Top products from r/mainecoons

As others have said, a good large litter box is necessary. My girls are mixes, at about 15lbs each most boxes are too small. They really like the Nature's Miracle boxes, Petsmart carries them. The corner box is my favorite due to placement, but the girls seem to prefer the hooded cat pan which may just be a placement thing. Order the boxes online for in-store pickup or shipping, the in-store price on the corner box was like $45 compared to the $18 or so on the website, but in-store pick-up honors the online price. If you can, try using a pellet litter (paper or pine) instead of clay or crystals. Mine rejected pellets with high prejudice, so YMMV.

As mentioned below, I really like the pin style brush and rake brush for mine, although as one refuses to be brushed at all anything is a challenge.

For cat trees, Molly and Friends are the biggest, sturdiest I have found which can hold up to the weight of a full grown MC or mix. Easiest way to buy those is through Wayfair.com. New Cat Condos look like they may be sturdy enough, but I haven't tried them yet. Stay away from the cheap ones on Amazon and similar, they won't hold up. Some of the ones in store at Petsmart, Petco, and Costco may be sturdy enough, but make sure to give them a good look to be sure. Your local pet store may also have some, mine carry a few but not ones that are very tall, so I have to go online as my girls are climbers.

For food, lots of people have preferences but as long as you are getting a good quality, grain-free brand and not grocery store garbage, it should be fine. Lots of debate over kibble versus not, grain free isn't necessary, and so on. My main goal is a food that doesn't contain crap filler (aka, grain or cheap meal instead of meat) and not from a brand with a history of killing pets or having poor quality control. Royal Canin used to be good but sold out, Spot's Stew from Halo might still be good, my current preference is Instinct from Nature's Variety. It's expensive, especially as mine are on the "limited ingredient" formula due to allergies, but it is worth it as they are a healthy weight and everyone comments on how amazing their coats look.

The recommendation for a wheeled carrier is very on-point, too. I got mine when I had a 20lb shorthair, now it easily holds both my girls (for now. . . . ) at about 15lbs each. I have the Snoozer roll-around carrier which has held up through many vet trips this year. The only catch is the mesh sides may not hold up to a determined cat trying to claw their way out, mine just sit and complain so it is fine. I did put small s-shaped carabiners on the zippers to ensure no accidental escapes in transit.

My boys are strictly indoor as well. There's still time I hope they get their floof soon they will need it more than my boys!

So as for grooming, we have an arsenal of tools.

The two main tools to remove mats are:

1.

https://www.amazon.com/Four-Paws-Magic-Instant-Remover/dp/B000HCJX2C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1542681589&sr=8-3&keywords=four+paws+magic+coat+instant+dog+mat+remover

and a comb like this:

2.

https://www.amazon.com/JW-Pet-Company-GripSoft-Medium/dp/B0002AQPYS/ref=sr_1_19?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1542681824&sr=1-19&keywords=pet+comb

​

we usually catch the matts fairly quickly since we brush daily so we don't have to cut the matt away anymore. It was a learning process for us because we used to just take a simple brush like this

3.

https://www.amazon.com/Four-Paws-Magic-Kitten-Brush/dp/B019FRSP50/ref=sr_1_20?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1542681949&sr=1-20&keywords=magic+paws+brush

​

but that wasn't cutting it.

​

When u remove the matts using 1. I hold onto the skin before attacking the matt. It will bother them less and hopefully make it easier for you! that comb really helps remove matts pretty easily.

​

and when i use 2. i comb really gently and hold onto his fur too . So maximus daily gets brushed with 2 and 3. and for matts we will include 1.

​

Hobbes with the shorter hair uses

3. and this:

4.

https://www.petsmart.com/cat/grooming-supplies/brushes-combs-and-blowdryers/kong-zoomgroom-cat-brush-11861.html

​

He loves getting scratches and massages so we use 4 to loosen and get rid of any loose fur since he also sheds more, then just brush with 3.

​

​

I stay away from furminators cuz the last thing i wanna do is remove their floof!!!!

​

Hope this helps

​

<3

​

Have you tried other brands of canned food, rather than pouches? My MCs tend to prefer pouches to canned food, so I wonder if your girl is the other way around. Also, have you tried the Applaws brand? I saw they have it on Petonly.ca. It's pricey, but my cats like it and I get it every once in a while for them.

Is she getting enough water? If so, then maybe she doesn't need so much wet food. Would she eat more dry food if you put it down for her? Maybe if you got one of those food balls (https://www.amazon.ca/PetSafe-SlimCat-Interactive-Food-Dispenser/dp/B0018CG40O) it might make it more fun for her to eat?

I've read many times that MCs continue to grow until they reach 3 years old, so she may need more food. But ultimately, what does your vet say? If s/he thinks Twix is underweight, then you may really need to find a solution to this. If not, then I wouldn't worry too much. Good luck!

We also relocated cross country with 2 cats last year, one being a Maine Coon. We flew with Delta. Make sure when you book your flight, the plane is big enough where he/she can fit under the seat. We had to rebook our flight because our original plane was too small.

We bought this carrier:
Sherpa Deluxe Pet Carriers

Make sure you get the medium size. We originally bought the small but it was too small for our Maine Coon.

We also took our cats to the vet before moving. I think you need to take them to the vet and get them cleared for flying, might be an airline regulation. We asked about sedating at the appointment. Sometimes it could give them more anxiety, so our vet gave us a little bit of sedation medication to give them to see how they do on it. They also gave us some pheromone wipes to wipe the carrier with, it supposedly calms them down. You might want to try that.

One of my cats peed so you might want to get pee pads like someone suggested.

Good luck!

Hiya, you won't need a furminator immediately. Don't worry about that for now. If you keep your MCs well brushed, you don't have the matting or knotting problem. We do not use the furminator daily. As for great, long lasting, inexpensive brushes, my wife loves this style here, and I love this style here. Actually that is a bad example because you would probably not use the brush much. The main thing is the long thicker stainless pins. Since they have metal teeth, they clean well. A clean tine goes through fur better than a tine that has a grime build up.

Have you decided on litter boxes? We found that once they got full sized, there was NO litter boxes that fit ours, and we had to improvise.

Can't wait to see pictures of yours. Here's ours.

Best practice is to let the new wee-one be in a small space in quarantine for a few days until they get used to their new home. How realistic that desire/expectation is...varies. My MC is a precocious little mess...and wanted to go out and explore in less than 12 hours. Especially once he knew there was another cat to be friends with.

​

All cats/kittens have personalities. Sure they'll grow/change a bit--but you can't cause a life-change. If you haven't read the Way of Cats, I'd highly recommend it:

​

https://www.amazon.com/Way-Cats-their-instincts-understand/dp/099803570X/

​

Same woman has a website/blog which the book is compiled from...although these days most of the content is payware.

I can't find any subreddit rules about linking to other sites so I'll go ahead and show you this one.

I have that one in small, it's too big for my kittens but I think small or medium should fit a grown cat, depending on how big it is. I've seen some others use this same one as well. Fair warning though, if you buy the lead also in 'small' size, it's very short. :)

Not sure of your budget, but I love this one.
https://www.amazon.com/Good-Pet-Stuff-Hidden-Litter/dp/B000MPR2GI/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1501903347&sr=1-1&keywords=plant+litter+box

Check the measurements vs your current though. If she's a really big girl, it might be too small.

The Sherpa carriers are great. They're very sturdy, and so comfortable that my cat uses hers for a bed! I got her the large size, which seems to work well for an 11-pound cat.

I totally agree that it's not an excuse for the cat to misbehave but often they are still learning the boundaries of the house and trying to see what they can get away with.

Every cat is different, but would a loud hand clap startle her if she sneaks up on you when you don't have the squirt gun or a "hey!"?

I've personally had good luck with feather wands, cheap feather boas that you can swish around for the carts to chase and tackle, a ping pong ball (on the hard floors), squeaking prey toys, this mouse toy that runs away when your cat swats it and plastic rings.

I guess it depends on what sort of games your cat likes already. Since she's all about the sneak attack- maybe a remote controlled mouse? or maybe a puzzle box?

Some of these you can make at home or substitute to get an idea of how your cat will respond to it before spending lots of money on something that they aren't too enthusiastic about.

She's more of a dog than a cat. She just listened after shooing her off. Praised her when she sat on the stools, shooed her when she went on the counters. Also this: https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-KIT19001-SSScat/dp/B000RIA95G

My wife helps when she's around, one holds and the other clips. We use these.

We have this - it's freaking huge.

https://www.amazon.com/Petmate-22040-Giant-Litter-Bleached/dp/B000HHLVA4/ref=br_lf_m_wxd7duup3qjv9fn_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&s=pet-supplies

I think you need a much bigger litter box.

I go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy big storage bins and leave the lid off.

Laugh, but this works.

http://www.amazon.com/Sterilite-19889806-70-Quart-See-Through-Titanium/dp/B001RCUNJ8/ref=sr_1_8?s=storageorganization&srs=2601327011&ie=UTF8&qid=1394888435&sr=1-8&keywords=sterilite+containers

If you buy in bulk, it's much cheaper!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WFORH0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Haven't found Maine Coon yet but here's a start

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07HFZPRJ8/ref=sspa_mw_detail_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have a part-Maine Coon cat who used to have a butt cleaning issue. I had her professionally groomed with a "Sanitary" cut twice (2" wide kitty brazillian-ish buzz cut like /u/DancesWithElectrons said) 6 months apart, and when the hair regrew it was less thick and she could handle it herself, mostly.
For her occasional issues, I don't use wetnaps. I bought a $10 bundle of cheap white washcloths. She'll tolerate a warm, damp washcloth if I wet it down and wring it out before using it. Then I wash the washcloths with bleach in my normal bleach laundry load.
Also, furminators are kind of rough on a cat. Mine hates furminators, but she'll tolerate a dematting comb on the backs of her legs.
dematting comb:
http://www.amazon.com/Master-Grooming-9-Blades-Dematting-Ergonomic/dp/B000F247K2/