I have two MC cats (10 months old), and both have generous ruffs. Generally, I brush them once a day, but since they've started shedding, I'm brushing them morning & evening.

My problem is with my female, Roxanne, who tries to lick the front of her ruff, beneath her chin; sometimes she looks like she's going to break her neck! No matter how much I try to 'help' her groom those hard-to-reach spots, she just has to try to do it herself, too. (No human can groom as well as a cat!)

Has anyone else noticed this problem -- I think part of it is that she's still growing into her coat, as it were. Even though she's a big girl at 13 lbs., she seems a little bit out of proportion, like she might have a little more growing to do (although the vet thinks not that much).

Would it be sacrilege to trim the front of her ruff a little so she doesn't keep getting it stuck in her mouth? I suppose I could put an Elizabethan collar on her, but I hate to do that. It's not really a behavior problem, so much as extra long hair in that area.

Any suggestions, particularly from someone who specializes in grooming Maine Coons, would be helpful. Thanks! Bev Allen

-- Anonymous, June 08, 1999

Answers

Don't worry, it is standard procedure for them to try and groom their ruff and to get it stuck in their mouths! They soon spit it out and then start all over again! Usually after you have just spent 10 minutes making it look gorgeous! I think it would be sacrilege to trim her ruff because it is such a beautiful feature of the cat. Just let her have her fun!

-- Anonymous, June 12, 1999

Let your lovely lady have at it with her long ruff-you can't stop her anyway. The frequent grooming during shedding season will be helpful to keep hairball issues from getting started. Please save your sissors for your own hair, your girl would be mortified if you trimmed her hair. Maine's are very proud of their coats from what I can see of my own furkids. A side reminder is to make sure your VERY BIG 10 month old girl is big rather than chubby. She is the same as a human 13-14 year old and they can get too heavy. If you can fairly easily feel ribs but not the vertebrae spines to easily her weight is about right. A 13lb female is really big, especially at 10 months of age. Your vet may not realize that your girl is no where near grown up. Many linages of Maine's grow in both weight and physical size for 3-5 years. In late maturing lines the 5 year olds are still at it. I tell all my kitten people to feed their babies kitten food for at least 2 years since my own lines mature so late. I feel that growth in this breed is almost unpresidented and demands the proper nutritional support for optimum health. Always check with your vet and follow his advice but many vets have never even seen a mature Maine, let alone followed it's growth from babyhood. Enjoy your babydoll. You'll never have another like her.

-- Anonymous, June 12, 1999

i have two mc cats as well and to be honest they didn't stop growing - hair and bellies until they were about 4. one constantly licks her ruff and the other one isn't bothered at all. i wouldn't cut her ruff if i were you - it's her trademark and all

-- Anonymous, October 26, 1999