I have used a good number of brushes during my time as a pet sitter. Each brush I have used has been greeted with varying degrees of love and hatred from cats and dogs alike, depending upon whether they liked to be brushed or not. My cat and dog are two animals who hate being brushed. There were days with my cat where Justin would have to hold him down while I did my best to not hurt him as I brushed out his long fur. My dog on the other hand would actually lunge at the brush, trying to get it out of my hands to scare me into stopping (she never bites but she does it to manipulate someone into getting her way).
About a year ago while Ashrah was in dog training classes, her dog trainer introduced me to the Kong Zoom Groom. At first I looked upon this $9.99 piece of rubber with skepticism but when my common-law husband asked if we could try it on Ashrah, she just laid there and let him brush her. I continued to watch with growing skepticism until he showed me the brush and I looked on the floor to see all of the dead hair the brush had managed to push out of her fur. Of course, I ran to the nearest pet store and bought one that very day.
The Kong Zoom Groom is a cute rubber brush with blunt, cone shaped teeth which offers a nice, gentle massage on your pet’s skin while slowly getting the under coat to release loose and dead hair. It comes in a dog version which has a trough for shampoo during baths and a cat version with has no trough. The Kong Zoom Groom comes in five different colours (blue, green, purple, raspberry, and red) and for you American product fans, is made in the USA. It can also be used in the tub or outside the tub.
Although it has helped me groom all of my animals and the animals I have pet sat for this year, I will warn everyone that although this works for most dogs, please don’t expect this to work for all dogs or cats. Coming from someone who has watched a Siberian husky in the past and is good friends with a former Siberian husky breeder, this brush would not be the wisest choice to try grooming one with. I have found, however, that this brush is a good choice for breeds and pets with shorter fur. I will also say that this has helped me with Taven, my medium haired cat, but even I have to say that I will not only use this brush on him as it doesn’t always get all of the under coat out. If you are going to be giving your long haired pet a bath, however, I will agree that this is a great choice to help get the shampoo all the way down to the under coat.
Like all products, it is not without its downfalls. As I mentioned, this brush is not a good choice to use on a dry, long haired dog but what brush is universal? None. I also cannot say that this is a great brush to use exclusively for some breeds. It does bring a lot of hair to the top so I often times have to go over the coat lightly with another brush or comb to get rid of the rest fur.
My last down fall is the amount of fur it gets out of your pet will land on the fall and if your pet’s fur is short enough, it won’t catch in the brush. So don’t use this brush on a carpeted surface unless you plan on doing a ton of vacuuming right after. I have turned my beige carpet grey with my dog’s fur before and then I still had problems picking It all up with my vacuum. Trust the voice of experience and do this outside or on a linoleum, laminate, or hard wood floor.
I have read many reviews on this and I keep seeing people screaming the same thing, “It’s not durable enough if my dog chews on it!” I can attest to that as my cat has chewed a cone off my Kong Zoom Groom for cats. Although this is a consistent complaint, like all non-toy items, I cannot stress enough to keep it out of your pet’s reach. It’s a grooming tool. I’ve heard of cats and dogs who hide their nail clippers, chew up handles, and who steal brushes. Why are these people allowing their pet to gain access to it? Again, if it’s not a toy, don’t keep it in a place your pet can get it. Simple fix.
For $9.99 Canadian ($8.99 US), I have found that this brush is worth every penny for me. Because there is not a huge difference between the cat and the dog Kong Zoom Groom, you can buy one and use it on the other. It can be used wet or dry and works well on pets with most coat types (multitaskers, got to love them). Bonus points for it being made in the US and the price is quite good for the fur that it can take off your pet.
So my rating for this product is 4.5 out of 5 for being able to go from a dog brush to a cat brush, working for most short haired coat types, and being able to use it in and out of the tub. Plus a bonus ½ of a point for being made in the US (or in my case, North America in general). It is not the ultimate choice in brushes, especially for long haired or thick under coated pets and it does leave a mess if done on a carpet.
Note: The Kong Zoom Groom is available in PetSmart (in both the US and Canada), Petco, and other pet stores.
