Thread: Maine Coon Grooming Basics

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



to



in a heartbeat...


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...

Originally Posted by Ggonkin

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

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...."

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...."

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?

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?

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.

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

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.