Are Maine Coons cuddly?

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There are two aspects in answering the question, aren't there? Of course, Maine Coon cats are cuddly felines because one wants to cuddle them. They are fluffy. They have shaggy fur. They look adorable. They make a sweet sound somewhat quiet compared to their size. They are friendly and adorable. You want to cuddle your Maine Coon cat. In that respect they are very cuddly.

Young woman cuddles her beloved Maine Coon
Young woman cuddles her beloved Maine Coon. This image is free to use under an unconditional Creative Commons license. Click on it to see it larger and to download it.

The other aspect is whether your Maine Coon cat either wants to be cuddled or will accept being cuddled. And that depends on two factors. Firstly, there is the overarching personality characteristics of the Maine Coon cat. 

This is a slightly difficult topic because it is somewhat unfair to brand all Maine Coon cats with exactly the same character. You can't really do it but there are some hints about their personality in a book by Gloria Stephens, a cat show judge, breeder and Maine Coon expert as she lives with them or has lived with them. 

And she tells me that they are quite independent cat breed. They are not particularly a lap cat and overall I get the sense that some Maine Coon cats might not want to be cuddled but it depends upon how you cuddle them. That's another factor, isn't it? 😻😹

Let me quote what Gloria Stephens says about the Maine Coon cat.
"They are people-oriented cats, but they are not over dependent [a hint here of their independence]. They do not constantly demand attention preferring to hang out with their owners."

And importantly, she writes in her book Legacy of the Cat:
"They do not necessarily want to be held, but they do want to be close to the person they love."
As I said, she hints strongly of the possibility that some individual Maine Coon cats might not like to be cuddled. But I would think that to be unlikely.

If a Maine Coon cat caretaker is in a very good relationship with their cat, and there is a nice bond between them, it is almost certain that their cat like to be cuddled in a respectful way.

Some people cuddle their cats a little bit too vigorously perhaps because they so want to cuddle them. But you've got to be careful with any domestic cat in terms of the amount of force you employ when you cuddle them. It should be gentle and there should be a constant awareness as to what the cat enjoys or finds unacceptable.

In general, domestic cats don't like to be smothered by their human when being cuddled. And placing one's head next to a domestic cat particularly their head might be unacceptable to them. So there are various forms of cat cuddling! 

The method should be one which the cat enjoys and you can find out about that by doing it because it is an individual cat preference as well. 

Some cats are more tolerant than others. But you always start off in a gentle and respectful way and build up from there.

From Reddit.com:


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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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