The Show Bath: Grooming Secrets of the Winners#

If you touch a Maine Coon at a cat show, their fur feels different. It isn’t just clean; it feels like a cloud. It floats. It separates. It has “loft.”

This doesn’t happen naturally. It is the result of the Show Bath. Washing a cat for a show is chemistry. You are stripping every molecule of oil from the coat and replacing it with volume.

Here is the “Secret Recipe” used by top exhibitors to get that gravity-defying coat.

Step 1: The Degrease (The “Goop” Phase)#

Maine Coons are greasy cats. They have active sebaceous glands (especially the “Stud Tail”). Water and shampoo alone will not remove this grease; they just smear it around. You need a mechanic’s hand cleaner.

The Product: Groomer’s Goop (or original formula Goop).

How to use: Apply it to the DRY coat. Rub it into the tail base, behind the ears, and into the “armpits.”
Wait: Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to break down the oils.
Rinse: Rinse with warm water until the water runs clear.

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Step 2: The “Strip” Wash (Dawn Dish Soap)#

Yes, the stuff you use for dishes. To get “show volume,” the hair shaft must be stripped of all residue.

Wash the cat with Blue Dawn dish soap. This removes the last traces of the Goop and any natural oils.
Warning: Do not do this to a pet cat weekly. It is drying. For shows, it is essential.

Step 3: The Color Enhancer#

Now that the hair is “naked,” you deposit color.

[cite_start]Red/Brown Tabbies: Use a “Gold” or “Copper” shampoo to highlight the warmth (Rufism)[cite: 2923, 2958].
Silvers/Whites: Use a “Purple” or “Bluing” shampoo (like Chris Christensen White on White) to cancel out yellow stains.

The Drying Process: The “Fluff”#

You cannot let a show cat air dry. It will look flat. You need a High Velocity Dryer.

Technique: Blow the air against the grain (from tail to head). This forces the hair to stand up from the root.
The Comb: Comb constantly while drying to separate every single hair.

Conclusion#

A show bath takes about 2 hours. It is exhausting work. But when you see your Maine Coon on the judging table, shimmering under the lights with a coat that looks like spun silk, you know it was worth every second.

References#

Walsh, L.G. (2013). The Maine Coon Cat. “Caring for and Grooming,” p. [cite_start]61[cite: 758].
Chris Christensen Systems. Show Grooming Guides.
The Cat Fanciers’ Association. Grooming the Longhair.
Robinson, R. Genetics for Cat Breeders. (Coat composition)[cite_start]. [cite: 2846]
Cat Fancy Magazine. Grooming for the Ring.