I want to adopt a Maine Coon. What kind of lifestyle should I give her?

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I think that this is a fair question because obviously domestic cats live in a human world. They live in a world created by humans for humans. It is the cat who has to adapt unless the human really bends over backwards and unusually creates an interior of their home which is designed for a domestic cat.

Leash!

I have provided a hint there as to what kind of lifestyle you would provide for your Maine Coon cat. It would essentially be a full-time indoor lifestyle with trips outdoors with your cat on a leash. That is my personal view. That would mean leash training when they are a kitten if you adopt a kitten. It makes it much easier.

Big blue Maine Coon looks after regular-sized friend. Cute
Big blue Maine Coon looks after regular-sized friend. Cute. Image: Reddit user: u/Emperor-Palpamemes

Stimulation

In addition, you will probably have a catio at the back of the house to provide your cat with some mental stimulation. The other input in terms of mental stimulation would be, as mentioned, taking your cat for a walk on a lead.

Distinguished

The Maine Coon cat (MC) is a special cat. They are very noticeable because of their size and their distinguishing appearance. And they are valuable at around $1200 in America and more sometimes.

For these reasons and more, I think that you will find that most so-called experts would advise that you keep your MC inside full-time. That puts an added burden of responsibility on the cat owner. They have to overcome boredom in their cat. That means providing mental stimulation as mentioned.

Companion?

You might consider adopting another cat to be a friend to your Maine Coon. This is a problematic process in my opinion because you can't guarantee that introducing a new cat to your home will be successful. Will the resident cat, if they are the Maine Coon that you adopted, accept another cat?

If they like each other and get on well they can mentally stimulate each other, entertain each other and provide company to each other when the owner is away for a short while. By "short while" I don't mean more than several hours ideally.

Enriched

So, in my opinion, you can see how your Maine Coon cat's lifestyle is shaping up. In the ideal world the interior of the home will have climbing frames and high places for your cat to rest on and feel secure in. You know that all domestic cats like to move vertically from time to time.

And you may have another cat to keep her company. There would be a catio at the back, quite a nice big one ideally with climbing trees and high platforms with natural airflow through it so that your MC can enjoy the smells outside and the visuals. This is mental stimulation. It is cat television.

Disease

And when your Maine Coon becomes elderly, he or she may well suffer from an inherited disease which afflicts this very popular cat breed namely hip dysplasia. She may also suffer from patella luxation.

The hip dysplasia will make it more difficult for her to move and to jump. You will need to prepare for that eventuality by modifying access to platforms to which she, in the past, jumped.

And you will have to prepare for another possible inherited disease namely hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). This is a heart disease which you must have heard about. Another is spinal atrophy. You can see that there is a reasonable likelihood of health problems creeping up. Sometimes HCM can start at quite a young age by the way.

Insurance?

You might consider taking out a pet health insurance but it will be expensive depending on the type. If you want an insurance policy which is not limited then that will certainly be expensive. It would be like having a second mortgage! But you asked about the lifestyle and one aspect of this lifestyle will be preparing for health issues including insurance.

The better alternative to taking out a commercially available insurance policy is to create your own personal insurance policy by putting away $50 also month and putting the money into a special savings account which can only be used for your Maine Coon's health treatments. If you're lucky she will stay healthy for a couple of years or more and then you will have enough savings to cover any expensive treatment. There will be no overheads to pay for and no expensive executives to support!

Holidays?

Personally, I think if that one has a Maine Coon cat as a companion and you live alone you should never go on holiday! You must always be there for her and with her. But if you do go away for a while, say a fortnight, you will have to get a cat sitter to look after your cat. That would be a professional cat sitter which would cost you.

Sitter

Unless you have a really good friend who can take over the cat caregiving role but this is always a little bit difficult because they then take on your responsibilities. What if your Maine Coon escapes because they feel a bit unsure with this stranger in the home? I don't think that you can be careful enough when you go away and have somebody else looking after your precious cat companion.

Needs

I just written about the five basic principles of good cat caregiving as set out, in the UK, in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. These are the basic responsibilities of any cat caregiver. You might be interested in reading about them. If they are followed you will provide your Maine Coon cat with a great lifestyle.

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