Is it a good idea to give my Maine Coon cat a lion cut?

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Is it sensible to shave a Maine Coon cat in the summer months when it's hot? Often when cat owners do this, they give their cat a lion cat.

Original 'Maine cats'

It is not an easy question to answer but this is mine. The Maine Coon cat (MC) is a medium-longhaired cat with a shaggy coat. It is a coat designed for living in cold conditions as did the original "Maine cats" as they were called when they were barn cats in the mid-19th century.

Maine Coon with lion cut
Maine Coon with lion cut. Image in the public domain.

At that time their coat served a purpose. To keep them warm 😃. I didn't need to state that, did I? But nowadays Maine Coon cats are companions living mainly inside the home. Sometimes they are exclusively confined to the home.

I expect that 90% of homes in America are kept at a reasonable temperature both in winter and summer (wrong? Please tell me). The only reason why MCs have medium-longhair is because that is the way they been bred and it is for appearance.

RELATED: Maine Coon cats are unsuitable for a life without attention from humans.

No longer functional

The long fur of the coat is no longer functional. The better cat coat for the indoor cat is a single coat which is easier for a cat to maintain.

Elderly/infirm

And certainly, it is easier to maintain than a long-haired coat for an elderly or infirm cat. They need help sometimes to groom themselves.

Don't like it

Their caregiver can groom them and many cats will enjoy the experience but some won't. You can see where I'm going in this answer.

RELATED: The lion cut: no, it's not cruel.

Conditions for a YES!

If you're Maine Coon cat can no longer groom themselves properly for the reasons outlined above and if they live in a centrally heated or air-conditioned home and in a stable and nice temperature, and further, if they don't like being groomed by their human companion, then, under those circumstances it would be sensible and a decent idea to shave them during the summer months subject the points made below (please read these).

Even in air-conditioned homes et cetera the inside of the home is going to be warmer under very hot conditions I would suggest. I also, some Maine Coon cats are going to enjoy the pleasures of a catio which will get hot in the summer. This further supports shaving.

So, under the criteria mentioned, personally, I would say it's a good idea to give your Maine Coon cat a lion cat. But there is at least one last condition which I think is important and which needs to be complied with.

Vets

It is this: if the lion cut is done by veterinarian or a vet tech at a clinic and if they decide to sedate or even anaesthetise the cat, that is a risk, I would argue, to their health and therefore you have to weigh up that risk against the benefits. I don't think the benefits are good enough to take that risk.

However, if there are no risks in shaving your Maine Coon then it's okay to do it.

Parlours

There is one last point to make which is this: if you go to a pet grooming parlour you've got to realise that they are not regulated. You don't know how good or bad they are unless you have used them before. There have been accidents caused by negligence in grooming parlours with dogs attacking cats or cats being dried for too long to the point where they've been killed.

Yes, there have been some awful accidents in pet grooming parlours. Even without those accidents you don't know how the employees at a grooming parlour will or have handled your cat. Are they gentle? Are they kind? Does your cat suffer? Does your cat become frightened and traumatised by the experience? You need to make sure of what is going on.

DIY?

And finally (yes this is the last point), I don't think that it is a good idea for the cat's owner to shave their cat because it's quite technical and quite difficult. It needs an experienced person. You can screw up quite easily. It can harm your relationship with your cat (possibly) in the worst-case scenario. Leave it to the professionals but make sure the professionals truly are professional.

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