Aggressive female Maine Coon is 9 months old. Owner is at wits end.

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 A woman on social media is asking for help. It's quite a strange question. She has two Maine Coon cats, one male and one female. Their ages are 12 months and 9 months respectively. The male cat is calm and fine. The female is aggressive whenever she tries to brush or pick her up. 

She hisses, growls, swats and nips her owner. She can't handle her cat and is at her wits end. She is asking for advice as to what to do next.

Annoyed MC
Annoyed MC. NOT the cat in question!! This is probably a male Maine Coon. Image: YouTube.

I must say I find this peculiar because an adopter buys a Maine Coon cat from a breeder or that is the normal route unless somebody has given you one or the cat has been owned previous to you.

If you buy a Maine Coon cat from a breeder, they should be fully socialised and ready to be integrated into their new home. That is the duty of the breeder. They should spend a considerable end of time achieving a well socialised kitten.

This cat appears to be unsocialised to a certain extent. Or she may be in pain. And finally, it just may be an individual female character. It could be her personality which is difficult. But because she is so strongly aggressive, it would seem to me to be more than simply a character trait.

My thoughts directed at the woman in question.

Pain?

Firstly, tick the 'is she healthy'?' box. She may be in discomfort even pain for a hidden illness or condition. I don't want to speculate as to why or how she might feel discomfort. But you might have her health checked out. Cats in pain are cantankerous and irritable just like humans.

Socialised?

It sounds to me that she is not fully socialised. Do they come from the same breeder? She is 9 months old. I'll assume that you bought them from a breeder. It is up to the breeder to ensure the cats she sells are fully socialised and able to behave with reasonable confidence around new people and their owner. She can't really do that. I think I'd talk to the breeder about it and ask about her socialisation. Did it go well? What happened?

Personality

It can be all about an individual cat's character but this seems unusual. I don't think it is right for a purebred cat to behave almost as if she is semi-domesticated. What I mean is I don't think this is purely a personality issue. It is more than that.

Socialising

If she is partly socialised, you'll need to socialise her which means plenty of gentle interactions particularly play. Play between human and cat can help to break down barriers. Plenty of toys and play. And patience. And nice food!

I guess you'll have to back off on the brushing etc. until she feels more relaxed about it. She should get there through gentle but progressive interactions between human and cat.

Different source?

Do they come from different sources? Were they bought from a breeder or from a friend or a gift? The female cat may have had a bad experience. Hence the questions.

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