Maine Coon grooming in Gloucester, MA

VCA describes the coat as shaggy and weatherproof, with a bushy tail, and calls the breed's grooming needs surprisingly minimal for a long-haired cat. The length is uneven: shorter across the shoulders, fuller down the sides, longest in the ruff around the neck, the britches behind the thighs and the tail. A weekly pass with a metal comb is VCA's whole recommendation, and for many Maine Coons in a Cape Ann house that genuinely is enough.

Where it does tangle is predictable. The ruff felts under a collar and where the cat tucks its chin to sleep. The britches collect litter and rub together every time a big cat sits. The belly mats where the cat lies on cool floors in summer and against a warm radiator cover in winter. The winter undercoat is the other factor: a coat that grows in thick for the cold months has more loose hair to drop when the days lengthen.

Size changes the visit more than the coat does. A cat that heavy cannot be scooped up and pinned, and under low-stress handling it should not be: our cat behavior specialists work with minimal restraint, at an unhurried pace, and stop before stress builds, which on a cat this strong is also how everyone stays safe. A big, dense coat simply takes longer to wash and dry, so plan for a longer appointment than a short-haired cat would need.

Large cats carry their weight on their joints, and VCA notes that heavier cats are more likely to develop degenerative joint disease and that not wanting to groom is one of its signs. A Maine Coon that has stopped washing its rump, hesitates at the litter box or no longer jumps to its favorite shelf should see a vet as well as a groomer. Tell us about stiffness when you book, and if your cat is well past the 20 pounds VCA lists for males, ask your vet whether that is frame or extra weight.

VCA's advice is a metal comb once a week to keep the coat tangle-free, and the important word is metal: a soft brush glides over the shaggy top and never touches the undercoat. Split the job if your cat runs out of patience. Comb the top half one evening and the underside the next, and always finish on the cheeks or the chest, the places big cats tend to enjoy.

In the shedding seasons, step up to every other day. Cornell's Feline Health Center notes that hairballs come more often in the seasons when cats shed, and that long-haired breeds such as Maine Coons are at greater risk, so the hair you comb out is hair the cat does not swallow. If a knot will not part with the tip of the comb, leave it for Minimal Trims; our guide to preventing mats explains why scissors at home are a bad idea.