Originating from American, Maine Coon cats are one of the most famous cats in the world. The prominent physical features and strikingly good behavior make them an excellent choice for cat owners.
If you come across a Maine Coon at one of your friend’s houses, you can’t stop yourself from having the thought of having one of your own.
However, raising a Maine Coon will be significantly more difficult than getting one from a breeder.
You have to be careful, attentive, loving, and prepared to spend a considerable amount of money while raising a Maine Coon cat.
In this article, we have created an exhaustive list of things that you have to do while purchasing and raising a Maine Coon of your own.
From buying a Maine Coon to eating habits, we have covered everything that you need to do.
Is it Easy To Raise A Maine Coon Cat?
It is hard not to fall in love with the large, bushy, and adorable Maine Coon cats. We often receive the question from prospective cat owners asking whether it is easy to raise a Maine Coon cat.
Maine Coon cats may need extra care for their purebred nature and needy attitude, but raising a Maine Coon is comparable to any other purebred cats.
If you adopt the Maine Coon cat from a reputed breeder, they will make sure that the cat is free of any congenital and genetic diseases.
Taking care of Maine Coon becomes more difficult in the presence of such ailments. Otherwise, you can raise a Maine Coon astoundingly with a little care and attention.
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Where Do You Buy Your Maine Coon?
Maine Coon cats are mostly available as purebred cats. So, there is only one trustable way of buying a Maine Coon cat.
However, this option is also a costly one, and you need to spend a significant amount to adopt the cat. There are also two alternatives. However, you can be careful about these. Let’s look at the three options:
Reputed Breeders:
There are several reputed Maine Coon breeders all over the USA and Canada, and it is one of the safest options to adopt a purebred Maine Coon cat.
Cat Fancier Association (CFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA) approve these breeders to get the tag.
Reputed breeders will give you several certificates proving the genetics, vaccinations, and parentage of the kitten.
They also make sure that the kittens undergo a proper socialization procedure to reduce the chances of any behavioral problems after adoption.
You cannot stop yourself from asking about references as respect is crucial for the cat world.
Backyard Breeders:
Backyard breeders do not have a certificate to breed Maine Coon cats, and you can never be sure of these breeders’ credibility.
You can be careful about these breeders as they will not have any paperwork for the kitten.
If you are taking the risk of buying from these breeders, you can have a full body checkup of the cat to ensure that there aren’t any underlying ailments.
Cat Shelter:
Cat shelters can also be a cheap alternative for buying a Maine Coon cat. Every year thousands of cats get given to the cat shelter because of mistreatment.
Maine Coon cats also fall in that tragic category. You can be careful about the past of the adopted cats as mistreatment can cause several cats’ behavioral problems.
Spending as much time as you need with the cat before adoption to make sure it is the first thing you should do.
Raising a Maine Coon:
In this section, we will talk about various intricacies that come while raising a Maine Coon cat.
We will also go through each need of the Maine Coon and tell you about the best ways to foster a Maine Coon. Let’s start by talking about the eating habits of Maine Coons:
What Do They Eat?
It is safe to say that Maine Coon cats need more food than a regular house cat. While there is no hard-fast rule for the feeding habit of Maine Coons, there are some rules that you should follow for a healthy lifestyle of the cat.
There are two types of cat foods available for cats. Dry cat food is nutritious and does not have many side effects if you do not overfeed the cat.
Wet cat food is delicious to the cats, but comes with many harmful effects on the cat’s health.
So, you should stick to the dry cat food most of the time and give wet cat food twice or thrice every week as a treat.
Whether you give them dry food or wet food, you can make sure that there are the right amount of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
You can also make your diet regime if you are confident enough about the contribution of each nutrient.
An adult Maine Coon needs a high amount of proteins, a moderate portion of fats, and low carbohydrates.
So, you can make sure that the Maine Coon has all the nutrients it needs.
If the cat is having any diet-related problem, you can visit a veterinarian or cat-nutrition specialist to take their help in making the feeding schedule.
How Much Should You Spend On Foods Each Month?
Now, you should be well-aware of the food requirement of a Maine Coon cat. Maine Coon cats are purebred cats, and they always need high-quality premium cat food for their diet.
A bag of this kind of premium dry cat food can cost $20 to $75. If you want a premium wet cat food for your cat, it will come slightly higher.
Depending on the need of the cat, it can go well above $100 every month.
If you are feeding one cup of cat food per day and a bag of cat food containing around five pounds, you might need around two cat food bags. So, the monthly expenditure for a premium quality cat food can cost as much as $150.
The expenditure reduces if you are using raw cat food. You can add sufficient amounts of meat and fish to fulfill the high protein criteria.
The raw food cost can vary significantly. It depends on the quality of raw food you are purchasing for the Maine Coon cat.
The price may vary anywhere in the range from 60 cents to $4. So, the monthly expenditure can go up to $18-120.
Indoors or Outdoors?
This choice depends on you, and you should be attentive to the well-being of the Maine Coon cat. Researchers say that Maine Coons are great at outdoor conditions due to their hunting traits.
However, outdoors also come with several safety issues. If your neighborhood has the problem of stray cats, you should consider keeping the Maine Coon inside.
They can have behavioral problems if you do not let them have their share of fun. So, you can keep a scratching post inside the house and give them sufficient stretching and exercise opportunities.
Grooming Your Maine Coon?
Maine Coons have luxurious fur, and maintaining the beautiful coat in the perfect condition can be laborious for any Maine Coon owner.
Several responsibilities come with grooming Maine Coon cats. We will briefly go through each of those and explain the necessities of each.
1. Brushing:
Brushing is a crucial part of the grooming process as it removes the tangled and knotted fur from the coat of the Maine Coon.
Maine Coons shed like any other cats, and brushing regularly will keep the untangled or loose hair filling all the furniture or cushion covers.
If you cannot brush the Maine Coon daily, make sure that you brush it at least twice every week.
2. Bathing:
You can bathe the cat at least once every month to reduce the matting chances and a stringy coat. Bathing is a troublesome activity for any cat owner, but Maine Coon’s water love should make it a cakewalk. You can also use a wet washcloth to wipe the cat.
How Well Do Maine Coons Adjust With Family Members?
Maine Coons cats are famous for their loving and amiable nature. They are great with family members, and they will be a valuable addition to the family.
If the purebred Maine Coon learned socialization when it was a kitten, it would be kind to the kids in the house.
Maine Coons will not harm a kid even if the kid is misbehaving.
However, you should condone this behavior and help them create a loving bond. If you have any other pet in your house, Maine Coons will not pose any problems.
Playing With Maine Coon:
Maine Coon cats love activities and exercises because of their hunting nature. You have to involve them in some playing activity so that they reach their daily exercise criteria.
It is also valuable as it creates a bond between the owner and the Maine Coon.
If you do not spend sufficient time with the Maine Coon, it might develop anxiety or depression. So, you can buy a lot of toys and spend quality time with this loving cat.
Conclusion:
The kind nature of the Maine Coons makes them a beautiful addition to the household.
It loves their owners’ attention and will not irrationally behave when you are trying to take care of it. It will appreciate the effort that you will show and love you more.
You can raise a Maine Coon seamlessly if you are attentive to the demands and correctly take care of them.
Hi There, AJ Oren here. I am the founder of this amazing pet blog & a passionate writer who loves helping pet owners to learn more about their pets through my articles. I am also the content manager of this blog. I have experience in pet training and behavior, sheltering, and currently working for a veterinary clinic.