Should I get a cat? (Maine Coon)

[Sharad]

Hi everyone.

I need help making a decision please. Mainly looking for reassurance and positive stories, but also a dose of realism about cat ownership.

I have a friend, who can no longer take care of her beloved cat due to health reasons. She loves him very much, but unfortunately is physically unable to take care of him now. She has asked me if I would like to take him. I don’t want to refuse as I have child that would love to have a pet. I however, am not very keen on the idea and need convincing.

The cat is a year old and is a Maine Coon. My friend doesn’t have family that she could give him to. She asked me because I have a child who loves animals and the breed is well suited for families with children. She will have to re-home him or sell him if I do not agree, but I am not under any pressure to do so. I do however, feel responsible for his future.

Problem is, I have only heard horror stories about cats peeing and pooing in owners beds and laundry. I know this isn’t true for all cats, but Mumsnet is full of threads with these issues.
That said, I am open minded and would like to know if my fears are unfounded. I know there is always a chance, but how common is it to end up with a cat that may develop these behavioural issues?

For reference, I do not visit my friend very often as she lives two hours away, so I haven’t had any interaction with the cat.

Please help me make a decision on whether I should take the plunge or not. I am financially able to take care of him and can provide a loving home. I just need to hear from you what it’s really like owning a cat. Were you hesitant about getting a cat and was it the right decision? Did it work out? Are they loving and affectionate?
Please share some stories to help me decide.

Any experience regarding the breed would be very appreciated too.

Thank you!

Yup mine is 7kg and is most definitely a lap cat, and so were the ones at the breeder who were much larger, they find a way to fit

No don't get the cat. Send him to me instead 😅. I'm joking I just love Maine Coons and have been desperate for one for so long and can't find one.

I absolutely think you should take the cat ❤️. All behavioural problems can be fixed. I have 2 cats and one of mine used to pee on the bed when she was upset.

We now use feliway friends plugins, make sure they get lots of love and affection and have no other instances. Although it's very important if you have one instance you need to completey remove the scent of urine as it will attract them to do it again.

They are HUGE!

Magic was only 2 years old in this photo. He's grown a bit more now.

@newcatslave2022 Blimey! It’s like owning a lion, but legal! Beautiful cats all of them. Definitely can see the personality difference between the ragdolls and MC in the first picture!

@caringcarer He’s so cute!

I think one year is enough time to have an idea of temperament and as your friend knows him you don’t need to see parents, I just gave that as an example what to look for when you don’t have anything else to go on in terms of personality as I was aware they weren’t all the same
in terms of their personalities, but in your case whilst he’s still going to be kitten like, his temperament will show as he is slightly older so it’s very positive, if you decide to have him just ease his transition, stay with him the first night so he doesn’t feel scared pr alone. I brought him home while I had time off work but that probably is not needed but I wanted to do what I would do with a new baby or adopted child (I probably sound mad 😂). I did research for a couple of years I found petforums to be quite helpful as well as mumsnet ofcourse so don’t hesitate to ask if you ever need to

Get the cat.

Post the pictures.

Just be aware as they are big cats they need more food and grooming so could work out expensive especially jf you decide to give them the good stuff

I have a Maine Coon boy, this is him right now on the bed with me purring and trilling. He is the most affectionate gentle chat and always happy. He is big around 8kgs and may go up to 11kgs around 1.2 metres at the moment. Maine Coons do have delicate stomachs but no issues with the bed, well once as a kitten when we had changed his food and he felt ill and wanted a cuddle with me but he was so cute.

They would be the easiest cat in the world to re-home but do need to go to someone who would follow advice. They are incredibly trusting. A trial might be a good idea. They are quite full on, mine with be zooming around chasing the robins on the Christmas tree soon and trilling. They do need company 24/7 ideally, much more needing company than our old moggie. Ours is wonderful.

This is type of thing they do, knock robin off tree, getting off in mouth then leaping around and zooming around with it trilling, love it for you to throw it and rolling over. Anyone comes to house he will be there in 5 seconds to greet them.

I've got two Maine Coons and I love the breed. Both go outdoors when they want, but we live in that countryside where the roads are quiet. No litter accidents and the main problem is getting out of bed in the morning with a purring furball on top of you. They need to be groomed every other day and checked for matts. Be aware that they can keep growing up to 4 years old and they do eat more than a normal cat.

Expect a ongoing commentary on everything you do and a purring shadow around the house.

@Silkiefloof, he's obviously where you got your name from. He's majestic. Such intelligent eyes.

Thanks very much @caringcarer Yes his name is Mr Floof though he answers to every name as he loves attention.

He's just trilling at DD now as she's back from work and just heard her say night to him and love you. He is very chatty / trilly / purry sometimes including all of the night. He's currently now knocking robins off the Christmas tree and leaping around.

No MC, but 2 moggies here (an older 13yo girl and a boy kitten).
The older cat generally gifts us 2 hair balls a year, always carefully presented for our approval on the one rug in our otherwise all-hard-floors downstairs. The kitten sicked a few times when he first arrived due to sheer greed, but has now learnt his gastronomic limit.
Since getting the kitten, the older cat has had 3 poo accidents in the house. 2 of these have been entirely our fault by forgetting to reopen the cat flap for her once the kitten was safely away from it. The third was down to our young non-cat-owning babysitter mistaking the kitten being annoyingly playful and the older cat telling him to fuck off as a major incident, and shutting them in different parts of the house. Regrettably, he shut the kitten into the side with the cat flap but not the litter tray (thankfully the kitten didn't get out or need the loo!), and the cat in the half without outside access but with the kitten's tray that she clearly wasn't prepared to use even when desperate. I can't remember her having any other accidents over the last 13yrs.
The kitten did try to use a random corner with a blanket in it as a toilet for wees recently, but hasn't tried to repeat this since we discovered it and properly cleaned the area. I have no idea why this happened as he's otherwise very well trained and is now mostly going outside, but it has been the only incident in the 5 months he's been here.
Basically, except for the hairballs, any clean ups have been a result of human error or kittenish inexperience (which will be outgrown 🤞🏻).

All in all, the bodily fluid clean ups have been much rarer and less horrific than those caused by my DCs 😬 At a year old, your MC should be a pro at litter trays and not eating so much he voms, so hopefully low maintenance in that front!

@Silkiefloof what a beautiful cat and so much fluffiness! How old is he? He is very big and stunning. I will be with him all day until my daughter gets back from school. She loves both cats and dogs and will love my friends cat dearly. She is 12 so can handle the responsibility. Good idea about watching him being groomed. I may offer to foster him for a few weeks and see how it goes.

@SkankingWombat I am fine if it happens once in a while. We have mostly wood flooring and some carpet. My worry is that it will become a habit and I won’t be able to break him out of it. I’m glad you were able to pinpoint the causes and rectify the problem. My friend has no issues so far. He was litter trained before she got him at 13 weeks.

@WomanHereHear I am financially able to care for him. Again, I wouldn’t commit if I couldn’t. Just trying to see if I am mentally ready. I will inherit all his things so I wouldn’t need to invest anything other than time and food.

These are my 2, both still babies at 7 months old. They're so chatty and affectionate. The only downside is that they like to play in their water bowls and repeatedly flood the kitchen floor! Worth it though

@Ineedasitdown I think my friend would genuinely be happy if I took him. She thinks my daughter will love him and give him the attention he needs. He is very playful and she can’t keep up with his demands due to ill health. I think she will be happy that he is living his best life with us. I am very nervous about taking the plunge. It is another life after all, but he would not be unwanted or unloved. Expense and time are not the issue. I have factored in the cost. I just don’t know enough about cats to say yes. I have only been fed the negatives so I’m trying hard to break away from that and learn what it’s actually like to own a cat from real owners.

@Justonedayatatime11 Absolutely stunning! They both look incredibly majestic. I have read about the fascination with water. I know they don’t require much bathing, but have you tried? Are they good at taking baths?

I have a 3 year old male MC. He's never done a wee where he shouldn't but sometimes he misses the litter box when he poos. We have the biggest litter trays we could find but he still manages to hang out of it by accident. We have rubber mats under the trays to catch catch litter so we can clean it up easily but it's a pain. Also he does monster sized wees so we need to change the litter more often than we ever did for other cats.

I still wouldn't change him for the world and after having a MC we wouldn't consider another breed. He's so affectionate, follows us around like a little dog and is just a joy to have at home.

@Sharad I haven't, because I'm not sure I'd ever get them out! They love splashing their water about so I'm looking forward to next summer when they can have a pool outside!