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Home Maine Coon Are Maine Coon Cats Aggressive? 5 Things You Must Know

Are Maine Coon Cats Aggressive? 5 Things You Must Know

by Pierre

Are Maine Coons AggressiveAs you might know, Maine Coon cats are very big cats. So if you are thinking about getting a Maine Coon cat the first question that probably comes to your mind is: Are Maine Coon cats aggressive?

And to be honest, this really should be the first question that comes to your mind, especially if you have kids. A pet should enrich your life, it should not make it harder.

Maine Coon cats are not aggressive at all. In fact, they are known for being the most gentle and friendly cat breed of all. However, bad husbandry or undiscovered diseases can cause unwanted aggressive behavior in Maine Coon cats. That´s why you should always do your research thoroughly before getting a Maine Coon cat.

That was the short answer to your question. Every cat can become aggressive. Most of the times it depends on the cat´s needs and if you fulfill those needs properly.

In case you are worried that you get a Maine Coon cat and it becomes aggressive, I recommend to read this entire article. This article does not only tell you that Maine Coon cats are normally pretty friendly.

It will also show you how you can make sure that your Maine Coon cat always stays happy and friendly.

They Are The Perfect Beginner Cat Breed

So first of all, I don´t want to scare you here. I know that this article is about aggression in Maine Coon cats, but I want to really make sure that most Maine Coon cats are very friendly even if they are not happy. Only a few of them will attack their owner.

In fact, Maine Coon cats are known for being the friendliest cats in the world and they are also known for being the perfect beginner cat. This gives you an idea how friendly and easy to take care of Maine Coon cats are.

Maine Coon cats are indeed a very huge cat breed, but as you might have already heard, they are the gentle giants of the cat world.

If you want to get a cat that is not aggressive a Maine Coon is the safest way to go. There are some other cat breeds that are known for being friendly, but the Maine Coon is the best of them all. A bad idea would be to get a regular house cat.

Regular house cats are known for showing unpredictable behavior. You could get the friendliest house cat ever, but the chances are high to get a cat that is just mean and only needs you to give her food.

Don´t get me wrong, I am a cat lover and I have a Maine Coon and a regular house cat and I love them both.

However, compared to the Maine Coon, our regular house cat is really not interested in us at all and she also shows aggressive behavior quickly when she feels annoyed.

aggression in Maine Coons

Maze 🙂

Why Is My Maine Coon Cat So Mean?

The things listed below are not only for Maine Coon owners that have an aggressive cat. It is also for those who want to get a Maine Coon and make sure that the cats is happy, friendly and doesn´t become aggressive at any point of life.

Hormones Going Crazy

This is the first thing that comes to my mind when someone tells me that their cat is aggressive. I always ask how old the cats are and if they are neutered or spayed.

If you have a cat and you don´t intend to breed, I recommend getting your cat neutered or spayed.

Most cats show a really weird behavior when in heat. Depending on how your cat behaves during that phase, it can be really annoying.

Hearing your cat meowing or even howling day and night is not fun. A cat marking its territory (your house) is not fun either. Besides all that, some cats even show aggressive behavior when their hormones go wild.

So when your cat is 6 to 8 months old, consider getting them neutered or spayed.

If you want to learn more about the risks of neutering your Maine Coon too late and about some neutering myths, I highly recommend reading this article about neutering Maine Coons!

Your Maine Coon Might Be In Pain

If your Maine Coon cat suddenly shows aggressive behavior, chances are that it suffers from an uncovered disease. There are many cases where a cat suddenly attacked the owner really badly and right after that it was discovered that the cat had a tumor or was suffering from kidney failure.

So if your Maine Coon was always very affectionate but it suddenly attacks you, you should definitely see a vet to make sure that your cat is not suffering from a horrible disease. Trust me, this will help you and your cat.

In order to prevent such things, I recommend taking your Maine Coon cat to a vet at least once a year. I am not an overcautious person, but this is just better for everybody in your family.

Your Maine Coon Might Be Lonely

Your Maine Coon is aggressive? There is a 90% chance that this is the reason. Your Maine Coon might be lonely or you don´t take care of your cat the right way.

For example, if you only got one cat, you are increasing the chances of your Maine Coon suffering from psychological problems in the future.

Cats need other cats to be happy. A human cannot replace a cat partner. Actually whenever I read or hear that a cat suddenly became aggressive, most of the time the owners just got one cat.

If you have an outdoor cat, keeping only one cat can be okay. However, if you have an indoor cat, get ready for problems in the future.

So if you want to get a Maine Coon cat, do yourself a favor and get two right away. This prevents problems for your cat and for you and your family. And by the way, two Maine Coon cats are better than just one, right? lol.

If you only have one cat and it shows aggressive behavior, consider getting a second cat. No matter how mean your cat might be, in the end, the majority of cats get along with the second cats after a while.

It can take some time, but I have never heard of a case where everything was done right, but the cats still couldn´t be kept together.

why is my maine coon cat so mean

Maze Being A Lap Cat 🙂

Have You Changed Your Perfume?

This is really rare and I did not experience it myself, but some cat owners claim that their cats freaked out after using a new perfume or washing powder. I mean, I can smell however I want, our cats always behave the same, but this is something you should check.

Your Maine Coon Is Annoyed

This is common sense, I know, but I thought I should list it anyway. Maine Coon cats are known for their high tolerance, however even they can get sick of certain things.

Before a Maine Coon bites, it will run away from you, but if you still won´t leave it alone and annoy it all the time, you might get a slap or a bite. And you probably deserve it, haha.

I am pretty sure you don´t do that though.

Also Read: 5 Reasons Why Maine Coons Are Great Pets!

It Is Your Responsibility To Act

Getting attacked by your cat that you love and that was always so friendly can be a really, really disturbing experience. I am not kidding here, I know cat owners that were a nervous wreck after the attack and I totally understand why.

This was their baby and it was always affectionate and suddenly it attacked them. This is a nightmare.

However, you should have zero tolerance for aggression in your pets. If your cat attacks you, you have to own it. It is your responsibility to find out what is wrong with your cat and to act accordingly.

Don´t waste time on forums and ask there why your cat has attacked you. Don´t moan there about the attack. I know it´s hard, I know you are sad, but the only thing that will help you right now is acting immediately.

Take your Maine Coon cat to a vet right now. Tell your vet what happened and that you want to make sure that your cat is not suffering from any uncovered diseases.

If your vet tells you that everything is okay – great, you don´t have to worry about your cat´s health.

Next, check your husbandry. Read books on Maine Coon cats, or even better (lol), read all articles on my website and if you still have a question, leave a comment in the comment section below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Here are a couple of articles I highly recommend reading if you have problems with your Maine Coon:

The articles above will help you to check your husbandry. Also, if your Maine Coon has a lot of energy, teaching your Coon to walk on a leash will help to burn a lot of energy – which helps to get rid of behavior problems.

If you just have one Maine Coon cat, consider getting another one. In fact, I highly recommend it. A bored cat or a cat that is alone all day can get aggressive quickly.

Is your cat neutered or spayed? Did you switch washing powder, do you use a new perfume, new make up? Ask yourself all these questions and you will find the answer to your cat´s behavior.

You Have Been Bitten? Go See A Doctor

Cat bites can be pretty dangerous when they get infected. Depending on how bad the bite was, you should go and see a doctor just to make sure that everything is okay.

I am not a doctor so I can´t really give you recommendations here when you should do to see a doctor. Take good care of yourself.

If you have kids, separate your cat from your kids.

maine coon aggressive behavior

Conclusion

Again, Maine Coon cats are not aggressive at all. Don´t worry about it. If you did your research, if you are prepared, you won´t experience any aggression in your Maine Coon.

Always remember that most Maine Coon cats don´t show aggressive behavior even when any of the things I´ve listed above apply to your situation.

They are gentle and they are known for being great with kids. Almost all Maine Coon cats rather run away and do their thing instead of biting and fighting.

So don´t be afraid, you want a Maine Coon? Go and get it! They are the best cats ever!

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13 comments

Lorraine Davis December 21, 2018 - 5:07 pm

My Maine Coon can be very aggressive to me. He is 3 and has not been neutered. Is it too late to have him neutered. Will it calm him down?

Reply
Pierre January 10, 2019 - 11:03 am

Hey Lorraine,

I am sorry to hear that.
Well, it is definitely possible that your Maine Coon gets calmer after being neutered, but since I don´t know if that is really a cause for the aggression, I can´t say for sure.

Has anything happened to your Maine Coon in the past what could have made it aggressive? Especially adopted cats can show very strange behavior because of previous mistreatment.

All the best,

Pierre

Reply
Tanya Rosenberger December 27, 2018 - 9:08 pm

I adopted a feral maincoon mix that suffers from ptsd . Aggressive outbursts from reliving fights and past injures are normal for my stubs, but it’s true though it’s rare for a maincoon to become aggressive without influence from illness and or other factors . It’s not in their nature.

My aunt had 2 maincoons, however, the female began to become very violent and aggressive, I didn’t find out till after I met her that she had cancer . I fell in love with her brother, paco who later also was diagnosed with cancer.

I’m surprised you never mentioned cases like mine where the animal suffered severe traumatic injury or mistreatment and developed severe aggression. My boy stubs , also known at cat -squatch is true to maincoon temperament most of the time.

My black cat Burt Reynolds brought him home one night over a year ago after disappearing for a while day. Burt carries his friend 2 blocks, bleeding , and septic, stubs had been in very bad shape. He had two cracked eye lids. And later had a coyote chomp down on his skull. I treated stubs myself the night Burt brought him home.

I had to fight to get him help but, the clinic that examined him wasn’t optimistic about him being adopted , so they gave me an optimatum , I either adopt or they euthanize him.

Stubs had been hit by two cars which amputated his tail, he’s missing both his ears from constant fights with other strays.

Now, my point , even though he isn’t a pure bred maincoon, the only difference between my stubs and a purebred is the long hair. He’s huge. I recently had a fiasco with animal control and neighbors claiming I had a bear in my yard.

Although everything in your article is the truth , I’ve witnessed events like the ones you’ve mentioned. I just thought it should be brought to your attention there’s another read a maincoon could become aggressive, that being ptsd symptoms.

It’s true these big guys don’t handle being alone very well. My stubs patched into me and my Burt Reynolds the same night Burt dropped his dying friend in my kitchen. They are now listed as a bonded pair- not even I can separate them. Burt, weighs 5 lbs. cat squatch is 20-25 lbs. he’s roughly bigger than most raccoons, and bigger than my neighbors pug and beagle .

He’s extremely rough on toys , but never with humans , he is very intimidating to others when they meet him .

I have a question for you though, seeing as you have more intimate knowledge of the breed , is it unusual for a maincoon to pick out it’s owner? And if so, freak if it is taken home by someone else?

The 10 lives club volunteer that helped me get my stubs help had taken him for a week- he yowled and was very bad the entire time he was away from me.

The only reason I’m even writing such a long review is because I feel as a maincoon enthusiast you may be interested in a 4th reason for aggression in maincoons. It’s nice knowing there’s people out there that appreciate these big cats and see them for the gentle giants they are. I’ve met people who assume they’re dangerous

Reply
Pierre January 10, 2019 - 11:26 am

Hey Tanya,

thank you so much for sharing this story with us.
Your cat, Burt Reynolds, must be such a great, intelligent cat.

You are right, I should update the article in the future and add that.

I think it is so great that you adopted stubs and that he is still alive.

Regarding your question, I have a funny story to tell you. My girlfriend Barbara, got our regular house cat Gigi around 10 years ago. Gigi was not interested in humans nor in other cats and just wanted to play alone.
Now 10 years later, Gigi is still not very interested in my Girlfriend nor in our other cat.

However, she seems to love me as she always wants to be pet by me or meows at me to encourage me to come to her. I am really afraid of her love bites as she is a pretty rough cat, haha.

So what I want to tell you with that is, most cats are known for choosing their owner.

However, Maine Coons get along with most humans and animals. Still, they are a very, very loyal cat breed and if your Maine Coon feels that he belongs to you, it is normal that he behaves so bad when being separated from you.

He seems to be especially loyal though 🙂

All the best,

Pierre

Reply
WANEMA LEMONS January 6, 2019 - 7:45 pm

I had my Maine Coone neutered at four months, not six to eight. He has never marked anything! He was born in my house, and I have his mama. They’re eleven and ten years as of last September. I love them!

Reply
Pierre January 10, 2019 - 11:11 am

Hey Wanema,

that´s pretty early, but since your Maine Coon seems to be fine, everything should be all right.

Happy to hear that you love your cats so much! 🙂

All the best,

Pierre

Reply
Catherine Wilson January 12, 2019 - 11:21 pm

Hi Pierre,
I have a Maine Coon who is 3byears of age! Have had him since he was 8 weeks! He has been fixed,declawed in front all his shots and is a house cat!! He attacked me 2 times last week! Once on Wednesday which looked bad and then again on Sunday both unexpectedly!! Sunday was really bad!! He bites due to no claws! 2 of the teeth marks were deep!! I went to the dr the next day! I received a toy poodle from a friend who is 9 years old on Tuesday!! He has never been aggressive! What do you think could have caused the attacks! He likes the poodle!!

Reply
Pierre January 18, 2019 - 2:31 pm

Hey Catherine,

thank you for reaching out. I am very sorry that you were bitten by your Maine Coon.

I don´t want to bash you, Catherine, but declawing a cat is a huge mistake. It is a cat and a cat is supposed to have claws.

The toy poodle could be a reason. Sometimes when cats are really into a toy or into the smell of a toy they get a little strange and should be left alone when they “enjoy” their toy.
Try to remove the toy and see if it gets better.

There are so many reasons that could lead to such behavior.

Pain (You should definitely take your Maine Coon to a vet!)
Boredom
Changes in their environment
Traumata
Other cats
You using a different perfume than before

Do you only have one Maine Coon or do you have other cats?

Our cat, Gigi, has become pretty calm after we got our second cat. Before she often got aggressive.

Cats should not be kept alone. They need a partner.

Let me know if this helps in any way!

All the best,

Pierre

Reply
Jacqui January 21, 2019 - 4:38 pm

I have three cats. My Maine Coon tends to attack the smallest cat. The middle sized cat will kick his butt when he goes after Peppa but she is the oldest and looks like she doesn’t have enough energy for the job of protector. I worry for my little one because the attacks seem very aggressive and she has to try to hide from him. Her cries for help are really heart breaking. We catch him and put in time out in a room for a couple hours. He goes to biting us when we pull him off of her. He does not use his nails on us really. This happens in spurts every few days. Not everyday. We love him but are considering letting him go. He shouldn’t be alone but he can’t be attacking other cats either. Not sure why he does not attack Precious. He tries to play with her sometimes but she is not having it. He just walks away. It is very different with Peppa. She stays away from him most of the time and doesn’t want anywhere near her. Thoughts

Reply
Pierre January 23, 2019 - 10:16 am

Hey Jacqui,

thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Since I haven´t seen this happening, I can´t tell for sure what the problem is. I don´t even know if this is really a problem or if this is just a cat that “educates” a younger cat.

Let´s assume your Maine Coon is bullying your smallest cat. This can have several reasons.

One is that there is a huge difference in character. Your Maine Coon might be very dominant, and your smallest cat might be very quiet and maybe even insecure.
This huge difference can lead to such behavior sometimes.

However, this happens more often if one of the cats is not neutered. Is your Maine Coon neutered? If not, neutering your Maine Coon might solve this problem.

It is highly important that you comfort the youngest cat otherwise it might become even more insecure than it already is.

You can try to distract your Maine Coon from attacking your youngest cat by playing with your Coon.
As soon as you see the signs that another fight is about to happen, get a toy and start to play with your MC.

Not only to distract your Maine Coon, but Maine Coons have a lot of energy, and if they can´t burn that energy they might show unwanted behavior.
Make sure that your Maine Coon is not bored.

Showing your Maine Coon that you don´t like his behavior by ignoring him and putting him into another room is right in my opinion. Maybe not a couple of hours, but 30 minutes might be okay.

If nothing helps, it might be best to find a good family for him or to consult someone specialized in cat behavior.

Again, it is very important that you comfort your youngest cat.

Here are a couple of links that might help you:

Neutering a Maine Coon
The Right Cat Tree For A Maine Coon (For burning energy)
The Right Toys For A Maine Coon (For burning energy and distraction)

I wish you all the best!

Let me know if anything helped.

Pierre

Reply
Carol March 3, 2019 - 6:23 pm

I have an 8 year old Maine Coon cat and an 18 yo female. My coon has always gotten after my older cat. But lately, I saw my older cat being grabbed onto by the coon, started jack knifing her, she cried loud. He’s done it again recently. My poor ol lady 🙁
my coon was growling at my grandson at a distance but my grandson tries to chase him all the time.
I know my coon’s father was aggressive to his owner. Dug her forearm up bad, requiring 100 stitches. Now I’m worried.

Reply
Pierre March 9, 2019 - 8:51 am

Hey Carol,

what do you mean with jackknifing? I have never heard that term before unfortunately.

Are both cats neutered?

Well, if your grandson is chasing your Coon all the time, no wonder that she is growling. Most Maine Coons are very patient but even they have a point when it´s enough.
The chasing could even be part of the reason for your Maine Coon behaving aggressively towards the other cat.

Let me tell you this: even if your Maine Coon´s father was aggressive to his owner, there is no such thing as a Maine Coon that is born aggressive or one that is aggressive because of her genetics.
Most of the times something happened to the cat that made her/him aggressive or defensive.

With a lot of patience and dedication, you can help your cat to become calm again. However, you should probably get the help of a specialist.

Hope this helps in any way, Carol.

Wish you all the best,

Pierre

Reply
Carol March 3, 2019 - 6:33 pm

PS. I do keep them separate when I go. I have to because I’m afraid my coon will kill her :O

Reply

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