Maine Coon cats have a beautiful coat color, a stern and intelligent look and impressive dimensions. Their absolutely unique set of characteristics and habits deserves special attention. These cats combine calmness, balance, curiosity, friendliness and independence. At the same time, they are very active and energetic.
Differences between cats and cats
The first noticeable difference, other than gender characteristics, between cats and Maine Coon cats is that males are larger and heavier. As cats grow older, they become more stubborn, independent and willful, fully demonstrating their innate tendency to dominate and confidence in their own superiority. It is especially important from childhood to accustom them not only to hygiene procedures, but also to obedience, otherwise it will be difficult to cope with an adult pet.
Cats are less affectionate and you should not expect bright manifestations of love and affection from them.
At the same time, like faithful dogs, they relentlessly follow on the heels of their owner.
It seems that at any moment they are ready to carry out any assignment.
During the period of sexual heat, cats can behave aggressively, try to run outside, and scratch doors. They jealously guard their space and mark their territory. At the same time, like wild predators, the urine of Maine Coon males has a sharper and heavier odor than that of females, and even castration does not help solve this problem.
Cats are more affectionate and friendly, they tend to express their love for their owner and make every effort to win his favor. In addition, their character is much more flexible, they make concessions, and it is easier to find a compromise with a cat than with a stubborn cat. Females have better developed hunting instincts, and they are more aggressive towards rodents and birds. At the same time, it is believed that they understand the difference between street prey and pets, but testing this in practice is still risky.
Cats are cleaner and are ready to spend hours brushing their fur, getting real pleasure from it. With the onset of puberty, females may change their character and behave strangely during estrus.
Character
Everything is much more interesting here. Cats will not show character; they are quite flexible in their upbringing. They get along well with all family members and love communication. They are careful and careful with strangers. They don’t like to be cuddled by strangers; such luxury is allowed only to owners.
Giants love affection and attention, they feel the mood of the owner.
Advice! When thinking about getting a Maine Coon, you should take into account that a cat and a male cat differ in character.
Cats are much more affectionate from a cat. They are self-sufficient and independent. They have an excellent hunting instinct.
The cat's character is different, they are a little lazy and like to sleep. They really don't like to be alone. They strive to stay close to the owner, while being very careful and unobtrusive in communication.
Habits
It has already been mentioned about the insane craving for water, but what can you do if the animal loves it. An interesting habit that is common to all Maines is the ritual of drinking. Before drinking from the water bowl, Main soaks his paw in it, licks the water and only then begins to drink. An incredibly wonderful creature, isn't it?
It should be noted that this breed loves walks where you can hunt.
The process of training these cats brings true pleasure to both the owner and the animal.
Parenting does not require a huge amount of effort to raise a Maine Coon. The animals make excellent contact and understand the owner’s dissatisfaction the first time. Easy to communicate, but do not like raised voices. Very sensitive and vulnerable, they can be offended.
Giant cats are capable of learning. With the right approach, commands can be easily taught.
Activity
Despite the fact that Maine Coons prefer open space, they easily get used to life in city apartments.
But at the same time, it would be a mistake to expect that these cats will spend all their time in peace and sleep; they are not phlegmatic at all.
By nature, Maine Coons are rather sanguine.
They need constant movement, active games, and communication. To satisfy the desire of representatives of this breed to constantly do something, you should purchase special toys, scratching posts, and complexes. In this case, this is not a whim or pampering, but a necessity - without them, hyperactive pets will find an outlet for their energy through damage to property, albeit unintentionally.
You cannot limit the activity of a Maine Coon - this will negatively affect the development of its skeleton and muscles.
These cats love to walk outside and feel quite comfortable in a harness, but before such walks they need to undergo a full course of vaccination and flea and tick treatment.
Let's play in freedom
As already noted, the Maine Coon has a playful disposition. You can’t tell that by looking at this giant from the outside.
There is no better activity for raccoon cats than playing with children. Hide and seek, for example. Playing at home becomes a kind of hunting substitute for the Maine Coon. No one has canceled natural instincts.
The character of the Maine Coon breed is unique. Sometimes a cat behaves like a dog, expressing all devotion to its owner, sometimes walking by itself, like a typical heroine of Kipling’s work.
The animal can reach great heights without much difficulty. However, large forms cause caution in behavior. Therefore, the likelihood that a Maine Coon cat will walk around the mezzanine, wiping dust there, is not so great.
The cat will be happy to share a sporting activity with its owner. So, like a dog, he will fetch runaway tennis balls and badminton shuttlecocks, chase frisbees and watch how a volleyball flies.
Maine Coons love free space. That is why this is an ideal animal for large apartments and even more so country houses.
If your apartment is not large, try not to clutter the corners and take your raccoon cat for a walk more often.
By the way, the Maine Coon is an excellent hunter. Having settled in the country, he will save the owners from the hassle of rodents and other unwanted elements.
Intelligence
Another distinctive feature of Maine Coons is their high level of intelligence. They are observant, thoughtful and smart. Cats of this breed have excellent memory. Thanks to this, they are easy to train. They master many commands without problems, and easily find a common language with family members, remembering their intonations, gestures, and capturing their emotions.
Often the actions of Maine Coons are conscious. So, they can learn to open doors by pressing the handle, and even easily become accustomed to the toilet. These cats have a lively, tenacious mind, they are interested in everything that surrounds them - they love to look out the window, at the computer or TV monitor. The subject of their attention and interest are all moving objects and images that make sounds.
Habits and characteristics
| Habits, features | Description |
| Love for water | Unlike most cats, representatives of this breed enjoy all bath procedures. They are interested in water, they like to bathe in baths or open bodies of water, and sometimes rinse pieces of food in a bowl of water before eating it. It is also interesting how they drink - first they dip their paw in the water, lick it and only after that they start drinking. According to felinologists, this attitude towards water is associated with the natural habitat of these cats and the need of their ancestors to clean the water in streams from leaves and debris with their paws. |
| Voice | Maine Coons almost never meow or hiss. They purr and the sounds they make are unique and reminiscent of birds chirping. |
| Parental instinct | There is no need to separate male and female cats after the kittens are born. Male Maine Coons do not show aggression towards their offspring. Moreover, they strive to take care of the kids, participate in their upbringing, pass on their knowledge and skills and teach basic cat habits. |
| Using paws while eating | The likelihood that representatives of this breed will eat with their nose in a bowl is almost zero. As a rule, they eat with their paws, picking up pieces of food from the bowl with their claws. |
| Lack of tendency to steal | The problem of cats stealing and eating food from the owner’s table is not uncommon. But with Maine Coons you don’t have to worry about this - if they climb onto the table, it’s only to make it more convenient to look out the window. |
How to care for Maine Coons
The long, soft and fluffy fur of these animals is not prone to tangling, but it cannot be left without care. It is enough to brush Manx cats about once every week and a half, and more often during shedding - in spring and autumn, otherwise tangles may appear. To ensure that the procedure does not cause trouble, it is better to accustom the kitten to this from an early age.
The Maine Coon's long, soft coat hardly tangles. mainecoonexpert.com
During the molting period, it is also advisable to give malt pastes, which remove ingested fur from the intestines and stomach. Without this, your pet may become clogged with hairballs.
It is better to accustom a kitten to brushing and other procedures from the first months. mainecoon.org
Periodic bathing, approximately once every 3-4 months, will also help to maintain an excellent appearance. This will not be particularly difficult, because Manx cats are not at all afraid of water. For bath procedures, it is better to use special products that will not cause harm and will provide complete care for the skin and coat.
Your pet's ears should be examined regularly and cleaned only if they become very dirty. To do this, buy safe lotions at a pet store and place a couple of drops in the ears. Avoid using cotton swabs; they can easily injure the animal. The eyes also need to be wiped with special means if there is dried discharge in the corners.
Be curious
