Do Maine Coon Cats Shed?

Owning a cat is a beautiful experience, and there’s no better feeling than sharing your home with a feline friend.

​However, for first-time cat owners, cat ownership is often shrouded in mystery and full of questions, and it’s important to learn everything you can about your new pet in order to provide them with the best care and companionship possible. 

So, if you want to learn more about a Maine Coon Cat’s shedding pattern, how much they should be shedding, and what to do if you think your Maine Coon Cat is shedding too much, then keep reading on as we provide you with all the information you need to know.

​Maine Coon Cat Shedding Pattern

Like some other breeds of cat, such as Siberian cats, or Norwegian Forest cats, the Maine Coon comes from a cold climate area, originating from Maine, which is the easternmost state in the USA, which is why they’re a larger breed of cat, with a much fluffier fur coat than others.

In fact, a Maine Coon cat’s coat is much more incredible than you would initially think, as they actually have a double coat, there’s the inner layer, which has denser hair to help provide insulation by trapping air, and then the more medium-length coat on the outer of its fur helps to repel water and snow from sticking in the inner fur. 

It’s common for Maine Coon cats that live in colder climates to shed their fur twice a year, once during spring, and again in the autumn time.

​Despite this, however, these cats don’t shed their fur all too much due to the thickness of their coat,  to begin with and the kittens won’t begin to shed any fur at all until their adults too. 

However, if your Maine Coon lives inside, then you can expect this shedding pattern to be disrupted quite badly, and whether your Maine Coon sheds right the way through the year, or doesn’t shed at all, is completely random.

Typically, a healthy Maine Coon that lives and is kept indoors should experience a low level amount of shedding all year round, much like any other house cat.

But, it’s important to keep an eye on the amount of fur your Maine Coon is shedding, as unexpected shedding or unusual shedding patterns could be a result of something wrong with your Maine Coon!

​Chronic Shedding In Maine Coon Cats

If you find large chunks of fur all over your house because your Maine Coon cat is shedding, then it could be a sign that something is wrong, there are five major factors that are known to affect the shedding pattern of a Maine Coon:

• Humidity and Heat
• Undiagnosed or Underlying health conditions
  
• Stress and Anxiety
  
• Improper or Poor Hygiene
  
• Bad diet.

​Let’s delve into each of these categories to see if we can help you to figure out exactly why your Maine Coon cat is shedding so much!

​Heat And Humidity

Since a Maine Coon’s fur is a form of regulator for its temperature no matter what season it is, an increase in either humidity or heat will cause them to begin to shed drastically in order to cope with the new climate.

​So, if the space that your Maine Coon lives in is insulated, then it won’t actually need its heavy undercoat anymore, which is why its body’s reaction is to shed it off as soon as possible. When this happens, however, their overcoat often remains in place. 

To help your cat in this situation, you should just brush their fur regularly, which should ensure that they stay on top of the hairy mess!

​Illness

A cat’s coat is often one of the best ways to tell whether or not it is healthy, a coat that is dull and has patchy shedding can indicate that something is wrong with the cat, and it could be just a single issue or multiple!

​Here are some of the things that could be causing your Maine Coon to shed so much:

• Allergies (Food mainly, especially things such as beef, dairy, or grains)/ 
• Food Poisoning - infection can cause a cat’s immune system to be disrupted, and begin to shed.
• Kidney and Liver diseases.
• Fleas or Ticks infestation
• Bacterial or Fungal disease. 
• Cancer.
• Diabetes or Hyperthyroidism (Endocrine disorders).
• Sunburn
• Medication side effects

​Anxiety And Stress

Excessive shedding could be an indication that your Maine Coon is stressed or anxious, along with other signs, such as: 

• Constipation or IBS
• Excessive chewing of objects
• Rejecting food
• Eating more
  
• Hissing
  
• Unfriendliness to other animals and humans.
  
• Not using their litter tray.

Consulting an animal behaviorist is the best idea if you think your cat is anxious or stressed, and should help you identify the problem at its source.

​Nutritional/Food Issues

Bad quality pet food is one of the biggest contributors to a cat’s excessive or patchy shedding, and whilst the signs of malnutrition and other flaws in a cat’s diet aren’t particularly obvious at first, they can have a detrimental effect over time!

• Excessive shedding is due to weakened fur roots. 
• Imbalances in weight 
• Tooth loss and dental infections
  
• Gastrointestinal issues such as regurgitation and gagging. 
  
• Bad eating habits.

If you think your cat’s food is affecting their shedding pattern or is causing any of these other problems, then it’s imperative that you stop feeding them their current pet food and consult an animal nutritionist or a vet in order to help decide what food is going to be best suited for your feline friend’s requirements!

​Summary

​So, to summarise, if your Maine Coon cat is an outdoor cat, then its bi-annual shedding is completely natural. But if your Maine Coon cat is kept inside, then you can expect there to be a slight disruption to its shedding pattern.