steps to control cat shedding.

How to Control Cat Shedding

1. Start with what your cat is eating. A healthy diet means a healthy cat which and a healthy cat has a healthy coat. A high quality, well balanced diet is as good for a cat as it is a human! Check with your veterinarian to see what he or she recommends your cat eats based on age. 

Check the ingredients list of your cats food. The first 3 ingredients are the highest concentration so make sure their food is more meat than grain and not a bunch of fillers!

If you're concerned that your cat might be shedding more than usual, then the vet can recommend a special food to make sure he maintains a healthy skin and coat. Fish oils and Omega 3s are popular additives to produce healthy fur.

2. Brush your cat regularly. A good brushing of any cat (no matter the fur type, but especially long haired cats) does a coat good. It catches the hair that's falling off and keeps it contained to the brush so there's less on your clothes and in your home. It will remove the dead undercoat, lift dander, and give your cat a beautiful shiny coat. 

A cat should be groomed a minimum of once a week, though you can groom them up to once a day if they are currently shedding. Related reading: How to Groom a Cat. 

3. Give regular baths. While cats are absolutely amazing about keeping themselves clean, there's just some things they can't get to. This is why regularly bathing your cat will do so much good for her, including helping to remove more of the loose undercoat. 

Not only does a good brush & bath remove loose hair, it also will take away oils and odors that can make your cat look and smell dirty. So all around it's a good thing, even if your cat disagrees! 

If your cat absolutely wont tolerate a bath, you can wipe her down with a wet cloth or specially made cat fur wipes. It will still be helpful in removing some of the grime, plus a conditioning wipe might help make fur easier to brush! 

Related reading: How to Bathe a Cat Without Getting Ripped to Shreds!

Reduce cat hair in your house

4. Protect your furniture. If you notice that your cat is really shedding a lot, then put a blanket or throw down on the furniture. This way you can just toss it in the wash and remove the hair. This is great for those times when they are going through seasonal shedding.

We put towels across our pillows when we get out of bed in the morning, that way if the cat lays on them (or the dog) we can just remove the towel and not get a face full of fur at bedtime!

5. Give cats their own space. If you don't want your cat shedding hair all over your couch, then he needs his own comparable place to nap. Get him his own bed, play yard or a little cat couch. Make sure you choose washable items, like beds with removable covers and don't use scented fabric softener when washing!

6. Finally, you're just going to have to clean more!. You have to keep on top of it with regular vacuuming and cleaning. I bought one of those robot vacuums (they come in all price ranges now) and I turn it on from my phone when I'm not home. As annoying as it may be to clean a lot, if you do it daily then you'll have fewer puffs of fur on your clothing, floors and furniture.

Shedding is one of the unfortunate but normal parts of cat ownership. Excessive shedding could be the sign of a problem, though. If you see your cat licking or biting, notice abnormal skin texture or losing hair in large clumps then you'll want to call your veterinarian. 

Also be sure to inspect your cat's skin for missing patches of hair, red spots, bumps, cuts, fleas, or ticks. They could be the problem or could point to an issue that needs addressed.

Catching that kind of problem early might even help prevent the excessive shedding from even starting. Regular grooming is the best thing you can do to reduce the shedding, though and vacuuming it up can keep it from driving you crazy!

Popular post: What people foods can cats eat?.

~Lisa

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