Can Maine Coons be left alone?

This is also a poor question as it is the same as asking, "Cat domestic cats be left alone?" It depends for how long. But the question hints at being left alone for a long time, such as a few days continuously and the answer to that would be no which applies to all domestic cats. I think anyone and everyone would agree with that statement. It feels wrong and it is wrong. To leave a Maine Coon or any cat alone for days would be a clear sign of failure in my view in the relationship unless there are some strong mitigating circumstances such as the cat being a barn cat! The original Maine Coons were exactly that, it is said.

Maine Coon Home Alone. Image: MikeB. Cats left alone in an apartment often wait for hours by the front door and become stressed.

Theoretically you could leave a full-time indoor Maine Coon alone for three days with sufficient water and food plus a clean litter box so they'd survive provided the ambient room temperature is not excessively hot which it might be in some parts of the US with the air conditioning off during summer.

But the question is not asking for a theoretical answer. It is asking if it is acceptable and okay for their cat to be left alone and it isn't on my standard or a good standard. Each owner has their own standard of care.

Maine Coon Central say that Maine Coons should not be left alone for more than 12 hours but you can leave moggies alone for 24 hours. That's preposterous. There is no difference between moggies and Maine Coons on the issue of being left alone. This is about cat emotions. On that all purebred cats are the same as non-purebred cats.

As for the 12 hours that's probably about right for a maximum. But you must have heard of separation anxiety. And if there is a good relationship between cat and caregiver, leaving a cat alone for 12 hours perhaps for a sequence of several days may well cause the cat to suffer from considerable stress and even cystitis which is stress related.

If the Maine Coon does not exhibit any health problems because of the separation, they'll be suffering emotionally to varying degrees depending on the cat's personality and human-to-cat relationship.

This is an occasion when two cats who get along great would certainly help alleviate any stress the cat felt but that shouldn't be a 'get out clause' to give the cat's caregiver the idea that it is okay to leave their Maine Coon alone for a long time.

The issues around leaving a domestic cat alone is one of the managerial matters that a cat caregiver has to deal with. If a cat owner wants to do this a lot of the time it exposes the unsuitability of that person to cat ownership. Not through fault of their own necessarily but because of circumstance such as the demands of their work for example.

When adopting a cat their potential adopter needs to ask some tough questions about their lifestyle and their finances to make sure they are both suitable for cat ownership to a good standard. If the goal is poor cat caretaking, what's the point. The person will always be a failure as a cat owner and the cat will suffer.

PS The experts say a dog should not left alone for longer than 4 hours.

Maximum amount of time a dog should be left alone is four hours