What is the activity level of the Maine Coon cat?

Laid back, golden-eyed silver tabby Maine Coon looks down on their slave. Image in the public domain.

One well-known Maine Coon cat website asks whether Maine Coon cats are hyper? And they go on to state that Maine Coon kittens are a little hyper which, as it happens, is typical of all kittens of all domestic cat breeds and random bred cats. It is just the nature of young kittens in the same way that it is the nature of young humans.

But the word "hyper" is very far from the behaviour of the adult Maine Coon cat. My impression is that it is the opposite pretty well.

One very obvious sign that Maine Coon cats are in general calm individuals is that you see many photographs on the Internet of Maine Coons cat owners holding up their cat to show them off to the camera and the expression on the cat's face could not be any calmer. They take it all in their stride. There is no struggling or wriggling to signal that they want to be put down as quickly as possible.

I have a strong feeling that Maine Coon cat breeders not only selectively breed for this very distinctive appearance which the world now knows but also for a personality which is 'affable'. I think this is perhaps the best word. They are often described a 'gentle giants'. The answer to their character and activity level is implied in that phrase.

Laid-back is perhaps another description. That is not to say that all Maine Coon cats anywhere in the world are affable and laid-back. There will be some individuals who have been poorly socialised or they are stressed by the environment in which they live and who as a consequence have become aggressive.

But these will be environmental factors changing the character of the animal. The general objective of Maine Coon cat breeders, I sense, is to create a very friendly laid-back cat companion. That is what they inherit in their genes and through socialisation and then it is up to the cat caregiver to provide their Maine Coon cat with an environment in which their inherited character can flourish.

On this assessment, if a Maine Coon owner lives with a cat who is aggressive or difficult, they should ask questions about the environment they've created for themselves and their cat. The answer to the problem will be there.

The environment is so important as it affects the expression of a cat's character. 

I have described the Maine Coon character. It is clear from my description that these 'gentle giants' are not high activity cats but neither are they overly passive. 

They will be 'normal' in terms of activity. Perhaps a little on the low activity side. And I am told that they are not great lap cats which might be a good thing based on their size. Your legs would be dead in 15 minutes.