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Cats/Showing Maine Coons

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Expert: - 6/29/2009


Question
Hi, What can you recommend as a very safe and reliable treatment for whitening the hocks, ruff, and right under the chin of my sweet Maine Coon girl? Also, do you ever trim their muff fur and at the base of their coats when the fur looks wispy? Finally, I have read that some breeders pluck fur off around their show cats eyes and face to make their features more prominent -- do MC breeders do this as well and doesn't it cause pain? I would appreciate any help with this,  Thanks.

Answer
Glynnis,

As to whitening hocks, ruff, and chin, it depends.  Some substances, like coffee, sink right into the hair shaft, so the stain has to grow out.  Most substances stain on the surface of the hair shaft, only. If this is a with white Maine Coon, are you sure that under the chin is stain as opposed to part of the with white pattern?

We like to use the Clorox product Oxy-Magic (a spray), which according to veterinary friends of ours is perfectly safe.  Also, about once or twice a month shampooing the white areas with EZ-Groom Crystal White is a good idea also to help get out stains.  We dilute it 1-to-1, heat it up in the microwave (not too hot), and let it stay on a few minutes after we have sudsed it up, and then rinse very, very, very thoroughly.

One should never, never, never, never, under any circumstances, pluck a Maine Coon's face.  This may be OK for Persians, but Maine Coons should be exhibited in a more natural way. Having said that, as a finishing touch, where we have white hairs in the pattern on a with white Maine Coon, we do pluck some of these.

I hope this helps.

Best regards... Norm.  

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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