Mumsnet Talk

Hi, DH and I have been looking at getting a pet for the last few years. I have had numerous cats in my life, moggies, short haired exotic. But I have always dreamt of a Maine coon once the children where a bit bigger. Their personalities seem amazing. Could anyone please give me any first hand advice? Do you keep yours indoors? Are Males more affectionate? etc.

My mum has a Maine coon. She is gorgeous and very affectionate. She likes to sit on laps. She does go outside but not that much out in the winter. In the summer she hides under the bushes and chases mice and baby birds. She comes out all covered in leaves because of her long fur!! One of the main things about Maine coins is that they are large. I think the boys especially are!! They are also quite overbred so make sure you get one from a reputable breeder as they can have health problems. Anyway she is a very lovely quiet cat. I would love a Maine coon of my own!

Thanks for replying ivebeengood, she sounds lovely. Good point about overbreeding we will be willing to travel for a good reputable breeder so are looking now for spring/summer next year.(If I can wait that long)

You need to be aware that whilst they are lovely cats 50% of Maine Coons suffer from Hip Dysplasia.

That is shocking lonecat, I remember our old dog had that, is there any recommendations to avoid that?

Hi plonk. We own 2 Maine Coons, a kitten and a mature female cat.

I would say the older female cat is very unaffectionate and would never seek out human company. The male kitten is however mad to be cuddled and hugged - he sleeps most nights on DH shoulders, snoring and stretching his way through the night. He is a total dote.

They are more prone to disease - keep vaccinations well up to date. Buy from reputable breeder - we travel abroad to get our cats (to SW England) and can pass on name of breeder if you pm me. We have always found she puts the cats interest first and is very passionate about genetics, health etc

Thanks 3littlewomen, I did have my heart set on a big boy so am pleased you say he is so affectionate. I live in in SW England so would be interested to hear what breeder you recommend (will pm you soon) My main concern is wether it will be happy to live indoors (3 bed semi) as would be heartbroken if he got stolen or wandered onto a road, or are they fairly streetwise over the years of breeding?

I think there is also a genetic issue with their hearts as well. But they are gorgeous.

Hip Dysplasia is genetic as yet there is not any official hip x-rat screening process in Maine Coons. They do also get cardiomyopathy, but it is not such a significant problem.

Cat insurance sounds like a must then? (even though it is 3 times more monthly than my car insurance )

We use pet plan. It's been very good ins wise. Our silver tab girl and brown tab boy are 8. Lovely cats. V recommend for nice personalities. Only issue is touch of gingervitis for which we have special biscuit off vet. Vet loves them. To get the boy as big as poss got to keep his bits til begins spraying to get some hormones. Boy is 2 stone. Girl 1.4. Lovely chirping noise. Very talkative. Our breeder was in Brighton.

FYI they are indoor cats, 3bed semi 1930's size. Very happy.

Also happy on leads in garden in summer!

We have had 2 Maine Coons, 1st was a boy - from a rescue - he was enormous, and the most gentle, affectionate, soft lump you could ever wish to meet. He lived until he was 18, and other than developing diabetes when he was around 16 (vet nurse showed me how to do his injections and he did very well) he didn't have any health problems at all. We now have a girl, she's 6. She's very stand offish, won't stand for being petted, and is the loudest cat I have ever known! She hasnt had any problems either. <<touches wood>>
She is also extremely beautiful. Both of mine have made full use of cat flaps and were/are excellent hunters.
I personally wouldn't have "indoor" cats, but have no beef with those that do.

Thanks 2blessed, I love your description of your lovely "soft lump" I have read somewhere that some colours are not true breeds and can encounter more problems, I do love the silver/grey coat I hope they do not fall into that catagory.

Be very careful when choosing a breeder , my mum has a Ragdoll ( breeder does rags and maines) he's about 10 now and it is an extremely 'reputable ' breeder .the cat has had health issues from the day after we got him and she couldn't distance herself quickly enough ! Having said that my mum loves him ,he's an indoor cat and a complete pain in the arse ,costs an a fortune to feed because he is very picky and also has digestive problems .likes to sit with people but not on them , keeps crying at you if you're sitting where he wants to sit until you move ,can't stand any temperature changes so has to have heaters and fans at relevant times of the year and is allergic to loads of stuff like vaccinations / flea treatments. I think we just picked a wrong un!

Insurance is a must in our opinion! We have a real thing for the big dozy red tabbies.... Our female is a blue tortie, huge but not a people cat.

The red kitten is a real snuggler and we plan to keep him indoors - have had real problems with neighbours enticing our coons into their houses to encourage them to stay .

Best of luck with you kitten or cat

Thanks for the replies, that is shocking about your neighbours 3littlewomen. I have PM'd you about breeder recomendation. Hope we manage to find a nice snuggly boy like yours.

Have you considered rag dolls ? My friends has two and they have amazing personalities .. Really placid and affectionate and cuddly!!

I have two Maine Coons - they are now 12 years old. One enormous ginger boy and, his sister, a lovely grey girl. They're both completely cuddly and loving. I've never known them bite or scratch either. When my DD was about 2 and going through "the biting phase" she bit the boy on his leg - hard enough to make him yowl. Even then, he just got up and walked away - he didn't spit, scratch or bite her.

They have very loud purrs and also "chirrup" for attention/to find each other. Apparently, they can be trained too although, really, who has time?!

The girl cat rushes to DD if she is crying too. The cat is better at telling whether they're real tears or not - if the cat's not there, the tears are usually not entirely genuine!!

Not had any health problems with them although they did become quite stressed when I introduced the devil cat into the fold (unwanted, part feral kitten - ugliest and most annoying cat you will ever see). The Maine Coons are noisy but the small beast is the noisiest cat ever (vet thinks part Siamese).

The only thing I would say, though, is that you may need to groom them occasionally. Mine hate being groomed but end up with clumps and knots of fur which then have to be cut out if I don't.

Sorry, should have said, the Maine Coons are house cats although, really, they'd prefer not to be. Devil cat is not but won't go out.

WE have a silver mackarel tabby male - he's about 18 months. A great character - he gets out but many breeders won't sell to someone who wants to let their cat out so you should be OK keeping yours in. Ours is friendly but not overly so - think he will become more of a lap cat with age. You will need to groom them - no matter what the breeder says. Ours got so matted we had to get part of his coat shaved. He hates being groomed. They are very vocal and very large - we got a large size cat carrier and already he can't stand in it. I would love another one but w ehave a black moggy who would have 40 fits if we got yet another cat..

I love Rag dolls too, I would love a pair of these bishboshone, they have the sweetest faces. DH has his heart set on a Maine Coon, he likes the idea of a big honey monster, I was hesitant at first until I looked more into their personalities. This could be the only pet we have until we hit retirement age so really keen to get the right one to join our family. Has anyone had any problems with furniture destruction at all? Also, sorry, Do they malt more than a normal cat as they have such long hair?

Sounds like they dont like being groomed much for both of you to mention that bit! thank you. Maybe I should try to start that when he is very young. I was wondering what you do to get them to the vet when they are at full size haggisaggis, I guess a dog carrier?

I have two normal tabbies who have fantastic personalities and a beautiful tortoiseshell who is so aloof it's untrue . You would think she had been badly treated but she came from a lovely home and had a lovely home here ...She spits and growls at you and won't allowed you to pick her up . Despite this I love her as she does have her moments but I would think very hard about breeds if I got another cat . Sometimes I guess it's just luck of the draw .