Seeing a cat swimming is very rare because most cats simply hate the water and everbody knows this. Some people even recommend to use a spray bottle filled with water to train a cat that some things are not allowed. While the surprise factor plays a role here, most cats don´t like to be wet afterwards. There are some cat breeds, though, that love playing with water and even love swimming. What about the Maine Coon? Do Maine Coon cats like water? Here is your answer!
The Maine Coon is one of the cat breeds that actually love water. They like playing with the water in the water bowl, they love lying in the shower when it is still wet and they like to rub their head on your legs after you come out of the shower. A lot of Maine Coon cats actually like to swim as well. Besides their appearance, this is another reason why the Maine Coon is called Maine Coon. Because they like water like racoons and look similar when playing with it.
So there you have it, most Maine Coon cats love water more than anything. The only thing they probably show more love for is their owner. However how can you test if your Maine Coon cat likes water as well? Every cat is different as you know. And can you give your Maine Coon a bath? You are about to find out about that and more.
Do Maine Coon Cats Like Water?
While you know now that this breed is known for loving water and loving to swim, that doesn´t mean that your Maine Coon loves water as well. As you know, every cat is different and it could be that your Maine Coon hates water. There are always exceptions and forcing your Maine Coon to swim or forcing it to take a bath can scare your cat. In the worst case this can even have painful consequences for you, even though Maine Coon cats are pretty laid back.
How To Test If Your Maine Coon Cat Likes Water
When we got our Maine Coon cat, Maze, we didn´t even know that Maine Coon cats are known for loving the water. We simply weren´t interested in that, since we did not plan to give Maze a bath at any point in live (she is an indoor cat).
However there were some situations that showed us that she is okay with being wet. For example, when we got Maze she was 12 weeks old and she was scared, because she was taken away from her brothers and sisters and was in an entire new environment – her new home.
Because of that she peed on the floor and sat in it for a while. We had to clean her with a washcloth and warm water. She was scared of us, but she was really calm when we washed her with the warm water. The next thing she did when she was older was rubbing her head on our legs when we came out of the shower. She somehow loves being wet.
Besides that we also found her multiple times lying in the wet shower and enjoying herself.
If you experience such things it should be clear that your Maine Coon is interested in water and probably likes it. There are a couple of things you could do to test this even more. If your cat is allowed to be near the kitchen sink, turn on the water and see what your cat does. Don´t forget that the water should not be ice cold as your cat could be suprised and after that it will probably a little bit scared of water.
Maze – 12 weeks old
Further you could also get a very big water bowl that invites your Maine Coon to play with the water. Maine Coon cats are known for playing with the water like racoons. The slap their paws into the water so that the water splashes everywhere.
Test If Your Maine Coon Likes To Swim
If you made some tests like I said above and you noticed that your Maine Coon likes water, you can go over to phase two. Therefore you need a bathtub. You can also try that with a shower or with a huge laundry basket you can fill with water, but your Maine Coon probably won´t able to swim in that.
So, place your Maine Coon in the bath tub and before you do that turn on the water. Turning on the water before putting your cat in the bath tub prevents your cat from freaking out and wanting to escape. Some cats just don´t like bath tubs and the noise of the water could scare them even more.
Let the water run so that the bath tub slowly fills with water. See how your Maine Coon reacts. Putting a ball or your cat´s favorite toy can help to make your Maine Coon cat feel great and having a good time. Treats are good as well.
The bath tub will fill slowly with water and soon you will see if your Maine Coon wants to swim or if your cat tries to escape, because it is getting too much.
Should I Bath My Maine Coon?
Normally cats clean themselves. So there is no real reason to give a Maine Coon a bath. However if you have an outdoor Maine Coon, sometimes this just needs to be done. Even though cats clean themselves, this can take a while and nobody wants mud or other gross things a Maine Coon rubbed and rolled in outside on their carpet.
So to answer that question, you should only bath your Maine Coon if it is so dirty that you don´t feel good letting your cat run freely through your house. Other than that, there is no need to bath a Maine Coon.
How To Bath A Maine Coon
The most important thing is to not force your Maine Coon to take a bath. If your Maine Coon just does not want to take a bath, but you definitely have to clean it, take a washcloth and clean your cat with that.
However if you have already tested if your Maine Coon likes water and you know that it likes to swim, you can easily combine playing with the water with giving your cat a bath. For that simply do as I described above and fill your bath tub slowly with water while your Maine Coon is in the bath tub. Don´t forget to put a ball or your Maine Coon cat´s favorite toy in there. Make sure that your Maine Coon has a good time and simply add some shampoo to the water.
You can then ruffle your cat´s fur and wash it at the same time. Your cat will enjoy it and you have a clean cat. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.
The Best Maine Coon Shampoo
You should not use a normal shampoo that you use as well. There are special cat shampoos that are not expensive at all. Those shampoos are good for your cat´s fur and those shampoos don´t burn in their eyes and they don´t burn in the nose. This is important as your cat will also put its snout under water. I recommend to get this shampoo for your cat.
Do You Want To Let Your Maine Coon Swim In Your Pool?
Some lucky people have a pool or a pond in their garden (I don´t even have a garden). You definitely can let your Maine Coon swim in a pond or in the pool and it doesn´t matter if the pool is very deep as cats are good swimmers … aand they have a couple of lifes. I am just kidding, they just know how to swim.
The only thing you have to make sure is that your Maine Coon can get out of the pool quickly without big effort. If you are worried, well, just join your cat and go for a swim. You can also put your cat on a leash if you are really, really worried, but seriously, they are good swimmers.
Conclusion
So as you see, Maine Coon cats do not only like to play with the water, most of them even like to swim. You can even give your Maine Coon a bath if it is needed, but don´t forget that normally this isn´t necessary. Also, don´t use a normal shampoo for humans when giving your cat a bath. This can hurt your cat as such a shampoo might cause a burning pain in eyes and nose. Use a shampoo especially for cats. Get such a shampoo here!
Just make sure that your Maine Coon is having a good time while playing with the water and simply enjoy seeing a cat swimming. As you know, this is pretty rare. If you have any questions you can leave a message in the comment section below. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Does your Maine Coon like to swim? Do you have any stories that you want to share with us? Have you asked yourself the question” Do Maine Coon cats like water ” as well, or has your cat just surprised you? Leave a message in the comment section below!
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