Maine Coon haircut: proper grooming for the largest cat in the world

Exhibition standards do not provide for haircuts for cats. Despite the fact that animals do not enjoy such interference in their natural environment, some owners do not refuse grooming. But the Maine Coon can be called an exception to the rule - cats love water and bathing is not stressful for them. But the big cat must be accustomed to other hygiene procedures from childhood.

Do I need to cut my Maine Coon's hair?

There are different points of view - from a categorical “no” to a confident “yes”. In general terms, the conclusion sounds like this: you can trim the wool, but it would be better not to do this, but limit yourself to cutting for hygiene purposes.

1. Most often, Maine Coons are cut for several reasons.
2. Long-haired cats develop mats. An extremely unpleasant situation where the fault lies entirely with the owner. It is enough to devote time to your pet 2 times a week, and such phenomena will not occur.
3. Long molting. This is also a common event, especially when the animal is experiencing emotional stress. The length of the coat change period can be affected by weather and humidity, food quality, sexual health factors and even the length of the day. The shorter the daylight hours and the lower the air temperature, the faster the molting occurs. But if sudden warming occurs during this period, then the cat’s biological algorithms malfunction - the hair takes a long time to fall off, the body does not understand what time of year it should prepare for. In this case, haircut does not solve the problem, but only disguises it.
4. The Maine Coon actively licks itself, its long hair gets into the esophagus. Most often this ends in profuse vomiting and problems with the gastrointestinal tract. The hair clumps into clumps, forms plugs, prevents food from being properly digested, and even leads to the death of the animal. In this case, cutting may be an effective method, but you still need to contact a veterinarian and understand the causes of hair loss.
5. Skin diseases, formation of growths, ulcers, flaking and dandruff in cats. In this case, a haircut will help facilitate access to problem areas and make their treatment more comfortable. But you still have to identify and neutralize the cause of the disease.

Traditional hygienic grooming is not in doubt, and its benefits are not in dispute.

Important! Sometimes the grooming of Maine Coons is explained by another reason - to avoid washing. But bathing usually brings genuine joy to this cat, and a high-quality haircut always involves working with clean fur.

The dangers of grooming a Maine Coon

As for the risks when grooming cats, there are few of them, but each has a very specific natural background.

1. A cat's fur prevents hypothermia, so a short-haired Maine Coon's normal heat exchange, which is ensured by long hair, is disrupted. So, in the summer heat, cutting your hair can only harm your health and cause heat stroke.
2. Haircut affects the condition of the skin. Without wool, it is easily susceptible to mechanical and negative natural influences.
3. The structure of the coat deteriorates. The new hair does not have the necessary thickness and elasticity parameters that were inherent in the Maine Coon by nature. It quickly becomes tangled and the owner has to trim the pet regularly.
4. When molting, the Maine Coon's coat is renewed unevenly. The undercoat always changes twice a year, but the guard hair never falls out completely. It is much stronger, less subject to seasonal changes and is rarely updated. When cutting, this moment cannot be foreseen; all the wool is cut evenly. In the future, the Maine Coon remains for a long time without its signature luxurious hairstyle, for which the guard coat is responsible.
5. Cats also have vibrissae on their bodies - sensitive elements, without which a shaved Maine Coon loses the ability to navigate in space.

This is interesting! Experts believe that Maine Coons, after a haircut (especially not professionally), never return to their original appearance, and the growing hair forever loses some of its natural properties.

Hygienic cat grooming

Cat grooming "Puma"

This type is recommended for animals with certain skin or coat problems. Experts include the most common indications for hygienic cat grooming:

• Tangled fur, tangles or heavy dirt that cannot be removed with thorough washing.
• Ectoparasites and allergic dermatitis that occurs in response to insect bites.
• Hypersecretion of the skin glands, leading to “greasy hair” a few days after bathing using professional cosmetics for animals.
• Gastrointestinal diseases caused by ingestion of large amounts of wool.
• Maintaining cleanliness and order in the house. Long-haired pets leave it on interior items and wardrobe items. Regular visits to a professional allow you to minimize all the unpleasant consequences of keeping a cat with a luxurious coat in your home.

If the owner cannot devote enough time every day to brushing his own four-legged friend, then hygienic grooming will be the optimal solution. The specialist adjusts the hair length. This avoids excessive shedding and swallowing of fluff during licking. Once in the stomach, the hairs stick together and mix with pieces of food. The result is the formation of flat lumps that can block the outlet of the stomach. In particularly severe cases, there is obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract and the only solution will be surgical intervention to save the life of the cat.

When performing the manipulation, guard hair up to 3 mm long remains on the animal’s body. The groomer gives him a neat appearance. This solution makes daily care easier for the cat and also eliminates the risk of matting.

Preparing for the Maine Coon grooming process

Grooming Maine Coons is carried out in the following order:

• wool preparation;
• bathing;
• haircut (if necessary);
• ear cleaning;
• oral and dental hygiene;
• nail trimming;
• eye treatment.

Each item has standard action algorithms:

1. Preparation consists of basic degreasing. To do this, apply a special cream to dry wool. The first thing to do is treat the tail. It is necessary to distribute the product over the entire length of the hair. Salting of the hair on the tail is typical for purebred cats, but it is recommended to carefully treat both cats and kittens. In them, this part of the body begins to become dirty from 4-5 months of age.
2. Next, the composition is distributed over dry hair in the collar area and around the ears. Here you don’t need to rub it in, but simply apply it to your hair in an even layer.
3. The final stage concerns the processing of the cat's body.
4. After applying the cream, wait a few minutes and wash it off with plenty of water. The wool should be completely wet, the moisture reaching the skin itself. The cat's ears fold neatly back to safely wet her head.
5. Apply shampoo to the wet coat, rub in thoroughly (you can use brushes or other devices), paying special attention to the depth of penetration of the product on the tail, in the area of ​​​​the pants and collar.
6. The shampoo is completely washed off with water, the procedure can be repeated several times. It all depends on how often the Maine Coon bathes. This completes the degreasing.
7. The next stage is the use of coloring shampoo. It is different for each color, and therefore is applied separately to areas of the coat of the corresponding color.
8. The final point is conditioning. The hair “closes”, again acquires natural lubrication, becomes silky and beautiful.

Bathing a Maine Coon with newly grown hair may be more problematic than with other animals. The reason is that the cat has not yet developed new guard hairs, and the thick undercoat has too fine a structure and gets tangled in the groomer’s hands.

Important! When using any animal detergents, you must strictly follow the instructions for use.

Wool

Maine Coons are distinguished by a very fluffy, thick coat with undercoat, but in most cats it is not very long, which greatly facilitates grooming. The structure of the coat is very pleasant to the touch, silky. In some pets, the fur forms a so-called collar, and in combination with the huge size of the cat, this looks very impressive.

Like other cat breeds, Maine Coons shed. In kittens, the first molt usually occurs at 10 months of age, and then it occurs twice a year. Shedding usually lasts 5–7 weeks.

Exhibition grooming of Maine Coons

In addition to the haircut, the Maine Coon will have to endure several more unpleasant procedures.

1. Cleaning your teeth, gums, and palate is done using special brushes and appropriate pastes. If the animal is accustomed to this activity from childhood, then no problems arise.
2. Treatment of the auricle - the upper part is wiped with cotton swabs, and it is recommended to take drops for the inner area of ​​the ear canal. They easily penetrate the ear, neutralize the dirt and wax deposits accumulated there, do not cause pain and are not capable of harm.
3. It is best to trim the claws before bathing - the Maine Coon will not be able to accidentally inflict a deep wound on the owner or a visiting specialist.
4. Treatment of the eye area and nose - remove traces of tears or purulent discharge, clean the hair around the pupil and nose.

Important! Owners who groom Maine Coons themselves should be aware that any manipulation with scissors is prohibited in the muzzle area, on the sideburns, collar and around the ears.

How to properly prepare for a haircut

Before the procedure, the animal must be thoroughly bathed. But an ordinary shower will not be able to wet the thick undercoat of a giant cat. Prepare a large bowl of water for washing or run a bath. Be careful not to get water into your eyes or ears.

Use tear-free cat shampoos. Dilute a little detergent with water and apply to the undercoat for better distribution. You can also use special rubber gloves with a massage coating for better lathering.

Then the pet needs to be wrapped in a towel and dried well with a hairdryer in the direction of hair growth. Comb every inch of the coat. Carefully remove tangles with your hands or cut them with scissors. When the fur is completely dry, you can start cutting.

Grooming a Maine Coon at home

The owner who decides to cut his Maine Coon's hair needs to learn the basic rules. They must absolutely not be violated. In pursuit of beauty or practical benefit, it is important not to harm the cat.

• Only high-quality and clean tools are used.
• Before cutting, the cutting surfaces are disinfected.
• Grooming procedures are not carried out during periods of cat sexual activity.

If your Maine Coon has been groomed before and doesn't like it, he may react aggressively to the new challenge. Therefore, experts sometimes recommend giving a limited dose of harmless sedatives.

There are two main types of haircuts for Maine Coons:

1. “Lion style” - the Maine Coon is left with a luxurious mane up to the shoulder blades, a small tassel at the tip of the tail and overgrown paws. All other areas are shaved with a clipper, and closer to the genitals they are carefully trimmed with scissors.
2. Decorative hairstyle is an easier way to trim your Maine Coon yourself at home. The Maine Coon's body needs to be shaved with a clipper, leaving hair only on the head and chest. The legs and tail are overgrown, but with short hair.

You shouldn’t experiment with other haircuts on your own - a cat’s hair is difficult to style, and different lengths of hair will give the animal an unkempt appearance.

Professional care

Both during normal times and during the molting period, cats definitely need grooming - it will help keep their coat healthy and silky. All grooming procedures must be selected individually. Pets may vary in fur length and structure. Some cats have hair that is too oily and prone to matting, while others, on the contrary, are dry and brittle.

The best option is to go to a hairdresser for cats and dogs. An experienced specialist will always advise what procedures should be carried out and how often, and what cosmetic products to use. Salon care for show pets is indispensable - a professional groomer in a pet salon will be able to highlight the beauty of the animal, give the coat a structure that is as close as possible to the breed standard, and lay the fur beautifully. After the hands of a professional, the pet will conquer the judges of the exhibition with its beauty, grace and grooming.

Maine Coon care after the procedure

If your cat is groomed for the first time, she will almost certainly exhibit a stress reaction. At this time, while the Maine Coon gets used to new sensations, he may hide and even lose spatial orientation. It is necessary to support your pet and ensure that it is free from emotional stimuli.

Food is sometimes called one of the best ways to calm a trimmed Maine Coon a little - the cat is distracted by its favorite treats and life without fur no longer seems so terrible to it.

Some time after the haircut, the regrown hair will look like tow. This visual effect occurs due to the undercoat, which grows much faster than the outer coat. It needs to be combed out carefully and often - thin hairs get tangled easily and can form into one continuous “felt” tangle.

Otherwise, the organization of care for a shorn Maine Coon is no different from procedures for overgrown cats.

The cat is hot

Many owners believe that they will make life easier for their pet in the summer by removing “extra” hair. And they rob the cat of the last thing she could use to cope with the heat! The Maine Coon's thermoregulation mechanism is designed for temperature changes and is absolutely not designed for the absence of fur. On the contrary, a fluffy double fur coat, like an Uzbek robe, protects from high temperatures. It is much easier for a short-haired Maine Coon - or any other short-haired cat - to get heatstroke than even the most overgrown one.

Maine Coon haircut: pros and cons

Objectively, there is not a single significant circumstance for which regular hair trimming of an adult cat can be recommended. Owner reviews contain virtually no important information about the need for such a procedure.

In order for a shorn Maine Coon to grow rich, crumbly fur again, the owner will have to work hard. Efforts aimed at achieving this goal will require more labor than weekly combing and maintaining the natural fur coat of a domestic giant. In any case, whether to cut your hair or not to cut your hair is a decision everyone makes for themselves.

Why should you choose ARTEMONoff for cat grooming?

We offer clients a convenient location of the salon and professional cat grooming. Caring for four-legged pets is manifested in:

• Services provided by professionals with extensive experience working with pets. Our specialists regularly undergo professional training and use the latest methods of working with fur.
• Using modern equipment. The specialist works only with sterile instruments, which eliminates the risk of skin infections.
• Refusal to use sedatives or anesthesia during grooming, which negatively affect the health of four-legged pets. Many of our employees have the skills of an animal psychologist, which allows them to find an approach to the most capricious and wayward animals.

Visit the ARTEMONoff salon and appreciate the professionalism of groomers with many years of experience! You can make an appointment with a specialist by using the feedback form or calling the phone number listed on the website.