My first Maine Coon cat. Very independent. Does not like being held and only snuggles at night. Do they become more snugly?

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The title is a question on Reddit.com. I think it's a good question as it goes to the heart of domestic cat character and the Maine Coon cat character. My interpretation is that the kitten is a dilute ginger tabby with a bit of white. He is, of course, beautiful and he is definitely purebred. You can tell that by the very distinctive appearance.

My first Maine Coon cat. Very independent. Does not like being held and only snuggles at night
My first Maine Coon cat. Very independent. Does not like being held and only snuggles at night. Image: u/dinokith on Reddit.com

The adopter is concerned that her cat is not friendly enough for her. She is the type of cat caregiver who wants their cat to sit on their lap and lie next to them in bed et cetera. Some people don't like that too much and they prefer a cat which is more standoffish.

You will see many different descriptions of the Maine Coon cat (MC) character on the Internet. Some authors state profusely that Maine Coon cats are wonderfully friendly and so on. They don't differentiate between individual cats which I think you must do because there will be differences.

And in commenting on Reddit.com website I stated that a well-known and respected cat show judge and Maine Coon cat owner, and author by the way, Gloria Stephens, states that MCs are not overly interested in snuggling up to their owner. They can be quite independent-minded. They are not over dependent although they are people-orientated.

But they don't constantly demand attention and in her enlightening words, prefer to "hang out" with their caregiver.

The phrase conjures up a picture in my mind of a cat breed which is slightly independent-minded as I state. It seems that this particular cat is not a lap cat and some people like their cats to be lap cats.

So, his inherited character appears to be a little bit cold for this cat owner. No big deal I say because things will change anyway as the kitten becomes an adult and mellows in middle age.

After years of interacting with a cat and becoming ever closer, they tend to become less adventurous and want to spend more time with their owner provided there is a nice bond. The frisky or standoffish kitten might gradually like to warm up on their owner's lap or snuggle up to them when they are resting on their bed.

Gloria Stephens does say that "they do not necessarily want to be held, but they want to be close to the person they love". That I think pretty much sums up perhaps the average Maine Coon cat character but don't think they are all the same.

My personal impression having looked at thousands of photographs of Maine Coon cats being handled by their owner is that they can be very chilled out when interacting with their owners.

And I have lived with 2 Maine Coon cats for a short time and found Stephens' description to be somewhat true.

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