Are Maine Coons lap cats?

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I believe that you can answer the question in the title in two ways.

Super-looking Maine coon
Super-looking young Maine Coon. Photo in public domain.



Not all cats of one breed are the same

There is the general feeling that you can brand all individual cats of one particular breed with the same character. I don't believe it. There may be a slight predisposition towards having a certain character within a cat breed but there will be big variations between individuals due to all kinds of factors including environmental and genetic. How the kittens are raised underfoot counts. In other words, how they are socialised. And although cat breeders use selective breeding to fix the appearance of their cat they don't focus on behaviour characteristics and this is not a science in any case. So, under this heading, you will find that some Maine Coons are lap cats and some aren't due to individual preferences.

The conventional viewpoint

I have two books I can refer to including the Internet. The general mood music in answering the question is that Maine Coon cats are not necessarily lap cats. For example, Gloria Stephens in her book Legacy of the Cat states that: "They do not constantly demand attention, preferring to hang out with their owners. They do not necessarily want to be held, but they do want to be close to the person they love."

Dr. Desmond Morris in his book Cat World has researched all the adjectives used to describe this breed and not one indicates that they are lap cats. The breed is good-tempered and affectionate, playful and intelligent, dignified and reserved and so on but these personality traits which are very wide ranging do not necessarily point to an individual cat wishing to spend half an hour on your lap!

Conclusion

Some Maine Coon cats will be lap cats and some won't. I sense that the division would be about 60% don't want to be lap cats and 40% do!

The cat's guardian

Surely a factor in answering this question is whether the cat's owner has a very comfortable lap on which their cat can snooze and enjoy the warmth. What I mean is whether the person likes to have their cat on their lap which will pin them down for 30 minutes. And it points to the question as to whether the owner is a good one and a warm and loving person towards their cat. Some cat owners are quite distant to their cat who they regard as independent. Others spend a lot more time with their cat in loving interactions which would encourage their cat companion to come onto their lap. A factor in answering the question must be the other party to the arrangement, namely the human.

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