Are Maine Coon Cats Aggressive? Know The Truth Here

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are maine coon cats aggressive

Wondering if Maine coon cats are aggressive or not? This article will explain everything.

Maine Coon cats are famous in the cat world because of their docile nature and affectionate traits. They will follow you around the house and always let you feel their presence.

However, the sheer size of the Maine Coon cats might make you afraid. They are one of the most giant domesticated cats in the world.

Are Maine Coon Cats Aggressive?

We can ensure that the Maine Coon cats are not aggressive. Cat owners agree to the fact that their Maine Coon cats are definitely ‘gentle giants’.

If you Maine Coon is showing any signs of aggression, you should look for the reason as soon as possible. Several underlying diseases are often related to unusual behaviors in cats.

In this article, we will discuss the aggressive nature of Maine Coon cats and the possible reasons behind this behavior.

Cat owners often ask several questions before adopting a cat. Asking about the aggressive nature is only natural if you have other animals or kids in the household.

If you are thinking of fostering a Maine Coon cat for your house, you couldn’t possibly make a better decision.

Maine Coon cats are remarkably calm, friendly, and kind to anyone in the house. Some Maine Coon owners have even reported that Maine Coon cats keep their calm while playing with toddlers as well.

However, you should indeed ensure the safety of your cat at all times and discourage any violent behavior towards the cat.

So, we can say for sure that Maine Coon cats can be extremely harmless unless they are suffering from a problem of their own.

You need to be cautious if your Maine Coon cat is showing aggressive behavior because we can often associate unusual behavior in a cat with something serious.

Related Read:

  1. Maine Coon Cat Price
  2. How To Groom A Maine Coon Cat

How Do Maine Coons Show Aggression?

Maine Coon cats rarely show their aggression towards others due to their pedigreed nature. Almost all Maine Coon cats have kind and amiable traits.

However, if they are showing aggressive behavior, you can take it to a veterinarian as soon as possible. These are some of the signs which Maine Coons show if they become aggressive:

  • Ears pulling backward and touching the head
  • Hissing, growling
  • Arched back
  • Showing the fangs and hissing at the same time
  • Dilated pupils with constant staring
  • Shaking tail
  • Crouching low, putting more pressure on the forelimbs.
  • Biting

Although Maine Coon cats do not show extreme aggressive behavior in general, keeping it unchecked can lead up to biting as well.

Reasons Why Maine Coons Sometimes Get Aggressive and Mean?

Aggressive nature is not a natural behavior for Maine Coon cats. They are probably the friendliest cat breed in the cat world.

If your cat has suddenly changed his behavior and started behaving in a mean or aggressive manner, you need to look for the reason as soon as possible.

Taking it to a veterinary clinic can also be a responsible step. However, you can identify the cause by yourself first as well. Maine Coon cats can behave aggressively for the following reasons:

  • Pain
  • Loneliness
  • Hormonal imbalance
  • Serious Health issues
  • Poor socialization
  • Stress
  • Territorial
  • Mental health

We are going to discuss each of these reasons in the following subsections-

1. Pain:

Maine Coon cats have several ways by which they express their discomfort. Showing aggression can be their way of saying that they are suffering from some kind of pain.

If you see a sudden change in their behavior, you need to pay attention to the cat. You can gently look for any cut marks or scratch marks on their body.

Gently stroke the cat’s body to check for any internal pain. Any internal injury will make them react violently if you stroke near it.

You can take the cat to a veterinarian for a health check-up as soon as possible. Early intervention can save the life of your cat from a severe ailment.

2. Loneliness:

Suffering from loneliness is the most common cause of aggressive behavior in cats. Cat behaviorists have reported that there is a 90% chance that it is the reason behind your cat’s aggressive behavior.

Maine Coon cats are remarkably social, and loneliness might trigger them to act violently. If you do an office job, it is a good idea to adopt another cat for the household.

Although human touch is always more favorable than another cat in the home, you can reduce the loneliness of the cat to some extent in this way.

You should not worry whether the Maine Coon cat would be comfortable with another cat in the world.

If you do everything right while introducing the two cats, nothing can go wrong with a Maine Coon. They are the most loving breed in the cat world.

3. Hormonal Imbalance:

Cats start to behave unnaturally in their mating seasons. Sometimes, this change in behavior can be in a violent direction as well.

They develop all sorts of undesirable traits during that time. You can make sure that you neuter the Maine Coon cat so that they do not go into heat (mating season).

The ideal time to get your cat neutered is when it is 6-8 weeks old. You can avoid all the shenanigans of cats having hormonal imbalance if you follow this one simple rule.

4. Serious Health Issues:

It is one of the most concerning plausible reasons for this unusual behavior. You should always remember that cats generally don’t show aggressive behavior for no reason, or just to be naughty.

Some cat owners even reported that cats started to behave violently just days before discovering that the cats have severe ailments. So, take your cat to the veterinarian as soon as you suspect anything.

5. Poor Socialization:

Breeders and owners have huge roles in determining the socialization skills of a cat. At first, breeders start training the kittens, and then the responsibility is transferred to the owner.

Cats should know which actions are acceptable and which are not. You can actively discourage violent behaviors since they were kittens.

Otherwise, the lack of socialization will seem like perpetual faulty behavior. However, you can always train your kitty to be a good boy or girl.

6. Stress:

Owners can be responsible for this behavior as well.

If you have changed any part of your cat’s strict routine, the cat is probably struggling to keep up with the new schedule. It can result in extreme stress among cats. Cats can show violent behavior if they are stressed.

7. Territorial:

If the cat is showing violent behavior to other cat members in your family, it is probably due to territorial issues.

Maine Coon cats, or in general, cats are notably territorial, and intruding another cat’s territory will inevitably lead to a conflict. If you have a multi-cat household, you need to avoid this issue at all costs.

8. Mental Health:

The aggressive behavior in the Maine Coon can be due to the deteriorated mental health as well.

Cats can develop feline dementia at old age, and there is no cure to this. Your senior cat may be behaving in this manner due to mental health problems.

What To Do If Your Maine Coon Is Mean?

There are various reasons for your cat to be mean or aggressive in general. If you can identify the problems, it is quite easy to address them. So, it is extremely crucial that you spend more time understanding Maine Coon’s behavior than solving the unknown problem.

There is a high chance that you might end up exacerbating. So, before we look into the solutions to cat aggression or meanness, it is better if we put down the possible causes of cat aggression and look at how we can address them individually.

How To Prevent Maine Coon Aggression?

We can look at the possible reasons for aggression and how we can deal with them.

Sickness or Pain:

Sickness and pain can cause severe behavioral problems in cats. There can be several kinds of illnesses possible for a cat. While it is best to be knowledgeable about these topics, it is impossible to identify the problems right away.

However, mean behavior or aggression is a telltale sign of sickness or pain if all the other factors are okay. It is best to go to a behaviorist anyway if your cat is behaving unnaturally jumpy or aggressive towards you.

It would help if you also observed whether picking them up from a particular place makes them behave in such a manner. You might be hurting them while picking them up. So, a close examination by the vet should rule this one out.

Stress:

Cats do not behave well when they are under a lot of pressure. Cats can be under a lot of pressure for various reasons. It can be due to a recent change in the household, introducing a new family pet, house change, or even a change in their routines.

This excess stress does not bode well for the Maine Coon, and they are susceptible to behave unnaturally. Often, the unnatural ways take a turn towards aggression, and that is when we start to see aggressive behavior from generally passive Maine Coon cats.

While there could be other stress-inducing factors, it is very important to identify them and remove them from their environment. For example, if you observe that the Maine Coon started to behave aggressively after going through a house change, probably restrict their access to a single room. When they get comfortable, they can have access to the whole house slowly.

Too Much Touching:

Maine Coons are particularly known for their affectionate and demanding nature. So, it is quite hard to believe that they can have problems with too much contact. However, the cat can develop this feeling and act out bizarrely. While aggression is the most noticeable act for a Maine Coon, there could be other reactions too.

Maine Coons can develop a distaste if you touch the cat too often, especially when you are touching it at the wrong locations. For example, the underbelly is a vulnerable position to them, and you should not touch there no matter how much they roll over and play with you on their back.

If you are touching the Maine Coon too often, you are disturbing their personal space. By now, you should be well familiar with how much cats like being private. So, if the cat is showing aggression whenever you are going to touch them, leave them be, and let the cat come for pets.

Genetics:

Some Maine Coons are just born in such a way that they are more aggressive than the others. In these cases, there is not much to do. However, you can always go to a cat behaviorist for the cat to learn good behavior.

Keep in mind that cat behaviorists are a costly venture, and you should be quite sure that it is the genetic reasons and not any other reason that is bothering your cat.

Overweight:

Maine Coon cats are predisposed to obesity due to their requirement of more appetite than other cats. Sometimes, the excess weight can put them in a bad mood. It can often lead to bad behavior towards you.

If you think it is the case, buying a cat tree and exercising them would be the best way to go about it.

Why Does My Maine Coon Bite Me?

A Maine Coon can bite you for two reasons. It can be due to their aggressive behavior towards you. Or, it is quite possible that the Maine Coon is trying to transfer their scent to you. So, it can be a sign of love and hate both.

There is a clear way of knowing what is what. If your cat just lightly bites you, it is probably because of their love for you. If they draw blood or apply too much pressure, then it is a sign of aggression.

Can A Maine Coon Cat Attack My Family?

Maine Coons are extremely family-friendly. They are also especially great with children. It is often advisable that if you have a baby in the house, Maine Coon might be the best cat for you.

Although Maine Coons don’t tend to react when the child hits them by mistake, you need to make sure it does not happen all the time. It is for the protection of both your cat and your baby.

Can Maine Coons Be Aggressive?

Maine Coons are generally known for their amiable and calm behavior. However, if the situation gets worse for some reason, it can show aggressive behavior towards anyone. So, be on the lookout for the Maine Coon’s behavior in general.

Is Maine Coon Temperamental?

Maine Coons do not go through frequent changes to their mood for no reason. Their mood is often dependent on the surrounding and health condition of them. Sometimes, their temper can also depend on the amount of exercise. Maine Coons are not temperamental in reality. But their mood can change.

Conclusion:

In the cat world, we often call Maine Coon cats as ‘gentle giants’ or ‘dogs of the cat world’ because of their notably amiable and kind behavior.

Aggression should be the least of your concern when you are thinking of adopting a Maine Coon cat.

However, if the cat is suffering from any unknown diseases or mental issue, the cat can behave violently. No matter what, you need to be calm and receptive to the cat, and take the cat to a veterinarian promptly.

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