Grooming Your Beautiful Maine Coon

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 Although Maine Coons will absolutely clean themselves. They are constantly grooming. Therefore, you’ll want to comb your cat at least once a week with a metal comb to help keep the hairballs down. If you need to train your cat to like being combed, be prepared to reward them with lots of pets and treats. Everyone loves treats!

Bathing 

• Some cats love water, especially Maine Coons. However, letting them in the shower and turning the water on might not be the best idea. You can certainly try a couple of small experiments to see if they enjoy it, otherwise, consider just bathing them in the sink or the bathtub.
• Bathe no more than once a month
• Brush them beforehand
• Use cat-safe shampoos
• Don’t get their face wet
• Dry off the excess water with a towel

(Tip) I add a little blue dawn dish liquid to a sink full of water and just dip them in. Gently wash with a cloth  (No added soap). To wash face I use baby shampoo.

It is important to not over-bathe your Maine Coon because otherwise they might lose the ability to regulate their temperature and their fur might get messed up. The only exception to this is if they get themselves covered in something they shouldn’t lick off like paint or oil. It is best to brush your cat before you bathe them to prevent mats. You should also not use human shampoos because those can be toxic to cats. This is one of many cat shampoos to use instead. When bathing them, be sure to avoid getting water or soap by their eyes and ears. Don’t spray water directly into their face. Instead, wet your hand and wipe their face with that instead. This will help keep them more comfortable. Some cats do not like being completely submerged in water. An alternative to this is letting them sit on a stool while you wet them down. It might not be as easy to get your Maine Coon wet this way as their fur is designed to keep them warm and dry, but it is still possible. Make sure you rinse your cat well, because they will be grooming themselves for hours afterwards. Once you take them out of the bath, wrap them in a warm towel and get some of that extra water off. Then it’s best to leave them in a room to themselves while they groom. Once they are done grooming themselves, you can go back and comb them again (when they are dry) to make sure to remove any mats that might have occurred during the bathing process.

Maine Coons should absolutely be bathed to keep on top of extra fur and dander. However, do not bathe them more than once a month. Bathing is just one part of Maine Coon ownership. If your Maine Coon does not like to be bathed, you can instead wipe them down with specific cat wipes to help with odor and dander. This will not work in the event of your cat getting into a toxic substance like paint or oil, however. You do not want them to lick all of that off and get sick. Your Maine Coon will absolutely groom itself, but the longer the hair, the harder time your kitty will have keeping on top of it without a lot of hairballs. You should comb them at least once a week, and especially before bath time.  ( I comb my cats daily, it is a good treat for them and prevents less work for me).

Nail Trimming

• This one comes up a lot when your Maine Coons are indoor cats. They have long nails that can absolutely shred furniture. You can clip their nails so long as you are careful to avoid the quick, but you can also choose to get them designated scratching posts to keep their nails in check.

Hair Ball Treatments

• Many people have different things that work for them, for preventative care I keep fresh cat grass grown which does help prevent and also helps get clear hairballs. I also keep syringes of pure extra virgin olive oil on hand when I hear a cat coughing or trying to regurgitate one I give them 1ml. I sometimes also use one that I get at my vets office but you can get them at any pet store as a preventative weekly treatments.