Anyone have a Maine Coon cat?

[vhoffman]

I agree that MC's are especially gentle. My kitty accidently scratched my hand while playing, now he's especially careful not to put out his claws while playing or cuddling.

My MC is a "wool sucker". That's the term the vet used, not mine. He loves to knead and suck cotton, like old tee shirts or blankets. The vet said cats that were weaned too soon or taken from their mothers too soon tend to have this characteristic, its a comfort thing. We give him an old blanket to suck on. But I think it means he's hungry! According to everything I've read, MC's take 3-4 years to fully develop, so he's still a growing boy. We have 4 adult cats, all on Science Diet Feline Maintenance, so they won't get over weight. But I now give my MC an extra serving of canned food at night, whenever he starts the "wool sucking". Seems to satisfy him, and keep the other cats from getting pudgy!

 

[pbharris4]

My neighbor had a Maine Coon cat. I am not a cat person I like them, but I am more of a dog person. But Rudy (his name) was the best cat I ever knew. He would be at our house more than his and didn't even mind our Shih Tzu, Chloe. He had the funniest meow. He was old though. I think he walked into the woods and one of the dogs or other animals in the woods got him. I really miss him though.

Unfortunately, alot of people do that with animals and it is so cruel. My MIL got both of her cats because someone just threw it from the car into her yard. Luckily they weren't hurt.

 

[scrapperjill]

We had two MC's... Sid and Emma. But someone took them ...They were both pure black....real furry and soo so lovey. We didn't have them to long...but in the short time we had them we did get VERY attached.

I have heard of breeder putting down animals that didn't quite make what their 'standards' were for breeding. Not for cats..but for dogs. We have Boston terriers that we've breed...but before doing so I looked into a few breeders...and the what and hows about it. Anyways...I was VERY shocked to hear one of them say they'd rather put down a pup that wasn't of good quality than let anyone know.

 

[drag n' fly]

I finally found a pic of my sweet little man Beek

 

[MomWith2Cinderellas]

We have an MC too! His name is Sy Snootles. He is the sweetest boy, but very mischievous! He will talk my daughter's baby clothing and hide it in his bed. At night I have to search his cat bed for the treasurers he has collected through out the day.
He also is a "wool sucker". Right before he falls asleep he loves to suck on the blanket and knead.
We are crazy about him and his seven other cat brothers and sisters!! I am cat person!

 

[TinkandAriel]

My in-laws had a "travelling" MC, his name was Jack. He showed up at dh's gramma's house one thanksgiving, and the in laws adopted him. He was huuuuge, and had a voice to match his size. He stayed all winter, but as soon as it started to warm up, he got restless, and disappeared one day. A couple of months later my mil was delivering firewood to a neighbor about a mile and a half down the road when she spotted a MC exactly like Jack. Turns out it was Jack, but mil didn't say anything bc the neighbors kids were so in love with him. That fall, Jack moved on from the neighbors as well.
Jack was a cool cat.

 

[pixiewings71]

My 2 favorites breeds are MC and Scottish Fold. I adore them both. But I can't bring myself to buy from a breeder and the rescues aren't close enough to adopt to me so I went to mutt kitties who fill my life with purrs. Someday I hope to have a MC and/or a SF but for now I'll love my rescued barn cats.

Enjoy your kitty, she sounds wonderful!!

 

[Principessa1284]

I have one! I don't know if he's pure breed - he kind of fell into our laps. A friend of my mom's lives way out in the country, and 2 summers ago she was sitting on her porch, and the little guy pranced his way out of the woods like he owned the place. She played a "Hey Rose.. you like cats, right?" Dad was not happy.. but he lived. The vet said he was about 2 months old at the time, and that he was probably a barn cat. He was decently taken care of, but was still very iffy about humans. He is definately still a little feral, and boy can he be full of pi$$ and vinegar, though he can be SOOO sweet and cuddly when he wants to be. Yes, he too was a very tiny little kitten with a pathetic little meow and is 1.5 yrs now and around 17 lbs - he's bigger than our pomeranian. He still has that high, twill meow and yes - it's hillarious to see it come out of such a big cat! He LOVES to play with water, and if you don't leave the sink dripping a little bit, he'll find a glass of water that has been left around, tip it over and play with THAT water.

 

[LoveMyDisneyCats]

One big fat MC here- Meeko. He's our puppy also- so funny! One of the best cats we've had!

 

[CastleCreations]

We had adopted a pair of adult Maine Coons from our local humane society. They were beautiful, about a year old. But we soon learned, why they were at the humane society in the first place. They did not use the litter box. We tried dozens of different types of litters, differ litter pans. We even put them their water and food and the litter box into one room, and the vet said that after they learned to use the litter box, keep them confined to one area. It didn't work. They'd use the box, but as soon as you let them into the house, they'd go everywhere. It was a mess. They were one male and female, so I don't think it was territory thing, and this house was almost new and no one had had any pets here before. So..we tried it for about 6 months, but after finding pee in the showers/bathtubs, and poop on the counter and in the sinks, we gave up. They were gorgeous, but we couldn't deal with it any longer. I contacted the Main Coon rescue, and she came and got them.. I hope they found a good home...

 

[CampbellScot]

I'm glad your Maine Coon found such a loving home!! They are wonderful, gorgeous and interesting cats!! It just irks me to death that so many of them are in shelters or found along side roads. They are pretty pricey to purchase from a breeder and I know that the Maine Coon rescue is very serious about keeping their breed safe and in good homes.

I had one in college. He was HUGE!! Nearly 30 pounds!! My roommate had arrived with him and he quickly became my boy. His name was Sir Francis Drake...don't know who gave him that name, he came from the shelter with it, but he was just Drake to us...or Pudge.

Someone had "de-clawed" him and then left him out on the road. Poor baby was defenseless. Oh he was a darling though, even though he'd been through rough times. He loved to play hide and seek! Seriously, I'd hide around the corner and he creep up on me and we'd just wait. Before long he'd spring out from behind the corner, bat at my knee and run. He could do that for hours. He loved to sing to the radio too...that Maine Coon twittering meow. He was a kick. We loved Pudge.

they are good cats, but as someone mentioned, they can be very tough to housebreak if you don't start them young. That's what our vet told us anyway.

Give your baby a pat from a fellow Maine Coon lover!!

 

[Shagley]

I have a "roadside" Maine Coon too - he was rescued with 5 other kittens from a cardboard box in the middle of a busy road. Sneaky Pete came to me as a 1.3 pound kitten and before long he exploded into a 20 pound fuzzy maine coon. He is solid black, and is my buddy. So many of these stories are just like Sneaky Pete. He is a "wool sucker", is VERY vocal, will come when called, and when he wants to sit on your lap there is no keeping him off of you. I never had cats before I had Sneaky Pete and now I know that I will always have Maine Coons because they are so comical. Sneaky is such a clutsy cat that it is hilarious. There isn't a graceful bone in his body, and he is such a clown. He will lay on his back in the middle of the floor and if you want to walk through the room he will make you step over him and will swat you with his big paws when you do step over him. One of the funniest things he did was that he pulled opened one of my kitchen cabinets, when my other cat (Jammers) stepped into the open cabinet, Sneaky closed the door and locked Jammers in there . It took us about an hour to find Jammers before we figured out that she was locked in the cabinet with our pots and pans. I'm not sure if it was an accident, or Jammers was bothering him so he wanted to teach her a lesson. He is quite a character.