Can Maine Coons be left alone?

Can Maine Coons be left alone? The answer depends on for how long! I guess that is obvious. Five minutes? Yes, 5 hours? Yes. A full day, just about but don't do it regularly. I don't think any domestic cat should be left alone every day such as when their owner goes to work and leaves their Maine Coon at home in an apartment for the entire time.  and even goes out in the evening; not good.

That does not work for me, and neither will it work for the cat. Although they will have to tolerate it sometimes but perhaps at the expense of their health: separation anxiety causes stress and possible aliments such as idiopathic cystitis.

Stressed Maine Coon. Image in public domain.

The answer to the question in the title is No, because the question is by implication: 'Can Maine Coons be left alone all day every day?"

And it does not matter if we are referring to domestic cats of any breed including non-purebred cats. They all have the same essential emotional requirements, which is that domestic cats are no longer solitary creatures but quite sociable. 

People sometimes mistakenly believe that as the wild cat ancestor of the domestic cat is described as 'solitary' the modern-day domestic cat is also solitary. It is not true. 

And by 'sociable' I mainly mean that cats need a relationship with their human caregiver. That has to be a decent relationship to help keep a Maine Coon contented. Therefore, the Maine Coon cat or any other cat needs to be able to interact with their owner.

It is actually more than that because when cats are left alone all the time, they have no challenges. They often have little or nothing to occupy them, to challenge them such as hunting. So, it is not just loneliness but bored; a toxic combination that is bound to cause health mental health issues.

Sometimes owners are placed in impossible situations when for example they have to work all day and come home late, or they have move home to find a job. The cat can suffer. 

RELATED: Study says that cats are prone to separation anxiety in homes with two female residents.

My former wife liked to work hard and play hard. She had a boy cat. He suffered from separation anxiety and pooped on her bed all the time. Well, a lot and she did not know how to fix it until I told her. She was just not prepared to give up her partying to be with her cat. And I am sure she came home pissed as a newt smelling of fags. Yes, I am being mean, but she was mean to her cat. And her cat was the brother of the female cat that I took with me when we parted company.

I believe that the biggest mental health issue for domestic cats is being alone too much because owners are unfortunately not in a position to be with their cat enough due to work pressures and/or other obligations or desires.

RELATED: Feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) – watch for stress as the primary cause.

Cystitis in cats is on the rise and this bladder disease (inflammation of the bladder) is often idiopathic (unknown cause) but the cause is stress. Reduce stress and the disease will likely go away. Plus you have to stop feeding dry food entirely as a lack of water exacerbates cystitis.

A compromise is to adopt two cats at the same time who are known to get along. The experts say that it is better, if possible, to adopt two kittens at the same time who are known to get along as it removes some of the obligations from the human caregiver to keep them company and entertain them.

RELATED: Should I adopt one or two kittens?