Plenty of dogs and most cats will not sit still for a metal comb, and the grooming session turns into a negotiation nobody enjoys. A mitt sidesteps that completely, because what your pet feels is being stroked. You put it on, you stroke them the way you already do, and the loose coat that would otherwise end up on the sofa comes away in your hand instead of on the cushions.

It works on both faces. One side carries soft silicone bristles that lift dead hair as you stroke and double as a shampoo scrubber in the bath, where they work lather down to the skin far better than fingers manage. The other is a soft brush pad for finishing, settling the coat, and for pets who find the bristles too much. An adjustable wrist strap keeps the mitt on your hand rather than sliding off halfway through a stroke.

• Two-sided: silicone bristles on one face, a soft brush pad on the other
• Lifts loose fur while you stroke
• Doubles as a bath-time scrubber and massage mitt
• Adjustable wrist strap
• Suits cats and dogs, including pets who dislike combs

On what a mitt can and cannot do. That is a different tool and it is not what we ship. A mitt reaches loose surface hair; it will not pull a packed undercoat out of a husky or a malamute, and it will not break a mat. Heavy double coats still need a proper undercoat rake through the moult.

Who it's for: Owners of short and medium-coated pets, and anyone with a cat or dog who tolerates being stroked but not brushed.