Teri's Tips
Sharing with you some of the things we’ve learned over our long experience living with these Maine Coon critters.
One of the questions we often get asked is, “Do Maine Coons really like to play in water/” The answer, most assuredly, is YES! This interest in water takes many forms, some of which are quite cute. One of the not-so-cute ones is when they splash their drinking water all over your kitchen floor. You’ve probably seen your Maine Coon pawing at and splashing in their water, as if the object is to get all of the water out of the bowl before they drink. Over the years I have tried many different ways to defeat this behavior and prevent this mess, with little success. Until, that is, a client recommended the Neater Feeder. And I have to say, this is the answer! No question. They can splash all they want and the water is collected in the lower reservoir, with very little ending up on the floor. Although it’s probably meant for both food and water, I fill both bowls with water and I use the Medium size. This is available at a number of retail outlets; I found mine online through Amazon. Just search for “Neater Feeder.”
Do you have a messy eater? Want to keep the food off your floor? Well, there are fancy dancy cutesy cat-themed trays that you can pay a pretty penny for, and then there is a real simple solution: the lowly toilet tank tray. I get mine regularly at Bed Bath & Beyond for about $6: “Clear Acrylic Toilet Tank Tray. It measures 6″ L x 16″ W x 1.5” H and nicely contains cat food dishes and food particles. They are easy to clean and don’t take up lots of floor space.
How do you quickly get the cat hair off your cat tree? With a handy “slicker brush” of course! When your Maine Coon is spending a lot of time hanging out on his/her own personal cat tree, there will be an accumulation of hair on it. And since cat trees are best used if they are in household places that you, their peeps, inhabit, you want it to look somewhat presentable. Well, you can de-hair it by using a rubber household latex glove and ‘combing’ the perches firmly with your hand — that will work. But an easier way is with a slicker brush, typically used for grooming dogs, cats and/or horses. You will easily find this in your local pet store or online. While I don’t use this on my cats, I find it really handy for the cat tree de-hairing job.
Nail Clippers Over the years we’ve tried lots of different nail clippers for our kittens and cats. This particular brand is our new favorite! Very ergonomic, easy to use, and sharp enough to make a nice clean, quick trim. You can do it, really, you can.
Pet Republique – available at Chewy.com and Amazon.com
