Living with Maine Coons

When my boyfriend and I decided to adopt two Maine Coon mix kittens, we had no idea what we were getting into. My cousins had had a Maine Coon and we both had significant cat experience, but since Maine Coons are one of the largest breed of cats they come with a unique set of needs.

Feeding:
Buy your Maine Coon a normal dish, no matter how many. Feeding is completely normal, with the only exception being the problem with the water dish. I don't know how common this is with Maine Coons (or if this is just some weird thing that happens in my house), but they love water. Which means they will dip their tales and paws in their water dish to drink. So clean the water bowl often.

Litter:
One of the most challenging aspects of owning a Maine Coon is finding a litterbox big enough. It sounds ridiculous for me to say "buy a huge litterbox" but I kid you not. My six month old Maine Coon kittens were too big to use a normal size litterbox, making do by scrunching up. You will feel crazy but your cat will thank you.

Grooming:
Brush often. As long haired cats, obviously they shed. I never had a problem with my allergies with them, as I do with my two other cats, but so help me god do they shed. If you don't regularly brush them and dust, your home will quickly be coated in cat hair. Again, I don't know if this water fascination is a problem with my cats or if its a Maine Coon thing but it is possible to eventually bathe a Maine Coon. If you see they have an interest in their water bowl (playing in it and stuff) and if they try to play with you while you're in the bath, gradually introduce them to flowing water and eventually a bath. They just need a rinse, no soap, and its more for the adorable wet cat look, and to brag to your friends that you can bathe your cat. It does come in handy if an accident occurs though.

Claws:
Maine Coons have enormous claws, in my experience with my kittens, and they must be regulary trimmed to keep under control. This wasn't observed by the shelter we got our kittens from so my kitten wasn't able to walk properly. His claws would stick to everything. Once, I opened the door to the apartment and scared him. He took all the bedclothes with him when he fled. Plus, trimming claws lessons the damage to furniture and carpets. Beware leather, though, and that goes for any cat. My poor leather chair...

Traveling:
Maine Coons are super smart. You can train them to walk on a leash; both my Maine Coon mixes are capable of it. Unlike a dog, you don't lead the cat but the cat leads you. This helps transport issues, as long as the harness is firmly affixed to the cat. They will be much calmer in the car if they're not caged, and that's a general cat note too. My cats actually liked going to the vet, after we leash trained them (well, they liked the waiting room with the other animals. the actual seeing-the-doctor bit is equally as bad). You should start gradually, first putting the harness on (and leaving it on) and eventually putting on the leash. I was forced to put my cats in a harness in the pet store parking lot. Bad idea. My kitten (its always my kitten that misbehaves, never my boyfriend's lol) tried to run into traffic (four times) before we wrangled him into the car.

As far as long distance travel, take heart for it can be done! A few weeks after adopting our kittens, my boyfriend and I had to drive across the US. We set the litterbox up in the trunk, with the backseat folded down so they had access. Put the food and water dishes in the cupholders. Put their leashes on, and set out. They only protested for the first 30 minutes and the last 30 minutes, which was quite impressive considering we were driving for about 16-18 hrs a day. They really enjoyed having a litterbox in the trunk and it made them much calmer, even when we went to the vet. Beware, though, and bring air freshner.

Questions?
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