Maine Coon Breed for me?

Hey all

I've moved to a much larger place and im itching to get a new kitten (or two!) Have been to a few cat shows and have fallen in love with the look and size of the maine coon!

I've found a breeder with two pure white boys available in a few weeks- been to see them and they are gorgeous

Very very tempted- my only concern are my much quieter very small persians and exotics. Will the maine coons fit in with my much quieter very very placid, lazy docile cats???

I will be homing both these boys as i feel it wouldn't be fair to them to them to not have an active cat to play with- plus they are inseperable- and how would i decide which one?? hehe- much safer to get both!!!!

They are VERY playful, so I definitely think it would be better to take both so they can knock each other around and leave the more docile elder residents in peace, lol...

Both of mine have Maine Coon in them, and they have a continual wrestling/chasing game going on whenever they are awake. It's fun to watch!

As long as you are getting 2 coons, it will be ok - they can play with each other. But if you were getting one, he may have a harder time getting the quiet cats to play.

I'm assuming that the kittens will be neutered when you get them, or will you have them done?

Since both are white do you have same or different eye colors?

Thank you for taking the time to answer

One of them is a blue eyed white and the other is an odd eyed .... both are stunning- really affectionate and playful as anything..... which is really amusing to watch- like i said verrrrry different to my lot- but i guess that is what worries me too....

They haven't been neutered- but they will be at 6 months- they'll be ready to go at 13 weeks.


Does anyone else have any coon experience???

Does the blue eyed white have any difficulty with its hearing?

Congrats on your new additions. I'm sure they'll be tons (litterally) of fun!

I have two Maine Coons, but I guess it's all about individual personality. One of our guys was extremely extroverted until we got him here, but he's been a lot more shy with us than he was in his previous home. I'm prayerful that this will change as he gets more used to us. The other one is the complete opposite of the breed standard, very anti-social and wants to be left alone most of the time. He does LOVE to play, though, and he really gets into it when play time comes. I'm not the most knowledgeable person about cats (we just adopted ours) but I agree with the others who have posted... if you're getting two kittens, I think it will be fine as they should keep each other company. One thing I do want to mention is the extra care that goes into a Maine Coon. Mine need to be brushed every few days and Arek doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t particularly like it (hopefully since yours are kittens, you can get them used to it.) But, really, if you go too long in between brushings, they WILL get matted, so beware! And because of their size, we can't use a standard litter box - even the large boxes. They seem to be greatly opposed to going in a soiled box more than once unless they have enough room to work around the "clumps" (at least mine are, anyway.) So we use very large tupperware containers. Not only this, but they LOVE to play in water, and if they ever go from the water to the litter box, you'll have it tracked all over the house - and clumped to their feet, if you buy the clumping kind. We use Feline Pine to avoid this, but I still havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t been able to transition all of the cats to it yet. Anyway, I'm not saying this to talk you out of a MC - they are a wonderful breed! But I do think they can require a bit more "work" than other breeds... at least mine have.

If you do adopt them, I'd love to see pictures! A solid white coon must be a beautiful site. I know there is another person on the cat site who has a white MC and her cat is gorgeous.

Rina, I went to a cat show on Saturday and talked for a long time to a Maine Coon breeder. I asked her about matting, and she said the breed didn't really have an issue with that because they don't have the undercoat (like persians have) that would cause the bulk of the matting. When I felt their coats, they were smooth and silky. A lot like my siamese cat, but with longer hair. Are your MCs as high maintenance as a persian would be in the grooming department?

I think the original poster mentioned she had persians, so it probably won't be a big deal to her anyway.

Did you get your cats from a breeder? They sound like maybe they weren't very well socialized as kittens. How old are they? I saw a 7 month old MC at the show that was already 13lbs! My 7 month old siamese kitten is barely 6lbs!!!

They were very beautiful cats though and both my husband and I were smitten. Unfortunately, he wants nothing to do with longhaired cats (bye bye MCs and somalis and balinese ) Your cats in your signature are beautiful I love big floofy cats!

Are all maine coons that shy when first brought into a new home? At what age did you get your Rina. Worries me slightly as i've never ever had an issue with shy cats/kittens- Persians and exotics, in my experience, are so laid back that they'll take to any new place- and within 10 minutes will act like they've always lived there Fickle bunch i guess
And the mothers hair was very silky- not cottony like a persian- just as Tiffany said- almost like a long-haired siamese!


And yes- i did check for deafness in both cats- their ears definately responded to noise.... Do blue eyed whites sometimes have a problem with blindess too??

And yes- i will def post pictures if i get them... i'd love to see pics of the adult white maine coon on here- quick searches on google doesn't really show too many pictures of white coons

I hadn't heard of blindness being connected to blue-eyed whites only the deafness. It also seems to run in dogs as well as cats. That was one major problem with the movie 101 Dalmations, almost all solid white Dalmations are deaf and after the movie runs people would run out to find a solid white dalmation for the kids and they would usually be deaf. A deaf dog and small children definitely is not a good combination.

I recall reading somewhere that blue eyed cats in general don't have very good eyesight and that the crossed eyes found in breeds like the siamese was a natural attempt to correct this. I don't know how true that is and I don't think I really believe it. My cat has blue eyes and he goes crazy if theres the smallest fly on the ceiling!

Hey JasmineCat,

We have a MC, Beacan, who is a black smoke, and two Siamese. Got them all as kittens around the same time. Beacan settled in very well, he was purring from the moment he came into our house and he's never really stopped! Certainly not shy. They are very energetic cats, not quite as much as the Siamese, but think nothing of a 10lb MC kitten running up your curtains!

Beacan doesn't like being combed much, but it's definitely at least a weekly necessity. He is soft as anything, he likes nothing more than to sit on your lap and look up at you with his firey orange eyes while you cuddle him. What a darling!

Be prepared for your new kittens to outgrow your resident cats... Beacan is not yet 9 months old so he's still a kitten, yet he is the size of a large adult cat and already 13 lbs.

Just wanted to say that I think they will be fine as long as they have each other to play with!
I am jealous hehe, I LOVE the white Maine Coons!
We're getting a black Maine Coon kitten at the end of the month (well, techinically my brother is, but I will be "kittensitting" during the day) and I can't wait!
The size thing is true, I am hoping for a big cat but our currect cat is also a very big cat so I think that will be ok-- she's a DSH and she is 14 lbs with huge paws...

<< Are your MCs as high maintenance as a persian would be in the grooming department?>>

Oh, no, I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think so! From what Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve read about Persians, they need to be groomed every day without fail. But these guys will mat after a few days without brushing. We brought Shachar home from a breeder who had just poofed and puffed him for a show. He looked great! Seeing as he was new, I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to start brushing him right away until heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d gotten used to everything and I waited about five days before I brushed him. Well, sure enough, he had a few mats under his belly near his hind legs. I havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t noticed the top of the ‘coons needing to be groomed much, but the underside gets curly and can mat quickly, from what Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve experienced. Apparently, every MC can be different, though, because I did speak to one breeder who told me that she has a MC who almost never needs brushing - but I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think this is typical.

<<I think the original poster mentioned she had persians, so it probably won't be a big deal to her anyway.>>

Oh, yes, I missed that in her signature.

<<Did you get your cats from a breeder? They sound like maybe they weren't very well socialized as kittens. How old are they?>>

We got Arek from a shelter, heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s 3 years old and not only do I think he wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t socialized very well, I also think he was abused in his former home. The people who had him DUMPED him in the drop box, with a note attached saying that he was “dumber than a pile of rocks.†How smart did they need their cat to be???!!! Needless to say, he is very leery of people. Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve spoken to a breeder who does behavioral work with cats and she gave us some suggestions and weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re working with him on this. He does let me pet him in the mornings, now. Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll get there eventually.

Shachar was bought from a breeder. Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve only had him here for a little over a week - he is NOT timid at all (heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s into EVERYTHING) but for some reason I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t understand, he hasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t liked a lot of attention since he got here, either. I KNOW he wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t like this in his old home, so I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s wrong. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m starting to think that there is something wrong with me. Is it possible for cats to simply NOT like certain people? NONE of my cats are very friendly, except Pipsi. Shachar will get up and walk away when I pet him, too. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m trying not to handle him very much in hopes that he just needs time to get used to things around here. The weird thing is that the first two days he was here, he was crawling all over me. And then for some reason, he just stopped and now heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll walk away when I pet him and I have NO IDEA what Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve done!

<<Are all maine coons that shy when first brought into a new home? At what age did you get your Rina. Worries me slightly as i've never ever had an issue with shy cats/kittens->>

Arek was 3 when we got him, and Shachar is 2. Please, if you know of anything I could do differently, please tell me. My husband has come home to find me in tears a few times… I love these cats, and I feel like such a failure!

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m sorry this has been so long!

Rina, Please don't feel bad about your kitties not wanting to cuddle too much. When I got Duke, he cuddled all the time and he would sit on my lap or shoulder and always followed me around. Now that he's claimed the house for himself , he doesn't need meowmy to follow him around anymore and he comes to get cuddles on his own time. Give your fuffers some time, but don't think its you. Its just your cats being... well... cats!

Just so you know, you sound like a GREAT meowmy who is very concerned about the happiness and comfort of her babies! Hugs to you! They'll come around.

Also, a 'trick' I use with Duke: When I want him to sit on my lap, I give him treats that he eats from my hand. Sometimes he'll stay, sometimes he won't. If I pick him up and he squirms to get down, I let him go. Eventually he comes back. I've found, though, that its when I least expect it that he wants to cuddle with me... Like when I'm on my laptop on the couch or at 5am and I'm trying to get one more hour of sleep before I get up to feed him.

<<Just so you know, you sound like a GREAT meowmy who is very concerned about the happiness and comfort of her babies! Hugs to you! They'll come around.>>

Thanks, I hope so!

<<Also, a 'trick' I use with Duke: When I want him to sit on my lap, I give him treats that he eats from my hand. Sometimes he'll stay, sometimes he won't.>>

Yes, I do this too. Twice a day I give them some wet food which they must eat out of my hand, and often during the day Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll keep treats in my pockets as a “reward†when they come to me. Shachar LOVES people-food and would eat right off my plate if I let him. I try to keep a cat-friendly snack with me when itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s time to eat, now that I know people food isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t particularly good for them.

<<I've found, though, that its when I least expect it that he wants to cuddle with me... Like when I'm on my laptop on the couch or at 5am and I'm trying to get one more hour of sleep before I get up to feed him. >>

For the past two nights, Shachar has decided that he wants attention in the middle of the night when the baby wakes up. Perhaps because it's quiet around the house? Well, that's a start!!! Maybe once he gets more used to us, he'll start seeking me out during the day.

I'll quit hogging up this thread with my cat troubles now.

JC is MC mix (the pet store owner gave my disabled daughter an INCREDIBLE deal on Joey and JC, my only "store bought" cats, but of course, the papers were not included and the kittens were considered only pet quality, not show) and he is NOT a lap-kitty. He is big, friendly, outgoing and follows me every where. Tends not to be timid -as the plumbers found out when he was getting in the way of the cement-cutter (very loud machine) that they were using to tear up the floor. He's curious, very, very active and really wants to live outside (he last escaped for almost a week, was found alongside a creek hunting, a little thin, but very happy playing "fur trapper"). I would love to get another MC - not nearly as clingy as my other cats, and will ignore over-bearing humans.

Originally Posted by Rina_Marie

Shachar was bought from a breeder. Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve only had him here for a little over a week - he is NOT timid at all (heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s into EVERYTHING) but for some reason I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t understand, he hasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t liked a lot of attention since he got here, either. I KNOW he wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t like this in his old home, so I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s wrong. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m starting to think that there is something wrong with me. Is it possible for cats to simply NOT like certain people? NONE of my cats are very friendly, except Pipsi. Shachar will get up and walk away when I pet him, too. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m trying not to handle him very much in hopes that he just needs time to get used to things around here. The weird thing is that the first two days he was here, he was crawling all over me. And then for some reason, he just stopped and now heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll walk away when I pet him and I have NO IDEA what Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve done!

<<Are all maine coons that shy when first brought into a new home? At what age did you get your Rina. Worries me slightly as i've never ever had an issue with shy cats/kittens->>

Arek was 3 when we got him, and Shachar is 2. Please, if you know of anything I could do differently, please tell me. My husband has come home to find me in tears a few times… I love these cats, and I feel like such a failure!

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m sorry this has been so long!

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Don't feel like a failure! Sometimes all they need is time. I remember when my Caligri was a little kitten, he was shy and afraid of me, even though he'd been born in my home and I'd been handling him since birth! He just didn't like being petted and I figured he was just going to be an unfriendly cat. Well, when he turned about 5 or 6 months old, he changed suddenly. He became so nice and even demanding of my attention. Now he's a year and a half old and he jumps on my desk or my bed or wherever I am, he follows me around just so I can lavish attention on him. And at night he crawls under the blankets with me and naps curled up against my stomach and purrs till he goes to sleep. I'm not sure why he does this but I think it reminds him of his earliest days. Anyway it's the sweetest thing!