grooming

[kaddyjatou]

what do you use to groom with? are you maine coons easy to groom? how do you tackle knots? one of mine hates it, the other will allow it for so long then comes out with a lot of back chat! I have groomed them from the day I got them, to get used to it, but they are not lovers of it! has anyone got any tips?

I went to a maine coon show and watched as these purrfectly behaved cats, sat there like dogs while the owners lifted one leg and then the other to groom them, mine would be gone by then!

[Karol]

Well, every now and then we also participate in cat shows with some of our cats, and what we do first of all to get the fur in perfect state, is give them a bath with cat shampoo and conditioner especially for cats. If you teach your cat as a kitten to take a bath every now and then, they won't mind when they're older.

The brushes we use to groom them are:
this one for the bigger knots:


this one for the smaller knots:


to get rid of knots you cannot remove with a brush:

(it removes the knots without removing all the hairs in the troubled area ;) )

and to fluff your Maine Coon afterwards (the finishing touch), I use a Mason Pierson brush.

[dave]

What's the best way to get your maine coon used to a comb or brush.. Hank thinks everytime I get the comb or brush it's attack time and likes to play with them. I get a few strokes in but he considers them toys...

I want to get his chest and belly done before he gets too 'disshevelled'

[Tomiam]

Hehe, I learned a trick with our previous cat. The short answer with her was to get 2 brushes. One was used as a decoy, whilst the other brushed away.

Ive got a different issue with Storvenn and Loki.
Storvenn, not a problem at all. I spend a lot of time playing games, getting clawed, smoothing or just having him sat on my shoulders that he is really easy to brush. Ive been getting him used to me holding his paws, lifting his legs etc since we got him nearly two weeks ago. He loves being carried around like a baby, upside down being cradled.
Now he doesnt tend to bat an eyelid when I get the brush on him, as he is used to me lifting legs / touching him on his belly which makes brushing sooo much easier.

Loki, different kettle of fish totally Not too keen on being handled as much, which is ironic as she is the one most likely to sit on my lap. The best approach Ive had so far is to get the brush out and have it close. Then go for the "I'll give you belly rubs!" to get her settled and slowly / sneakly get the brush in a few times.

Either way, with both of them Ive just used the brush 'a bit' to get them used to it. Maybe a few strokes every other day at most. Storvenn settled into it quickly, Loki.. still working on that
Not planning on brushing anything more than once per week unless its needed.

Stuff we use:-
Big brush (not this one, but very like this): Mikki Ball Pin Brush | Buy Products for Dogs

Anti tangle / matt brush: Mikki Ball Pin Slicker | Buy Products for Cats

Comb: Mikki Dual Comb | Buy Products for Cats


Some info here too. There is a video, which might be rubbish as I dont have speakers on this pc so...err... sorry if it is rubbish
Mikki - Grooming

[Karol]

A while ago, this topic: "Grooming" was started in the Maine Coon Cat Chat. Maybe there is some useful information in that topic as well.

[RiaBoo]

A while ago, this topic: "Grooming" was started in the Maine Coon Cat Chat. Maybe there is some useful information in that topic as well.

Thanks Karol, I've moved the posts, forgot it was there

[IrishKitty]

On the subject of grooming I also thought I might mention these "grooming wipes" which I bought over the weekend for Winston. You can just use them to gentle wipe the cats fur and this gets rid of that "catty smell"

You can also get smaller wipes for their eyes,ears and any other sensitive areas that may need a wipe

They are called Byofresh Wipes.
ByoFresh Limited | Cat Products