There are so many recommendations about show grooming those Maine Coon Cats for the show bench.  Who should you listen to?  Should you use Bounce fabric dryer sheets to wipe on your combs to prevent static in your cat’s coat?  How about putting 2 caps of Woolite in a pre-bath wash to get the coat really wet?  And then there is the one about using Dawn dish washing liquid or Goop hand cleaner to get out stud tail and oil in the coat.  Of course it cuts grease…on pots & pans, but long range use could do damage to your cats skin. The general rule should be that cats aren’t clothing or dishes or auto mechanics.  Angora cats aren’t sweaters so skip the Woolite.  Maine Coons aren’t pots and pans so skip the Dawn dish washing detergent.  Hand cleaners like Go Jo and Goop are good for working man’s hands, not cats.  I prefer to avoid these products if possible.  Excessive use of detergents and human shampoos can upset the PH balance of feline skin.  Human products are formulated for human PH not kitty cats!  

All cats, especially show cats, should receive regular baths.   It reduces hair in the house and reduces the amount of hair the kitty will ingest while grooming itself.  These can be maintenance baths or show baths.  The idea is to get the cat groomed properly with minimum damage to the coat.  Use of laundry and dish washing products can remove oils from the coat but continual use may cause drying damage making the coat brittle not to mention drying the delicate skin of a cat.  However, when dealing with greasy stud males you may have no choice but to resort to Goop and dish soap but I prefer Ivory Liquid to Dawn.  Ivory is clear and a tad more gentle.  So if you want to show your cat over an extended period of time it is best to try to preserve the coat.  Below is a brief outline of a show bath.  Different products need to be used for different coat conditions.  To find the best way to present your cat you need to experiment before the show to see which products work best for you.   Below is a brief guideline for a basic show bath.

Step 1:  On a dry coat apply Pure Pet D’Grease Shampoo or Goop for Groomers Formula to oily areas such as tail, lower back, feet/hocks, and very carefully behind ears. Microwave either product just a bit to a more liquid consistency.  Make sure it’s not too hot before putting on your baby!!!!  Part the dry coat with the handle end of a hair color application brush.   You can find these in a beauty supply store.  Apply mixture with brush end; you must get the product down to the skin. Gently massage into the coat especially on the feet and hocks. Massage in until it is transparent. Lightly wet cat down and work it in like a shampoo, then Rinse Rinse, Rinse!!  When using de-greasers, you must rinse out every bit of it otherwise any shampoos you use afterward will stick in the coat, giving you poor results and probably causing the kitty to get a good case of dandruff down the road!    The number one rule of a good bath is to RINSE, RINSE, RINSE between all shampoo applications.  The number one problem with a cat that looks clumpy or oily is someone did not get the cat rinsed properly.  It’s easy to concentrate on the top & sides and ignore the stomach, inner thighs, feet and hocks.  When the judge holds what looks like a well groomed cat up in the air and you see the clumping/separated hair on legs and belly….Someone did not RINSE, RINSE, RINSE!

 Step 2:  Removing degreasers.  Use F1R2 Super Scrub or E-Z Groom dEZolve to remove any remaining degreaser.  Apply and work into the coat then rinse well.  This is where some folks use the dish soap….again I don’t like the idea, but that’s your choice.   A human shampoo that works well is Suave Daily Clarifying for Normal to Oily Hair.  Apply shampoo, lather well and rinse. 

Step 3:  In this step you can use a color enhancing shampoo.  There are many different formulas depending on your cats color.  If your cat’s coat is thin you may opt for a texturizing shampoo such as Wonderfluff Shampoo.   If you have whites, you can use an enzyme shampoo or a whitening shampoo.  It should be noted that excessive use of an enzymatic shampoo such as E-Z Groom’s Crystal White Shampoo, will turn the coat a grayish color.  Whitening shampoos such as Tomlyn’s Sho Sno Whitener or PurePet’s Pure Bright Shampoo are a deep purple color and caution should be used with any bluing agent because if it is not worked into the coat with care it can leave blue/purple streaks.  For a brown tabby you might want to try Bio-Groom’s Bronze Luster to enhance those cinnamon brown tones in the coat. When using a color enhancing product that has its own deep color, purple, blue, black, etc….work the shampoo into a good soapy lather until there is no color.  Otherwise you can cause some serious streaking on your cat!   Depending on your cat’s color one or more of the above shampoos may enhance the color of the coat. 

Don’t forget to do the cat’s head.  For this you may want to use a small amount of shampoo on a cotton ball or wash cloth.  Be sure to rinse carefully.  To avoid getting water in the ears fold the ears carefully to the head and spray carefully.  See the following picture for best way to fold ears down in order to avoid getting water in the ears.  Also be careful when rinsing throat and chest, do not hold the cats head up in air and get water down its nose or mouth….inhaling water like this can cause serious respiratory problems.

Step 4:  This is where you may want to use a conditioner.  There are many good conditioners and use varies from cat to cat, coat condition and individual needs.  One of the best stand-by tricks is to use vinegar…..yes, white vinegar.  Vinegar is a natural softener and reduces static.  Use ¹/8 to ¼ cup of white vinegar added to one or two quarts of water.  Pour over cat and then rinse until squeaky clean.  If the cat’s coat is thin you may want to skip the vinegar as it may flatten the coat. 

Step 5:  Drying your cat.  Gently and thoroughly towel dry the cat.  Put kitty in drying cage.  I use a small portable stand blow dryer to blow warm air into cage.  DO NOT cover cage….air must be able to circulate or you will suffocate the cat!   Some cats do well to just cage dry.  I prefer the blow drying method for that “show” result.  After kitty has a few minutes to sit in cage and relax, I use a small Metro air force dryer.  Do not use any brushes, combs, slicker brushes, etc. when drying a show cat!!!  You will strip and remove too much coat!  Blow with the direction of the long coat to avoid tangling.

Cats are going to shed in Spring/Summer and sometimes a light shed in late summer in preparation for their fall coat.  I should own stock in 3M for all the lint remover rollers I’ve purchased!  If you are concerned that your cat is shedding at shows…too bad…get use to it or get a skinny hairless cat.  The longer and more plush the coat, the more hair you have to contend with.  You can wash and comb the day lights out of them until they have no coat, but that won’t get you any ribbons!  Mass removal of coat is counter productive to winning show cat!  Here is a tip given to me by some Persian breeders.  It is to “float” the cat during the bath.  Just fill up the sink with cat in it up to its little shoulders.  Swish your hands through the coat…lots of excess hair will come out without you pulling it out with combs.  This works great if you put conditioner on the cat before the “float”.   After emptying sink, rinse with clear water.  However, beware--- some cats may try to kill you…so know your cat.  Works on all my cats except Cassie Sue who has a major panic attack! 

Oh yeah…and all the bathing in the world won’t help if your cat’s nutrition is off.  A beautiful cats coat comes from the inside out! All the show bathing can take a toll so you need to supplement from within the cat.  A good supplement is a fatty acid supplement that can be found in a liquid capsule form which is full of fish oils and Omega 3 fatty Acids.  You can give the cat the capsule, but I prefer to pierce the capsule and squirt the liquid on their food once a day.  It smells like fish and the cats just love it!  I’ve been using it on Kramer and its done great things for his 4 inch long coat not to mention it seems to have aided in the elimination of his chin acne!  Double bonus!!!    There are various brands on the market, and as always, before giving your kitty any extra supplements, consult with your veterinarian.

Below are a few sources to obtain the above mentioned products:

Care-A-Lot Pet Supply at www.carealotpets.com or 1-800-343-7680

PetEdge at www.PetEdge.com or 1-800-738-334

Maloron Distributing & Sales at www.maloron.com or 217-352-0425

KV Vet Supply Co at www.kvvet.com or 1-800-423-8211

Special thanks to the model in our pictures, Furkats GP W J.R. who is a perfect angel!