Baby bath yes, baby bath no

In this article we will only talk about Maine Coon although we are absolutely aware that many of the considerations made may also be valid for other breeds. Our ethics, however, require us to speak only of what we believe to know really well, therefore only of Maine Coon.

Let's start with considerations on the nature of our cat.

The breed evolved in North America, close to the forests of Maine, where temperatures are low, winters are long and snowfalls are frequent and abundant. To survive in these environmental conditions, nature has endowed the Maine Coon with abundant primary hair or " cover " in the upper part of the body, along the spine, up to the entire length of the tail. In this area, the sebaceous glands specialized in the secretion of a waterproofing grease act in a more evident way that allows the mantle not to let water and humidity in general filter towards the skin, thus allowing the preservation of body temperature and protection from thorns and other types of vegetation capable of causing abrasions.

On the hips the hair is longer and gradually thickens thanks to the presence, which becomes predominant on the gorget, chest, armpits, belly, groin and "shorts", of the so-called undercoat which has a very thin, almost woolly structure, capable of capturing very small bubbles. air and, like our "microfiber", use this trapped air to provide a barrier to heat dispersion and therefore cooling.

In the same way, the system is able to protect from excessive heat even if with less effectiveness because the heat produced by the metabolism has little surface to be dissipated, even if the ears are large and the fingertips as well.

In nature, the life of the Maine Coon is adventurous, between hunting and courting, challenges between males for the conquest of the Queen and protection of the offspring ... the " consumption " of hair and waterproofing substance is considerable. Having the low branch of a tree as a comb and being able to roll on fresh grass to disguise your smell is a whole other life than domestic life.

As I see it, we need to think in terms of " compensation ": not only has nature equipped us with tools that are not needed at home, but we must add the consideration that in the new environment there are no opportunities for "consumption". So the human caring for the Maine Coon must take it upon himself to restore balance.

More or less fat has deposited on the hair, depending on the area, and that must be removed otherwise as soon as the moult begins, the dead hair instead of falling and scattering on the floor, remain attached to the fat and all together can felting and create a knot wide and flat in some points motion close to the skin, capable of preventing the range of movements and moreover creating a favorable environment for the development of dermatitis and more.

To remove excess hair you can use a stripper that penetrates the coat and removes the undercoat, prevents the formation of knots but not completely, has the ability to cut without tearing, but in general has very wide blades and is easier. use it in some places and not all.

Here is the bathroom option becomes interesting. Using suitable shampoos, you can remove excess fat from both the hair and that deposited on the skin, allowing better oxygenation by restoring a healthier level of humidity, and above all allowing dead hair to fall and disperse in the environment and not stay there. felting.

From these considerations comes our belief that by giving the cat two baths a year, perhaps in correspondence with the seasonal moulting periods, we will allow our cat to:

do not get full of hair when they take off, the usual malt cream will be more than enough to lubricate the intestinal transit;

do not create knots in the friction areas (groin underarms) where the undercoat is easily subject to felting

Allowing the cat to keep the hair needed for thermoregulation and no more.

You can learn how to do it at home. In the end, it is not strange for our cat that an activity to which he devotes many hours a day can be done together. We must certainly get used to the antistatic comb and a brush that can also only have the role of pampering, not necessarily associated with the annoyance of untwisting or slaning. We really know many people who have learned to do it themselves at home, and many others who have a good and trusted professional groomer.