What cat breed would make a good companion for your resident Maine Coon cat?

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You might live with a beautiful Maine Coon. Your cat is indoors full-time. You decide to adopt another cat to keep your Maine Coon company. You have also decided to purchase a purebred cat as a second cat. What cat breed is best suited to increase the chance that they get along well?

Scottish Fold said to be good with other cats. Photo and breeder: Alexandr Anna Krivdin

Obviously, the answer to the question depends very much on the personality of the individual cat concerned. However, I can go to a book in which I rely: Legacy Of the Cat. It is by Gloria Stephens who is a former cat show judge and breeder herself. She is an expert. Note: I would ask the breeder from whom you purchase a cat to tell you about their characters.

Scottish Fold: And diving into her book I quickly bumped into the Scottish Fold page. This was slightly disconcerting to me because I don't want to promote the Scottish Fold because it is an inherently unhealthy breed. 

However, if we put that aside for a minute, Gloria Stephens said this about the Scottish Fold: "Due to their easy nature, Scottish Folds readily adapt to almost any home situation. They do not mind noisy children OR OTHER ANIMALS! 🤔

That's a promising assessment by somebody who I can trust. So one cat breed that would make a good companion for your resident Maine Coon cat might be a Scottish Fold if you're looking for a purebred companion.

Pixiebob: An alternative, is a rare cat breed, the Pixiebob. They are said to form a strong bond with their family "and make excellent companions for children". This implies to me that they will also make excellent companions with other animals but once again depending upon the individual cats' character.

Ocicat: Another rare, or relatively rare cat breed which Gloria Stephens says "are very friendly, loving, outgoing cats that make excellent companions for everyone in the family, including children, dogs and other cats" is the Ocicat. The Ocicat looks like a semi-wild cat and is a tabby cat. The breed is entirely human-made through selective breeding (i.e. not a wild cat hybrid).

Birman: And I can mention another breed which this time is the Birman. Referring once again to Gloria my favourite cat breed author, she says that, "given their peaceful nature, most Birmans easily adapt to homes with children or with other cats and dogs."

American Shorthair: Another breed that I would recommend is the American shorthair. A good allrounder.

Postscript: you might consider adopting a rescue cat instead and if you did that you could pop down to the shelter and ask the people there whether they currently have a cat who is known to get on well with other cats. This as mentioned is about individual cat characters and some cats are much more amenable about living with other cats.

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Please excuse the occasional typo due to preparing these articles at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I don't have a proof reader.

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