Why do Maine Coons chirp?

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It is incorrect to suggest that all Maine Coons chirp! The question implies that all Maine Coons chirp when it simply isn't true. Some might make slightly strange sounds which you could describe as a chirp-type sound but many other Maine Coons don't. It's basically a myth that has been bandied around the Internet and has almost become fact. 

Ken and Helmi Flick's Maine Coon Cat - ZAK
Beautiful Zak. A darling Main Coon cat who did not chirp! :) Photo: MikeB

All individual cats have their own voices. Some cat breeds do make certain vocalisations more often than others such as the Siamese cat has quite a raucous meow sound and the British shorthair sometimes has a silent meow. So, there are some trends in terms of vocalisations that certain breeds follow but by and large all domestic cats make the same sort of sounds with variations between individuals, which is all perfectly normal. We shouldn't try and label Maine Coons with a certain sound.

It is said by Gloria Stephens, who wrote the book Legacy of the Cat, that, "Their large size belies their tiny voice-for such big cats, they are fairly quiet". That is the only reference she makes to the kind of sounds that Maine Coons make. If this large domestic cat constantly made chirping sounds like a bird, she would have mentioned it because it would have been a distinct characteristic which distinguishes this breed from any other but that is not the case.

I have lived for a short while with two Maine coon cats and I don't recall them chirping! The one who I really loved, the cat on this page, was very quiet and loved me in return but as for the chirp, I never heard one!

Location: Dallas, TX, USA

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