Characteristics of Maine Coon cats
In the cat world, these individuals are considered giants. The weight of adult cats of the smallest size is 7 kilograms, and the largest - 12 kg. Kitties are smaller in size - from 4 to 7 kg.
Their fluffy, long hair and funny tassels on their ears simply cannot help but touch you with their cute charm!
Gigantic cats have an unusual striped color, a massive head with a pronounced relief, and long hair, without which it is impossible to survive in the harsh winters of North America.
In the cat world, Maine Coons are considered giants/Yandex Collections
Animals have the following character traits:
- wisdom;
- good nature;
- natural hunting instinct using a strategy unique to them;
- the ability to capture the mood of the owner.
Character and behavior
Reviews about the disadvantages of Maine Coon owners often agree that huge cats are capable of creating a huge mess at home.
But the peak of their activity occurs only in the first 5 years of life, after which coons prefer to sleep more or lie in a regal position.
After reaching the age of five, Maine Coons become passive. They acquire the sense of self-esteem characteristic of the feline family and often indulge in passive reclining on a horizontal surface.
Therefore, the activity of coons is considered low. But they are very friendly and peaceful.
The pros and cons of the Maine Coon breed boil down to the fact that the animals carefully measure active play and passivity.
For some, this is an advantage of this breed, while others consider age-related laziness to be a disadvantage. Even at a young age, cats prefer to sleep during the day, playing only in the morning or evening.
A feature of the Maine Coon's character is that he singles out one person from his household, becoming devotedly attached to him. They have high intelligence and excellent quick wits, remembering a person’s intonations and understanding commands perfectly.
If desired, the cat can be easily trained - he will carry a ball, give a paw, etc. Among the pros and cons of the Maine Coon breed, it is worth highlighting their absolute forbearance. They can spend time with children without offending them.
However, these pets do not like to be squeezed, dragged and are not handled by everyone. Maine Coons value their own independence very much; they are not happy when the boundaries of their personal space are violated. Therefore, in many cases, weasels will prefer a quiet sleep near the owner.
The peaceful nature of cats allows them to get along well with other pets and not get into fights over territory.
Most representatives of the breed love water treatments, which allows owners to often bathe them in the bathroom. Maine Coons are caring and always look after their offspring.
This is interesting! Coons are wary of guests in the house, as if deliberately not noticing them. Only after getting used to a new person can they behave friendly. But squeezing and dragging the cat around will not work.
The Maine Coon breed has many advantages/Yandex Collections
Positive qualities of the breed
In fact, these animals have a lot of positive qualities, ranging from their unusual appearance that sets them apart from all other cats, to their calm and peaceful character and, as a rule, excellent health. What else is remarkable about Maine Coons and what other advantages do they have?
Up to 3 years old kitten
One of the most amazing features of these cats is that psychologically Maine Coons remain kittens for a very long time.
The period of final intellectual maturation begins about two years after the animal becomes sexually mature.
Late maturation allows owners of such pets to enjoy their childhood longer, when cats are especially playful and active. True, it is necessary to take into account that a naughty over-aged “kitten” can cause some damage to the interior, but, as a rule, if the cat is properly raised, such incidents are extremely rare.
The development of intelligence in a pet up to 3 years also means that the period favorable for raising a cat is significantly extended.
Majestic appearance
Maine coons are very beautiful animals.
Their large size, fluffy fur, expressive look of intelligent eyes and tufts on the ears, making them look like a lynx, give these animals a majestic and proud appearance.
At exhibitions, Maine Coons always attract visitors, since it is absolutely impossible to pass by these furry giants of the cat world and remain indifferent to them.
Intelligence
Maine Coons are very smart and curious animals. They are understanding and smart, and therefore it is easy to train a representative of this breed to carry out the owner’s commands, as well as some tricks. The intelligence of these cats is so great that even without special training, the pet is able to learn many things on its own, however, sometimes this feature can be a problem. After all, Maine Coons learn to open doors and refrigerators without difficulty, simply by watching their owners and understanding how they do it.
Maine Coons are very curious, but to prevent manifestations of curiosity from turning into a tragedy, owners of such cats are advised to install special screens on the windows and immediately remove everything that could be dangerous for the cat.
Not vindictive
Many other cats are capable of remembering an insult for months, and when the owner has already forgotten to think about that incident, take revenge on him, for example, by tearing the upholstery of a sofa or curtain to shreds. Many, but not Maine Coons . After all, by their nature, they are very easy-going and gentle. Even if the cat was deservedly punished, he will immediately be able to figure out why he was punished. And, of course, he will not run to take revenge at the first opportunity.
Attitude towards small children
Cats of this breed are protective of children. They wait patiently until the baby gets tired of playing with him, never releasing his claws. Only if a child, being naughty, causes discomfort to the pet, will the pet simply get up and leave to hide somewhere where they will not annoy him.
Because these cats are patient with children, Maine Coons are recommended as pets for families with children.
Health – how to strengthen the Maine Coon’s immunity?
The average life expectancy of cats of this breed is 13-15 years. Over the years, they get sick quite rarely, since nature is endowed with good, stable immunity.
But still, some diseases are not avoided, and they pass, most often, without symptoms. Therefore, owners should take their pet to the veterinarian annually in order not to miss the onset of a dangerous disease.
This is the disadvantage of Maine Coons - the need for preventive veterinary examinations every year, or preferably six months. Maine Coons suffer most often from:
- urolithiasis;
- skin problems;
- obesity;
- polycystic kidney disease.
It is very important to improve your cat's health by:
- physical activity;
- proper feeding;
- timely treatment against parasites;
- protection from the cold.
In order to reduce the risk of obesity, you need to play with your Maine Coon more often. Physical activity will be very beneficial for him.
You should feed only high-quality, balanced food containing the necessary set of vitamins and minerals. When choosing a specific food, you need to take into account the age and weight of your pet.
It is very important to ensure adequate protein intake into the body. Specialized products are fed to castrated and sterilized animals, as well as those suffering from chronic diseases.
Of course, the cat must have constant access to clean water.
One of the disadvantages of the Maine Coon breed is that without timely vaccines, the animal is unlikely to please its owners for many years / Yandex Collections
To prevent the animal's immune system from malfunctioning, the cat should sleep in a warm place. If he does not recognize any other place other than the cool floor, you need to arrange a warm lounger for him.
The owner must ensure that the pet is vaccinated. With its help, you can exclude a number of life-threatening diseases.
It is also the owner’s responsibility to regularly treat the cat against parasites, which significantly reduce immunity. Every 3 months the animal must be treated with anthelmintic.
Along with this, you need to protect your pet from fleas; fortunately, there is a wide range of remedies for them in every pharmacy.
Minuses
Despite the great many advantages, the breed still has disadvantages:
- The first is, of course, the high price. If you want to get a wonderful purebred pet, then be prepared to pay a tidy sum of money for it. The average cost of a high-quality Maine Coon kitten (cat) is from 20 thousand rubles and above.
- If poorly cared for, cats shed a lot and tufts of fur will be everywhere. However, all this can be solved with a balanced diet and quality content.
- The breed is large, so they need to be fed well. Food from the table does not suit them, so if it is not possible to feed them expensive food and/or meat, then it is better to look at another breed. In case of poor nutrition, problems with the gastrointestinal tract, bones, hair, etc. are possible.
- For many, the excessive activity of Maine Coons can be a disadvantage. They are very active and love active games almost until old age. That is, these cats do not let you get bored; you constantly need to work with them and devote a lot of time.
- The main disadvantage is that cats of this breed are prone to heart pathologies, so they need to be taken to the veterinarian at least once a year for preventive examinations.
Having become familiar with the characteristics of the breed, everyone will be able to decide whether to buy a Maine Coon or not. In fact, if a person loves animals, then all these shortcomings are so insignificant that with good care they are completely invisible.
Agree that there are many more advantages and, if you choose the right animal, you can be proud of it for many years. Without paying attention to any differences from other breeds.
Features of the "Manx raccoons"
This information will be of interest to those who wish to purchase a show class Maine Coon for display at exhibitions.
It is customary to divide the breed into two branches - European and American. The former are characterized by a long body, slanted eyes and a lush tabby coat.
Europeans have a longer tail than Americans and more pronounced lynx ear tufts. But the fur is longer and richer in the last representatives of the cat breed.
Feedback from owners about the pros and cons of Maine Coons consists of fairly strict color requirements / Yandex Collections
When applying for participation in the exhibition, it is worth keeping in mind that the World Cat Organization does not accept the presence of point, chocolate, cinnamon and lilac colors in your pet.
The international organization does not allow the presence of even the smallest inclusions, medallions or stains. According to the requirements of the International Cat Federation, the Coon should not have light inclusions, such as a tie, socks, spots on the face, or even a white belly.
However, signs of breed purity are not noticeable in kittens up to 5 months. Therefore, when buying a small kitten, you should look at its parents. They can be used to distinguish signs of the purity of the breed.
Mandatory visit to the pediatrician
It happens that parents bring a cute Maine Coon into the house, but already on the same day the child begins to constantly sneeze and other signs of allergies appear. Therefore, the animal has to be returned to its previous owners.
Sometimes a child’s allergies appear much later. In this regard, parents make a big mistake. For example, they visited friends several times, where their baby happily played with the cat and no allergies were observed. But when parents get a pet, after a few days they are sincerely surprised why their child is sneezing.
First, the new would-be owners try to sell the purebred cat, then simply give it to good hands. In the saddest case, the animal is kicked out into the street, where it is likely to die due to its inability to live outside the home.
Maine Coon, like any other breed of cat, can cause allergic reactions in a child. In this case, the allergen most often is not wool, but animal musk or keratinized skin particles.
Therefore, before getting a Maine Coon, parents should take their child to the pediatrician. After the examination, he will determine whether the baby is allergic to various animals.
Interesting facts about Maine Coon cats
- Coons do not have the usual cat meow. Unlike their counterparts of other breeds, they make sounds similar to cooing or purring. Therefore, they often become the heroes of funny videos.
- Due to a genetic mutation, cats have extra toes. This phenomenon is called polydactylism. But it is precisely these pets that are especially popular among cat breeders. This can be considered both a plus and a minus of the characteristics of Maine Coons.
- It is Manx raccoons that often become record holders in the Guinness Book of Records. The most luxurious mustache in the world, up to 19 centimeters long, was on a cat of this breed. And the longest body - 123 centimeters - also belongs to the Maine Coon cat.
- The first cat breed to be cloned was also the Maine Coon. After the death of a seventeen-year-old cat, his inconsolable owner from America decided to clone her pet.
To do this, she preserved his biological material, and cloning specialists combined it with an egg.
To carry the fetus, a surrogate cat was used, which gave birth to a Maine Coon kitten very similar to its father in appearance and character. It turned out to be an exact copy of the deceased animal.
It becomes clear that Maine Coons have enough pros and cons to decide on the choice of cat breed.
Although, the disadvantages are usually associated with strict color requirements when participating in exhibitions. In other cases, the “Manx raccoon” can become a true family member who cannot spend long periods of time alone and is very devoted to his owners.
Leonid: almost like a dog, only a cat
Big coon in hand
I never really liked cats (I didn’t understand), dogs are somehow closer, but my wife has long dreamed of having a kitten of this particular breed. Gave in. Well, kitten - that's said loudly. At first it seemed to me that this was a fully grown cat: at three months this carcass weighed three kilograms and a tail, now it is almost an elephant, responding to the nickname Vova. But it's not that. I never thought that a cat could be as loyal as a dog: Vova always meets me from work, accompanies me everywhere, and when my back hurts, she warms me and even gives me a massage with her huge paws. And he has an almost dog-like character. I didn't expect this from cats.
