Thread: Maine Coon Grooming Basics

It's so tricky under the 'armpits'! Roxy gets matted there and positively HATES having any kind of implement (including my hands) near there. I try to go in with my fingers initially to feel the extent of the matts and carefully start untangling work, but she will squirm, hiss and growl, so naturally not my most favourite thing to do. And she is usually the most sweet tempered cat, just gets really grumpkins whenever grooming is involved...hopefully as she gets older it will get a little easier...

Thanks everyone for posting all these tips. I'd agree with comments on the furminator -- little at time (maybe only every other week), and short strokes only. Stop if it bothers your cat. It won't remove mats, just extra fur. Beware of overdoing it! A slicker brush and/or comb is better, and do little bits to progressively accustom the cat to the grooming process. My guy also likes a soft bristle brush (human brush). Have an extra brush on hand for your cat to attack and chew on! He loves to bite the wooden handle of the human bristle brush.
Here are my tips for mats:

My cat likes to play wrestle games under his small cotton throw rug. I've had good luck snipping an item or two from his britches while he is being entertained by a helper. He doesn't even know what's going on! Thank goodness for that, because he is not a fan of hind-end grooming. Another tip that works for me is aerial distraction... We have a bird in a high-up cage and I'll pick him up and cradle him like a babe-in-arms. While he is feasting his eyes (he knows he can never touch!) my hands get sneaky and busy with some tiny blunt tip scissors. Caged parakeets don't live all that long, and this little fellow is old and doesn't want to leave his cage anymore. It's been a huge surprise to me, that at the end of his life, he has been the perfect 'cat trainer'. Really! Don't know how I would have trained the cat to love being picked up with out my little feathered helper.

I just use a metal comb but I have to be careful as it's pretty unforgiving and they don't like it when it snags in a lump of fur. I use it little and often so it stops the mats from forming in the first place. I do find that if I comb them holding the comb at an angle, tip downwards, it does drag out a lot of the thick undercoat. I wonder if this is what the Furminator does? I've got slicker brushes etc but none of them get through the whole coat like my trusty metal comb.

This is all really useful info! I've begun grooming a little every night so that it's not so much at once and that seems to be working a bit better. She get real mad and runs away but comes back for more in a few minutes.