When you hold out your cat’s brush, does she rub all over it by herself? She could probably do that all day, but you have things to do. It’s good for you to spend time grooming your cat, but to supplement that activity, there are several self-grooming products that let kitty primp and preen while you’re away. Here are a few:

1. Omega Paw Arch Groomer
2. Pet Buddies PamPurr Self-Grooming Cat Salon
3. Catit Design Senses Massage Center
4. Fantasy Pet CMYW Cat Magnet

There’s one more brand new self-grooming product that’s not yet available for sale online, but I did see it in both Target and Walmart recently. It’s the new BrushUp from SmartyKat. It’s a self-grooming post with flexible silicone bristles to give kitty a good massage. The directional microfiber fabric on the base — similar to an old fashioned lint brush — apparently captures any loose hair.

Last year, to celebrate National Hairball Awareness Day, we enlisted the help of modern jewelry designer Heidi Abrahamson to create an exclusive line of fine jewelry featuring cat hairballs. This year, we thought, why should the women have all the fun? So Heidi set to work designing this lovely set of fashionable cat hairball accessories just for men!

The sterling silver cufflinks nestle a pair of identical orange tabby hairballs in delicate handcrafted silver bowls. The perfect accent for a dapper cat guy! To compliment the cufflinks, we also have a stunning silver tie clip with three hairball “pearls”.

Our hairball jewelry was made possible with the help of the one-and-only FURminator, the only grooming tool used by professional hairball jewelry designers! A big thank you to Heidi Abrahamson for her beautiful jewelry designs, to our handsome cat guy model, Peter J. Wolf from Vox Felina, and to the contributing cat, Finnegan.

Today is the day to bring attention to one issue constantly plaguing cats and their owners: hairballs. Well, we decided to do it with Moderncat style. Instead of shunning these furry frustrations, we have turned them into a hot new accessory, because if you’re going to wear cat fur, why not be fashionable about it.

Hairballs are not usually pretty. The best way to avoid a nasty mess is to brush your cat regularly. My preferred grooming tool is The Furminator. Use it to groom your cat and you’ll have the raw material needed to create your own jewelry line that allows you to take a little bit of Kitty with you everywhere you go.

I enlisted the help of my friend and modern jewelry designer extraordinaire, Heidi Abrahamson, to create these one-of-a-kind pieces. I started with a good grooming session with several of the cats, then I hand-rolled each ball of cat fur into a tight bead. By rolling the loose fur between your palms, the strands become felted together, forming a solid little bead. Heidi then transformed the beads using her silversmithing skills and her amazing eye for modern design, and voilà!

I admit, I had way too much fun working on this project! A huge thank you to Heidi and to the stunning Justine Nations for modeling our hairball creations. We even had a little help from Heidi’s cat Puccini, who you may recognize from some of my other photo shoots. Thank you to Caroline from Romeo the Cat for organizing National Hairball Awareness Day. I don’t know if we’ll be able to top this next year!

Yes, Heidi said she would be happy to create custom hairball jewelry for you, too! Feel free to contact her for pricing and details.

Photos by Kate Benjamin.

Do you have a scaredy cat at home? One who’s afraid of the vacuum and the mailman? I do, and the thought of getting him groomed is very unpleasant. The clippers used by groomers vibrate, making a noise that is frightening to nervous pets. And using regular scissors is not an option. Did you know that it is very dangerous to use regular scissors on a cat’s fur because their skin is so delicate that when you lift the fur it’s almost impossible not to clip the skin, which could be disastrous.

Well, Scaredy Cut is a new invention that provides a simple solution. This grooming set uses scissors with a clip-on blade to protect delicate skin when trimming kitty’s fur. They sent me a set to try, and I tested it on Mackenzie, my big chicken-butt, and I was thrilled at how well it works! Sometimes Mackenzie needs a little assistance grooming his wooly britches and I was able to use the Scaredy Cut to help him out — without freaking him out. The Scaredy Cut is Mackenzie approved!

The set comes with one pair of scissors with a special comb holder and six plastic clip-on combs ranging from 1/2 inch to 1 inch. These are the same combs used with electric clippers and are designed to glide smoothly through fur while resting on the skin and keeping the blade at a safe distance. It’s easy to see the pink comb in any color fur.

In addition to eliminating the vibration and sound of electric clippers, the Scaredy Cut prevents uncomfortable hair pulling. Even with regular clippers the fur is pulled from one side. With Scaredy Cut, the scissor blades come together from both sides, eliminating pulling.

The Scaredy Cut set comes packaged in a little box with instructions, perfect for holiday gift giving. The set is available from Amazon for $25 with free shipping. Get more information and watch the demo video at www.ScaredyCut.com.

ENTER TO WIN! FIVE WINNERS!

Five lucky winners are going to get to test the Scaredy Cut themselves. Each winner will receive a Scaredy Cut grooming set PLUS the special Tiny Trimball-tipped scissors for finishing touches. To enter, please leave a comment on this post. The winners will be chosen in a random drawing on December 1, 2010. One entry per person. This giveaway is open to readers everywhere!

You may already know about my favorite grooming tool, the FURminator. Well, they recently released a new and improved deLuxe version of this must-have accessory and this is your chance to win one! The new deLuxe FURminator has the same patented steel edge as the original FURminator — which does an amazing job of removing the loose dead undercoat — plus it now has a terrific ergonomic handle and a fur ejector button. The FURminator is the original and best deShedding tool on the market — accept no substitutes!

The new FURminator deLuxe  is available at Amazon.

ENTER TO WIN!

The folks at FURminator are offering a deLuxe cat deShedding tool to one lucky Moderncat reader. To enter, please leave a comment on this post. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing on February 21 and notified via email. One entry per person. This giveaway is open to addresses in the US only.

Congratulations to Kate from Council Bluffs, Iowa, winner of the new double-edged FURminator. Kate’s two Persian cats will surely benefit from this excellent grooming tool!

With six cats, there’s a lot of loose fur in my house. But the one tool that makes it manageable is my #1 must-have recommendation, the FURminator. I have always loved this grooming tool for the way it easily takes off the loose undercoat, reducing shedding and hairballs. And now the folks at the FURminator have gone and created a new version of this awesome tool, the double-edged FURminator. See for yourself in this video review how awesome the new FURminator is. I was extremely impressed with the efficiency of the double edge, and Mackenzie likes it too.

Make sure to check out the FURminator website for more information about all their fabulous grooming tools and products.

BONUS GIVEAWAY

And here’s your chance to try the new FURminator deShedding Tool with Double Edge for yourself! Leave a comment on this post telling us what you currently use for cat grooming and you’ll be entered to win. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing on April 28. This giveaway is open to international readers who are willing to pay the extra postage.

If you have cats with long hair, this product is an absolute must-have. I have two long-haired cats, including one Maine Coon, and this has been a lifesaver. The FURminator is a grooming tool that removes the loose, dead undercoat, leaving the topcoat beautiful and shiny. At first it may seem like just another grooming gadget, but it is not. I have found that it dramatically reduces shedding and hairballs. Not only has my Maine Coon stopped throwing up hairballs on my brand new, white, imported Italian carpet, but my senior cat, who had a very bad skin condition, has seen great improvements in the health of her skin and coat. The FURminator is a fabulous tool, worth every penny.

Buy the Furminator now at Amazon