Maine Coon Question

Hello all! Hope you all had a great holiday!
I recently decided to look for a Maine Coon buddy. I've never owned
a cat before & was curious what to expect from this breed. Also, do
any of you know a good responsible breeder in the NE Ohio area (say around the Cleveland area)? I'm looking for a female kitten. As I said before, I've never owned a cat before & am a little cautious...any advice would be greatly appreciated (as far as grooming, feeding, bathing, etc...)! Thanks everyone.

Check our sister site www.meowhoo.com and look under Breeders By Breed then under Maine Coon

Good luck finding a Maine coon!

Welcome to TCS!

I've got a Maine Coon, but since I really have experience with only this one wonderful big girl, I'm by no means an expert and don't know how typical a Maine Coon my girl is. And, of course, I got her from a great breeder too, who raised her well until I got her!

She is absolutely the nicest cat I've ever met. The only time I heard her hiss and growl was when she first saw the dogs, she'd never seen one before. Even when my older cat would hiss and swat at her, she'd just try and make friends. She loves getting combed and doesn't put up a fight to get her nails clipped, she doesn't like getting a bath but puts up with it anyway. She goes up and meets strangers and loves getting attention from them, and loves to sleep curled up against my legs or on my arm. She's the most laidback kitty I've ever seen, although of course she gets the "running around the household playing" episodes too. She's never destroyed anything in the house, like my other cat did as a kitten, and has always done her business in the litter box. She's not a huge climber, since she's so big (16 pounds!). She loves going out in her harness, even in winter.

As for grooming, even though she has rather long hair, it's easy to comb through since it's silky and doesn't get tangled easily, so I do it about once a week, and clip her nails at the same time. I've bathed her a few times a year if even that, since she stays clean, especially after spaying (she had a bit of a problem with stud tail before that- that's when a spot on the tail becomes oily).

I really don't have anything negative to say about her! Well, sometimes her need for loving and attention can be annoying, when she's constantly trying to get into my lap or on the back of my armchair, but that's about it.

Welcome! Good luck on finding a Maine Coon. They are gentle giants!

That's one cute Maine Coon I've ever seen...

Thank you all! I've been researching a bit since I posted & have learned a ton about the breed. Any one use Soft Paws here? I never really thought about declawing, but read an article that made me upset to even think about doing this to an animal! Any other options that work well?

Hissy - I checked your sister site & nothing in the state of Ohio. But thank you anyway, it is appreciated.

Welcome to the site! I'm going to move this to the Breeder's Forum where they may be able to give you more specifics about the Maine Coon Breed.

Please feel free to ask any and all questions you have about bringing home a bundle of fur wrapped around love.

I saw your second question after I had posted and moved the thread.

I haven't had any problems at all with my kitty who has claws destroying anything. Literally, nothing. She has a choice of acceptable scratching pads & posts and once she was shown those she didn't need Soft Paws or anything.

Try here:

http://www.breedlist.com/breeders/mai_np.html#Ohio

Try visiting this link and e mail the breeder. She may know of someone close she can recomend. I got my first Maine Coon from her, and am about to get a second. She wouldn't recomend anyone unless they were respected



http://www.mannahatta.org/

Eeva, your girl is an absolute beauty!

Sandie, do you have any pictures of your new baby?

Yer, what a pretty kitty that is!

Sandie, a new Maine coon.. Awww Yay!

Yeah, I LOVE my Maine Coon Mischief, and have been waiting for a Silver Tabby Male. The new kitten is only a few weeks old at this point, but I will be visiting him this weekend. If you use the link in my post, and go to the kittens page, my new little boy is kitten #3

I have a Maine Coon cat, Thumper. She is far from what I would call sweet. She has a pretty fierce temper. To be honest, she's just way too spoiled and used to getting her way! Most people are afraid of her, because she is so big and strong and because she has proven in the past that she will follow through on theats , but she can be very sweet when wants to be. There is anything to fear as far as I'm concerned! She is beautiful though - especially right now with her winter fur coat on. This picture doesn't show her winter coat. This was taken in the summer. I've noticed (and read about it somewhere) that Maine Coon cats have unique places and positions that they sleep in. I should try to get some pictures of her sleeping. It's really cute!

I know of an excellent Maine Coon breeder in Texas,

http://www.enchantacoon.com

Georgiagirl, Thumper is adorable!

Sandie your new precious fluffy is adorable as well..

Hello:

I got a Maine Coon kitten this past fall.
I have had cats most of my life, but this is the most unique creature I have ever seen. My whole day is scheduled around her.

I got her from a rescue organization when she was 7 mos.old. She had been just minutes away from "The Needle". She was just a couple of months old and apparently been mistreated. She is very skittish about noise.

She is, however, the most loving cat I have ever had, and I loved all of my cats.

You will notice that Maine Coon Cat people don't talk about their cats. They Gush.

Good luck with your search. It will be worth it.

Regards,

Gene

Sounds like it's hard to get hold of a Maine Coon??
Weird, though, cause I got mine from a shelter. I don't know how pure-bred she is, but she is very affectionate, doesn't get along too well with little one, cause she wants ALL the attention.
But still, a very nice companion cat.
Welcome to the site.