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MAINE COON CARE AND HEALTH

Great Book on Maine Coons ~ Complete Pet Owners Manual

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Supplies you will need for your Maine Coon Kitten

Food and Water Cat Carrier Bedding Brush and Comb

Litter Box Toys Scratching Post

Temperament
While Maine Coons are highly people-oriented cats, they are not overly-dependent. They do not constantly pester you for attention, but prefer to "hang out" with their owners, investigating whatever activity you're involved in and "helping" when they can. They are not, as a general rule, known as "lap cats" but as with any personality trait there are a few Maine Coons that prefer laps. Most Maine Coons will stay close by, probably occupying the chair next to yours instead. Maine Coons will follow you from room to room and wait outside a closed door for you to emerge. A Maine Coon will be your companion, your buddy, your pal, but hardly ever your baby.
Maine Coons are relaxed and easy-going in just about everything they do. The males tend to be the clowns while the females retain more dignity, but both remain playful throughout their lives. They generally get along with kids and dogs, as well as other cats. they are not as vertically-oriented as some other breeds, they prefer to chase objects on the ground and grasping them in their large paws - no doubt instincts developed as professional mousers. Many Maine Coons will play fetch with their owners.

Sleep
Cats are the undisputed sleep champions of the animal kingdom. Only the notoriously slow-footed sloth, which sleeps away an estimated 80 percent of its life, catches more shut-eye. Although the number of hours a cat spends sleeping can vary considerably among individuals, felines spend an average of 16 hours per day in slumber land.

Feeding your Maine Coon

Kinds of food
Typically, as with all other domestic cats, the Maine Coon loves kibble which is a form of dry food. this kind of food is easy to serve in a plain bowl, which can be reloaded with kibble throughout the as needed . Most cats know when to stop eating their fill, so it isn't necessary for you to take the bowl away after the cats have partaken.
There are certain owners of the Maine Coon who add a form of wet nutrition to provide their cats with a variety in their dietary routine, but wet food isn't the best food for the main diet of the Maine Coon. It is okay as a once while reward, because cats who are given wet food tend to neglect the much more nutrition and important dry kibble. Too much wet food will give the Maine Coon a case of diarrhea and when this happens, it is time to remove the wet food from the cat's diet.
Kittens
It is important to provide the Maine Coon kitten with a particular amount of food made just for them and gradually blend in the more adult food, until the kitten food is completely replaced. Breeders will often advise owners as to the duration and kind of food that works best for Maine Coon kittens.

Tips on how to Kitten Proof your home before bringing them home

Your Maine Coon kitten certainly will live up to its reputation as the gentle giant of the cat fancy. Sweet, mild-mannered and already big for his/her age, and will charm you with his/her kitten antics and beauty. Kittens are curious little tykes and love to explore nooks and crannies. Here are tips for making sure they don't find 'toys' that can harm them.
Look around your house first, at high shelves and low cupboards and hidden nooks. Do you see things that kitty might break, or harmful substances she might ingest?
If you're into needlework, keep your supplies in a closed container. Needles and thread might appear to be fine playthings, but can be fatal if your kitten swallows them. Kittens playing with balls of yarn may make delightful pictures, but put the yarn away right after the photo session.
Fold and secure your window blinds cord out of kitty's reach. If they get tangled up in it, they could strangle.
Kittens are wonderful little pack rats. If you don't want to find your floors littered with garbage, invest in covered wastebaskets and kitchen garbage containers.
Always keep the door to your clothes dryer closed, and double-check inside before using it. Cats like to find dark, warm places to sleep, and the results could be tragic.
Keep the floor clean of stray rubber bands, ribbon and twine. All are hazardous when ingested by a kitten.
Keep cupboard doors and dresser drawers securely closed. Cats can find all kinds of mischief inside, and can be injured if you close a drawer and the kitten is behind it. Use child-safe fasteners for kitchen cabinets.
Cloth drapes are better left out of reach of your furry 'curtain-climber'. Tie them up securely until your kitten is trained to a scratching post.
Keep your toilet lid down at all times, lest kitty fall in or drink from it. Better yet, keep your bathroom off-limits to your kitten unless you absolutely have to keep her litter box there.
Do not keep your kitten in the garage, and always keep the doors closed. Anti-freeze is very tasty to animals, and is just one of the common poisonous substances found in garages.
Cover electric cords, such as the tangle from your computer, with covers sold for that purpose. Caution: wrapping electric cords could be a fire hazard.
There are a number of household plants poisonous to cats. Remove all breakable valuables from high shelves and store them in a cabinet with a door.
Use animal-safe insect repellant. Commercial roach and ant poison will kill cats if ingested.

Grooming and Cleaning Your Maine Coon

To groom a Maine Coon doesn't involve a frequent series of battles, because mostly these cats can take care of their own grooming needs. However, if you have a desire to bring your Maine Coon to a cat show, then you will need to handle things appropriately, starting with giving your reluctant cat a bath. This article will focus primarily on maintaining your Maine Coon's luxurious coat on a regular basis.
To handle the regular routine of caring for your Maine Coon cat's coat, you can plan on two times s week for this task. To accomplish this, you will want to have a comb to get rid of the matted fur, as well as a rake to groom the fur. Along with these, a set of clippers, flea comb, metal comb, cotton balls, seam ripper and white vinegar and baking soda will be needed. You will also want to use a hair dyer afterward, but keep the heat on low. Take the metal comb and untangle any knots. Use a gentle combing action when doing this, begin at the edge of the tangled fur as opposed to near the base. Grab hold of any tangled fur at the base then you won't have to worry about pulling at the cat's skin while working the knots out of the fur. If the metal comb isn't enough to eliminate this tangle of fur then the seam ripper will have to come to the comb's rescue, pulling apart the mess so that it can be combed clear of knots. When this is completed the rake will be used to clear away any of the coat that is dead and loose. You will be surprised at how much fur you will rake free of your Maine Coon cat's body. Take it all out to prevent the buildup of mote knots and tangles. As you get to the tail as well as when you are working through the belly. Be careful as these ares are highly sensitive to these cats.
To clean your Maine Coon start with the eyes. You can dampen them with cotton balls and then wipe them clear.
Moving to the ears of the Maine Coon cat, you also have a couple of choices. You can either go to a local pet store to purchase wipes for their ears, or you can do it yourself using no more than plain cotton balls. There are some who care for cats who will tell you to use Q-tips, but as with human ears, this can pose a risk if they are not used right. For instance, pushing a Q-tip into the ear canal a bit too deeply, and there could be serious consequences with the eardrums. It is better to use cotton balls. When taking care of your Maine Coon’s face, you can use a facecloth that has been dampened with warm water. Be gentle as you guide the cloth around both the mouth and the area around the muzzle.
Back to the ears, a nice tip for cleaning them out is by using simple apple cider vinegar. You will dilute the vinegar with about half parts of water. Take this mixture with some warm water, and use it on your wrist to test for acidity. After you determine it is safe to proceed, then use a cotton ball to dip into the mixture. Be careful not to soak it through. Getting it slightly damp is enough to do the job. Clean around the insides of the ears using a soft, circular movement. Do this cleaning routine with the ears using the solution once every week. The inside of the ear will have a nice pH balance to it, which will lower the risk of getting infections in the cat’s ears.
Turning your attention to the backside of the cat, those unsightly bits of feces can get trapped inside the bushy tail and the fur along the back legs. White vinegar is the best remedy here. Use cotton balls, this time soaking them in the vinegar and applying them to the feces-coated tail and fur areas. After the vinegar treatment, add the baking soda to the area until you get a foam, which should happen almost right away. Use the blow dryer next, on the low setting, until the baking soda becomes a hard paste. When this is achieved, use the comb on the paste and it should come free, feces and all. This vinegar and baking soda mix can whiten the fur also. It should not be used at or around any sensitive areas such as genitals and face.

Why you need a Veterinarian

Veterinarians address the health needs of your Maine Coon.
They are the one who has been educated and trained to diagnose and treat diseases and injuries in animals. They vaccinate, administer medication, perform surgeries, and provide general health care just like a doctor does to human. It is very important that you have a good Veterinarian for your Maine Coon.
Koontopia Maine Coon Cattery has 2 wonderful Veterinarian Clinics we use Village Animal Hospital with Dr. Sears and McCaw Veterinary Clinic with Dr. McCaw (Sr and Jr). They are very cat friendly and wonderful Vet's with the best staffs ever. So here at Koontopia we consider ourselves very lucky to have Dr. Sears and Dr. McCaw (s) with their knowledge and experience as our Vets.

Deworming your cat

Although some deworming medications are effective against more than one species of worms , there is no medication that is effective against them all. Accordingly, for a medication to be safe and effective, a precise diagnosis is required. It is almost important that the medicine be given precisely as directed. Natural side effects, such as diarrhea and vomiting must be distinguished from toxic reactions. All dewormers are poisons-ideally they are more poisonous to the parasites than they are to the hosts. for these reasons it is advisable to deworm your cat only under veterinary supervision.

Deworming kittens, a very large proportion of kittens are infested with ascarids. Other worms may be present too. It is advisable to have your veterinarian check your kitten's stool before treating her for ascarids. Otherwise worms and internal parasites such coccidia may go undetected.
Worm infestations are particularly harmful in kittens who are subjected to overfeeding, chilling, close confinement or sudden change in diet. Stressful conditions such as these should corrected before administering a deworming agent. Do not deworm a kitten with diarrhea or other signs of illness unless your veterinarian has determined that the illness is caused by as intestinal parasite.
Most veterinatians recommend that adult cats be dewormed only when there is specific evidence of an infestation.

Poisonous Indoor Plants to Cats

Plant Common Name	Effects/Symptoms
Amaryllis	Stomach and intestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea)
Azalea	Incoordination, trembling, collapse
Cactus	Punctures skin, infection
Caladium	Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shaking head, difficulty breathing
Creeping Charlie	Vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, cramps
Easter Lily	All parts can cause kidney failure
Dieffenbachia	Affects central nervous system
Ivy	Vomiting, diarrhea, excitable behavior
Mistletoe	Ingesting berries can cause vomiting, diarrhea, blistering in the mouth, difficulty breathing
Philodendron	Same as Caladium
Poinsettia	Same as Mistletoe