Maine Coon Grooming Basics

I am new to Maine Coon ownership. I have recently bought the new Furminator to help with shedding, a matting comb and a flea comb.

I am told to keep mats from forming and to keep his hair in shape, I need to groom him every day - at least once or twice. But I have had a lot of people say that using the Furminator everyday is bad and can irritate their skin. People tell me that I need to only use a slicker brush during my grooming sessions and only use the Furminator 2 times a week or so.

I want to know what your thoughts are on this and what your ideals of Maine Coon grooming is.

Thank you.

My Buddy is a rescue coonie and had bad fur probs. I have had these dealt with at groomers and vets. Since I have followed the advice I was given on here and groom a few times a day in short bursts. I don't use a furminator or any other costly brushes etc. I admit I use a nit comb on Buddy, not much to attack, can hide it in my hand during cuddles and no more knots. Others will have their own ways of dealing

A word of caution, the furminator is addictive you get carried away, Hectors tail is starting to come back to its former fluffy duster now! A quick going over once a month or so is all I use it now. Apart from that I use a slicker and I am also a nit comb user too.

My three only get random grooming with their "normal" comb (a Furminator Kitten comb) and a more studied brush about once a week. I only use the real Furminator on them occasionally. Maybe because they don't go out and they groom each other - without furballs yet, thankfully - they seem to be quite well fluffied up without knots. Only actually found one proper knot on Bertie so far and none on the other two at all.

But yeah, the Furminator only occasionally to remove dense hair - a normal comb just to keep the fur smooth and detangled.

I only use a normal cat-comb on both Storm and Benji, Benji is knot-free but Storm gets them in his armpits. Trying to comb him without a fight is a challenge though, either he gets overly playful and ends up scratching your hand to pieces playing "catch and kill" with the comb, or if you distract him and comb him he gets annoyed when he realises what you are up to :p

I used the furminator only once on one of mine & hated how it left the coat feeling & hated even more the feel of the new coat growing back so it was banished from the house.I have an assortment of combs,a good plain stainless steel with open teeth one end & closed the other,great for a quick comb through that is more of a bonding fun session than anything else a moulting comb that gets in & removes dead hair for "that time"of year & good old slicker brush that they love because it seems as if the fierce looking teeth on that stimulates the skin for them,I very often just gently go through their coats with that when they are laying on my lap of an evening & they purr like mad,of course when it comes to getting ready for shows it is used with a bit more vigour. I have also got a de matting comb but with curved teeth not flat,that is what I used on China rip after the disaster with the furminator with lot better results,only cat that it is used on now is daughters black boy when he comes for his hols,he is the only other cat in the group with a dense coat that matts like China's used too.

I'm not a big Furminator fan either for the same reasons.

Plus, if you are not careful you can go from

http://www.sonic.net/~claudel/bubba-fuminator-02.jpg

to

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_f98opUNuVX...hynx%2Bcat.jpg

in a heartbeat... :rofl:


Seriously, if anyone wants the one in the Bubba picture, PM me with an offer. I'm in the States, so postage could be an issue....


MC Elvis loves the dog brush, so I wont be needing it.

So what you all are saying is that the Furminator removes more hair than it should and irritates the skin?

I think that depends on two things, no three things:

1. How the users uses the brush. I have not yet mastered it, but I am very careful and I tend not to rebrush the same area more than a couple of strokes

2. There are a *lot* of fakes on ebay (and Amazon Marketplace). These fakes may - not, are! - of secondary quality and may work differently. I think one way of telling is if the brush came in a proper sealed retail blister pack with paperwork then it may be real, if it just came on it's own maybe in a plastic bag or box then it's probably fake.

3. The cat - even between my three brothers each has quite different hair density and "bounciness" - so only two get the Furminator from me...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ggonkin

So what you all are saying is that the Furminator removes more hair than it should and irritates the skin?

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You do have to be careful because yes it can take out a lot more than you intend but I found on the cat that I used it on when the undercoat started growing back it
just made the whole feel of the coat wrong,weird to explain really but if felt coarser which in turn made the whole coat seem to have a harsher feel,plus I am sure her coat came back denser than ever,MC's should have a good undercoat anyway thats why now I stick with less invasive methods although at this point in time with Shimba his undercoat is a case of "If only he had...."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jckkerrison

You do have to be careful because yes it can take out a lot more than you intend but I found on the cat that I used it on when the undercoat started growing back it
just made the whole feel of the coat wrong,weird to explain really but if felt coarser which in turn made the whole coat seem to have a harsher feel,plus I am sure her coat came back denser than ever,MC's should have a good undercoat anyway thats why now I stick with less invasive methods although at this point in time with Shimba his undercoat is a case of "If only he had...."

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This.

It almost feels as if the thing sharpens the tips of each hair or something.

It's tough to describe...

It's just "wrong".

Thank you for all your answers, I am quite surprised that there are many supportive members here. Compared to other forums that I have visited asked questions, this is the best.

Okay ... I have no problem cutting out most mats with scissors, but how do others here get rid of the small mats that are very close to the skin?

Also, while I am thinking of it -- what areas of the skin are most tender and thus require special care when combing/brushing/removing mats?

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Originally Posted by Walter Coonkat

Okay ... I have no problem cutting out most mats with scissors, but how do others here get rid of the small mats that are very close to the skin?

Also, while I am thinking of it -- what areas of the skin are most tender and thus require special care when combing/brushing/removing mats?

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I'd say the britches are the most sensitive, I hit a snag in Samantha's britches she'd cry hiss swat and run all in about a 1/10th of a second, she'd come back in a couple minutes and I'd apologize for hurting her and she'd let me know she was sorry for swatting me.
Bit I imagine it's very tender skin there.
If there's a down side to Maine Coon ownership it's how fast they mat up on their rear ends, once my ex left I could trim by myself so it was 2-3 times a year trips to the groomer luckily I found a good groomer close to my house where they'd loved Samantha and would schedule me when there were no dogs in the shop and get her in and out pretty quickly.

Under armpits & around those private parts are also places where care extra is needed,even though his bits are gone when you do Shimba in that area you would think he still had them,I also find it easy to get a thumb nail under the smaller mats a tease them a bit looser & then just pull them out,something that you can work on while they are having that cuddle time with you,although thinking about it I expect you gentlemen on the forum might have to go & have a nail extension attatched,no need to have a glittery pattern on it though...!

I've found a stitch picker/seam ripper to be a very handy tool. Once you get proficient with it, you can easily hide it in your hand and pretend to be doing something else, whilst cutting knots and mats quickly. Just be careful not to prick the cats skin with the sharp bit. I've never pricked any of the cats, but I've stuck it in my own hand numerous times :blush:

One of my cats comes and requests to be brushed several times a day. Thanks to this habit, she seldom has mats.
Anastasia, her sister, has longer and thinner hairs which get matted easily despite regular brushing with PetZoom (brush w/short wires)
Furminator IS NOT FOR REMOVING MATS. In our house it is only used 2-3 times a year during shedding season when I have no time to deal with clumps of hair lying everywhere. I have a high quality device and know how to use it.
You have to make short strokes rather than pulling motion, and advance Furminator forward with each stroke.
I tried mat breakers, my husband's electric "personal groomer for beard and mustache" ,etc., and nothing works better than a comb plus small scissors with slightly blunt ends. If the mat is close to the skin I use multiple runs with scissors to avoid nicks.

I'm a cat groomer and I never use the furminator.

The best way to groom these cats is with a comb and everyday.

The comb will reach the underlay fur which is the fur which matts under the top coat.

These cats are beautiful and their coats amazing so please don't ruin with the furminator.

If anyone hear would like to ask me any questions please feel free. I am 2 years late in joining this conversation LOL

http://www.catnips.co.uk

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Originally Posted by Ggonkin

Thank you for all your answers, I am quite surprised that there are many supportive members here. Compared to other forums that I have visited asked questions, this is the best.

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Glad you did though, as its revived a thread that interests me. We have a kitten, nearly 8ths old now and boy is she shedding atm. We have wooden floors throughout almost the entire house and it's like tumbleweed in a western desert daily here! [we were quite worried at first, but the more she loses, the fluffier and healthier her coat looks and feels so am I right to assume this is normal both at this time of year and possibly because she is losing left over kitten coat?] I groom her daily, mainly with the wide toothed side of one of these but rarely with fine side, which I think is similar to the furminator mentioned a lot in this thread. The finer side works very well on the other two short haired cats at shedding season, and has done their coats a world of good, but a bit worried about using it on Ella, and this thread has simply confirmed my thoughts. She also matts, so far only in the 'pits' of her front legs and she is quite comfortable with my snipping them away. We tried teasing them out but she really didn't like it. We occasionally have to trim away round her rear end too where those 'um bits' have, errr...hung around :drool1:

I super happy this thread got bumped! I was just about to post about grooming questions. As Pina is getting older her fur has thickened and she's got her undercoat. Unfortunately she hates being brushed! I use a regular wire brush, about twice a week. It does the job for now but I need about 6 hands to hold her down and avoid being bitten! She is particularly sensitive about her bloomers being brushed and that's where she needs it!

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Originally Posted by Becka

I super happy this thread got bumped! I was just about to post about grooming questions. As Pina is getting older her fur has thickened and she's got her undercoat. Unfortunately she hates being brushed! I use a regular wire brush, about twice a week. It does the job for now but I need about 6 hands to hold her down and avoid being bitten! She is particularly sensitive about her bloomers being brushed and that's where she needs it!

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Try the "Untangler" this is a comb with wide spread rotating tines, it gets deep into the coat and is less likely to snag then a regular comb.
The secret it to get kitty used to being groomed.
Start with short sessions and just comb the same places where she likes to be petted, cheeks, top of the head, middle of the back.
Stop combing before she gets upset and be sure to give treat.s pets and praises.
Samantha grew to love out nightly sessions before bed, unfortunately she would still mat up on her britches and about 3 times a year I'd have to take her to a local groomer.
They were really close to my home and love Samantha and after a dematting, a coat thinning and a bath she just glowed and smelled wonderful.

On a slightly different note, I was wondering if anyone has the answer to this question: about 9 months ago we had Roxy spayed and the vet told me it would be a lot less painful for her (and would heal more easily) if she did the incision on the side flank. Naturally to make this operation and recovery as easy as possible for Roxy I agreed and I think it was the right decision as it took no time at all for Roxy to recover and she had very little pain or trauma. So...now she has had a bald 'patch' for the last year (where the vet shaved off her fur) which has been slowly filling in with new fur. Roxy is a silver tortie tabby, and the 'patch' is right on her swirly side pattern. The fur that has been growing back seems to be mostly her light undercoat - does anyone know how long it will take for her to re-grow her darker top coat which makes up the pattern? It will grow back, won't it...????

''We occasionally have to trim away round her rear end too where those 'um bits' have, errr...hung around ''
Yvonne - i thought i was doing a preety good job of keeping the rear end clear of ...those bits ...but after a bath and when they were being blow dried ( for a show) there was still one of ''those bits'' lurking ....luckily my tabby doesnt mind being groomed round there so now i am a whole lot more careful!

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Originally Posted by RoxyKitten

On a slightly different note, I was wondering if anyone has the answer to this question: about 9 months ago we had Roxy spayed and the vet told me it would be a lot less painful for her (and would heal more easily) if she did the incision on the side flank. Naturally to make this operation and recovery as easy as possible for Roxy I agreed and I think it was the right decision as it took no time at all for Roxy to recover and she had very little pain or trauma. So...now she has had a bald 'patch' for the last year (where the vet shaved off her fur) which has been slowly filling in with new fur. Roxy is a silver tortie tabby, and the 'patch' is right on her swirly side pattern. The fur that has been growing back seems to be mostly her light undercoat - does anyone know how long it will take for her to re-grow her darker top coat which makes up the pattern? It will grow back, won't it...????

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I haven't known one not to grow back & normally you find that if there is a lighter patch now by the time she has had the next coat change it should all be back to normal....x

It probably took Lily about 8 weeks to regrow the fur on her flank after she had her bits removed at 6 months.

I have the same thing with Bullet, she was spayed over a month ago and there isnt one shred of regrowth yet. She was also a side spay. I'm hoping it grows back normally! lol
I also have a furminator but I usually only take out around a hamster size amount of hair if that makes sense once a week, the rest is taken out with a comb. My only problem is my male, Nero hates you going near his under arms, its a proper struggle to brush there and twice now I've had to clip him because of matting. I also had to clip his back end as he's quite messy when he poos for some reason and isn't great at grooming himself. I struggled a bit with that at first because Bullet is so very clean!

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. :suprised: