Does anyone else have a Maine Coon?

[MrsSchadenfreude]

We have adopted a rescue one, and he seems utterly bananas. He is the clumsiest cat ever, and is uncapable of jumping onto anything without falling off. Just wanted to compare notes.

Oh and does the ear hair ever stop growing?

I have a Maine Coon although she is smaller than a typical Maine Coon due to an illness she suffered with when she was young (typical of me to pick the runt of the litter).

She is completely insane. She attacks my rug, my hands, my legs and the top I'm trying to put on. She scampers around the house at high speed and then changes direction when she sees me and runs away. After a minute she reappears when she realizes I haven't chased her and sits and watches me. She is the only cat I know who can fall off a double bed when asleep and I have no idea how she takes up quite as much room as she manages to when she's asleep.

The ear hair is long but it doesn't continue to grow but my little girl has problems with grooming and doesn't keep herself clean. Unfortunately she also refuses to let me brush her and will bite me and cry like a baby if I try. Every now and again I put her in the shower and brave the cries just to get her smelling half ok.

I think we have her brother!! Yes - falls off the bed when he's asleep, and takes up half the bed. Bitey too (tho better now that we have rice based cat food with no colouring).

But he can be lovely and cuddly and purry too.

My parents have one.

he is bitey too! He likes to sit near you but hates to be cuddled and sadly hardly ever purrs. He's mad as a box of frogs though and very beautiful.

I wish he was more friendly as he was bought as a companion for my disabled dad.

He loves company. DH works from home and the cat always wraps itself round the computer while he's working!

He not only fell off the bed the other night, but managed to get wedged between the bed and the bedside table. I had a tail and a pair of back legs in my face accompanied by a rather anguished little "mew!"

MIL has 3 , one is so timid no-one but PILs have seen it for years - it won't leave the house, 2nd one is semi ferral and very nervous of people. 3rd one is more friendly and doing well at the cat shows.

She's had to have the semi-ferral one shaved under sedation a few times!

I would LOVE a Maine Coon. Isn't Mrs Norris (the cat in Harry Potter films) a Maine Coon?
Beautiful cats.

Sadly they are a bit over bred at the moment - the latest new thing at the cat shows , loads to be had for rehoming

Oh that's sad! Perhaps we could rescue another one or two?! He is very beautiful and has the most magnificent tail.

Shaved under sedation.

That seems like a really good idea. I know the nurse at the vets brushed mine while she was under for her neutering and then when I picked her up she told me I had to brush her more. I remember thinking "Well that's easy for you to say, try doing it when she's awake!"

Out of curiosity does yours actually "meow"? Mine didn't at first but after she got to know my vocal Egyptian Mau who meows to tell me she's hungry, her litter tray is dirty and that she is beside me and I haven't noticed her yet, my dear Maine Coon attempted to copy her with a kinda pathetic "tweet". Now after a year of trying she makes a funny noise that sounds like she's saying "purrrrrrrr" as where my Egyptian Mau definitely sounds like she's saying "meow meow meooooow"

Have to say MIL's MC are quiet but can meow if they really want to.

She stopped showing one of them because he would try and really really bite her when grooming him. The youngest one doesn't seem to mind the bathing and grooming much.

Mrs Norris is indeed a maine coon - one of mine is from the same breeder.

I have 3 - yes I'm nuts! I have a 3 year old white and blue girl who's small, about 7lb, with a huge miaow, a large silver tabby girl, about 14lb, and a cream tabby male kitten, who at 7 months already weighs 11 lbs and is very very long, although still skinny and hasn't got his big boy coat yet. He's kind of golden retriever coloured. And has the tiniest little squeek of a miaow.

There is no room in my bed, between me, DH, the kitten likes to slee in the middle of us, under the covers if possible, and the big girl lies up my other side!

I don't think either the ear hair, whiskers or eyebrows ever stop growing! They are wonderful cats though, such incredibly nice natures and very intelligent - two of mine play fetch.

I have 3 as well. My first was a brown tabby boy who was very sadly mistreated and took a couple of years to blossom but he is lovely, although totally batty. He drives me insane!!! He also has a nasty tendancy to lose all his fur at regular intervals, absolutely all his fur except his face, his feet and his tail, he looks like a poodle wearing ugg boots!!

Mine have learned how to open the oven and all the kitchen cupboards, I have child locks on everything because of the cats, I also have to have bolts on internal doors to keep them out of certain rooms.

My other 2 are girls and are beautiful. I have a little silver tabby who doesnt meow at all really, she 'meeps'. I also have a huge tortie who constantly 'warbles', its a very pretty noise. They are all very chatty unfortunately the boy does meow but at an earsplitting volume. They are completely individual and utterly bonkers :D.

I also have 4 other cats (mostly accidental, I started with one but more kept turning up!!), a half norwegian forest cat (who if you let him out promptly walks to the local pub and gets 'lost'), 2 half persians and 1 total moggy. they all have their own lovable features but my coonies are the most entertaining !!!
Hope I havent bored anyone, its nice to talk about my tribe, I darent admit to most people in RL how many I have

I can understand that - I get enough looks for having 3!

Major LOL at "Poodle wearing ugg boots" - I looked at my biggest, fluffiest girl and tried to imagine it and it seems an apt description!

Because we have a (very large, same size as a normal breed cat who's full grown) kitten, ours are currently wrestling a lot as they try to figure out who's boss. Really, the boy should just give up - the smallest girl has always been boss, she might be half the size of the others but she is FIESTY!

Our girls bicker, still trying to establish whos the boss (its actually neither of them, its me but try telling them that :))

Our small girl is a nightmare, think Ive ended up with a dwarf coon though as she hasnt grown much, she is still the size of the persians but seems to have halted there :D. She is permanently scruffy as they tend to open the kitchen cupboards, get out any vegetable oil, force the top off and then play in it!!! Ive just gone in the kitchen and theyve found a packet of flour, (goodness knows where from) and have cheerfully emptied it all over the floor!!! Its only the little one and the boy who engage in this, they think I dont know but the spiky hair from the oil and the flour patches on their fur are giving them away .

He also sucks my thumb! He sits next to me on the sofa with his huge paws on my legs and sucks my thumb. It has to be the thumb as well - another finger will not do!

And he is currently dragging a toy kitten around the house - not sure if he is strangling it or "looking after" it though!

I have a 22 pound MC boy:)
He's the most ridiculous and gorgeous creature! Magnificent to look at as he is absolutely enormous ..dog sized.. but he is totally daft, soft as they come and would like to spend his day wrapped round my neck ..he loves cuddles.

He so clumsy it's embarrassing (our other moggy actually smirks at him when he falls off things) and he is unbelievably greedy..he will eat anything, any time !
He collects babies dummies (!!) and likes stealing watches also.. carries them round in his mouth!

He definitely thinks he owns me and likes to try and shove DH out of bed by pushing his way in next to me!! They are fab cats:)

We have a mc boy and an mc girl .. The girl is pretty sensible although she has a penchant for sugar covered doughnuts !
Has been caught several times dragging them upstairs to stash away :)
Her brother is totally loopy - has a thing for licking plastic (!) - especially dry cleaning bags !
He chats constantly to us too and has the most amazing purr ..
He falls off things regularly too
Both are gorgeously affectionate characters and I am addicted !!

kidsncatsnwine, I think I have your boys' baby brother - he's 8 months old now, and about 12lbs, and is most happy if he is actually pretending to be my scarf! Slightly scared of him climbing on me like that when he's full sized, but he is a gentle giant. He lets my baby poke and prod at him and cuddles up to her.

He's at that strange stage where he's just starting to get his proper coat - tail first! So he's relatively short haired for an MC, with an increasingly fluffy tail that actually got bigger from the top down.

And he nicks dummies too.

Mine seems quite normal for a Maine Coon then! He collects small stuffed toys - has amassed a large collection by the front door. He cuddles his favourite when he goes to sleep!

Ours is 16 and was very clumsy when young. She dislocated her hip and, because she had cracked the head of the thigh bone, she had the top of the bone removed. The muscle was pinned and wired to form a hinge. This was when she was 1.

The next year she was on the roof of the house, so it worked! Apparently it could be done in humans, but we wouldn't do the physio.

I'm fostering one next week and know of another looking for rehoming so this is really useful - let me know if any of you are looking for another one (or 2 )

Oh I would love another one, but we are in Paris! Do you think he would like a friend? He is the best cat at the moment - very affectionate and purry. We are on our own this week as DH and the DDs have gone back to UK for half term but I wasn't allowed leave.

He has been very "helpful" when I have been clearing out the kitchen - climbed up the bookshelves and got stuck, fell into the dishwasher, ripped a packet of lentils and batted them all round the kitchen . And has eaten all the basil leaves - only a stalk left.

God - What am I letting myself in for??? Although the one I'm having is in a terrible state and will need a lot of love so It's worth it :(

Mine has spent the evening putting some of his small teddies in a large carrier bag and dragging it round the flat. He has dragged the bag to me, is sitting next to it and looking at me expectantly. Not sure what he expects me to do...

Our rescue boy has blossomed since he came here. His tail has doubled in size and he now loves a cuddle and stroke, without deciding to savage you for "fun", still purring, after a few minutes. He loves being brushed and having his tummy rubbed too.

God, I sound like a mad old cat woman...

Have you tried throwing one of the smaller teddies? Mine drags toys to me and drops them at my feet when she wants to play..........

Bubblerock - you're letting yourself in for massive cuddles, probably being slept on despite the size of the cat, lots of fluff and hair, and probably a huge purr, some other random noisesm and a miaow that seems way too small.

and becoming smitten - few people seem able to resist the maine coons!