Many pet owners have seen the FURminator de-shedding tool at their local pet store, veterinarian's office, or elsewhere. The whole thing seemed like a big gimmick to me; the pictures on the package of the dog and the cat surrounded in fur supposedly removed by the FURminator reeked of "As Seen on TV"- style exaggeration. Still, there was quite shedding problem in my apartment. Two medium hair cats, one short hair, and two bunnies who like to shed copious amounts of fluff made the battle against shedding a futile one. I decided to try out the FURminator after hearing wonderful things about it from some friends and pet store employees. I figured if the thing didn't work, I could always return it, right?

Believe me, that $30 brush was perhaps one of the most useful pet care products I have ever purchased. And believe me, I've bought a lot of stuff for my pets.

I decided that the first critter to go under the brush was Daisy, my white lionhead rabbit. If you're not familiar with the lionhead breed, they have a large fluffy "mane" around their heads and the fur on the rest of the body is shorter. Shedding is a problem for rabbits not only because it's messy but also because rabbits can't regurgitate hairballs like cats can. So, if there is any blockage in their system due to too much fur consumption, it can be fatal.

With just one stroke of the brush, I'd removed as much fur as I would have if I'd brushed her for ten minutes straight with the old brush. It was amazing. I kept going, and by the time I was finished, there was white fur all over the kitchen floor (and all over me, but I suppose that's why I have a lot of lint rollers). After finishing up with Daisy, it was time to FURminate my gray medium hair cat, Jiro. After I was done, the pile of fur that remained looked exactly like what came off from the cat in the picture on the package. I was amazed. I was excited. I was having fun, too!

I used the FURminator on the rest of the pets, though my shorthaired kitten didn't need it all that much. Still, I filled my garbage can with discarded fur. The pets seemed to like it, too. Well, admittedly, the rabbits weren't too thrilled, but they don't enjoy being brushed anyway. The cats enjoyed every minute of it, though. I enjoyed it, too. It felt good to get all of that extra fuzz off so my pets and I could all be more comfortable.

Now, you might be wondering if I brushed them so much that it hurt them or created bald spots. That's far from true. The brush actually removes most of the fur from the undercoat. It doesn't yank it out, either; the fur comes out smoothly because it was already going to fall off anyway. Rather than having them shed on the couch, the FURminator simply removes the fur before it even has a chance to fall off.

I am writing this not as someone who is being paid by the company, but as someone truly satisfied with this product. It is amazing and I'd really like to get the word out! The FURminator is worth every penny. Sure, it's expensive as far as pet brushes go, but it's by far the best one out there. Just ask Daisy and Jiro!