Is anyone familiar with this breed of cat? Mu BIL and his wife have 2 of these cats and just got two more kittens today!! Now, my dh has fallen in live with these kittens! LOL I do really love cats and their personalities, but I am not a fan of shedding at all. Dh is claiming that his BIL says these cats don't shed much at all. I am trying to find some info on the net, but would like some personal stories too if anyone has experience with this breed. Thanks so much!!

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 07:58 pm:

Maine Coons are BIG and beautiful! We considered getting one several years ago. They have long fur and I find it hard to believe they don't shed much. We have two Ragdolls. They have medium length fur that is supposedly nonmatting and low maintenance. No, they don't require as much combing and brushing as long hair cats but they still do shed and require some grooming. They're worth it though! We're kitty lovers.

By Vicki on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 08:07 pm:

I found it very hard to believe too Trina. That is why I am trying to find info on them. Is there such a thing as a cat that doesn't shed? There are dogs that don't, you would think there would be a cat!!

By Boxzgrl on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 08:13 pm:

How about Mr.Bigglesworth on Austin Powers 2 ?(LOL)

By Vicki on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 08:47 pm:

Trina, I actually just read something on Ragdolls that say they are "low shedding" do yours shed much? I just can't seem to find any info on shedding on the Maine Coon!

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 09:45 pm:

Here is a totally shed free cat. LOL!

Sphynx


Vicki, Ragdolls supposedly have "low shedding, low maintenance, non matting fur" but they still shed and if not groomed properly, their fur will mat. When I comb them there are lots of clumps of fur. So, from my personal experience, I don't think any cat, other than a Sphynx, is "low shedding". I have a central vac system and have to clean the cat fur out of the filter once or twice a week. We have a total of three cats, so it's not exclusively from my Ragdolls. That said, a small price to pay when you consider the joy they bring to our lives. All three of them are beloved family members. My fur babies.

By Cat on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 09:52 pm:

Our cat/kitten (Gizmo) may have some MC in him. We're not sure, but the vet thinks so. Believe it or not he really doesn't shed that much! Our other cat (some sort of tortie-we don't know) sheds a LOT! She's the nervous sort. lol Anyway, Gizmo is about 10 months old now and he weighs about 14lbs. The vet said he'll probably be between 15 and 19lbs when fully grown. He's quite a character! He's really more like a dog than a cat. He likes to drink out of the toilet, has jumped into the tub twice now (takes him forever to dry off!) and will stand up behind me with his front paws on my rear if I'm standing in the kitchen not paying attention to him. Every now and then I will find a clump of hair/fur on the carpet. But as for individual hairs, I don't find any from him. He's a great cat.

By Vicki on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 07:41 am:

LOL.. not interested in that one Trina!! No matter if it should or not, cute does play some factor in our choice! LOL

I don't mean I can't find one cat hair, but some cats shed so much you would swear they should be bald. I just don't want that. I few hairs here and there I can deal with. Cat hair laying all over everything, I can't!

Thanks to everyone for their stories and opinions. We are still undecided, but still researching the internet also.

By Cat on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 11:12 am:

Good luck with your decision, Vicki. I kwym about shedding. We had a husky/wolf hybrid once and WOW! You could have stuffed several pillows with her hair! She lives with my brother and his family now. *eg*

Oh, btw, we weighed Giz last night and he's up to 14 1/2lbs. Little piggy! He's also big/tall enough that when he stands on his hind legs with his front legs against the cabinets in the bathroom he can reach the top of the counter and see what's up there. He LOVES the bathroom sinks for some reason! lol

By Trina~moderator on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 11:43 am:

LOL Vicki, no we don't have cat hair EVERYWHERE. It's not too bad. My DS is allergic to cats and we're able to keep our three. We added two more kittens to the mix 2 summers ago and that was too much for DS. It broke our hearts to have to find new homes for them.

Cat, Gizmo sounds like quite a sweetie! By his size alone he very well could have Maine Coon in him. I love BIG cats! Ragdolls get BIG, too. Oh, we've had cats who are drawn to water as well. One of our Ragdoll kittens (Tucker) was nicknamed "Bath Boy" because he often jumped into the tub with the kids. LOL! Do you have any pics? Can't you tell I just love kitties?!

By Trina~moderator on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 11:46 am:

Vicki, forgot to mention.... Go visit your BIL and hang out with his cats. Pet them and look around to see how much fur there is. A word of caution: They will probably melt your heart and win you over with their sweet nature and cute antics regardless of how much they shed! LOL!

By Mommmie on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 12:00 pm:

We always get short hair cats and don't have too much shedding. I really wanted a silver American Shorthair - saw some at a cat show - but the cost, Lordy, Lordy $450. But they were great cats. Not real big though.

I love the look and personalities of Maine Coons, just can't handle the long fur. I don't have any first hand experience with the shedding, I was just making an assumption that long hair equals fur in your food. If you get one, post his pix!