What Curly Belly Hair On A Maine Coon Means!

Have you ever noticed that some cats have curly belly fur, whereas, others don’t? If you’re wondering why this is, keep scrolling!

Do Maine Coons Have Curly Belly Hair?

Maine Coons are a large natural cat breed known for their fluffy fur. Whilst the majority of Maine Coons have long straight silky hair, this does not mean you will never see a Maine Coon cat with curly fur. Curly hair on a Maine Coon is usually located on their neck and belly.

The Maine Coon cat’s fur is made up of two important layers to keep them warm, including a short dense, and thick undercoat, and a longer outer guard coat that is semi-water repellent.

Maine Coons tend to have long thick straight hair, but this is not a consistent feature across the breed so it’s not uncommon to find a Maine Coon with curly belly or neck hair.

During the winter months, you might notice that some of your cat’s long straight hair becomes slightly wavy due to the moisture in the air.

It is best to groom your Maine Coon using these key grooming tips for a minimum of 2-3 times a week, and more during the cold damp winter months when their fur is prone to more tangles.

To ensure a smooth Maine Coon grooming routine, only groom your cat with these long-haired cat grooming tools.

Why Your Cat Has Curly Belly Hair

Most common reasons why your cat has curly belly hair:

1. Rex Mutation

Cats with curly coats result from an unusual genetic variation known as the rex mutation, a genetic variation causing changes in the cat’s hair structure.

Other cat breeds identified with this genetic variation, are:

• Cornish Rex
• LaPerm
• Devon Rex

Therefore, if your cat has curly hair on a particular body part like their belly, their curly hair might simply be part of their lineage.

2. Weather

If you own a purebred Maine Coon their curly belly hair might simply be a result of the cold weather because most long-haired cats are prone to wavy fur during cold seasons.

How Do You Brush a Cat’s Belly?

Grooming your cat’s belly regularly helps to lessen shedding and matting in this region of their body.

Here is a guide on how to brush your cat’s belly hair, successfully:

1. Make Your Cat Comfortable

Make sure your cat feels comfortable and relaxed before you start brushing them. To achieve calm vibes, start by petting them or gently stroking their fur to get them in the mood for grooming.

When brushing your cat’s fur, you mustn’t rush straight to brushing their belly region immediately.

2. Brush Accessible Areas First

When you feel that your cat is comfortable and ready to be groomed, take one of these Maine Coon grooming brushes and start gently brushing on areas they like to be touched.

Whilst doing this, you might also wish to gently stroke under their chin or on their back to keep them feeling calm.

3. Start Brushing Their Belly

If you think your Maine Coon cat is getting used to the sensation of the brush, you should slowly move to their belly region.

Be aware that this area is a bit sensitive for them, so your cat might try to resist being brushed. They might even attempt to scratch or bite you.

If this happens, never force your cat to be brushed on its belly. Sometimes, your pet just needs some time to adjust to the routine.

Therefore, always be patient and try brushing them on their belly during their next grooming session.

4. Offer Special Treats

After the Maine Coon grooming session, you must offer a special treat to your cat so that they associate grooming with earning tasty treats.

This is effective, as they will want to be groomed to have more food. You could also end the brushing session with a bit of playtime.

Grooming Cats With Mats On Their Belly

Long-haired cats are prone to matting or clumping hairs, especially around their belly. Matting can be painful and uncomfortable for your cat.

The most common reasons why matting occurs are as follows:

• Dirt
• Dead Skin Cells
• Dead Hairs Entangled In The Fur

To limit your cat’s discomfort whilst they have their matted fur removed, make sure you follow these tips on the best way to groom long-haired cats with mats:

1. Use A Brush With Teeth

Most mats can be removed using a wide-toothed brush.

2. Gently Hold Your Cats Fur

When de-matting a Maine Coon cat, remember that the process might be painful for your cat.

Therefore, before you pull any mats out of your cat’s fur coat, ensure that you are holding some of the furs within your fingers to avoid the comb pulling the cat’s skin.

3. Start At The End

To remove your Maine Coons matted fur more easily, start by grooming at the end of the mat.

This is important as it will prevent the comb from becoming stuck in the mat, causing it to pull against the cat’s skin.

4. Long Curly-Haired Cat Breeds

If you are hoping to add a curly-haired pet to your family, here are some of the best cat breeds with curly hair (source 1):

• LaPerm: True to its name, the LaPerm appears to have naturally permanent wavy hair. However, the types of waves on this breed may vary.

• Skookum: If you want a small yet curly feline, the Skookum breed would be a good fit for you. These cats have wavy fur all over their body, even their eyebrows, and whiskers.

• Maine Coon: Although Maine Coon cats usually have straight long hair, some cats of this breed have fuzzy fur, especially if they have very long hair.

• Chantilly-Tifanny: Another long-haired curly cat is the Chantilly-tiffany, a known cross between the Havana Brown and Abyssinian Longhair.

• Selkirk Rex – If you love cats with thick curly coats, the Selkirk Rex is your best option. This cat breed is known to have extremely curly hair.