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Is it possible to brush a cat too much, trying to remove the loose hairs? Can I overdo it and brush a cat so much that it gets bald or bald spots?
Lots of loose hair is always coming out of the fur of my cats especially with change of seasons.
According to the vet my cats are European shorthair and I have no reason to doubt that, but their fur is pretty thick in comparison to the neighbor's European shorthair cat.
Fur thickness is a separate variable from fur length. I have two shorthair siblings, and one has a slightly longer guard-hair layer than the other -- enough so that I can tell them apart by touch. Similarly, the thickness of the undercoat varies from breed to breed and animal to animal. Between the two, some animals do shed more than others. I've seen some where you could brush out enough fur to make you wonder why the cat hadn't shrunk noticeably.
As long as the cat isn't standing up and walking away, it's pretty safe to assume that you aren't hurting them.
One of my cats LOVES to be brushed with a similar brush. During the winter (when she gets dandruff) I'll usually brush her every night for 30 minutes or so at a time. Even with this amount of brushing her fur has never seemed to "thin".
Other types of brushes (like the popular Furminator) actually cut the fur and you can accidentally brush all of your cat's fur off. This type of brush is better when limited to shedding seasons, or a few times a month.
