Did my 24 hours of mourning after the Pens loss, and now have a question for Maine Coon owners. Are there any things I can buy on Amazon to muzzle Steve and cover his mitts of doom or do I need to go to a groomer to deal with the dreads on his chest and belly?
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columbusqueen
The groomer, son–you need restraints, & groomers have those.
schrodinger's cat
Be sure to record Steve’s grooming session for the blog.
P.S. I hope 911 is on your speed dial
schrodinger's cat
My coarse and medium haired kitteh loves to be groomed, she actually asks for it. So no dreads, thank ceiling cat.
NotMax
And –
No sooner post something than a fresh Open Thread opens up, so repeating.
Not an exact parallel, but still not far removed from legally requiring that libraries or document repositories, for example, eliminate “irrelevant or outdated” material from their collections or catalogs.
A sticky wicket, indeed, this brave new world.
Mj_Oregon
You can buy cat muzzles on Amazon, but Steve won’t thank you for the experience. A trip to the groomer would be kinder for you both.
kdaug
Make your own restraints, son. He knows you’re gonna shave his ass soon anyway – might as well get this out of the way.
kdaug
@NotMax: Wait, run this by me again – they want to curate archivists?
Dr.Ms. Sardonicus
I used a scissors to snip off some of the mats in my Maine Coon’s fur — the ones he’d sit still and let me reach — but I did accidentally snip his skin once so a groomer’s skill could be worth it to you.
Unless Steve’s hair basically gels into one giant mat, I don’t recommend you get him shaved (a la the lion cut). Madison, my cat, was extremely bummed to be so exposed. Maine Coons are big cats, but I think they also rely on their fur to appear *really* big. If you take that away, you’re left with a somewhat humiliated cat, albeit one who is still big and is now extra pissed off.
formerHACgirl
As the owner of a Maine Coon/Abyssinian mix, my advice is to go to the groomers. Seriously, the groomers is your best option, and don’t forget to tip!
However, if you decide to do it yourself, please film and post it.
Good luck!
Squeaker's mommy
As the owner of a Maine Coon/Abyssinian mix, my advice is to go to the groomers. Seriously, the groomers is your best option, and don’t forget to tip!
However, if you decide to do it yourself, please film and post it.
Good luck!
Anne Laurie
Pay the professional, Cole. You can google ‘mikki muzzles’ if you must, but seriously, it’s really easy to clip into his skin when you’re going at those mats. Since you have affordable accessible groomers at hand you should let them do their jobs, since it’s a lot cheaper to pay a groomer than to pay for the emergency vet visit / antibiotics to keep the wound infection-free.
Since it’s warm now, and Steve has a chronic dreads problem, ask the groomer for a ‘geezer trim’ or ‘maintenance cut’. A professional can shave the hair that mats under his mane, along his belly & under his armpits/groin/thighs, and up under his tail while still leaving his side coat and ruff to hide the trimmed bits. Done well, you’ll only know he’s been trimmed when he flips on his back to sunbath. And once the summer sets in, it’ll be more comfortable for him to press his belly against the linoleum floor and enjoy the cool. (We know it’s time to flip on the a/c when our old boy stops flopping on the rug and starts flopping on the tile around the fireplace.)
Anne Laurie
@Dr.Ms. Sardonicus:
True dat! Maine Coons are vain even by cat standards, and vindictive to the same degree.
I always figured Fat Freddy’s Cat was a Maine Coon, because “Wait’ll he puts on his stereo headphones” was such an MC statement!
J.Ty
Here we are! Heh.
Me update: Crying at random things again, horny again (this is more dysfunctional), got the benzo’s around Just In Case and the Picamilon seems to be keeping me not awake when I shouldn’t be and not anxious ever. Colors are normal, fuzziness is gone, life is lookin’ up. And no benzos!
ETA: I don’t feel great, but “oh hey remember that baseline you had? Here it is again!” is what I’m aiming for (and apparently getting) here
Tommy
I knew I shouldn’t have clicked on the darn link. As the story noted I kind of hoped Bundy’s 15 long minutes of fame were over.
There are a lot of details in the story I knew nothing about related to what all those “armed” folks are actually doing. Kind of scary shit. I just have to wonder, why is nobody getting arrested? I guess where I live we kind of handle things differently. That shit wouldn’t fly here.
I mean come on, you can’t let people do stuff like this.
Amir Khalid
I add my vote to the consensus. Better that Steve hate the groomer than that he hate you.
Tommy
One cat related note. Years ago when my brother lived with he had a huge cat. 28 pounds, and it wasn’t even really fat. A total joy to be around. But take it out of the house and it turned into a terror. I mean physically dangerous. He didn’t mind other people, super tame and friendly. As long as you were in his house. There were actually warnings on his file at the vet. I don’t live in a huge metro area, but my brother made a few phone calls and found a vet that actually makes house calls. Just a thought. Have the person come to you. Might cost a little more, but alas lower stress levels across the board.
LesGS
I just got my Maine Coon mix shaved yesterday. (I know he’s a mix, because while he has the Maine Coon build and coat and temperament, he also has blue eyes and compact ears. Not MC traits.) As we’re in SoCal with 100+ heat this week, he’s much more comfortable than he was last week. Did he enjoy the grooming experience? No. Will he allow me to brush him? No. (And I’ve tried an assortment of grooming tools. He will allow me to trim his nails. He just HATES being brushed.) So $80 to the groomers it is.
He received a lion cut, so he’s quite handsome with his mane and the tuft on the end of his tail. If it’s not super hot in WV, and Steve is only getting dreads on his undercarriage, just ask for a line (not lion) cut. It’s important to enunciate this so you get the cut you want.
I’m also taking this opportunity to gloat that I’ve gotten Max down to 23.5 pounds from the 26 pounds when I adopted him. He’s a *big* cat (both the groomer and vet exclaimed, “His head and paws are massive!”) He could definitely lose some more, but he’ll never be under 20 pounds. Even at 26 pounds he had a waist.
Fort Geek
Ronin122 was wondering about teabagger-targeted forbidden wingnut man-love yesterday.
Remember Internet Rule 34: If it exists, there is porn of it. There is Reagan slash-fiction!–first up at the link, “From Russia With Lust” (Reagan/Gorbachev).
Brain bleach on sale, ask at the concession counter!
Tommy
Just thinking. How did we ever live without Bluetooth? I was in a “big box” store the other day and on a discount table they had these $85 dollar Bluetooth speakers for $45. I had one wireless speaker but it didn’t take batteries and it always seemed to be set-up in the wrong room. With these two, well I can take them anywhere and I find my membership in Pandora is now worth every penny. It is such a joy to have music follow me from room to room.
Oh and for geeks/baseball fans I got the MLB app a week or so ago and it is stunning. The sheer amount of information right on my screen is hard to comprehend.
And while I am geeking out, I got the Google Chromecast for all my televisions. That on my laptop, desktop, phone or tablet I can hit a button and anything I see on my screen I see on my 60 inch television, well that is just cool. About the best $35 I think I’ve spent in a long, long time.
Keith G
So much depends on Steve’s attitude. Some cats get so up tight up by a trip to a grooming appointment that sedation is needed.
With my current crew, they so love being groomed, that they demand it. Then I was able to introduce the presence of shears. Slowly, they came to see that a few snips here and there was not a big thing.
Sounds like a job for Shawn, your pet whisperer.
MomSense
Groomer. I’m a DIYer by nature but the dreads on the belly are painful when you tug at them and the professionals can take care of them without with much less pain and chance of injury. If your Maine Coon is like mine, as soon as you bring him home he will go roll in leaves, twigs, and dirt.
kc
Groomer.
kc
@Tommy:
Those people are terrorists. I don’t know why the govt is not treating them accordingly.
Oh yeah . . .
fidelio
Groomer. Either Steve will be so outraged by the process that he will hate them (but not you!) or he will discover he has new worshippers and react accordingly. And how can you deny Steve new worshipers?
Plus, you needn’t worry about whether those bites and claw marks will introduce MRSA to your system…
Tokyokie
It’d probably be better to take Steve to a groomer, but a tip I learned from my vet years ago on giving kitties baths that would likely work in this situation as well: Wrap the paws in masking tape. The tape causes no harm to the cat, the cat’s claws are temporarily disabled but the feet still work, and the cat will concentrate first on removing the tape, not on whatever humiliation was suffered while the tape was in place. You’re on your own with the teeth.
Lee
Find and pay for a good groomer.
My wife (a veterinarian) had a pet whisperer groomer. Any dog or cat that came in she could handle without any restraints or drugs.
Ask around your area and see if you can find one and then pay whatever price they ask for. I would recommend a groomer that is also in a vet clinic not a stand alone shop. Because if all else fails they can dose Steve with a bit of a tranquilizer enough to give him a nice relaxing afternoon.
Mike in Oly
Go to the groomers. My maine coon is a hell beast at home if anyone messes with her but is pliable as a kitten outside the house. Plus it cost me $25 to have her belly and pits shaved free of mats. She is a much happier baby now. Must feel so good to get the winter mats off.
Lizzee
I don’t know about your area, but here in Connecticut we have mobile groomers. So instead of subjecting Steve to a car ride and being in a facility where a zillion dogs are howling, you walk him out to the mobile van. It may be a bit more expensive, but totally worth the hassle savings.
Also, for future, the mats are caused by static, which is why long hairs mat up more in winter than summer. There are sprays, that can be wiped on during petting, that will minimize the static and therefore the matting. Plus his coat will look shinier and sleeker.
fergie
We had a 27 lb Maine Coon cat… Samantha the fat cat. She enjoyed the shaving and bath. The first time we took her to the groomers they tranquilized her. Half way thru her first bath they noticed she was really liking the water on her shaved butt. We never tranquilized her again. She went in every four months for ten years and always came out just fine.
She was my second Maine Coon, the first Frances was saved at the animal control by a worker who ran out of time hiding her. I was there to get a cat, and the worker sneaked her to me over the fence because the next day was it. She died several years later from FIP. )Feline Infectious Peratinitus).. I love the Maine Coons and have really enjoyed Steve after the sorrow I felt about Tunch and Ink Blot. So take him to the groomers he will thank you later.
fergie
kindness
Oh John, John, John. No John. In this modern era you need to record yourself doing those things for/to Steve. Then you can post the resulting mayhem and bloodletting and a new viral video will spring forth. Work the internets for all they are worth. We need more howls of laughter.
tesslibrarian
Some cats are really traumatized by muzzles. My tortie was fine with going to vet–she was a practical cat, who knew it wasn’t fun, but once it was over, there would be treats–until a new one muzzled her to clip her claws. Going to the vet after that was a nightmare–she was just terrified.
When we were going weekly for a cancer treatment, they’d give her a shot of benedryl before they got started. It just took the edge off for about two hours; she wasn’t even loopy. Something to consider, if Steve doesn’t handle the vet or grooming very well.
I was lucky my MC mix was fastidious about her fur, but I still needed to clip matts out of her fluffy butt (and somethimes other things as well) on occasion, but that belly was kept pristine.
VOR
@Tommy: One of my cats totally freaks out at the vet, absolutely loses his little furry mind, and has to be sedated every single time. Our vet offered to do a house call and did not charge extra for the call. First time it worked great. Second time not so good. My cat rubbed up against the vet and purred, very friendly, normal behavior. Then he walked over to the assistant, paused right in front of her, and hissed. Then he got so irate he actually attacked the vet, full on batting (with declawed front paws) and growling. Obviously something about her smell just set the cat off.
Now I trick the cat into the kennel and they sedate him. My advice is to pay the experienced professionals.
brendancalling
my former cat Elvis -who I sacrificed to the ex along with my other cat- had some maine coon in him and often got dreds in his long hair. He loved the groomer though, so we got him a lion haircut every summer.
My new cat, the Dude (and yes he is named for Jeff Lebowski) is a similar mix (he looks like Elvis but with one eye), so we’re off to the groomers in a few weeks.
BillyGibbonsBeard
I have to take Tiny to the vet and they knock her out before shaving her. Do it once a year and they do all her blood work & tests at the same time. This is an old pic but just did it this week:
BillyGibbonsBeard
Jay C
@formerHACgirl:
tx
ixnay
I hope you have taken the advice, and will be going with the groomer. As noted, much better to let someone else be the bad guy, and groomers have the necessary tools. I once had to repair a 3-inch gash inflicted by an owner trying to remove mats with scissors – cat skin is very much the same texture as mats. The kicker: the owner was an OB-GYN.
A hint for the future: if mats are very small, and Steve is at all reasonable about it, it is possible to pull them out with your fingers, or with a wide-tooth metal comb (plastic will tend to break). Sounds horrid, but cat fur comes loose (“epilates”) rather easily.
— your friendly (usually lurking) veterinarian
different-church-lady
Funny thing about that routine today is back in the late 70s, $3000 worth of cat toys was an outrageous exaggeration, and today one out of every 50 households probably have that much in cat paraphernalia.
deianaera
I don’t have a Maine Coon, but I do have a nice, fluffy Wegie cross with a temper. Groomer. And if Steve is like my kitty, be prepared to pay to have him fully sedated for grooming.
steverinoCT
My two shorthairs (sisters) were angels at the vets: never fussed over getting a shot or keeping put on the exam table. Then I got Gummitch the super-kitten, and he was so mellow in the carrier that I took him out and sat him on my lap in the waiting room, dogs and all. In the exam room, the vet came in to see me sitting there, and an empty table. He heard a clink, and turns to see Gummitch up on the second shelf checking out the bottles. He had a mild urinary tract infection.
My neighbor’s cat was a long-hair, and had mega-mats, like a hair helmet, all over. I finally couldn’t take it any more, and began trimming away a bit each time the cat came to visit. It was a torty and her skin was the same color as her fur: I gave her a two-inch gash at one point. Never even stirred, go figure. After that I let her owners finish the job. But that was a very calm cat, too.
Which helps no one, but I’ve been pet-free for over 20 years now and I like to reminisce.
PhilbertDesanex
Yup, I’m for the groomer, to start. But, then, comb him every day for preventative maint and he will know it as worship. I did this and it only took an hour a day for a year to get my 6-lb gray puffball all good. Well, almost, anyway.
Ang.
Definitely groomer, for all the reasons already listed. Especially the part about not wanting to accidentally cut skin when you’re aiming for fur.
Once he’s cleaned up, get a Furminator. If he’ll let you groom him, this thing will help remove the loose fur that’s making the mats so ugly. It took some time for my shedmonsters (foundling sisters, who I think have some Coon blood in them, given their coats and general shape and dispositions) to get used to it. I had to start out with short bits of de-furring, before I could build up to removing handfuls of fur. And obvious as it sounds, be gentle with it – the thing can either effectively remove the loose stuff, or pull and hurt.
My girls are tiny things, but even if they were huge, I’d still go for the smaller model. It’s easier to get into tangled armpit fur.
TL;DR: this. http://www.amazon.com/FURminator-Short-Hair-deShedding-Small/dp/B00452OHXU