Your Maine Coon Guide

In the midst of a blisteringly hot summer' day in the 30s Celsius and with glamorous Maine Coons being kept indoors for their safety there is an argument for giving this shaggy beauty a lion cut to provide some respite from the heat. What are the pros and cons? When the UK bakes under a heat dome, even the famously rugged Maine Coon can look uncomfortable. Their dense double coat evolved for Maine’s snowy winters, not for British heatwaves. That’s where the lion cut — shaving the body while leaving the mane, tail tuft, and sometimes boots — enters the conversation. 🟢 Positives of the Lion Cut Heat relief : Removing the heavy undercoat helps the cat regulate temperature and avoid overheating, especially in homes without air conditioning. Reduced matting : Long fur tangles easily in summer humidity; clipping prevents painful mats and skin irritation. Easier grooming : Owners spend less time brushing and detangling, and cats often appreciate the lighter feel. Cleaner coat : Less fu...

This is the second chapter of a Maine Coon story. Please click this link to see the first . The following spring, the grey Seattle rains finally broke, yielding to a brilliant blue sky and the sharp scent of damp earth. Barnaby sat on the back porch, his ears twitching as he watched a robin hop through the tall grass. He was an indoor cat by rule, but his wild ancestry called to him through the screen door. Lily noticed his longing. That afternoon, she surprised him with a sturdy neon-green walking harness and a matching leash. Fitting a twenty-pound Maine Coon into a harness was like trying to dress a hairy boulder. Barnaby did not struggle; he simply went entirely limp, turning into a giant puddle of silver fluff. Lily giggled, adjusting the straps around his thick chest. "Okay, buddy," she whispered, opening the screen door. "Let's explore." Into the Wild The moment his giant paws touched the real grass, Barnaby transformed. He dropped low to the ground, his ...

I'm reading the Maine Coon Central website while dictating this. And I am irritated to be perfectly honest. I have a completely different perspective to Maine Coon cats and domestic cats in general compared to the woman who writes the above-mentioned website. The first point I would like to make is this: to call a domestic cat "naughty" is to anthropomorphise the cat. In other words, you are humanising a domestic cat, an entirely different species. Image copyright Helmi Flick Maine Coon cats are never naughty in the true sense. They might seem to be naughty in the human sense if you are looking at your Maine Coon cat as if they are a toddler but that's an entirely different thing. I don't think you should look at the Maine Coon cat and think that you are looking at a toddler. You should respect the domestic cat's normal behaviours which are always in response to the environment in which they live. Their behaviour is instinctive based upon inherited behavioural...

Image: MikeB Below is a list of seven potential Maine Coon behavioural problems from a well-known website about this cat breed. I would like to discuss them. The picture that I have made hints at the fact that I question whether these really are genuine Maine Coon problems. They are clearly natural behaviours because everything that a Maine Coon cat does is essentially natural; a reaction to the circumstances under which they find themselves and for a Maine Coon cat those circumstances are invariably created by their human caregiver because nearly all Maine Coon cats are full-time indoor cats. They live inside a human world; a human environment both in terms of the inanimate objects and the animate objects. Aggressive Territorial Clingy Inappropriate Climbing Spraying Scratching Furniture Destructive Aggression Of course, Maine Coon cats can be aggressive. Their inherent character trait lends this cat to be pretty calm and unaggressive; perhaps, in general, less aggressive than a typic...

Pretty Maine Coon with lion cut. Image in the public domain. Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General said this about global warming: "The only surprise is the speed of the change. Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived." Relative to America, air conditioning is quite unusual in most of Europe. The Washington Post recently reported that only 20% of European homes have air conditioning, and it's rare to find it in schools or offices. I've argued that in some American states such as Texas it would be unfair to have a Maine Coon as it'd be too hot . There are many Maine Coon cats in Europe. And further, July is "virtually certain" to be the hottest month on record globally by a significant margin, the United Nations and a European science agency have said. July's first 23 days averaged a record 16.95°C globally. You might have read about the wil...

Although unlikely, it is possible that a Maine Coon living in a nice home might become anxious. If the problem exists the causes would be a mixture of a timid character plus environmental circumstances such as the owner's absence or issues between cats in a multi-cat home. Note: Although as mentioned Maine Coons can be anxious it should be relatively unusual as in general this cat breed is made up of pretty laid-back cats. They have solid characters. But bad circumstances can make any cat anxious. Concerned Maine Coon, probably because of the photographer! Image: PetCareRx Here are some tips that might be helpful: Don't force your Maine Coon cat to confront what frightens them. If they are frightened of a particular area such as near the washing machine don't take your cat to that particular area to try and show them that there is nothing to be frightened about. Rather gradually encourage them over a period of time to go closer to the room until they go there of their own f...

Young Maine Coon kitten. Image assessed as being in the public domain. A Maine Coon breeder based in Yorkshire, UK makes some remarks about Maine Coon kitten development which may interest people. This breeder has a connection to Russian, Ukrainian and Latvian Maine Coon breeders. The cattery's name is KleooKet. They say that Maine Coon kitten development will be influenced by the following: Their gender. This is well known. Males grow to be 2-3 kilograms larger than females. If the parents are large their offspring are likely to be large. KleooKet only mention the mother's weight and size influencing the weight and size of the kittens but it has to both parents. Kitten development will lag behind the normal if their nutrition is substandard. A kitten needs to eat whenever hungry. Excellent n utrition is vital for kitten growth . Comment : kittens need a growth formula food because a 'regular cat' (non-Maine Coon) of 9 months of age is basically full-grown and sexually...

I have just written an article about air fresheners which you can read, if you wish, by clicking on this link . Before I wrote the article, I knew that air fresheners were dubious products because their description is misleading. The description strongly indicates that in using them you improve the air quality inside your home. But all you do is mask any odours inside the home and in doing so you inject into the home a myriad of potentially nasty chemicals which can have deleterious health effects upon you and your Maine Coon cat. Air freshener chemicals. Image: MikeB The more I dig around and investigate household products, the more I realise that the businesses which create these products and retailers who sell them are not concerned enough about their potential negative health effects. Obviously, businesses prioritise financial profit but they also have an ethical obligation to protect the health of their customers and their companion animals. There are many household products whic...

Maine Coon kitten. Not the kitten referred to in the article. Image: MikeB The person who asked the question in the title on social media also said: "All of our other cats love my girlfriend more, so when I bought our new Maine Coon, I really wanted to finally have a pet that loved me the most. What are some tips to becoming my Maine Coon's bestest friend?" My response was: " Create a bond through a lot of gentle, loving interactions in which you do things that your cat really likes. You'll learn what they like. And plenty of play because they'll like it and it is an interaction between human and cat. Let them share the bed at night and your lap during daytime (if they are a lap cat). Find out their favorite food treats and give them, the same time and the same place to create a routine. He'll ask. Plenty of TLC - tender loving care delivered consistently. Talk to him melodiously (quiet, pleasant voice) and pet him gently and in a way that he likes. Don...

The answer is very much a YES! But it does depend upon where you live and whether your cat is trained to walk on a lead. You are not going to go walking with your Maine Coon cat unless they are on a lead. But the point is this: we see lots of domestic cats nowadays on leads. In fact, we see lots of Maine Coon cats trekking with their cat caregiver. And I think that taking your Maine Coon cat trekking is the best way to take him or her walking. The picture below highlights that. Maine Coon 'Lotus' on a leash in the countryside. Image in the public domain. I guess that's obvious because when you are out trekking you are in the countryside. Nature. It is the perfect place for a Maine Coon cat to be. We all know that Maine Coons hail from barn cats. They were in general outdoor cats for hundreds of years. They have a coat which is made to be outside in cold weather. I know Maine Coons are expensive and precious but they should have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoor safely if...

The reason why this red tabby Maine Coon spills all the water out of the dog's bowl is because he is bored. They need stimulation and challenges. I have to use a lot of guesswork in answering this question. But my guess is that this Maine Coon is a full-time indoor domestic cat which will predispose him to boredom.  Full-time indoor cats require more input from their caregivers for obvious reasons. And if they don't get it, they are liable to become bored. In order to self-stimulate they knock over things to see how they fall. Or they chuck the water out of a bowl to see what happens. They want movement. They want to create a fake prey animal to be caught. Maine Coon spills all the water out of the dog's bowl for fun. Why? Boredom, I'd say. In short, they need to be played with actively and with purpose and commitment. The only person really qualified to do that is the cat's caregiver. It's almost certain that nearly every cat owner does not play with their c...

In an absolute sense Maine Coons have a medium activity level which means that they are neither lazy and inactive or very active according to a former president of the Cat Fanciers' Association and a show judge, Richard Gebhardt. But there are factors which have an impact on activity levels and they are as follows:- Maine Coons have average activity levels. Photo in public domain (modified by MikeB). The environment affects a cat's activity level. I would argue that sometimes, and I stress sometimes, full-time indoor Maine Coon cats might be forced to be relatively inactive because their owner might not be around much and the environment in which they live is not what experts call 'enriched', meaning things to do in it.  I said that Maine Coons should not be allowed outside  (unless in an enclosure or on a leash) and therefore the only way to stimulate activity would be to engage with your cat regularly and have an enclosure attached to the home (a catio) where a cat...

This is not about individual cats of the Maine Coon breed being scared of everything. Maine Coon cats are just like any other domestic cat. They are not scared of everything. If they are properly raised underfoot and socialised then, just like any other properly raised domestic cat, they are not scared of everything. That said, domestic cats in general can be a little bit anxious about many things because they are, after all, living in a human world. We should not forget that. My Maine Coon is scared of everything? Image: MikeB based on images from Pixabay and a Instagram. The Maine Coon in the background is not 'scared of everything'! So, if a person visits the Internet looking for advice because their Maine Coon cat is 'scared of everything', they need to look at three things (1) how their cat was socialised by the breeder from whom they purchased the cat or (2) if they adopted the cat from another person whether that person mistreated their cat or allowed their ca...