Some pets will not tolerate a brush. The bristles catch, the handle feels like a tool, and what should be five quiet minutes turns into a wrestling match twice a week. A grooming mitt sidesteps the whole argument because it does not look or feel like grooming to the animal on the receiving end. You stroke your pet the way you always would, and the loose hair comes away with your hand.

The working surface is a field of soft silicone tips set into a flexible glove. They are blunt rather than sharp, so they slide through the coat and lift hair that has already shed rather than pulling at hair still anchored in the skin. Because the glove bends with your hand, it follows the shapes a rigid brush struggles with, down the legs, across the chest and around the base of the tail. When you have finished, the collected hair peels off the palm in a single sheet.

• Wearable glove design; groom by stroking rather than brushing
• Soft silicone tips suited to long, short or curly coats
• Works on dogs, cats and rabbits
• Reaches the legs, chest and base of the tail
• Collected hair peels away in one piece
• Doubles as a lint remover for sofas, beds and car seats

What it will and will not do. A mitt is a de-shedding and finishing tool, not a de-matting one. It lifts hair that is already loose and keeps most of it off your furniture, but it will not break down an existing mat or work a dense undercoat the way a slicker or a rake does. If your dog is properly matted, the mat needs cutting out or a groomer, and the mitt is what you use afterwards to stay on top of it.

Who it's for: Owners of nervous or brush-shy dogs, cats and rabbits who shed steadily and would rather have a gentle daily habit than a weekly battle.