Maine Coon Grooming Brushes

A Maine Coon is not simply a long-haired cat. The coat is uneven by design: short over the shoulders, long and shaggy down the flanks and belly, with a heavy ruff at the neck and a full plume of a tail. Each of those areas behaves differently, and a single brush used the same way everywhere will miss most of them.

The ruff and the britches

The ruff is dense enough that short pins never reach the skin, so loose hair sits underneath and compacts. The britches on the back legs are the same. Both need a brush that passes all the way through the coat rather than skimming the surface, which is why pin length matters more on this breed than on almost any other cat.

The tail plume

Work the tail gently and in the direction of hair growth, holding the base to keep the pull off the skin. The plume is the single most visible part of a Maine Coon and the slowest to grow back if it has to be cut out.

Sizing

A medium head suits most adult Maine Coons and is the right balance between coverage and control. Add a small for the face, ear tufts and toe tufts. A large is usually too much brush for even a big cat, though owners of a 20 pound male often prefer it for the flanks. Brush two or three times a week year round, and daily during the spring coat drop.