The Maine Coon cat is renowned for having luscious long hair. In fact, it is their thick mane of hair that helps to really set them apart from other cat breeds, making them extremely distinctive.
Keep reading to learn more about the 5 Best Brushes For Maine Coons.
The best Maine Coon grooming brush for loosening tangled cat fur is the Hertzko Self Cleaning Brush. The FURminator sheds fur, reducing shedding by up to 90%. Cat grooming gloves are ideal for nervous cats. The Hertzko Comb plumps Maine Coons fur, creating a perfect ‘finished’ look. The AtEase Dual-Sided Pin Brush is great for regular brushing.
In order to keep their impressive fur in great condition though, owners need to make grooming their Maine Coon cat a top priority, so their fur doesn’t become matted.
With a large number of grooming tools available on the market though, it’s easy to get confused as to which brushes for Maine Coons work best.
Take a look at our top 5 brush recommendations, to ensure you are using the right tools.
Best Brushes For Maine Coon Cats
If grooming your Maine Coon cat is important to you, but if you’re in a rush then take a quick peek at the table below which identifies the 5 best brushes for Maine Coon cats.
Click the link to view each brush on Amazon.
The table summarises the only brushes you will ever need, and why you should buy them right away!
| Brush (Amazon link) | Why You Need This |
|---|---|
| Hertzko Self Cleaning Brush | Use regularly to groom your Maine Coon, keeping their thick fur in a healthy condition. Prevents matting. Easy to clean, and gentle on cats skin |
| FURminator | Ideal if you need to de-shed your Maine Coons thick hair. Up to 90% reduced shedding. Quickly cuts matted hair out, without hurting the cat |
| Grooming Glove | Great brush for removing small tangles, fluffing, and finishing your Maine Coons fur |
| Hertzko Comb | Use regularly to groom your Maine Coon, keeping their thick fur in a healthy condition. Prevents matting. Easy to clean, and gentle on cats’ skin |
| AtEase Dual-Sided Pin Brush | Two brushes for the price of one! The soft brush pins stimulate increased blood circulation, encouraging healthy hair to develop. Ideal daily grooming brush |
Maine Coon Coat
The Maine Coons coat is a fabulous thing and can be found in a range of different colors, from orange (officially known as ‘red’), to blue and black.
It is thought that their impressive coat of fur developed to what we see today, due to the harsh winter climates of New England, where few standard cat breeds were able to survive.
Below are the main characteristics of the Maine Coons coat:
- Undercoat: Made up of two soft yet dense coats of hair. The hair is shorter.
- Overcoat: A longer outer coat covers the undercoats. Whether it is silky, or fluffy ultimately depends upon your Maine Coons genetic makeup.
- Thick Coat: The Maine Coon has a thick coat that is prone to matting, knots, and tangles. It needs to be regularly groomed by owners. Read these amazing grooming tips.
- Shedding: Their fur sheds most during Spring when the climate gets warmer.
You will notice that your Maine Coons coat of fur varies in size throughout the calendar year. This is because the Maine Coon breed adapts to the climate they are living in.
For instance, as Winter approaches your cat’s fur will thicken to ensure that the Maine Coon stays warm throughout the winter months.
Then, as spring approaches you will see significant levels of shedding all over your home, since they lose their ‘Winter Coat’, and prepare themselves for the warmer seasons.
Make sure you regularly groom your Maine Coon at this time, to ensure loose ‘dead’ hair does not get caught in the remaining fur.
If you think your Maine Coon is shedding too much though, read this article I wrote.
Best Grooming Brush For Maine Coon Cat
All cat breeds are known for being very clean, and hygienic.
When their fur becomes dirty, or matted, they are unable to keep their fur clean, and this causes them significant levels of distress.
If the fur becomes too matted, a Maine Coon cat may even start ripping out their own hair, leaving bald patches of skin where the matted hair had gathered.
If you witness this, you need to work quickly to free the fur from knots, matting, and tangles, since your Maine Coon is stressed and suffering psychological health issues.
Grooming your Maine Coon is therefore an incredibly important and necessary process.
This makes buying the best grooming brush for your Maine Coon cat even more important because it prevents distressing situations like this from occurring.
Make sure your Maine Coons grooming box includes the following top 5 grooming brushes:
Top 5 Brushes For Maine Coons
In order to establish a successful grooming routine with your Maine Coon cat, you need to be aware that no single brush covers all of your grooming requirements.
Instead, you will need to invest in a range of different grooming tools, each with its own unique benefits.
Why am I experienced talking about this subject?
Well, our Maine Coon is prone to matted hair, particularly during the wet, damp, winter months. I groom his coat non-stop during these months to prevent it from becoming matted.
His high maintenance fur has cost us a fortune because we have bought almost every single type of cat brush or glove in existence!
- Are all brushes the same? NO! They range widely in terms of quality, suitability, and durability.
- Do all brushes work? NO! In fact, many were awful.
- Which brushes would I recommend? Take a look at my top 5 grooming brushes below.
Best Hair Brush For Maine Coon
Save yourself considerable time and money, by learning from our Maine Coon grooming struggles!
Check out my top 5 brushes for Maine Coons that have simplified the grooming process.
1. Hertzko Self Cleaning Slicker Brush
This product is popular for a good reason, so why not check out the best prices for the Hertzko grooming brush on Amazon right away!
What Makes This Grooming Brush Great?
This is one of our absolute favorite grooming brushes because it is so effective at removing our Maine Coons tangles and knots before they become an issue.
We literally use it every few days, because this grooming tool is perfect for removing loose hair that would have become caught and tangled within our Maine Coons long thick fur.
You should use this brush regularly, to keep any tangles at bay. It acts as a preventer to serious matting, and will not yank your Maine Coons skin whilst removing knots, or clumps of hair.
Key Benefits:
- Gentle Brush
- Strong And Durable
- Encourages Healthy Coat
- Easy To Clean
- Suitable Size
- Comfortable To Use
If your Maine Coons hair is deeply matted, take a look at the FURminator de-shedding tool below.
a) Gentle Brush
This is one of the best brushes for Maine Coons, because its fine bent wire bristles are able to carefully penetrate deep into a Maine Coons thick undercoats, to remove loose tangled hair.
The brush has also been designed to remove dander and dirt from a cat’s fur, without scratching their skin.
b) Healthy Coat
Maine Coons are well known for being long-haired cats, with an impressive mane of hair. If you want to keep their fur looking at its best, you should use this Hertzko Self Cleaning Brush from Amazon.
Grooming your Maine Coon with this brush helps to increase their blood circulation, because it gently massages their skin, leaving their fur both shiny and soft.
c) Easy To Clean
One of the things that set this brush apart from other grooming tools, is that it is incredibly easy to keep clean. Just one click of a button, and the bristles retract back into the brush.
This is beneficial since it enables owners to wipe fur off the brush quickly and easily.
d) Brush Size
Maine Coon cats are one of the largest domesticated cats in the world, so you need to make sure you buy a brush that is sized appropriately.
This particular brush is ideal for large cats because its larger size helps to speed up the grooming process.
e) Comfortable To Use
Many cat brushes are not designed with the owner’s requirements in mind and can be difficult to hold, or simply uncomfortable.
This cat brush is unique because manufacturers have also taken the owner’s physical needs into consideration.
This is evident because the brush includes a comfort-grip, and anti-slip handle, designed to reduce an owner’s chance of developing wrist or hand strain.
2. FURminator Long Hair Deshedding Tool
There was a great offer on the FURminator Long Hair Deshedding Tool when I looked on Amazon just now. Here’s the link if you are interested.
Why I Love This Brush
The FURminator is a de-shedding and raking grooming tool.
It is one of my top 5 recommended grooming tools because it is great for removing dead hair that has become matted and tangled within a Maine Coons thick dense fur.
If used on a regular basis, it also significantly reduces your Maine Coons shedding rates by up to 90% (according to manufacturer guidelines).
Manufacturers also advise that this grooming tool will invigorate a cat’s skin, by stimulating its natural oil production levels. This also helps to strengthen their hair follicles.
I discovered this grooming tool when our Maine Coons fur first started to show signs of easily knotting.
I think I was actually more concerned and scared about using the brush than our Maine Coon cat was!
To be honest, though, I needn’t have worried, since the FURminator did exactly what it said on the box, and our Maine Coon wasn’t the least bit phased or stressed when I helped him with his grooming routine.
I was able to easily brush his excess tangled hair clumps off his fur.
The key benefits of this brush are:
- Removes clumps and tangled hair quickly
- Gentle on cats skin
- Easy to clean
- Stainless steel product
- Approved by Vets
- Reduces hair shedding and hairballs
a) Simple To Use
The reason the FURminator has been so successful is that it makes grooming your large cat both simple and quick.
Small clumps of hair can be removed from your Maine Coons coat within a few minutes before they develop into unmanageable matted fur.
b) Gentle
The FURminator has been designed to quickly detach and cut out loose hair, from within the Maine Coons thick dense fur.
The unique design includes a de-shedding edge that combs deep into your cat’s thick undercoat, gently removing any loose hair.
It is particularly effective because it does not pull or tug on your Maine Coons skin whilst knotted hairs are being detached.
c) Easy To Clean
I love the simplicity of cleaning this grooming tool because all it takes is one click! Just use the FURejector button to clean and remove loose hair from the tool.
d) Stainless Steel
Many cat grooming tools feel cheap, lightweight, and breakable. This is not the case with this grooming tool though, since it is made using stainless steel, and feels high quality, and made to last.
e) Approved By Vets
This grooming tool has been approved by veterinary professionals, further supporting its high level of effectiveness and quality.
f) Reduces Hair Shedding And Hairballs
Manufacturers claim that the FURminator is the most effective de-shedding tool available on the market, reducing shedding up to 90%.
Using the FURminator will therefore reduce your Maine Coon cat’s hairballs.
Furminator YouTube Video
Take a look at this short video (hosted on Youtube), on the Furminator in action:
3. Grooming Gloves
I appreciate my lovely readers who live across the globe. Therefore, here are the quick country-specific Amazon links, for the best cat grooming gloves that I have personally tried:
United States: Pet Grooming Glove Sold By Delomo
United Kingdom: Crazily cheap glove, available in a range of colors
Why I Love This Cat Grooming Glove
Cat grooming gloves are a great way to gently groom and de-shed your Maine Coon cat.
They are really cheap to buy, and particularly effective since the glove mimics the sensation of being stroked, whilst also detangling a cat’s knotted hair, and removing excess loose hair.
Grooming gloves are very effective for grooming nervous cats, or cats that are not too keen on having a full-blown grooming session.
Why? Because cats love to be stroked by their owners, which makes this type of grooming tool ideal since an owner can literally wear the grooming glove whilst stroking their cat.
Always make sure you pick a glove that is designed for long-haired cats though, to ensure that the soft prongs can reach, and unhook the knots.
Key benefits of using this cat grooming glove:
- Removes loose pet hair and dirt
- Easily detangles matted hair
- Glove calms and relaxes cat
- Washable
a) Removes Loose Pet Hair
Owners can keep their Maine Coons fur in great condition by using a grooming glove to gently remove any loose cat hair or dirt.
The glove enables owners to reach matted hair, which a large grooming tool would not be able easily to access.
b) Easily Detangles Matted Hair
Grooming gloves are ideal for nervous cats, or those that are not too keen on being groomed, since the soft silicone tips on the glove effectively help to detangle matted hair.
c) Glove Calms And Relaxes Cat
It’s not hard to see why Maine Coon cats love being groomed with a glove. What cat wouldn’t love to lay down, relax, and be gently massaged with a grooming glove?!
The massage also promotes a cat’s blood circulation and metabolism, encouraging the production of cats’ natural oils.
d) Washable
If you buy a product, it needs to be practical.
This grooming glove on Amazon definitely doesn’t disappoint in this respect, since you can wash it with warm soapy water, to remove excess dirt or hairs.
4. Hertzko Pet Comb
Currently discounted on Amazon, making this pair of two cat grooming combs a real bargain. Take a look for yourself!
Wide Tooth Comb For Cats
I always keep a wide-tooth cat comb handy because they are ideal for quickly removing small tangles or excess loose hair.
They also reduce the amount of cat hair shed around your home, and are easily stored because they don’t take up much space.
Key benefits of the wide-tooth cat comb include:
- No scratching
- Finishes and Fluffs Cat Hair
- Suitable for all areas
- Removes tangles, dander, and dirt
- Grooming Stimulates Blood Circulations
a) No Scratching
The metal combs are designed with smooth rounded ends, to prevent your cat from getting scratched whilst the cat is being groomed.
b) Finishes And Fluffs Cat Hair
We all love our Maine Coon cats looking their best, and this wide-tooth cat comb won’t leave you feeling disappointed.
Instead, the comb will help finish and fluff your Maine Coons fur as no other brush can.
c) Suitable For All Areas
This handy pack of two differently sized cat combs is ideal for helping owners brush all of their Maine Coons fur. Both small and large areas are no issue for these combs.
d) Removes Tangles, Dander And Dirt
Quickly removes loose tangled hairs, dander, and dirt. Suitable for all sizes of cats.
e) Grooming Stimulates Blood Circulation
Brushes for Maine Coons are a great way of increasing the blood circulation levels in your cat because brushing encourages a healthy coat, which leaves your cat’s coat looking shiny, and feeling soft.
5. AtEase Dual-Sided Pin Brush
This handy dual-sided brush is literally like getting two brushes for the price of one. It’s competitively priced on Amazon.
Here’s the link if you are interested.
Why You Need This Brush
I love this grooming brush because it has so many uses, from gentle grooming to de-shedding and de-matting.
The double-sided bristle brush feels great quality and is safe and easy to use on your Maine Coon cat.
As your brush, your Maine Coon, the soft pins on the brush stimulate their blood flood, which helps their bodies to produce natural oils that ultimately make their fabulous coat look shiny.
The additional ECO-friendly qualities of this brush also make it ideal in my opinion.
Maine Coon Grooming Tips
1. How Often Should You Groom A Maine Coon?
Aim to groom your Maine Coon cat either daily, or every few days.
This might seem a little excessive, but it is extremely important since a Maine Coons fur is extremely thick and dense, and can become quickly matted.
A regular grooming routine will help prevent unwanted tangles and knots from developing, whilst also building a stronger bond between cat and owner.
If your Maine Coon isn’t keen on being groomed regularly, try brushing them with a different grooming brush.
Bizarre as it may sound, you may notice their willingness to be groomed changes if you use a brush they prefer. Cats really can be quite fussy!
2. Which Grooming Brush Do You Need?
The table below shows the main types of grooming brushes, and why you may need them:
| Brush Type | What Does It Do? |
|---|---|
| Slicker Brush | The slicker brush is easily identifiable by its rectangular shape, and metal wiry bristles. The bristles are very dense, with limited gaps in between. This grooming brush is great for removing knots and tangles and should be used on a regular basis |
| Grooming Glove | Grooming gloves are great for cats that love getting lots of owner attention. You can gently groom your Maine Coons fur with a glove, and reach knots on their body that would not be easily accessible if you were using a solid brush. Perfect grooming tool for nervous cats, because you can simply stroke your cat, whilst you wear the glove. It is not suited to matted fur, but regular grooming. Cats will love the massage given by the prongs on the grooming glove |
| Soft Brush | Helps to remove excess loose hair from Maine Coons coat of fur. Suitable for regular grooming, or after the owner has used the de-shedding tool. Gentle on your Maine Coons hair and skin. Not recommended for highly matted, or knotted cat fur |
| Deshedding Tool | Used to significantly reduce cat hair shedding. Deshedding tools have prongs that reach deep into cats’ undercoats, removing dead hair and dander. Prevent matting from occurring. Tools are designed to not pull on your cat’s skin |
| Rake | A rake is used to remove loose dead hair that may have become stuck within a Maine Coons thick dense hair. Includes a blade that is able to cut hair underneath the matted hair, freeing the matted hair from your cat. Tools are designed to not pull on the cat’s skin |
| Comb | Designed to remove small knots and tangles only. Will not remove matted hair. Should be used as a ‘finishing’ grooming tool, to fluff cats fur |
| Pin Brush | You can buy a pin brush with either wire or plastic pins. The pins are not packed close together, but instead, leave wide gaps to allow the fur to pass through them. The pins are small, with rounded ball-like ends, and are gentle on your cat’s skin. This grooming tool is ideal for slightly tangled hair, but would not suit de-matting r equirements |
3. Best Way To Get Loose Hair Off Cat
The answer will ultimately depend upon how tangled and knotted your Maine Coons fur has become.
- Regular Brushing: If you need a grooming tool to regularly brush your Maine Coon cat, to remove general loose hair then I would recommend using the Hertzko Self Cleaning Slicker Brush.
- Severely Knotted Fur: If your cat’s hair has become severely matted then a variety of different treatments may be required. For instance, if your Maine Coon enjoys a bath, try washing them with specially formulated cat shampoo and conditioner, to help loosen the tangled hair. Once dry, you could then brush their fur with some very gentle brushes, before moving onto the FURminator which can carefully brush a cat’s thick fur whilst also slicing underneath the matted hair, to remove it.
4. Maine Coon Dull Coat
Ensure that you are only feeding your Maine Coon high-quality dry food, containing high levels of protein, and Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
For more information on the correct food to be feeding your Maine Coon cat, you can read my article: ‘5 Best Cat Foods For Maine Coon Cats‘.
5. Salmon Oil
Sometimes your Maine Coons fur may need an extra level of care and attention, to help reduce matting and knots developing.
For this, I recommend adding a few drops of pure salmon oil to their food.
Salmon oil will help improve the quality and health of your Maines Coons fur, whilst also helping to alleviate any issues of itchy, dry skin, which could also be the root issue of your Maine Coon fur knotting issues.
I recommend you use the following salmon oils, dependent upon the location you live:
a) United States
If you live in the United States, Pure Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil is the most effective Salmon Oil to use on your large Maine Coon cat.
It contains an Omega 3 liquid food supplement that has been proven to support hip and joint functions, your cat’s immune system, and heart health.
Salmon oil is also beneficial for improving your Maine Coons skin and coat.
b) United Kingdom
For those of you living in the United Kingdom, this 100% natural pure salmon oil is ideal for keeping your Maine Coons fur in a healthy condition.
It is easily available from Amazon and will help support your cat’s immune system health, heart health, and joint functions.
Placing a few pumps of pure salmon oil into your pet’s food will also help reduce dry skin conditions or itching.
Whilst the Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids derived from EPA and DHA will help keep your Maine Coons fur coat soft.
6. Spray Conditioner
Sometimes your Maine Coon cat might need a little bit of extra help to keep its impressive fur in great condition.
As an owner, you can proactively keep knots and matted fur at bay by spraying your Maine Coons fur a few times each month with cat fur detangling spray.
This cat fur conditioner spray available from Amazon works wonders on a Maine Coons long thick hair and helps to free up any tangled and knotted loose hair.
Its natural ingredients contain a range of vitamins that promote healthy hair and deliver high-performance results.
7. Fur Wipes
If your Maine Coon doesn’t like taking a bath but often gets tangled furry knots, consider using some fur conditioner wipes.
Although wipes will not replace the need for an owner to groom their Maine Coon on a regular basis, wipes are a great way of removing dander.
Wiping your cat with wipes also helps to remove loose hair, whilst also keeping your cat’s fur coat clean.
I love these cat deodorizing grooming wipes because they are biodegradable, natural, hypoallergenic, and free from any fragrances.
US: Click here to view grooming wipes
UK: Click here to buy grooming wipes
8. Best Shampoo For Maine Coon Cats
Did you know that washing your Maine Coon cat with specially formulated cat shampoo is an extremely efficient way to groom your cat?
It’s true! Bathing a Maine Coon will actually help to detach loose dead cat hairs, whilst also removing any dander on their fur.
On the plus side, Maine Coon cats are known for loving water.
Bathing, however, is a step further than your Maine Coon might not be willing to try!
If you want to give it a go, owners who have successfully bathed their Maine Coons recommend that you should start bathing your Maine Coon whilst they are kittens.
Recommended Cat Shampoos Include:
9. Maine Coon Seasonal Coat
The thickness of a Maine Coons fur will vary throughout the year, depending upon the season that you are in.
For instance, when the climate is warm your Maine Coons fur will be far thinner, allowing your cat to stay cool.
On the flip side though, when the winter months approach, you will notice your Maine Coons fur getting thicker.
The thick Winter coat grows to help keep your cat’s body warm during the colder climate.
10. Maine Coon Shedding
Maine Coon cats shed their thicker Winter fur layers as the springtime approaches, and the climate gets warmer. Expect to witness increased levels of shedding during this time period.
In order to limit the amount of shedding, make brushing your Maine Coon cat a priority.
Maine Coon Tips
As I’ve mentioned earlier, our Maine Coons fur is prone to matting, which makes me best placed to advise on how to manage high maintenance Maine Coon cat fur.
If you want to manage your Maine Coons fur, you must first make your best efforts to establish why your cat’s long thick hair is matting.
For instance, the following three factors were the main issues for my Maine Coon cats fur matting:
- Poor Climate: Maine Coon fur really isn’t designed for the climate we live in. The Winter months can be quite cold and wet, increasing the likelihood of matting.
- Genetics: Maine Coon cats genetics play a key part in the likelihood of your cat’s hair being prone to matting. When we queried this with the breeder, she explained that our Maine Coons parents had mixed hair types. Whilst one parent had great tangle-free hair, the other parent had hair more prone to matting. So, genetically, we just didn’t luck out! Thankfully his adorable and loving personality makes up for his high-maintenance fur!
- Food: You may not think it, but the food your cat eats has a massive impact on the quality of their fur. I was certain there was a link, so tried a wide range of different cat foods on our Maine Coon. Through the process of trial and error, I discovered the best cat foods to feed a Maine Coon cat. If you are interested in learning more about this fascinating subject, read my article “5 Best Cat Foods For Maine Coons“.
Conclusion
The market is packed with a multitude of different brushes for Maine Coons, each claiming to be the next best thing.
Whilst some of these products might be pretty effective, there are many more that I personally didn’t consider effective at all.
When it comes to grooming, you cannot go far wrong if you stick to my top 5 grooming tools for Maine Coon cats.
Each recommended product has its own unique purpose and qualities.
Ultimately though, it will depend on your cat’s natural temperament and willingness to be brushed, so never force your cat to be groomed if they are not happy.
The brushes for Maine Coons that I have recommended in this article, are the best in the industry. Happy grooming!