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Full manes

post #1 of 10
12/5/09 at 5:30pm
Thread Starter 
As in, those really fluffy manes on medium and long hairs.

How do you keep your cat's mane looking nice? How do you keep them from catching it in their mouths while grooming and pulling/biting it off?

Sherman's has some rough spots where he's chewed at it because it gets in the way of him trying to lick everything else. I help him when I can, but I can't follow him around and sit in on his every grooming session.

And another question... how do you keep it out of their wet food meals?

He's often in a good mood after eating and wants to snuggle with cat food scented mane, I don't like it rubbed in my face..
There has to be something those with show cats do for this.
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post #2 of 10
12/5/09 at 5:44pm
My himalayan has the same problem. I know of no other way than to brush her frequently (much to her dismay, she HATES to be brushed), and keep the hair under chin trimmed frequently. For cleanliness I also use kitty wipes.
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post #3 of 10
12/5/09 at 6:49pm
Thread Starter 
^She's cute. Sherman is ok with combing, but dislikes brushing, too.


Here's Sherman - his mane is looking more tattered than it was a couple months ago.

He's not super fluffy, thankfully, but he has enough.
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post #4 of 10
12/5/09 at 7:11pm
Show cats use a bib or a paper plate with the center cut out to place over the head when eating.
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post #5 of 10
12/5/09 at 7:19pm
Thread Starter 
Well... he enjoys eating paper so I wouldn't want to offer the slightest bit of temptation within his reach. I might give a kitty bib a try, though.
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post #6 of 10
12/5/09 at 7:30pm
You could trim his ruff or as GK said try a bib.

May need to change what your feeding from, if you use a dish try a flat saucer or plate.
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post #7 of 10
12/5/09 at 7:36pm
Thread Starter 
I use a saucer.

So I would just have to trim almost all of it off so that it's not in his way at all when he grooms the rest of himself? I'm imagining that would look terrible..
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post #8 of 10
12/5/09 at 8:09pm
I never have a real issue with Magnum's mane, he keeps it well groomed, if brushed every day or two and occasionally I trip the bits he licks / gets wet when eating

This is about as bad as he will make it, so its never really 'ratty looking' (its still damp in the pic, he licks that fur when I groom him)

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post #9 of 10
12/5/09 at 11:22pm
I am having this problem with Bugsy and Hope with their winter coats.... Poor Bugsy can barely groom himself anymore! He cannot get beyond his mane. Hope is bad, but she can manage with some work... But Bugsy.... OMG! Never seen anything like it! I am considering chopping it off. It looks pretty good, but I think it bothers him - it's got to.
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post #10 of 10
12/6/09 at 4:16am
Thread Starter 
^Sherman's coat does look much like your kitties. I've always thought he might have been a poor quality BYB ragdoll or half out of someone's BYB poor quality one (his tail doesn't have enough fullness and his body color is too dark).
When I took him in a year ago his overall coat was much shorter and he had no mane.

I tried a makeshift bib last night. Because he is such a food driven cat he didn't even notice it, so he didn't make a fuss. When I went to bed later and he did the usual smoother attempt I didn't get cat food scented fur in my face.

voooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohggbhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh <- um kitten typing, someone feel free to translate her message.

If there is another way to help keep the mane under control or out of the way of grooming, beside chopping it off (people who show their cats obviously do not cut the mane super short) I would really like to hear it.

I wonder if the mane is more of an issue to certain breeds or breed mixes? The rest of Sherman's coat (excluding his butt) isn't as long and his fur was shorter up till around last March - so maybe he's just not as good at dealing with the parts that are 3+ inches?
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