12 Best Cat Brushes for Shedding in 2026 - Reviews & Top Picks

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 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 2026

Rating	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Hartz Groomer's Best Slicker Brush for Cats	Effectively reduces shedding Gentle, protective bristle tips Ergonomic handle for comfort	Check Price
Best Value		Kong Cat ZoomGroom Brush	Works on all hair coats Massages while brushing Reasonable price	Check Price
Premium Choice		Pet Republique Dematting Rake	Effective on mats and thick undercoat Dual-purpose design Good for long-haired breeds	Check Price
		Safari Bristle Cat Brush	Reasonably priced Soft on kitten’s skin Controls shedding in kittens	Check Price
		Furminator Cat Deshedding Tool	Effective shedding control Designed to reach the undercoat Ergonomic handle	Check Price

The 12 Best Cat Brushes for Shedding

1. Hartz Groomer's Best Slicker Brush for Cats - Best Overall

The Hartz Groomer's Best Slicker Brush for Cats is our best overall grooming brush designed to keep your pet's coat healthy, smooth, and free of loose hair. Its fine bristles grab and remove loose hair from your cat’s undercoat, helping to reduce shedding and prevent excess fur buildup. This brush is also ideal for detangling and removing mats, promoting a healthy and manageable coat for your cat.

The ergonomic handle provides a secure and comfortable grip, so you can groom your pet without hand fatigue. This brush is also suitable for dogs, making it ideal for multi-pet households. If your cat has a thick or dense coat, it might take a longer time to fully brush them. Nevertheless, having the Hartz Groomer Best Slicker Brush for Cats in your home will help manage your cat’s shedding and will keep your home free of excess pet hair.

2. Kong Cat ZoomGroom Multi-Use Brush - Best Value

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.

3. Pet Republique Dematting Rake (Shedding Brush Variant) - Premium Choice

The Pet Republique Dematting Rake is our premium choice pick for the best cat brush for shedding. It is designed as a shedding and grooming tool that targets both loose fur and stubborn mats in a cat’s coat. Its stainless steel rake teeth are built to glide through dense fur layers, helping remove trapped undercoat hair that regular brushes may miss. This makes it particularly helpful during seasonal shedding periods when cats tend to lose more fur.

This tool is suitable for medium to long-haired cats and can also be used on short-haired breeds that experience occasional tangles. Its lightweight handle design improves grip and control, making grooming sessions more comfortable for both pet and owner. With consistent use, it can help reduce shedding around the home and improve overall coat smoothness and cleanliness.

4. Safari Bristle Cat Brush

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.

5. Furminator Long Hair Cat Deshedding Tool

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.

6. Safari Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush

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.

7. Paws & Pals Dog and Cat Deshedding Tool

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.

8. Hertzko Self-Cleaning Dog & Cat Slicker Brush

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.

9. JW Pet GripSoft Cat Slicker Brush

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.

10. Li’l Pals Coated Tips Cat Slicker Brush

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.

11. Frisco Cat Curry Brush

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!

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.

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.

Our Cat Brushes for Shedding Selection Process

Catster’s dedicated team of writers and editors collaborate with expert veterinarians, considering a wide range of factors when selecting the best for cats. These parameters include customer reviews, brand reputation, veterinary experience, and in some cases, hands-on testing. Of course, our cats have a say in the process, too! We strive to select and review the highest-quality products available, to help you choose the best possible product and make the most informed decision for your and your cat’s needs.

Why Trust Catster?

Catster has been a trusted online brand since 2001, so we know a thing or two about cat brushes. We’re a team of cat-loving writers, editors, and veterinarians dedicated to helping you make the most informed decision for your feline. We deeply believe in providing the best information for cat owners to help their cats live their best life possible. We look at reviews from the most trusted sources available, and this, combined with our veterinary team’s experience and expertise, helps us gather the best options on the market. Our team is invested in the welfare and health of cats around the world, and believe that expert knowledge is one of the best ways to achieve this.

Conclusion

As the best overall cat brush for shedding, the Hartz Groomer's Best Slicker Brush for Cats offers highly effective shedding control, thanks to its fine bristles. 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.