Got pets? Then I bet you got stuff – or are thinking about getting stuff.
There is serious stuff, like medications and safety collars, and silly stuff, like doggie duds and electric litter boxes that supposedly scoop themselves. There is stuff for grooming, for playing, for sleeping, for eating.

But what to buy? For every thing I get for Franny and Dolan that they love, there’s three things that they loathe or ignore. Amount of money spent does not guarantee success. Dolan, for example, loved the $4.90 fleece donut bed I bought on sale at a drug store but would not go near a $50 leopard print “cat nap” mat with no-slip backing.

So with this in mind, SSS! presents: Pet Tested.
I get lots of promos from product manufacturers about the latest pet gadget. But I want to hear what has worked for you, the consumer, and your pet – NOT from the product promoter. So if you have purchased something that your pet has loved, or hated, tell us about it. Send your thoughts to: dlade@sun-sentinel.com.

Here’s our first Pet Tested product: The FURminator.
Invented by a professional groomer, the FURminator deShedding Tool looks like an oversized disposable razor. It supposedly removes the loose undercoat that eludes surface grooming. The tool comes in small, medium and large sizes, with additional models for cats and horses.

Click here for the FURminator Web site, complete with demonstration videos. Looks like they range in price from about $35 to $60 (don’t know about the equine one). Available at a wide range of stores and Web sites, which you can locate through the company’s home page.

But don’t just take the company’s word that FURminator is great. Here’s testimony from faithful SSS! reader TJ:

I swear by the Furminator pet grooming tool. I have a long-haired cat with a deep undercoat that defied all manner of grooming tools, and she had hairballs, etc. due to this thick coat. I ended up buying a Furminator in cat size, brushed her thoroughly once, got a TON, I mean a PILE of cat fur off her, including all the undercoat.

Now, we touch her up every couple of weeks and no more hairballs, shedding, etc. It’s great. I understand its great for dogs,too, and they have larger sizes for that.