Your Maine Coon hates being brushed? Try this.

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A study found that there's a range of responses by Maine Coons to being brushed which is a necessity to avoid matting. Some might dislike the process or even hate it. One user on the social media website Reddit confirms this variability of acceptance in being brushed by saying that his/her cat hates it.
My extra fluffy boy has never enjoyed being brushed, which has led to some truly awful matting over the years. We’ve gotten special brushes and combs to try to get them out, but he just isn’t having it.
This led to matting. Matting is problematic for health. It is hard to know for sure why a Maine Coon might hate being brushed. Most cats of all breeds and non-breeds enjoy it to varying extents.

But all cats are individuals as we know. And some cats might have been a little traumatized when they were brushed too hard perhaps when they were kittens or the 'wrong' brush was used as far as the cat was concerned. This is about preferences again.

There are not a lot of options in dealing with this problem. A lion cut will fix the matting issue but they are a bit problematic too: you have to have this done professionally - by a vet tech preferably - and it might need sedation or even full anesthesia which is risky. I am not sure I can trust a pet grooming parlour.


I'd like to pass on the experience of another Reddit user in response to the user who said that their cat hates it. 
I found mine only allows me to use a particular brush which looks a bit like a small rake. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005BOHC9W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_BLafFbN4KD5WS Start really slowly somewhere he doesn't mind being petted and I found just after he woke up was best at the beginning. We went from a cat that ran away every time we tried to brush him to one that shouts at us until we brush him. Good luck!


I am not saying that this widely-spaced cat/dog comb is the answer to the problem. What I am saying is that a change in the comb or brush may help resolve the problem. This is about how the cat feels when combed. The teeth on this comb are widely spaced a mentioned as it will pass through the medium-longhair more easily. This may help.

Also common sense tells us that combing or brushing cat fur that is matted is likely to be uncomfortable for the cat. It may be impossible.

The key here, then, must be to comb/brush regularly enough (daily or even twice daily) to prevent matting. Combing should be a preventative action rather then a reactive one (to remove matts).

Obviously matts should be cut out with enormous care. The vet-suggested method is to use the scissors in a vertical position i.e. perpendicular to the skin to avoid cutting the skin which would make a cat hate grooming even more.

Matting can get really bad as the owner simply can't deal with it and leaves it. They might have difficulty in finding the cash to pay for it at the vet's. End result might be like this abandoned non-purebred cat:

Worse case of matting that you will see. This is not a Maine Coon. The pic is here to highlight how matting can get out of hand!
Worse case of matting that you will see. This is not a Maine Coon. The pic is here to highlight how matting can get out of hand! Image: Douglas County Animal Care & Services.

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Please excuse the occasional typo due to preparing these articles at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I don't have a proof reader.

Comments

  1. Chip31 December 2023 at 17:03

    My Maine Coon seems to accept it anywhere on the body, except the back part, under the tail, around the bottoms and on the belly. I have my wife holding him belly up and serving him some lickable treats to trick him accept the process. It works, but it takes two people to do it. We have to different brushes, one with little balls on top of the wire, both at the same level of acceptance.

    Thank you for your studies, I follow every article and they are very informative!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael Broad LLB, ARPS1 January 2024 at 15:51

      Thanks, Chip, for your useful comment. It may help some MC owners.

      Delete

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