Two years ago, my wife and I rescued a single mom and her last kitten. Although he (Tucker) is definitely mixed, Kallie is a tortie maine coon. What is the best way to care for her luxurious coat and what tools should I have other than a brush?

-- Anonymous, August 29, 1999

Answers

I don't have an answer, my Lucy is always matted and tries to bring all the woods in with her!

-- Anonymous, August 29, 1999

The breeder I bought my Maine Coon from suggested a metal comb. I use one with a wide tooth one. He hates to be groomed so this makes it a little easier.

-- Anonymous, August 29, 1999

I have a 2yr old MC and I have trouble grooming him he is 25# and he hates to be groomed. I was told to use a metal comb and to a section at a time. When he gets his tail going like he he is get mad I let him go and try again later. He will not take hairball med. or the treats. He drives me crazy. I try to help him keep himself clean because being so big he has trouble doing it himself. I am another person that need help to groom my MC

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

I've got two cats...a Maine Coon and an Angora. Fortunately, the Coon keeps herself very well groomed, however, the Angora is another story! She's white with very fine long hair and frequently gets matted sections. She is thirteen years old, has severe arthritis, and does not like to be groomed. What works well for me is to groom her in very small sections. If she has a furball, I can cut it out with scissors. I am very careful not to cut the hair too close to the skin and use my fingers as a guide below the scissors-above the skin (I would rather cut myself than her)The hair does grow back incredibly fast and before long the coat will look great again. You could also take the cat to a groomer and have this done. This is a great relief to the cat once the matting is gone both physically and mentally I do believe as a cat is so proud of its appearance. Matting is always a problem with long haired cats, but once under control, you can keep up the coat by combing with a wide tooth comb, then with a finer tooth comb once the wide tooth comb passes freely through the hair. If you do this in small sections on a regular basis, your cat should become more tolerable to these sessions. I believe that my cat knows I am helping her to look and feel better. I do try to be very patient and comforting to her during these periods and always end them on a positive note (stopping before she gets cranky) After you groom your cat a few times you will get a feeling as to how long that will take. You could also end each grooming session with a small treat(one of your kitty's favorites!) Good luck!

-- Anonymous, September 02, 1999

Another thing I wanted to add was for hairball prevention, "Laxatone" is highly palpable-the best I've found so far. My Maine Coon has some of the finikiest taste buds I've ever known for a cat but she likes this! If, for some reason, your cat won't take the treatment, put a drop on your index finger and then smear it on one of it's front paws. They won't be able to lick it off fast enough just to be clean again!

-- Anonymous, September 02, 1999

we have found that shaving our cat bald is the best way to keep him free of mats. He loved his new look. He struts around the house with his new attitude. The fur will grow back really fast and it makes for some really funny pictures.

-- Anonymous, September 11, 1999