Get a nice plastic brush or comb and start grooming your cat. Once they get used to it, they love it. I brush the kitty on a regular basis. He loves it and it removes a lot of dead fur.

This is how I wash my cat:

I take him on a plastic table that is waist height. I get 4-3 empty gallon water bottles and fill with warm water (cats don't like the hiss of a shower).

Now here's where the grooming comes in. I put him the plastic table and brush him, working in the shampoo, and telling him he's good and pretty. I do it on my screened porch, and when he tries to get down, I block him with my body, and don't let him down. After a while they get the idea.

He meows sadly when I apply some water and suds him up. I still brush and parise him the whole time I am washing him. Then I rinse him off and wrap him in a towel. After a bit I brush him again, spreading the fur out so it dries quicker.

MOST IMPORTANT: Then he gets some tuna. In every case when he does something difficult (vet, driving in the car) he gets some tuna.