Any "Maine ****" cat owners on here?
Does anyone on here have any experience of this breed?
I recently acquired one from a neighbour who took him in after his previous owner died. He is a cross between "Maine ****" and british shorthair so he does not have the long hair I understand is normal for this breed.
I have read the item on Wikipedia about them!
He is a large and very friendly cat although his size makes me wonder where large becomes obese (he eats a lot). Despite being 3 years old he sometimes shows "kitten behaviour" which seems odd for a mature cat. He has had "the operation.
I am now facing the fury of my current female cat who is not happy at the new arrival.
I have never owned one of these cats before so any advice gratefully received - thanks.
I recently acquired one from a neighbour who took him in after his previous owner died. He is a cross between "Maine ****" and british shorthair so he does not have the long hair I understand is normal for this breed.
I have read the item on Wikipedia about them!
He is a large and very friendly cat although his size makes me wonder where large becomes obese (he eats a lot). Despite being 3 years old he sometimes shows "kitten behaviour" which seems odd for a mature cat. He has had "the operation.
I am now facing the fury of my current female cat who is not happy at the new arrival.
I have never owned one of these cats before so any advice gratefully received - thanks.
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No experience of Maine Coons as I always get rescue moggies but if your MC is crossed with a British Shorthair then he's definitely going to be a big stocky cat.
A weight check at the vets should tell you whether he's overweight or not and there shouldn't be any charge for this.
As for your resident cat showing her disdain at the new arrival...did you do slow introductions or just put them together and hope for the best?
Good advice here on proper introductions...
http://www.fabcats.org/behaviour/introducing/firstimpressions.html
http://www.fabcats.org/behaviour/introducing/info.html
http://www.caring-for-your-cat.co.uk/introducing_a_new_cat.html
I wish I was at home now so I can be having a Beazle scrubble.
I kept them in separate rooms for a few days, they can now tolerate each other although I can't see any friendship developing. The other cat is 15 and probably past caring.
My newcomer will go to the vet soon, I suppose the only weight issue is that he is very lazy most of the time but has fits of madness a few times a day.
I don't live on a main road but he won't be going outside as I don't trust his common sense.
I kept them in separate rooms for a few days, they can now tolerate each other although I can't see any friendship developing. The other cat is 15 and probably past caring.
My newcomer will go to the vet soon, I suppose the only weight issue is that he is very lazy most of the time but has fits of madness a few times a day.
I don't live on a main road but he won't be going outside as I don't trust his common sense.
Pleasure and he sounds rather like my fellow. Good luck with him and your other puss.
I've got a Maine ****, and they are very characteristic cats. Ours is a boy, he weighs around 17 lb, but he's not obese - he's a massive cat with very large bones compared to our other two moggies. His coat is typical Maine **** type, shaggy and rough on the top, and soft and downy underneath. He has the typical "snowshoe" paws (fur between his toes) and a very square facial profile, with a proper muzzle, bit like a lion. He's now 5 years old and still a complete loon - he loves to play and interact with his humans. He's quite intelligent, if he'd bother to use his brain(!), and very talkative - that's another of the most noticeable features, he has proper conversations. I'm never in doubt if he's annoyed about being left at home, I'll get the whole story when I get back! Maine Coons are very hardy cats and generally extremely good-natured - I've never heard ours hiss or even look upset. The other two cats, both quite elderly, sometimes find him a bit bouncy, but they keep him in order.
I think you're right to keep him in, I wouldn't trust ours out on the street either, and he'd almost certainly be stolen. Some will undoubtedly disagree (although not our breeder, who presumably knows best), but he's perfectly happy indoors and gets plenty of interest and exercise.
She has the furry toes (adorable), the silly fluffy tail and the gorgeous fur.
She is VERY bossy though, does anyone know is this a MC trait or is she just spoilt?
I don't think bossiness is a Maine **** trait, in fact our boy usually gets bossed around by the basement cats! I've only ever had male cats, maybe it's a female thing?
Maybe she'll warm to him in time.
Make sure you give them plenty of toys to keep them occupied.
My lovely Ginger Tom was described by the vet as Maine Coonish' because he has the outward appearance of an MC.
He's as soppy as a mushy pie and we love him to bits, however he is very spiteful to our She cat who is a mini little thing compared to him (he's 1 years old, she's 10 months).
The vet recommended we give him Valerian tea or in his food to calm him down.
The problem was that he didn't touch it in his food, but our She comes along and gobbles it all up (she is very greedy, unlike him) and then she was like 'Peace man' all day, so no more Valerian
Our MC is not too big yet, we think he seems fully grown at the moment!:eek:
My eldest girl is half Maine ****. She's 3 now and is ENORMOUS, not overweight though. She's incredibly playful and very affectionate.
It might be worth you buying some Royal Canin Maine **** kibble, it keeps Betsy in beautiful condition, they also do a BSH kibble so you could try that too. My daughter's 1 year old BSH is thriving on it, I have never seen such a shiny coat:) The Royal Canin foods are expensive but a £45 10kg bag feeds Betsy for 5-6 months, plus a little extra wet food. As soon as Valentine and Moonlet (the kittens) are old enough they will be going straight on to the BSH kibble.
He is absolutely terrified of women, yes really.
His previous owner was a woman who had a serious alcohol problem, I've no idea what she did to him.
He's fine with me but if any women go near him, he really "freaks out".
Has anyone else seen this?
I'd also recommend the Royal Canin Maine **** food, ours definitely does better on it. Although the basement cats also like it, but I have to restrict them because it's so expensive!
Poor baby
If you can manage to do this regularly for a while (assuming you have a willing friend/relative) this should encourage the cat to realise he doesn't need to fear women.
But leave it up to him, and allow him to choose whether he approaches or not, let him do it at his own pace.
Oh poor Jamie
Sounds like a good idea, I spoke to someone I know and she is willing to try. But if he hides away in a corner, would it achieve anything?
If after quite a few visits he is still hiding you could try tempting him out with his favourite treat or toy, and see if he's prepared to venture out for a short while. But make sure the friend doesn't approach him - or even make eye contact with him as he will interpret that as a threat. It could take a while for him to relax, and it may never happen, but it's worth trying.
My mother has a cat who is now about 16 and still hides whenever the doorbell rings - the only person she will come out from under the bed to see is me. But my mum made no effort to socialise her with visitors, hopefully it will work out better for you!
Both cats now fast asleep and not bothered by fireworks.