What makes a Maine Coon cat so unique? Is it the fact that they are a large breed cat, considered the gentle giant of the feline world? This may be true, however, this is not what makes them unique.
I have seen some strange behaviour in many animals over time. The Maine Coon is one that keeps me coming back to watch more and more of the Cat's behaviour.
Most cats seem to have an aversion to water. This is not the case for the Maine Coon. They seem to be fascinated by water. The Maine Coon will proceed to swat water in the water dish until the water is splashed everywhere else.
You may also find a Maine Coon cat sitting by the sink playing with a leaky faucet.
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Reasons a Maine Coon Cat Loves Water
Unlike so many other domesticated cats, the Maine Coon seems to have a fetish when it comes to water. They do not actually love it so much that they will jump in the river and go for a swim, however, they do love to play with water whenever they get a chance to.
The following are just folktales, however, they show exactly how easy it is to fall for a story.
Viking Ship Cats
This folklore comes about based on the idea that the Maine Coon is related to the Norwegian Forest Cat. These cats were kept on the Viking ships since they were such good mousers. Since it was stated that the cats were living on the ships, this must mean that they were not afraid of the water.
This folklore goes on to state that one of the ship cats had jumped off the ship and mated with a domesticated cat.
Marie Antoinette
The second folklore begins with the idea that Marie Antoinette was the owner of some cats. She had begged the Captain to allow her to bring these cats on board the ship with her for passage to the United States.
The cats were the lucky ones, they made it to the United States, while Marie Antoinette was captured and executed. The Captain sailed to the United States and then proceeded to set the cats free in Maine.
Related to the Raccoon
The final folklore is that the Maine Coon is part Raccoon. This myth began with someone reporting that a Semi-wild cat mated with a raccoon and that is how we ended up with the Maine Coon cat.
There do seem to be many similarities between a Raccoon and the Maine Coon, However, Scientists have proven this to be biologically impossible.
Loves the Water Too Much
The Maine Coon, unlike most domesticated cats, does like to play with water. This does not mean that they will jump in the lake to go swimming. For that fact, just because the Maine Coon likes water, does not mean that they know how to swim. Swimming is actually one of those instincts that the Maine Coon cat has as a life-saving option.
Now albeit, the above little tales are just folklore. None of these is truly the reason that a Maine Coon cat loves water.
Bathtime
Many Maine Coon cats will play in the bathtub when they are kittens. This is likely because they have a toy in the water, and the water is not likely that deep. However, let’s be very clear about this aspect. You would have to start your kitten out at a very young age in order to reap the benefits of a Maine Coon enjoying bath time.
The kitten is more likely to be able to be trained for a bath than an older cat. Older Maine Coon cats are particularly set in their ways. Especially the male Maine Coon. In reality, you do not really need to consider bathing your Maine Coon cat. This breed of cat is actually a very clean cat and is known as a self-bather.
For the most part, all cats are known to be pretty clean animals but more so the Maine Coon cat. Remember that there are some breeds of cats, including some Maine Coon cats, that are incapable of keeping themselves clean.
For a Maine Coon, keeping clean is the only option they have versus some serious psychological trauma of being a dirty cat. The Maine Coon, by instinct, needs to have its fur clean, and unmatted to prevent depression and frustration.
To be very clear, there may be a time or two that will require the owner to bathe the Maine Coon cat. For instance, the Maine Coon has matted fur. This does require being cleaned up quickly. The mat will continue to grow even larger when there is no clean-up.
Your Maine Coon may have an excess of loose, dead hair that needs to be removed. It may also be the case that the Maine Coon had managed to get out and play in the dirt and is now all muddy.
How often should a Maine Coon be bathed?
For this question to be legitimately answered, we must first state that if the family or the Maine Coon owner wants to bather their Maine Coon, this is a routine that needs to be started at a young age and continued throughout the Maine Coon life.
Bathing a cat is not an ordeal that a feline should be placed into just because. Felines, for the most part, do not like water, and even a Maine Coon, may enjoy playing with water, and watching water drip, however, this does not mean that it will enjoy a bath all the time.
To answer the question, no less than one time a month would be the correct amount of bathing, more if needed. Again, if you did not start giving routine baths to your Maine Coon when they were just a kitten, this bathing situation could become a difficult fight. To make it easier on both you and your Maine Coon cat, it may be a better plan to take the Maine Coon to a groomer who is trained and experienced in bathing Maine Coon Cats.
How To Bathe A Maine Coon Cat
To begin, you want to be sure to use a veterinarian-approved shampoo product specifically for cats. Once you have the shampoo set to the side, the first order of business is to groom your Maine Coon cat.
In order to groom your cat, you need to remove the dead hair, any dander that is built up on the cat and all the removable dirt. This is most easily done by brushing your Maine Coon with a type of brush that can help to remove all three of these issues, the long-dead hair, the dander and also loose, removable dirt.
Removing all this will make the bathing process that much simpler. When it comes to shampoo, never use a shampoo that is formulated for humans, or even dogs. The formulation is not made for the issues cats have.
This is not a bit of advice to ignore and telling yourself just once will not hurt. The fact of the matter is, that shampoo that is formulated for a human is going to damage the hair on your Maine Coon. There may be no repair for the damage that is done.
The highest recommended shampoo would be an anti-itch and conditioner. This is a two-in-one product which will also make the process of bathing and shampooing the cat get done much quicker. There are obviously quite a few felines that are not fans of bathing. For this type of situation, there is a product that is a waterless cat bath. This product is suitable for cats aged 4 months and older, and it is Veterinarian formulated.
The Maine Coon cat loves the water since it is a natural instinct for the Maine Coon Cat. It is considered to be a natural characteristic of the Maine Coon. However, it may be just me, but I do firmly believe that the partially water-repellent fur has a great deal to do with the water not bothering the Main Coon as much as one would think.
The fact is that a Maine Coon cat likely tolerates water more so than other domesticated cats do. This could be in part due to the water repellent aspects of the fur. Keep in mind that a Maine Coon also has tufts of fur between the toes and on the feet to protect their feet from getting wet.
Although the Maine Coon could be considered an excellent swimmer, this does not give you Michael Phelps of the feline breed. If for some reason your Maine Coon seems to be stressing out or having an anxiety attack, use a towel to help remove your Maine Coon from the water quickly.
A towel is suggested so that the person picking the cat up is not likely to be clawed as the cat is fighting to get out of the tub or the water. That could create further stress for the cat when they realize that they had hurt one of the people they love and trust the most.
