Maine Coons are the largest domesticated breed of cat known today. Apart from their size, they are well known for being extremely friendly and more dog like than feline.
Males usually weigh heavier than females. An entire male can weigh close to 10 kilograms whereas females come in at a kilo or two lighter. Slow to mature, the solid body and heavy furnished mane and tail tend to be mature at around 3 to 4 years old.
So is a Maine coon for you?
If you want a quiet, unassuming kitty, one that will curl up quietly in your lap, eat daintily from a bowl and make small curly poos in a litter tray …. stop reading now
Coonies have little respect for space and generally like to land on you like a ton of bricks when you least expect it – and believe me, when a 10 kilo boy lands on you with full force, you know all about it ! This tends to usually be after they have paddled in their water bowl with all four paws or after they’ve been chomping on a delicious spider that they’ve just found in the window, and often when you have a cup of coffee in your hand!
If you think that the bathroom has always been a place of privacy, quietness and solitude, then think again …… from experience, their favourite time to have a cuddle is when your sitting on the loo ~ and they don’t take no for an answer! Not a good idea to shut or lock the door because you won’t get a moment peace until you open it and let them in.
Poos can be the size of a small pony’s and they invariably like to act like they are digging to Australia in their litter tray – Our Betty can go on for several minutes before she is happy to let go.
Coonies tend to like everyone and will greet the local Yodel driver like he is a long lost cousin dangling a piece of fish in his pocket ~ never leave your garden gate open as they are often happy to follow, jump in and go for a drive. Easy to harness train, most are content on a lead in a quiet area ` although Manolito likes to go in straight lines only, you have to physically pick him up and turn him to go around a corner.
Grooming time can be fun. Most coonies need regular grooming and most will tolerate it even if they don’t like it; when they have been exploring the garden and come back into the house with half of the newly trimmed hedge stuck to their tail and embedded in their ruff, this will tend to need more than one pair of hands…… and maybe a pair of protective gloves.
So after all this, if you are up for a challenge, then read on ….
If not …..
A goldfish is probably better
Loricoons 