Our Maine Coon came as a rescued “present” by the local police, who did not know what to do with her. So I was not at all prepared for a long-furred creature.
Summers here are really hot, but her hair is so long and wooly that it felts in place before it can work its way out. In the first year, I had to cut her hair with a mower. ;)
The second year, I was prepared and started combing her. She enjoys it, and I get a lot of harvested hair that way. Sometimes in winter I pull out my tiny 16g top spindle and spin a bit of it. You can’t go too fine, or the thread will unravel. For sturdy and fluffy, I recommend spinning around a thread of sewing yarn or mixing in some crimpy wool fiber.
How we got a Maine Coon: Police had a … tip-off? … that someone in the area abused animals. They went there, rescued the animals and got them to the animal shelter, but there was no room for even more cats.
So they talked to our vet who had to put down our two old (14 and 16) cats earlier that month due to severe illness, for options. He sent them to us, and I put up the stray.
She was really badly off. She did not dare to eat at first, and it was the first time I watched a cat run away from shadows, a loud voice or a cawing magpie. That huge monster cat turned tail and ran when the 6 months old tomcat of our neighbor hissed in fear at seeing her.
She has been in our care ever since, and has learned to live a normal cat life, though she is unable to sneak, hunt, kill or climb a tree. I don’t cut her claws, there is no need. Teaching her that getting petted was nice took months, and she still does not want me to brush her belly hair. But she happily lets herself be brushed on her back and flanks. She also tries to eat the brush. ;)
As she recovered, she also learned to take care of her own fur, though in summer she needs help to get rid of excess wool. I think she appreciates the help, or at least the attention.