Recommendation Products
Alot of our Owners ask about what types of products we use in our catteries from supplements to litterboxes. If we found something that works, or we just love, we want to share to make life easier. Everyone has their own needs, taste, and requirements out of the 3 of us. So hopefully there are ideas for the majority to aid your Maine Coon from the moment they leave our hands and into yours! These are just things we like and bought. We are not getting these products for free or paid in any way for the recommendations. NuVet is the only product we are in a program with but purchase products from them regardless.
SUPPLEMENTS SECTION
NuVet Supplement
Everyone at Twisted Claw Cattery is on NuVet supplement. The supplement is added to their food to ensure they maintain happy & healthy no matter what stage of development each Maine Coon may be in. We use it from as early as weaning age, pregnancy, whelping, adolescent, breeding, to geriatric. It's always a good idea to give Maine Coons extra support in the nutrition they consume. Being a larger breed they tend to need added support. This is one product we find easy to use being powder form and we just mix it right in on their dry food. It's become a staple in our cattery.
LITTERBOXES
Automatic Litterbox
Maine Coons need a larger litterbox if you want to avoid a lot of frustration and cleanup! I've been through it trying to find the right set up that fits my home and needs currently due to alot of back & neck surgeries. I have made tons of posts in breeder groups and Maine Coon groups on FB asking what automatic litter box will accommodate a large breed cat! Alot recommended the Litter- Robot 5 and the Neakasa. Expense is a factor. Especially if you needed multiple!
In my search for a reasonably priced automatic litter box I had already tried 2 other brands. My big boy Bowser just hated them, MacGyver always exited with poop on his hocks and tail, and my old man DK (which is just a DSH stray i bottle fed) just struggled to climb in them. My sisters and I have tried large totes, custom made boxes, plastic, metal, and breeze systems. We hated them all. Either appearance was a factor, locations to put them, size to fit a Maine, or smells. Although some worked, they fell short in other areas. Buying multiple automatic litter boxes was getting expensive. But while recovering from another bone fusion and just getting old, I wanted an automatic litterbox! I found this one on Amazon. It fits up to 33lbs and is wide and mostly open. Bowser still hates it but all the rest use it with no problems. I did add an adjustable elevated cat ramp with the sole purpose to help catch litter, make it easier for my old boy DK to step in, and lose some intimidation factor of stepping up and over inside it for Bowser. This brand is called UBPet and I waited for a sale to purchase it. Only 2 aspects of it I don't care for is the straining grate I wish was a little smaller holes. It can break up the poop sometimes and leave pieces behind in the litter, and the attachment provided when time to dump the litter completely you have to place inside. Just hate having to wash it after each- once a month use. But overall, it seems to be doing the job for half the price. I have seen very similar ones by other companies now on the market that may have slight better improvements. I'll probably try a different brand next round but keep the style of this one. If you want an automatic litter box I would definitely make sure its designed for larger breed cats or you may end up with a bigger mess.
Stainless Steel XL Metal Litter Pan Tray with High Wall Sides
If you want to stick with a traditional litter box, we have found using a stainless-steel litter box eliminates a lot of odors compared to plastic material which traps the odor regardless if you use vinegar or any other type of pet safe cleaner. That being said we recommend getting one that has higher sides and is at least a XL in size. We have found that even the XL is borderline being too small for a Maine Coon. They do make XXL to XXXXL stainless-steel litterboxes now from enclosed, corner, front, to sidestep ins. Just use caution using enclosed or even the side guard type like shown here. Maine Coons struggle accommodating their tails in the boxes and tend to get poop on them if to enclosed or just not tall enough. They also love to use their powerful paws to scoop harder in the litter which slings it out in smaller walled litter pans. I had gotten this on Amazon and they are pretty reasonably priced. Although this particular one pictured that i had purchased is no longer available I have seen tons of other brands there.
TOYS
Shown are just a few toys we found our cats really love to play with past the basics of balls, mice, and teasers.
PetPals Treat-Dispensing Slow Feeder,Pets Dry Food Dispenser,Cats Slow Feeding Snack Bowl, Grilled Fish Spinning Toy, Food Puzzle Cat Toy
Found this cool little toy on Amazon. For cats that need more activity it would be a great way to feed them with the amount of space inside the fish. My cats enjoy manipulating the fish which has 2 opening ports or you can close one side off to make it a bit harder. Ports are adjustable to accommodate a pretty wide range size of what type of treats or food you want. In addition, the bottom section has a spinning wheel on it for an additional mode of interaction. My old male loves to scratch and rub his face with the sticks which makes it extra cute.
Giociv Interactive Cat Toys for Bored Cats, with Chirping, Centipede Motion Wake-up Super Motor Cat Ball on Rug
Bought this little toy last year. It has 3 modes of play- they touch it and it activates, will go in standby mode to conserve battery, and run in 3 different speeds. It zigs and zags unpredictably while making sounds.It says it runs on carpet but in my home I don't have carpet to review how it runs on that. All in all my cats seem to love it and can make it come alive when ready to play. If it doesn't get lost underneath something and forgotten about I try to charge it occasionally. Found it on Amazon and have seen similar devices so I'm sure anything similar would be a win.
Sold by: Atles-us Aiperro 3-in-1 Automatic cat toys for indoor cats, fluttering butterfly, whack a mole, rotating feather wand, USB recharging interactive feather toys for multi-cat family
This space ship style toy I found on Amazon that is pretty neat. It recharges instead of batteries which is a plus and has various interactive modes. The teaser on top can spin by itself, the middle section of feathers can weave in and out of the wholes by itself, or the bottom has feathers that appear to pop from hole to hole of the feet. Or you can mix and match which parts work together. It has expandable feet for more stability and comes with extra parts for when they destroy the feathers! My cats love it for a change up in my toy routine to keep them active and stimulated to prevent boredom. I have seen a version of this I was torn between that was shaped like a cheese wedge that did similar interactions. All in all anything similar to this one would be entertainment for your Maine Coon to change things up.
WATER BOWLS
We have had the occasional water lover Maine Coon that loves to make a mess via their water bowl. We have tried rocks, marbles, and shallow dishes to keep them from splashing it everywhere to no avail. It's taken some time to figure out what works for those. This water dish has been the hands down winner! It is basically a float that lets small amounts of water sit on top. As they drink the water down the dish goes down. It is made of stainless steel so it's easy to keep clean as any other and keeps them from getting to the whole dish of water. This size particularly has helped with them being able to dump it over as well. This brand we found on Amazon and you can get the top piece in a few colors. Works well for more than one cat and holds a gallon of water. Few other types of designs out there similar to this one. Least you have an path to search down with this idea. We prefer to have fresh water to them daily in forms of fountains but this does the trick for those that isn't a option due to their love for water playtime!
heouvo 1 Gallon Large Dog Water Bowl No Spill,【Anti Digging Lid & Rubber Bottom】 Spill Proof Dog Bowl, Anti Splash Mess Dripless Slow Drinking Stainless Steel Water for Sloppy Messy Drinkers