Best grooming tool for Maine coon undercoat?

bugmankeith

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I have an old Maine coon male and my brushes don’t work too well on his undercoat shedding plus he doesn’t groom as good anymore. I’ve tried the furminator and a slicker brush. He won’t let me brush his mane/neck, belly, or legs I think the brushes hurt him he bites himself as I brush him. What do you suggest to remove the stubborn undercoat and Matts?
 

GoldyCat

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A comb will work better than a brush on long fur. Preferably wide toothed and metal. The metal teeth are rounded on the ends so they won't scratch him.
 

sivyaleah

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I have an old Maine coon male and my brushes don’t work too well on his undercoat shedding plus he doesn’t groom as good anymore. I’ve tried the furminator and a slicker brush. He won’t let me brush his mane/neck, belly, or legs I think the brushes hurt him he bites himself as I brush him. What do you suggest to remove the stubborn undercoat and Matts?
First, the Furminator is not recommended for Maine Coons. It pulls out too much fur and thins out their coat. We have an MC kitten (Luna) and our breeder and other's I researched very specifically said not to use it.

The comb I am using is a "Buttercomb" made by Chris Christensen for Cherrybrook. It's the one our breeder said to get for Luna - she used to be a professional groomer for many years and still enjoys it as a hobby. It's for both cats and dogs. When you look at it you'll wonder if it will actually work. It does. My long hair domestic cat LOVES this comb. She literally drools when I groom her with it. The MC kitten is still getting used to being groomed (she thinks it is a toy and battles the process LOL) but is slowly learning to enjoy it when I catch her half asleep. Works like a charm - glides through fur easily. The one I have doesn't seem to be on the web site right now (#000 Greyhound, not sure why it's called that) but the #0003 looks exactly like it so maybe they have just remarketed it.

Chris Christensen 003 7.5" F/XC Greyhound-Style Buttercomb03

They also make specialized combs for dematting, however, I personally have used a dematting cutter when necessary if you have steady hands. I tried finding the one I use, kind of looks like a small saw but wasn't able to. If I find it I'll post it for you.

For everyday gentle grooming we like the Kong Zoom Groom. It actually gets out a fairly good amount of fur for such a simple too.

KONG Cat ZoomGroom Multi-Use Brush - Chewy.com

If your boy is badly matted you may have to think about more severe measures as I'm sure you know the mats will drag his skin down which is painful. But, you probably can attend to it yourself with some time and patience if it isn't too far gone. It helps if you put some talcum powder or cornstarch on the mat and work very slowly, dispense treats if necessary as you go along. Don't try to tackle too much at once as you want it to be a good experience for him. Again though, to get them out quickly I'd use the mat cutter myself. It just slices them off, and you can also cut through them first so that you can untangle them too. If he trusts you - you'll be able to get rid of one of them fairly quickly before he even knows it.
 

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First, the Furminator is not recommended for Maine Coons. It pulls out too much fur and thins out their coat. We have an MC kitten (Luna) and our breeder and other's I researched very specifically said not to use it.

The comb I am using is a "Buttercomb" made by Chris Christensen for Cherrybrook. It's the one our breeder said to get for Luna - she used to be a professional groomer for many years and still enjoys it as a hobby. It's for both cats and dogs. When you look at it you'll wonder if it will actually work. It does. My long hair domestic cat LOVES this comb. She literally drools when I groom her with it. The MC kitten is still getting used to being groomed (she thinks it is a toy and battles the process LOL) but is slowly learning to enjoy it when I catch her half asleep. Works like a charm - glides through fur easily. The one I have doesn't seem to be on the web site right now (#000 Greyhound, not sure why it's called that) but the #0003 looks exactly like it so maybe they have just remarketed it.

Chris Christensen 003 7.5" F/XC Greyhound-Style Buttercomb03

They also make specialized combs for dematting, however, I personally have used a dematting cutter when necessary if you have steady hands. I tried finding the one I use, kind of looks like a small saw but wasn't able to. If I find it I'll post it for you.

For everyday gentle grooming we like the Kong Zoom Groom. It actually gets out a fairly good amount of fur for such a simple too.

KONG Cat ZoomGroom Multi-Use Brush - Chewy.com

If your boy is badly matted you may have to think about more severe measures as I'm sure you know the mats will drag his skin down which is painful. But, you probably can attend to it yourself with some time and patience if it isn't too far gone. It helps if you put some talcum powder or cornstarch on the mat and work very slowly, dispense treats if necessary as you go along. Don't try to tackle too much at once as you want it to be a good experience for him. Again though, to get them out quickly I'd use the mat cutter myself. It just slices them off, and you can also cut through them first so that you can untangle them too. If he trusts you - you'll be able to get rid of one of them fairly quickly before he even knows it.
I agree with your post. Brushing actually makes the matts worse!

We now only comb. The fine tooth comb is used sparingly as by itself can also cause matts. (used to get potential ticks and bugs out of fur after cat has been in yard).

The blue and black combs are used for almost all of the grooming.

20191228_083316.jpg


Here is what we look after!

20190922_190441.jpg
 

sivyaleah

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Purr-fect Purr-fect beautiful babies!

We use a similar comb to your blue and black for regular grooming. 👍

Here's our MC kitten Luna with our rescue, senior sister Cocoabean. You can see why we need a lot of specialized tools for fur maintenance!
 

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Purr-fect

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Purr-fect Purr-fect beautiful babies!

We use a similar comb to your blue and black for regular grooming. 👍

Here's our MC kitten Luna with our rescue, senior sister Cocoabean. You can see why we need a lot of specialized tools for fur maintenance!
Sivyaleah.......Your cats are lovely.

Our "babies" are over 20lbs each...lol

Bugmankeith........ wide toothed combs are the answer.
 

nunnc84

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I have an old Maine coon male and my brushes don’t work too well on his undercoat shedding plus he doesn’t groom as good anymore. I’ve tried the furminator and a slicker brush. He won’t let me brush his mane/neck, belly, or legs I think the brushes hurt him he bites himself as I brush him. What do you suggest to remove the stubborn undercoat and Matts?
Butter comb they cost $50. Last grooming tool you will buy.
 

ModernCatLady

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I love the furminator! Or the Hertzko slicker brush which you can get on Amazon.
 
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