An ideal home lifestyle for the Maine Coon cat

I thought I'd try and configure the ideal home-based lifestyle for the Maine Coon cat. I think pretty well everyone would agree that this has to be a lifestyle that is built around the home because the Maine Coon should be captive in their home but that does not mean that their lives have to be sterile and lack stimulation and fun.

I'd consider these lifestyle factors to make an ideal home environment. All this will be pricey but ideals always are. Input from others is always most welcome. These thoughts are mine alone.

Enclosed backyard/garden

A backyard (garden) which is comprehensively fenced using customized fencing guaranteed to keep a cat in the garden is a vital aspect of an ideal home lifestyle. This is the point though: it is an ideal and ideals are expensive. 

Maine Coon in a garden enclosed by a cat-proof fence. Image: MikeB

To fence a half-acre garden or perhaps an acre garden is going to cost about $10,000 at a rough guess and the equivalent in pounds sterling and the UK. And, of course, you can't have trees next to the fence. 

So, the garden has to be of the right type or modified to make this work. But a garden enclosure like this allows for so much pleasure to a cat who is a full-time indoor cat. They can feel the grass under their feet. They can smell nature's scents. They can see the wildlife. All of these things are very stimulating. So, I would factor in a garden enclosure as you can see in the photograph.

Leash training

I would also factor in leash training. Once again this is an ideal which means a considerable amount of input this time not in terms of money but in terms of time. But if you begin leash training when a Maine Coon cat is a kitten it shouldn't be too difficult to get them to come with you outside on a lead which means you are supervising them. 

In this way they can go out the front door into public places near the home to experience that aspect of life. It can be done in a controlled way when you know that it is very likely to be safe outside in terms of dogs being around. 

Leash trained Maine Coon. This is what you can do at the extreme with a leash trained Maine Coon. Image in public domain.

And you might have to devise a system for dealing with approaching dogs such as wearing a cat backpack to put your cat in to protect them. These are fiddly points and time-consuming for the cat's caregiver but, I reiterate, this is about finding an ideal home-based lifestyle. 

And all of this turns on one thing: safety and security which means keeping the Maine Coon cat inside the home but when outside they are safe and secure because they are confined to the garden as mentioned above or they are on a lead and therefore supervised.

Vertical movement

And thirdly, the inside of the home should have some modifications to enable the Maine Coon cat to travel vertically perhaps two or three constructions and platforms to allow the cat to enjoy this aspect of their character. They need to go vertically. 

"I want to go up!" Image in public domain.

And on those platforms, there might be one which has a little den in it so they can hide and feel secure.

Playtime

Within this background environment there should be a lot of input by the owner in terms of playtime. Lots of play with cat teases or other toys I think should be carried out perhaps three times daily for about 15 minutes. That's a lot because I know that most people don't really give their time to playing with their cat because, frankly, it can be a bit boring for the owner but it is the exact opposite the cat.

Sterile home

Another area in the life of a Maine Coon cat where the cat and the human have opposite objectives is the desire of humans to keep their home sterile, clean and tidy whereas for the cat the chemicals in cleaning materials can be quite toxic and the home which is very modern and sheer without nooks and crannies and some untidiness can be less stimulating and less interesting. 

This is about competing interests. For the houseproud person cleanliness and tidiness is important. For the domestic cat in some regards, they have an opposite desire except I would always have a hard floor rather than a carpeted floor because it's much easier to clean and it is one way to eliminate the possibility of cat fleas finding a home within the home. Also, there are no carpet chemicals. So, the danger here is chemicals in cleaning materials. I have many pages on dangers and hazards to cats which you might like to explore, which you can do so by clicking on this link.

Lawn treatments

To return to the garden. Another potential hazard to domestic cat are lawn treatments. This includes fertilisers and weedkillers. Cats will lie down on the grass and then lick their fur clean and in doing so they will ingest any poisons applied to the lawn to improve its appearance. If there is a utopian enclosed garden for a Maine Coon cat to explore every day of their lives and spend time in while watching, that utopia should not be destroyed by a beautiful lawn soaked in weedkiller, moss killer or toxic fertiliser.

Rats and mice

And another warning which is probably common sense but I'll say it anyway. Some people think they can put down rodent killer to kill any mice or rats that might encroach into their garden. This is a complete no-no. If you kill a rat with rodent killer and your cat eats the rat he'll die. End of story. End of cat. Guilt for the rest of your life. 

Never put down these rat killers (and the same applies to your next-door neighbours) and in any case if your Maine Coon cat can enjoy such a beautiful garden safely then you should let them chase and attack these prey animals both to benefit the owner and to benefit the cat because it will be highly stimulating for them. For cats, hunting is playtime. The two are synonymous. If you want to truly stimulate a Maine Coon cat should let them hunt. I know that sounds brutal but it is nature and that characteristic is deeply embedded in all domestic cats. Just deworm him from time to time!

Insurance

As an ideal you'll have to take out a lifetime health insurance plan bearing in mind the number of inherited diseases suffered by this popular breed including spinal muscular atrophy. That's going to be expensive too. Click here to read about it.