Giving your Maine Coon cat a bath can be downright nerve-wracking, what with their size and all that fluff. But believe it or not, with the right tools and a bit of know-how, you can turn a potential water wrestling match into a spa day that your kitty can associate with positively.
Bathing your Maine Coon will involve setting up the space for efficient bathing, using the right shampoos and brushing tools, and learning how to keep your cat calm during the whole process.
This post walks you through all the supplies and techniques you’ll need for a smooth bathing experience, along with valuable tips.
Contents
Why Coonie Cats May Need Baths
First, let’s get the decades-long debate of whether you should be bathing your cat out of the way. Cats can clean themselves perfectly well, yes, and some may think that bathing them is the equivalent of offering an umbrella to a fish.
But Maine Coons can really benefit from a good bath every now and then. For one, many Maine Coon cats get greasy hair, which can start looking and feeling dirty. This happens around the chin and back of the head, and if it’s an unneutered male, it can develop a greasy ‘stud tail’.
Secondly, since they’re long-haired cats, their coats are prone to getting matted – a painful experience for the cat and a nightmare for you to groom. While brushing regularly is a big help, bathing your cat with the right shampoo and conditioner can keep the hair smooth and prevent excessive shedding. This, in turn, reduces the chances of matting.
The long hair also tends to pick up dirt and dust, especially if your cat goes outdoors. Even if it doesn’t, simply going to the litter can cause a poopy disaster at the back end, where the long hair gets in the way of everything. Bathing becomes a necessity in such cases.
Most importantly, you should get Maine Coons used to bathing, so when they’re old and can’t groom themselves properly, they aren’t fussy about being bathed. Otherwise, even a professional groomer may struggle to groom a cranky and matted senior Maine Coon.
Lastly – and this goes for all cats – bathing regularly gives you a chance to inspect their skin and check for irritation or skin conditions. Cats aren’t great at communicating pain and discomfort, so routine inspections like this can help keep their health in check.
Bathing Your Majestic Coon in 6 Simple Steps
1. Gather Your Supplies
Some of the must-haves for bathing your Maine Coon kitty include:
- Cat shampoo: choose one depending on your Maine Coon’s fur. If it tends to get greasy, you’ll want to get a clarifying shampoo that deep cleans the coat of excess oil and dirt. Here, we recommend the currently most suitable shampoo for Maine Coons.
- Towels: you could use any regular towel you’ve got at home, but getting a super absorbent one really helps with those cats that don’t tolerate blow dryers. Try using an Absorber® towel that can soak up lots of liquid and dry out with a simple squeeze or two. Thick cotton towels are great too, especially if you want to wrap your cat in something soft and comfy.
- Brushes: a metal comb is a must-have to detangle the hair before bathing. A de-shedding brush can also come in handy to remove excess dead hair. Check out our recommended brush, tailored for Maine Coon cats, right here.
- Non-slip bath mat: if you’re bathing your cat in a bathtub or shower space, having a non-slip rubber mat is important to prevent accidents and injuries.
- Nail clipper: a small clipper designed for cats and small dogs will work.
- Treats: to keep your furry friend happy during an otherwise stressful ordeal. Explore our recommendations for the finest treats beloved by Maine Coons right here.
Extras
If you want to go the extra mile for your furry friend, here are some other items that you might find useful:
- Conditioner: for Maine Coons prone to matting, using a conditioner can really help keep the hair smooth in between grooming sessions. Look for products with natural oils for that extra hydration.
- Degreaser: if your Maine Coon has super greasy hair or hasn’t had a bath in a long while, using a degreaser like that from Groomers Goop can help big time.
- White cat shampoo: for white Maine Coons, you might want to use a shampoo formulated for white coats to rid the hair of any yellowness and give it a pearly white shine.
- Blow dryer: to quicken the drying process and prevent cats from being cold and uncomfortable.
- Happy Hoodie: a small band that goes over your cat’s head to keep it calm.
- Washcloth: to clean your Maine Coon’s face.
2. Prepare the Area for Bathing
Before bathing your Maine Coon, set up the space so you won’t be scrambling for stuff with a sudsy cat that’s ready to flee.
Line up all your supplies – shampoos, towels, treats, and all – on a nearby counter or the floor. Make sure it’s all within your arm’s reach.
In case you’re bathing your cat in your bathtub or shower enclosure, it’s a good idea to lay a rubber mat in there. Slippery surfaces aren’t just dangerous but also make cats panicky. You won’t need one for sinks.
Tip: let your cat inside the bathroom and explore the area as you’re setting it up. By being in the vicinity, your cat will be more prepared and confident for the bath.
Next, fill the tub/sink with lukewarm water so that it goes halfway up your cat’s legs. The water level shouldn’t be too deep.
If you’re using a sink, add some shampoo to the water and create suds. Of course, you can’t do that in a large bathtub, so you’ll be applying the shampoo directly onto your cat in that case. Diluting it in the water just makes it easier to spread and lather.
Get a plastic cup for scooping and pouring the water on your cat. Another option is to use a detachable showerhead. I prefer the scoop-and-pour method, as it’s less noisy and keeps cats calmer.
3. Trim the Nails and Brush
This is probably one of the most important steps – trimming the nails. You don’t want battle scars all over your arms, even if they happen by accident.
Make sure to offer plenty of treats as a distraction, and if possible, have a helping hand for the whole ordeal.
Once that’s done, you’ll want to brush out the hair so it’s tangle and mat-free. Use the appropriate brushes to smooth everything out, and if needed, you can use detangling sprays too. Check out this guide on brushing Maine Coons for more information.
4. Soak, Scrub, and Rinse
Now, place your cat gently into the water, and firmly hold it in place. If you’re lucky, your cat will be one of those Maine Coons that enjoy being in the water. Otherwise, you’ll have to keep a firm hand on it at all times, and if possible, ask someone to give you a helping hand. If your cat starts going bananas and doing somersaults, try putting on a Happy Hoodie to calm it down.
After you’ve given a few seconds to your cat to get used to the situation, use a small cup to scoop up the soapy water and pour it on the back. If you’re using a shower head, keep it at the lowest pressure. Avoid making its head wet, especially the ears.
Tip: If you’re using a degreaser, apply a dime-sized amount on all the problem areas before shampooing. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, and then rinse. Continue with the regular bathing procedure after this.
Once your Maine Coon is soaking wet, start scrubbing in the shampoo with your fingers and ensure it reaches the skin. Get under the arms, legs, chin, and behind the ears.
Rinse out the shampoo thoroughly, and make sure there aren’t any more suds. You can also go for a second round of shampoo for that oomph factor to the coat, be it a whitening shampoo or a de-shedding one.
After shampooing, you might want to apply conditioner as well. This is totally optional, but if your Maine Coon’s hair is prone to matting, it’s worth the effort. Apply 1-2 tablespoons of the product evenly all over the hair, but don’t scrub it in. Wait for a couple of minutes before rinsing it off.
5. Wipe the Face
This is the last inconvenience you’ll have to put your cat through. Using a warm, wet washcloth, gently wipe its face – you don’t want to do this during the bath, as it might let water inside the ears and nose.
Make sure you get the gunk out from the corners of the eyes, and go over the chin and around the lips once.
6. Dry Off
Finally, use a towel to soak up the excess water, after which you should get another dry towel to wrap your kitty up. Try using a blow dryer (on the cool setting, of course) to dry the hair entirely, but most cats tend to go all looney tunes when faced with a raging, loud machine.
In that case, your best bet is to go through 2-3 towels to dry up your Maine Coon as much as possible. Using an Absorber towel might prove useful too. Just don’t let your cat remain dripping wet!
More Tips for Bathing Your Cat
Despite their docile nature, some Maine Coons can be quite iffy about baths. They are cats, after all. In that case, the following tips might come in handy:
- A feline pheromone spray – which is a synthetic copy of the natural chemicals released by cats – has been known to calm cats in various situations. Spraying this stuff around your bathtub/sink and counters can really help your cat relax.
- Before you start bathing your Maine Coon, try to engage it in play for as long as possible. This will tire it out, leaving little energy to fight back or escape.
- Never underestimate the power of treats and positive reinforcement. While most cats reject treats when in stressful situations, you should always offer some to them during and after the bath, along with lots of praise.
- You don’t have to resort to bathing your Maine Coon every time its back end gets dirty when using the litter. Just use pet wipes to thoroughly wipe its butt and the surrounding hair, and you’re good to go.
- For a more long-term solution to poopy butts, you can trim the hair around the sanitary areas so it doesn’t get in the way. But don’t attempt to do this if you have no experience with trimmers, and certainly don’t use scissors!
Certainly! If the prospect of delving into the intricacies of home grooming for Maine Coons piques your interest, consider exploring our comprehensive guide.
