Known for their large size, the Maine Coon is a loveable cat breed that is very friendly and playful. Originating in Maine, USA, the Maine Coon was first bred in the 1850s when long haired cats were introduced to local short hair cats in the United States. They get their name not only from their place of origin, but also from the fact that their tail closely resembles that of a racoon. These intelligent cats were brought to the UK in the 1980s, and are now a widely loved breed amongst many cat owners worldwide.
- Maine Coons can be susceptible to a variety of health conditions as a result of both their genes and their lifestyle. It is important to look out for common symptoms and signs, as well as get them in for regular check ups with your veterinarian.
- This breed not only has a large stature, but also a big voice! Your Maine Coon may cause a ruckus when they want to alert you to something or get your attention. Be sure to train this behaviour, as they can become quite persistent.
- Maine Coons often finish maturing later in life compared to other cat breeds, meaning that they are in their kitten-hood up to 4 to 5 months longer than other breeds such as British Shorthairs or Ragdolls.
Appearance: Maine Coons are known for being a large cat breed, so most of these cats can weigh up to eight kilograms. Often very muscular in stature, these cats are known for their fluffy coat and tail along with their common tabby colour.
Temperament: This breed is a very intelligent, social and loveable cat. Maine Coons are a great addition to any household as they enjoy the company of people and can be very playful. They can enjoy playtime, but also love a quiet cuddle on the couch.
Activity Level: Maine Coons don’t have a rigorous exercise routine they need to follow. However, we recommend keeping up with regular play sessions and mentally stimulating activities for your Maine Coon to prevent boredom or extreme laziness. Using cat toys, play mats and other cat activities can help keep your cat active whilst bonding with you.
Health: This large breed is often susceptible to both hereditary and lifestyle conditions. This means that it is important for you to look out for symptoms and signs of illness so they can be treated by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Lifespan: Maine Coons can live up to 13 years, meaning that you can enjoy over a decade with this furry family member!
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Cat Food - Wet, Dry & Treats
Cat Litter - Premium Litter & Odour Sprays for Cats
At Vets Love Pets we stock a wide range of cat and kitty litters for general use, and to aid with your cats bowel movements or any urinary troubles. We stock Catsan products, including their Crystal Gel Litter and Clumping Gel Litter, which are effective in absorbing all urine and eliminating odours. We also offer Trouble & Trix Lavender Cat Litter, which helps by quickly trapping liquid in clumps for simple one-scoop cleaning from the top of the litter pile. Also, browse our range of Odour Sprays for Cats to avoid unpleasant litter box smells. View all these products and more online now.
Cat Grooming Products & Accessories - Vet Recommended
Grooming Maine Coons
With a long and thick coat, grooming your Maine Coon is essential to keep their fur looking soft and healthy. Neglecting the maintenance of your Maine Coon's coat can lead to excessive matting and discomfort for your cat. To avoid this, we recommend keeping up with a regular grooming routine for your Maine Coon that includes not only brushing them, but also maintaining their dental hygiene.
Frequent brushing: To help keep their coat shiny and healthy, we recommend brushing your Maine Coon regularly with a cat comb or cat brush. If you brush your cat’s fur at least three times a week, you can reduce excessive shedding, prevent matts and keep your cat’s fur healthy.
Shedding seasons: This double-coated breed is often thought to excessively shed, as it has two layers of fur. If your Maine Coon is generally an indoor cat, you will not experience excessive shedding throughout the year any more than other cat breeds. To get ahead of shedding, we recommend combing through your cat's fur with a shedding blade or shedding comb in season transitionary periods such as the spring and autumn seasons.
If you’re experiencing excessive shedding with your Maine Coon, there could be an underlying reason. Some cats can begin to shed more if they aren’t receiving the proper nutrition, are under a lot of stress or experiencing medical issues. If you are noticing this shedding becoming an issue for your Maine Coon, we recommend taking them to a trusted veterinarian for professional advice on how best to tackle this shedding and any underlying causes.
Controlling matts: If you do encounter matts or knots in your Maine Coon’s fur, it is important to tackle it before they begin to build up or become worse. Here are some 3 simple steps to follow so you can get a matt out of your cat’s fur whilst keeping them comfortable:
Tips for removing matts
1. Check for matts with your fingers: Before brushing your Maine Coon, we recommend checking their fur with your fingers. This will not only help you identify any knots, but will give you the opportunity to detangle them with minimal effort or force.
2. Use a soft-bristled brush: If the knot is too hard to detangle with your fingers, we recommend carefully trying to brush it out with a soft bristled brush. If the knot is not budging, be patient and do not pull at it as it can be painful for your cat. If you see signs of stress or discomfort in your Maine Coon during this process, be sure to stop and resume at a later time.
3. Use a detangler: A stubborn knot or matt can lead you to needing to use a detangler tool or conditioner to loosen the matt. Similarly to the previous steps, remain patient and do not pull on your Maine Coon’s fur or skin. In the worst case, you might want to consider trimming the knotted fur.
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Dental Hygiene: With Maine Coons having all of their adult teeth by the time they’re six months old, it is very important that you keep up with frequent oral hygiene. Whilst giving your cat dental treats can help with day-to-day care, you should brush your Maine Coon’s teeth at least once a week.
Along with introducing teeth-brushing to your Maine Coon at a young age, we likewise recommend purchasing a flavoured cat toothpaste to help ease your cat into regular dental hygiene. Likewise, a pet toothbrush or finger brush will help you get to every one of their teeth when brushing.
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Shop our recommended grooming products
Gripsoft Cat Soft Slicker Brush
Gripsoft products are easy to use and designed to give a professional finish. The soft, rubber-sheathed, non-slip ergonomic handle provides maximum comfort, grip and control.
Cat Soft Slicker Brush: Use on the undercoat of cats and kittens to remove dead and shedding hair. Designed to suit pets with sensitive skin or fine silky coats. Regular brushing helps prevent matting. Part the hair and brush outwards, section by section.
Gripsoft Dematting Rake
Gripsoft products are easy to use and designed to give a professional finish. The soft, rubber-sheathed, non-slip ergonomic handle provides maximum comfort, grip and control.
Undercoat and Dematting Rakes: Ideal for tending to your pet’s undercoat by removing dead, shedding, matted or knotted hair from the innermost layer.
Gripsoft Shedding Blade
Gripsoft products are easy to use and designed to give a professional finish. The soft, rubber-sheathed, non-slip ergonomic handle provides maximum comfort, grip and control.
Shedding Blade: Use to remove dead and shedding hair on medium and long-haired breeds. Regular use will prevent matting.
Common Health Conditions In Maine Coons
This loveable feline can unfortunately be vulnerable to a variety of hereditary and lifestyle illnesses. For hereditary diseases, it is very important to get their parents screened for these illnesses to avoid your Maine Coon being affected by them. We understand that this isn’t always possible, so we recommend getting your Maine Coon health screened at least once a year so you can catch any disease sooner rather than later.
Hereditary diseases: Maine Coon’s can be susceptible to many different types of hereditary diseases in which they inherit from their parents. As some diseases show from recessive genes, the screening or knowledge of the medical history from your cat’s parents is very important. Some common hereditary diseases in Maine Coon’s include:
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Affecting the spine and limbs, this involves the loss of nerves in the spine causing loss of control over hind legs. Common symptoms are visible signs of muscle loss in hind legs, being unable to jump and a wobbly walk. Whilst you can’t slow the progression of this disease, you can make your Maine Coon comfortable by making toys and food within their reach and giving them comfort without having to jump (i.e. a cat bed close to the ground).
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A common heart disease found in senior Maine Coon cats, this disease prevents the heart from properly pumping blood to the rest of the body. Common symptoms include lethargy, coughing and shortness of breath. This disease and its effects can be managed and sometimes prevented with a low-sodium diet and medication to make your cat more comfortable.
- Polycystic Kidney Disease: This disease causes small cysts in the kidney’s of a Maine Coon, and can often be identified in kitten-hood. If let for a prolonged period of time, these cysts can grow and cause kidney failure. Common symptoms include weight loss, increased thirst, dry heaving and frequent urination. To help prevent and manage this disease, we recommend frequent checkups with your veterinarian, as well as ensuring that your Maine Coon has a well balanced diet.
Lifestyle Diseases: Along with hereditary diseases, Maine Coons are susceptible to various lifestyle ailments. These include obesity, diabetes and dental diseases. To help prevent these diseases, we recommend ensuring that your Maine Coon is fed a healthy and well-balanced diet in relative portion sizes to their age and weight. We likewise recommend regularly brushing your Maine Coon’s teeth to help prevent any dental diseases or deterioration.
If you become concerned by any illness or symptoms of illness with your Maine Coon, we recommend taking them to a trusted veterinarian for a check up and a professional opinion.
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Training a Maine Coon
It is a common misconception that you can’t teach your cat tricks or basic commands, but Maine Coons are very intelligent and can be taught a variety of skills.
Starting early: When looking to train your Maine Coon in basic commands or household manners, it is best to start as early as possible. By starting early in their lives, you will have the best chance of having an obedient cat. We recommend starting with basic commands and rules, such as a sit command and litter box training to create a good basis of training for their adulthood.
Litter box training: To make sure that you and your Maine Coon have a positive litter box training experience, we recommend starting as soon as they are welcomed into your home. Before bringing your Maine Coon home, we recommend placing a litter box in an easily accessible bathroom. We recommend placing a couple of centimetres of cat litter in the box as to not overfill it, as it is not preferred by cats and could deter them from using the litter box.
If your Maine Coon doesn’t make it to the litter box in time, or is struggling with the training, be sure to remain patient and clean any accident spots thoroughly. Anytime they properly use a litter box, be sure to reward them with treats and praise to reinforce the behaviour.
Effective training tips: For unwanted behaviours, such as rowdiness or clawing at furniture, it is important to address these right away. No two Maine Coons are identical, so it is best to understand what training methods work best for your cat:
Clicker training: A common training method used by cat parents is clicker training. This consists of using a clicker or consistent sounds when your cat performs a wanted behaviour (such as obeying a command or using the litter box), followed by a reward. After your Maine Coon has understood this association with the sound, we will then associate the clicker sound and reward with the behaviour.
Keep sessions short: When training your Maine Coon, you want to make sure that you keep your sessions short. Overly long training sessions can tire your cat, and can lead them to resisting training efforts in the future. By keeping sessions short, your Maine Coon will be more receptive to these new behaviours.
Positive Reinforcement: No matter the training you are undertaking with your Maine Coon, we always recommend using the positive reinforcement method. This involved rewarding wanted behaviours with a high value treat, playtime or praise, and ignoring unwanted behaviours. This makes training efforts a positive experience for both you and your cat!
Browse our recommended training products
Coachi Multi-Clicker
Clicker training is easy, fun and effective! This popular training method uses positive reinforcement to pinpoint and reward specific good behaviour.
Volume Control
The Coachi Multi-Clicker has a patented volume control with 3 settings, allowing you to adjust for nervous and sound sensitive dogs and to cater for those more boisterous canines!
Easy to Hold
It has a raised thumb-piece for easy use and an adjustable wrist strap for the perfect fit, so great for children and adults, its even reflective too!
Clicker Training
The Coachi Whizzclick clicker, has a very clear sound, it's easy and comfortable to press and use. The whistle produces a single tone that travels well in open spaces.
Fun to Train
Great for teaching fun tricks as well as basic commands, like sit, down and stay.
Buster Vet Nylon Cat Muzzle
A nylon muzzle specifically designed for cats.
This muzzle covers the cat’s eyes to reduce stress and also restricts mouth from opening enough to bite, but allows room for oral and probe treatments. Nylon material is X-ray transparent.
Short term use only for treatment of patient. X-ray transparent and machine washable at 30ºC.
KONG Swizzle Bird Teaser Toy
The KONG Swizzle Bird Teaser is perfect for fun, interactive play and a great way to strengthen the bond between you and your cat. Irresistable feathers and unpredictable movement will stimulate your feline friend’s natural hunting instincts and provide beneficial exercise. The Swizzle Bird Teaser is sure to bring out the playful tiger in any cat. Durable and safe, this item is for supervised play only.
- Ultra-soft plush
- Natural feathers
- Perfect for interactive play
Maine Coon Behavioural Issues
Whilst an affectionate and intelligent breed, Maine Coons can develop behavioural issues just like any cat breed. However, these behaviours can be addressed and trained out of your cat to ensure that your Maine Coon is a happy and healthy addition to your home.
Scratching furniture: Like many cat breeds, Maine Coons can start to scratch or claw at your furniture, which often isn’t ideal for you and your home! Whilst this is a natural instinct for many cats and can’t be stopped, it can be redirected. By purchasing designated scratching posts or scratching boards, you can direct your Maine Coon to scratch this preferred area to still satisfy their urge.
Noisiness: Similar to many other large cat breeds, Maine Coons can really use their voice when they don’t get what they want or are not in a good mood. If your Maine Coon is becoming too loud, it is key to have patience and identify the cause of the problem. Your cat may be alerting you to something or letting you know that they are hungry or thirsty. If you are experiencing common bouts of noisiness in your Maine Coon and can’t identify the cause, we recommend taking them to a trusted veterinarian, as there may be underlying issues.
However, your Maine Coon may be loud to get your attention. In this case, we recommend ignoring the behaviour and rewarding your cat when they are quiet. If you give them attention or reward them with treats when they are loud, they will then believe this is the best way to get what they want.
Territorial behaviour and aggression: Your Maine Coon may become territorial and aggressive, especially if there are other animals in your home or they haven’t been introduced to other cats before.
To overcome territorial aggression and aggressive behaviour with other animals, we recommend socialising your Maine Coon with other cats as early in their life as possible. If you have a Maine Coon kitten, we recommend introducing them to other kittens after they have gotten their final round of vaccinations at 16 weeks old. This will help your Maine Coon familiarise themselves with other cats, and become less protective of other animals in their space.
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Aristopet No Scratch Spray for Cats
Cats need to scratch to fulfil their natural instincts, so it is highly recommended to use a scratching post or other cat scratching product in conjunction with No Scratch spray. Consult your veterinarian or animal behavioural consultant for advice if you are concerned about your cat's behaviour.
Zylkene Plus for Cats and Small Dogs 75mg
Zylkene® Plus is a calming complementary feed product which combines two natural origin ingredients to offer a gentle, yet reliably effective way to help pets manage prolonged or recurring emotionally challenging situations. Zylkene® Plus combines the natural origin active ingredients alpha-casozepine and white fish muscle hydrolysate. The effect of alpha-casozepine is based on the principle of satiety and sleepiness in new-borns after feeding on milk/colostrum. Hydrolysing white fish muscle yields bioactive peptides and amino acids that are considered to have calming properties.
The formulation makes it easy to support the long-term emotional wellbeing of every pet:
- Suitable for use in dogs and cats of all breeds and sizes, and is effective both inside and outside the home
- Capsule formulation that can be sprinkled on food, for easy administration
Zylkene® is:
- Of natural origins
- Well tollarated by pets
- Easy to use
- Proven effectiveness
- First-line non-medicine options
- Most recommended calming supplement by vets
Feliway Anti-Anxiety Diffuser Complete
Feliway® offers cat owners a drug and surgery free alternative for treating stress-related behavioural problems that can otherwise become a costly and emotionally draining issue for owners and their pets. Using a similar principle to air freshener and insect repellent type diffusers, Feliway disperses a synthetic analogue of feline facial pheromones, which scientific trials have proven as an effective control for a range of behaviour disorders displayed by cats, such as urine spraying.
When plugged into the cat’s environment, the Feliway Diffuser disperses the calming pheromones for up to four weeks. As pheromones are species specific, Feliway is not harmful to humans or other animals. Feliway is natural, safe and simple to use. A consultation with a vet is recommended to ascertain the severity and causes for behavioural problems exhibited.
Separate Feliway liquid refills are available.
Maine Coon Nutritional Guidance
Being the largest of all cat breeds, you need to make sure that they receive the appropriate amount of nutrients every day. When choosing the right food for your Maine Coon, be sure that it includes essential vitamins and minerals to keep them healthy, as well as healthy protein, carbohydrates and fats to support their growth.
Balance of wet & dry food: When choosing whether to feed your Maine Coon wet or dry food, it ultimately comes down to personal preference. However, to ensure a healthy cat with a well-balanced diet, we recommend combining both wet and dry foods.
Dry cat food is often easier to prepare, and allows your Maine Coon to use their teeth. This is beneficial for your cat as it can help keep their teeth clean in between frequent brushing.
However, wet cat food provides your cat with additional health benefits, such as hydration. Some cats may not receive an appropriate amount of water throughout the day, and providing them with wet food can ensure they receive their daily water intake. By mixing both wet and dry food, your Maine Coon can benefit from both types of food, whilst still enjoying a delicious meal!
Life stages: Since Maine Coons often mature later in life compared to other cat breeds, the time in which you switch them from kitten food to adult cat food will vary. We recommend switching your Maine Coon to adult cat food after they are nine months old to ensure they receive the nutrients they need for their development.
Portions & schedule: As Maine Coons are a large cat breed and require more calories throughout the day, we recommend splitting up their meals to smaller portions throughout the day. Depending on your schedule, we recommend giving your Maine Coon approximately three meals a day, each containing 14-26 grams (depending on the size of your Maine Coon).
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Dry Cat Food - Vet Approved
Browse our wide range of delicious Dry Cat Food on our site that your cat is guaranteed to love. We offer prescription diets, and vet-recommended dry food diets to help keep your cat healthy and happy, including products from leading brands such as Royal Canin, Hill's Prescription Diet, Advance, Purina, and more. Browse our complete range on Vets Love Pets today.
Wet Cat Food - Vet Approved
Cat Treats - Premium Vet Recommended Treats
Conclusion
Whether you have a Maine Coon or you're thinking about getting one, we hope you learnt something by reading our article. Whilst this guide is great start to learning about Maine Coon ownership, never stop seeking out new information from reputable sources. Share your experiences with other Maine Coon owners, and always continue to learn more about your cats breed, temperament and how best to care for and love them.
