Maine Coon is a wonderful and special breed of cats. It’s a combination of a gentle and loving temper with a magnificent appearance. However, due to their characteristics, Maine Coons are not a match for everyone. In the article, we will talk about what breeders often have kept silent and the reasons why you shouldn’t get Maine Coons.

Reason №1:

This breed won’t suit you if you have a small living space. In case you have a one-bedroom apartment or a small house, the Maine Coon cat will feel uncomfortable in your home. For such a cat size it will be just nowhere to go for a run. Maine Coon is the king of cats; it stands out for its size, strength and agility. Therefore, it needs more territory than ordinary cats. It is better if you have a large apartment or a private house where Maine Coon can show its skill and intelligence. Also, a cat needs many secret places where it can hide a toy mouse. In addition, Maine coon wants to demonstrate how masterly and easy it takes off up the stairs to the second floor, developing its musculature and natural skills. Therefore, living in a small apartment will be uncomfortable neither for you nor for the cat.

Reason №2:

Maine Coon hair needs good care. This breed is famous for its fine fur coat. Maine Coon is a semi-long-haired animal. It has a long coat on the back, which falls downward in a silky cloak. With time a chic collar grows around the neck. To keep this beauty, you need at least some minimum care. It includes combing and regular bathing about once every three months. If you are not ready to take care of such a beautiful fur coat, it is better to give up this idea.

Reason №3:

Maine Coons are very sociable and need your attention. Maine Coon is a very sociable and curious breed. You need to communicate and keep in touch with your cat. To get your attention, Maine Coons will look into your eyes, touch you with their paws. They are very human-oriented and outgoing cats. If you are not ready for communication and play with the Maine Coon, do not consider this breed for yourself. Without contact with a person, this breed becomes alienated and wary, even may become depressive. However, if you are a busy person, but you have children at home, it will be a gift for Maine Coon and a delight for a child because they will quickly find contact and become best friends. Therefore, if you and your household do not have enough time to contact and play with the Maine Coon, it is better to refuse to get this breed.

Reason №4:

Maine Coon needs to be as safe as possible. Maine Coons born hunters on mice and birds. When a cat seeing prey, the hunter’s instinct overwhelms the animal, so there is a possibility of escape from the territory of a private house. The fence will not hold Maine coon, because it easily overcomes the 2.5-meter fence. There are many dangers like cars, dogs, people who can offend or steal your cat. In the case of an apartment, danger could be open windows and weak mosquito nets. Usual mosquito nets cannot support the Maine Coon’s weight (6-9 kg of weight plus the load on the net when jumping) it can fall off the window. As a result, the animal will die or can be seriously injured. I recommend installing reinforced mosquito nets on the windows, they have a metal frame and the mesh itself is a weave of metal. For our cattery, we ordered nets from special companies which make nets that can withstand a load of up to 25 kg. In addition, it will be safe for small children and all the family. To summarize, to have a Maine Coon, you need to follow special safety rules.

Reason №5:

You need a special litter box. Maine Coon toilet tray must be large and high-sided. This breed is very fond of digging and raking out the litter. The minimum tray size is from 60 to 40 cm, and the side height is at least 15 cm. Cats are active scatter litter when they go to the toilet, so such high sides are needed to keep the pellets inside the tray. Otherwise, after a couple of cat businesses, you will find some litter on the floor around the tray. If you get a Maine Coon, immediately set aside enough space for its toilet and do not save on a good, large litter box.

Reason №6:

Maine Coon has a special relationship with water. How this breed relates to water, there are many legends and articles. They rake the water with their paws as if removing fallen leaves before actually drinking. It is the way how they’ve behaved in the wild. Nevertheless, this process does not work out neatly for everyone, and sometimes water is spilled out around the bowl. To solve the issue, many breeders put a bowl of water in a special tray.  So that water does not spill onto the floor. Therefore, you need to be prepared for this breed feature.

Reason №7:

Maine Coon food isn’t cheap. By nature, cats have obligated to be predators. In the diet, as for all predators, they must have meat. Let’s take an analogy of their ancestors: lions, tigers, cheetahs, pumas- all animals of this species eat meat. Therefore our Maine Coons, as an aboriginal breed with features of predators, mandatorily every evening receive a portion of the frozen meat mix. At the same time, they have super premium food with a high meat content of 71-86%, which is freely available throughout the day. If you feed the animal with low-quality food, it will affect its health. In this case, you will get a weakened cat. 

If you are a vegetarian and cannot, by your convictions, feed a cat with meat, do not get a Maine Coon, it is better to buy a hamster or a canary.

Reason №8:

Allergy to cats. Don’t get a Maine Coon if you are allergic to cats. Hypoallergenic cats do not exist in nature, even if they try to convince you otherwise. Allergy does not occur in fur but in protein, which contains in a cat’s saliva. A cat is a neat animal and constantly washes. Thereby, the cat spreading this protein along with its fur coat. You can reduce the level of these allergens in your home by applying frequent wet cleaning, regular ventilation, washing hands after each contact with an animal. But in this case, you will not get the pleasure of communication and mutual understanding as you would like.

Reason №9:

You do not have enough funds even to buy a kitten. Think of your budget first. Can you afford a pet starter kit and Maine Coon itself? Maine Coon is an alive creature; it can get sick just like humans. There are viruses, injuries, fractures as well poisoning with both flowers and chemistry. The cat’s body also suffers from improper, unbalanced nutrition. Moreover, our vet care is not free and sometimes even more costly than human medicine. I am not trying to scare you, but I want to inform you so that later your heart does not break from despair and your cat does not suffer.

Reason №10:

Your family will not be limited to one Maine Coon. The biggest reason why you need to think carefully before getting this breed: after meeting the Maine Coon, having recognized them and falling in love, having lived with him for some time, you will want another friend for yourself and your pet.

They fascinate and fill your heart with their love. There is a saying: Maine Coon does not come to the house alone but brings more friends. And if you are not ready that you may have another friend, think twice.

As you can see, Maine Coons have many features of content and character. After all, if you decide to get this breed, this cat will surround you with attention and love. Maine Coon will become your faithful friend and companion.