Compared to most other cats, the personality of a Maine Coon cat is truly unique. I am sure you already heard that before, but what does that mean in detail?
Most people who are thinking about getting a new cat do their research on various cat breeds and I am sure that almost everyone stumbles upon the Maine Coon and reads how friendly they are.
However, this isn´t all.
There is a lot more to know about the Maine Coon breed. So what should you know about Maine Coon personality?
Maine Coon cats are very friendly. You can read everywhere, that they are gentle giants or the dogs of the cat world. However, this describes only a very small part of their personality. Maine Coon cats are very curious, they are always interested in everything their owner does. They are very affectionate and get along with almost every other pet. Further, they are very vocal and love to knead everything they love while purring loudly.
Even though I explained briefly what the Maine Coon character is like, there are a lot of more awesome things that you should know about Maine Coon cats. My girlfriend and I got a Maine Coon kitten and the experiences we made are completely positive, without any exception.
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Maine Coon Personality – Get Ready For This!
Before you start reading this, you should also know that we also have a regular house cat, so this article will also show you in detail how Maine Coon cats are different from regular house cats. So, let´s get started!
Maine Coon Cats Chirp When They Are Excited
A lot of people want to have a very vocal cat, but on the other hand, they don´t want to be annoyed by a cat that is too loud and won´t stop meowing. I absolutely understand that. Talking to your cat is fun, especially when your cat answers with short meows and similar sounds.
However, this definitely can be annoying when it is too much.
I have very good news for you, if you want to get a cat that talks, but isn't annoying, a Maine Coon is the right cat for you! Maine Coon cats don´t meow often, but they make weird sounds that most people call chirping.
This can be heard whenever your Maine Coon is excited. For example, whenever our Maine Coon jumps on our bed or on the couch to greet us, we hear a short chirping sound.
This also happens when our Maine Coon, Maze, plays or sees a bird outside, or a fly inside our house. The great thing about that is that this chirping is not annoying at all. It is rather gentle and she doesn´t do it the whole day.
Besides that, most Maine Coon cats have a very high voice, which makes you think that a kitten is making that sound even if your Maine Coon is already 10 years old. Compared to their massive appearance this is pretty funny.
Maze looking for birds.
Also, your Maine Coon will definitely talk to you, but it won´t go on forever. After answering three or four times, Maze just stops and gives us a headbutt instead of answering again.
Maine Coon Cats Do Not Meow A Lot
I already said above that Maine Coon cats don´t meow often, but I think it is important to tell you what that means and when you likely will hear your Maine Coon meowing. Most of the time Maine Coon meow when they miss you.
For example, when my girlfriend is in the bathroom and closes the door, Maze will let her know that she misses her. She will meow three to four times and then she just lies in front of the bathroom door. If you want to know more about how vocal Maine Coon cats are, read my article on that here!
A Maine Coon Will Always Help You!
Need a helping hand with something? Trust me, your Maine Coon will be there! What does that mean? Well, we can´t do anything here in our house without our Maine Coon observing very curiously what we are doing.
She is always there when we work. While I am typing this article, my Maine Coon is lying next to me on my desk. Since my girlfriend is also sitting at her desk and working, I definitely know that my Maine Coon will check what she is doing in around 10 minutes.
This also goes for baking, cooking, cleaning the aquarium, decorating a room – it doesn´t matter what it is, our Maine Coon will be there to “help”.
If you think now that this might be just the character of our Maine Coon I have to disagree, every Maine Coon owner will tell you the exact same thing.
They Are Very Affectionate
I can´t even describe how strongly we feel that our Maine Coon loves us. And let me tell you, we are not those people who believe that their pet loves them even if it tries to kill them. If an animals doesn´t like us, we know that and we don´t sugarcoat anything.
However, Maze truly shows us love each and every day. She especially shows love to my girlfriend.
When my girlfriend is sitting on the couch or is lying in bed, our Maine Coon will definitely come to her and start to knead while purring loudly. She does that for at least 15 minutes before falling asleep on, or next to my girlfriend.
She will wait for us when we are in the bathroom and she will greet us with a short chirping sound and a headbutt. Same goes for when she is in another room and we come to her.
She is always happy to see us no matter if we have been in another room or at work.
Maze wants to be with us!
They Are Very Gentle And Not Aggressive At All
As you know, Maine Coon cats are gentle giants. While they surely are giants, they are definitely gentle as well. No matter what you do, or if you have a kid, no matter what your kid does, a Maine Coon will always be gentle.
They don´t want to harm anybody, all they want is love and loving you.
We have never experienced any aggressive behavior in our Maine Coon and even if we have to do things she doesn´t like, she doesn´t hurt us. For example, we sometimes have to clean her. Most of the times she just endures it and makes short sounds until we let her go.
That time it took us a little bit longer to clean her and she really wanted to go.
So she wanted to bite me my finger. As you know, a cat bite can be very, very painful and even dangerous if the wound gets infected. However I absolutely knew that she wouldn´t hurt me, so I didn´t move.
I was right, all she did was opening her mouth, and touching my finger with her teeth. She couldn´t get herself to really bite me. It looked so funny, we really had a good laugh and we rewarded her with some treats for being cute, haha.
They Are Very Gentle With Other Animals As Well
I have to be honest here. Our regular house cat, Gigetta, can be pretty mean. In fact, she slaps and hisses at Maze at least three times a day. Gigetta doesn´t like to be touched a lot.
Most of the time she will show you that it is okay now, and then you can touch her.
Maze doesn´t care about Gigetta being grumpy. Maze always gives her headbutts or she tries to groom her, but Gigetta always slaps her or runs away. However, that doesn´t mean that Maze would get defensive.
Our friendly Maine Coon cat just sits there and takes the slaps as if it were nothing.
As soon as our other cat calms down she tries it again. She tries to cuddle with Gigetta for almost one year and she never stops, because she is never mean at Gigetta for being grumpy. And by the way, Maze already got Gigetta to allow her to sleep next to her.
Update: Maze got Gigetta to play with her. Gigetta isn´t that grumpy anymore since Maze is so patient.
We also have a small aquarium with one betta fish. Maze loves to watch our fish, but she never tries to get into the aquarium to get the fish. All she does is sitting in front of the aquarium and observing the fish that´s it.
I have no doubt that Maze would get along and be gentle with any pet we would get. Read: Are Maine Coons good with dogs?
Maine Coon Cats Are Forgiving
Do you know those cat videos where a cat owner does something funny to their cat and the cat will slap them or avoid them for days? This won´t happen with a Maine Coon. Maine Coon cats are very forgiving. They rarely slap their owners and they don´t avoid their owners.
They are way too affectionate for that.
Here is an example. Our Maine Coon had to be neutered. Visiting the vet is the horror for most cats and I have to say that Maze doesn´t like it either. There are a lot of very loud sounds in the waiting room. Dogs that bark loudly all the time and so on.
For an indoor cat, this can be quite disturbing of course.
She doesn´t like the vet, but she never tried to bite and she always endured the examination without a single noise.
After such an event, most cats like to hide under the bed/couch for a couple of hours, or they show you that they are mad at you with avoiding you. Not our Maine Coon. As soon as we let her out of the transport box she wants to cuddle.
She is still a little bit jumpy then, but all she shows us is love.
They Play A Lot
Yes, a Maine Coon cat is definitely very playful. Remember when I told you above that Maze is lying next to me while I am working? She just checked out what my girlfriend is doing and now she is playing with a ball in the living room.
This is another great thing about Maine Coon cats. They play a lot and it is fun to watch them playing, but you don´t have to play with them if you don´t want to.
Of course, you can play with your cat, but if you don´t like to play or if you don´t have time for that – no problem!
Maine Coon cats can play alone without any problem. In fact, you don´t have to play with them at all. Most Maine Coon cats are just happy that you are there and they show you that they are happy with playing.
Of course, this goes along with chirping from time to time, since a rolling ball can be pretty exciting, lol.
Maine Coons are happy with almost any toy you give them, however, there are still a couple of toys I highly recommend for Maine Coons. Read our Maine Coon toy guide here to learn about the 3 best toys for Maine Coons!
They Use Their Paws A Lot
All cats use their paws, but Maine Coon cats seem to very unique here. They even use their paws to eat. If you get a Maine Coon you will most probably see the cat picking up dry food or treats with their paws and eat it out of their paws.
Further, they somehow like to stay in contact with you by touching you gently with their paw. This happens most of the time when we sit on the couch and our Maine Coon falls asleep next to us.
When she wakes for a short time, she makes sure that we stay there by touching us gently with her paw.
They Are Wary Of Strangers
Maine Coon cats are very loyal to their family. They love every single member of the family no matter how mean that member might be (our example: Gigetta), but they usually don´t trust strangers.
Whenever we have guests, Maze will hide from them. If a stranger tries to touch Maze, she will run away.
All Maine Coon cats are known for this behavior. However, when the cat learns that those people belong to the family or that those guests are okay, your Maine Coon will calm down.
Still, most strangers won´t be allowed to touch your Maine Coon as the cat will run away.
To learn more about Maine Coon behavior in this regard, I recommend reading our following articles:
Maine Coon Cats Are Independent
As affectionate Maine Coon cats may be, they are still very independent. I already explained that when I told you that they play by themselves a lot.
That is definitely a good thing as cats that are too clingy can cause problems over time.
Maine Coon cats can be left alone and they can keep themselves busy. No need for you to be there all the time.
They Are Very Intelligent
Maine Coon cats learn quickly because they are very intelligent cats. Maze learned in a matter of days what we want from her when we make certain sounds. A “shh” means she should stop doing what she is doing. “Komm” means that she should come to us.
We didn´t really train that, she just learned it. If you want a cat you can train, or a cat you want to travel with, a Maine Coon is a great cat for that.
However, you should also know that if you keep just one Maine Coon and you leave your cat alone the whole day, your cat might get bored and that´s when Maine Coon cats start to do dumb things.
This shouldn´t be a problem though, as you should always keep at least two cats.
To learn more about their intelligence, read our article – How smart are Maine Coons really?
The Maine Coon Compared To A Regular House Cat
A regular house cat is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you´re gonna get (I didn´t steal that from Forrest Gump, they stole it from me, lol). But seriously, a regular house cat can be mean, aggressive and just grumpy, but they can also be very friendly and affectionate.
However, the majority of people that had a house cat before and got a Maine Coon afterward say that Maine Coon cats are way more friendly and affectionate while house cats are independent and just need you to give them their food.
Even our vets said that most house cats are pretty mean compared to most other cat breeds. I can´t really say what it is, maybe it depends on what breed is in the regular house cat.
If you want to learn more about the difference between regular house cats and Maine Coon cats, read my article Maine Coon vs Regular House cat.
Once A Maine Coon Always A Maine Coon
There is no exception here. I have never heard anyone who got a Maine Coon saying, ” It was nice, but I will get a different cat breed now”. Never! Do you know anybody who has a Maine Coon cat?
Ask them if they would get a different cat breed. I am a 100% sure that they wouldn´t want to get a different cat breed.
Maine Coon cats are just so friendly, they give so much love, no person who likes cats would say that they do not want that.
Actually what most people who got a Maine Coon cat say is that they are thinking about getting another Maine Coon. We also thought about getting a second Maine Coon, unfortunately, we don´t have the time and space for a third cat.
Are All Maine Coon Cats The Same?
You might think that I am just too biased because we have such a friendly Maine Coon. Not really. Actually, before I met my girlfriend I would´ve never gotten a cat. She already had her house cat, Gigetta and brought it with her when we moved together.
I was even scared of Gigetta at the beginning since she hisses a lot. Now I am more relaxed and I love both of our cats. However, what really convinced me was the friendliness of a Maine Coon.
It is truly something special.
That being said, there are Maine Coon cats that do not behave as described above. Every cat has a unique character, you should keep that in mind if you plan to get a cat.
However, the chances of getting a very affectionate, friendly cat are way higher if you get a Maine Coon or another cat breed that is known for its friendliness, instead of a regular house cat.
Only a few Maine Coon owners have problems with their cat. Often this is the result of bad husbandry.
You should also make sure that you get your Maine Coon from a respected breeder. Knowing how the kittens grow up will erase any chances to get a Maine Coon with behavior problems.
Conclusion – Maine Coon Behavior
This is a very long article. Even I was surprised that I found so many things about our Maine Coon and the Maine Coon cats of others.
If you really want to get a cat, and you read my whole article, you should know now that a Maine Coon cat is one of the best cat breeds you can get.
There are other cat breeds that are friendly as well, but the Maine Coon is known for being the friendliest cat breed of all. Especially if you have a big family, if you have kids and want a cat, this is the cat you should get.
They might be huge, but as most huge animals, they seem to be aware of that and never use their power and their size for bad things. I really hope this article on Maine Coon personality helped you.
If you have any questions or want to share a Maine Coon story with us, leave it in the comment section below!
I have a 3 year old Maine Coon. My son bought him and his brother from a breeder here in Wisconsin. From the beginning he has been adorable, extremely smart and exceptionally, unpredictably mean…but only with me. In the beginning he would bite me hard enough to draw blood almost every day. I told myself that he just didn’t know his own jaw strength and was being a kitten. I do child care and he is completely gentle with the kids I take care of. I know this cat (Louis) loves me. He brings me his toys, follows me around, sits on the counter while I cook, talks to me and snuggles on my lap every night. He kneads on my legs when we go to bed. It’s hilarious…he kneads with his back paws. Even with all of this affection, he still will lay his ears back and with eyes dialated angrily attack me. He doesn’t draw blood as often as he used to but it still hurts, both physically and emotionally. The vet told me he is an alpha and thinks I am his instead of the other way around. Because it’s gotten better over the last 3 years, I’m hoping it will improve even more as time goes on. When I chose him, he was the only cat that I couldn’t keep my eye on…he was so fast. He’s learned many tricks and allows me to clip his nails…both front and back and even gets in the tub with me when I take a bath although he doesn’t stay (thank goodness). Just about everything you say about Maine Coons is also true of Louis. He just seems to have this one (painful) quirk.
Hey Barbara,
thank you for sharing your experience with us.
It is strange that he is so gentle on the one side and on the other he bites you pretty hard.
Especially since Maine Coons are not known for such behavior.
We taught Maze right from the start, that we don´t want to get bitten so hard – not even when playing. Now she is very gentle and only bites very softly when playing.
She doesn´t bite me at all because she knows that I don´t like that.
However, she likes to play a little more rough with my girlfriend. They are so intelligent and empathic 🙂
I am happy that it has gotten better now with your Louis. Of course, I don´t know your whole situation and can´t really give tips, but maybe you should get a little more “Alpha” to show him who´s boss.
At the end of the day, cat bites can be dangerous. Take good care of yourself 🙂
All the best,
Pierre
I have a 4 year old Maine Coon. Oscar. He acts like exactly how you describe them. I got really lucky and found him in a shelter. He was actually born there. His parents were brought in as surrenders. He was 4 months old when I adopted him. Weighed about 4 pounds and change. Now. He rips the scales at just south of 21. My friends daughter named him. She has autism and normally, he steers clear of kids. Except for her. Follows her around like a puppy.
He does all of the chirping and warbling. The only time I really hear him meowing is when I get home from work. He will be sitting right by the door waiting to greet me. Or on Sunday mornings when he knows he gets his can of wet food.
The only differences I see are.
1. When I give him a bath. I am allergic to animal dander. He has no fear of bathing. He actually has a fascination with water. He will actually lay down in the tub and completely zone out while I am giving him a bath.
2. He doesnt seem to mind the vet too much. His vet is right across the street from my apartment. I taught him early to walk a leash. So I take him to his twice annual visits by letting him walk there. The ladies that work there think it’s the coolest thing ever. He just kinda wanders on in and tries to tell everyone how big of a jerk I am. (Haha). He head butts the vet and nuzzles her.
3. He will let almost anyone touch his pelt except for his belly floof. I am the only one that can do that. He seems to have also imprinted on my mom. Although that may be attributed to the fact that when she comes over he gets fed.
But other than that, Oscar is super gentle. He has never hurt anyone or me. Even when we are rough housing.
The only issue I had was in the beginning. At about midnight every night or so he would get the night crazies. Go tearing around the house at warp factor 10. He would get really loud. Used to keep me up. Now it doesnt faze me. He still does it. The only difference now is the lady who under me swears up and down to the landlord that I have a dog. I guess it sounds like a herd of wild cattle running around.
Hey Josh,
thank you so much for sharing your experience with us.
It is always great to read stories about cats from other people.
Oscar really seems to be an awesome Maine Coon!
If you agree, we would even put a picture of him on our website. Let me know if you have one of him walking over to the vet 🙂
Love the fact that he only lets you touch his belly. This shows how loyal Maine Coons are.
Sounds like Oscar needs to burn some calories during the night, haha.
Regards,
Pierre
Hi, I enjoyed you article very much. Now, i have been interested in getting me a coon for awhile now, i have two concerns, (1 I’m afraid it will destroy my new sofas n curtains! A neighbor cat who seems to have adopted us has done just that so after buying new front room furniture i built a door to keep it out of there, also i would never de claw a cat even though it would be only a indoor cat,also I’m petrified it would escape! (2 i live in eugene Oregon, where do you think the closest and most reputable breeders? Thank you, sincerely, jamaine
Hey Jamaine,
I am very happy that you enjoyed reading my article.
Let me help you with your concerns:
1. No need to be afraid. Get a good scratching post and a good cat tree, make sure that your cat is not bored (just spend time with your cat) and you will be fine.
– Here are some good scratching posts for Maine Coons
– Here are cat trees for Maine Coons that I highly recommend
Of course, if you get a kitten, you have to teach your Maine Coon that furniture is not there for being scratched, but that won´t be a problem. Just say “no” so that your kitten notices in your voice that this isn´t allowed and your kitten will learn quickly. Maine Coons are not known for being destructive. Our Maine Coon, Maze, rarely scratched anything and learned quickly what´s allowed and what isn´t.
Great that you would not declaw your cat. Declawing a cat is the cruelest thing one could do to a cat. Many cats are traumatized after that.
Keeping Maine Coons as indoor cats is perfectly fine 🙂
2. I am not sure if I know one near your location, but I will see what I can do for you. I will write you an email.
All the best, and I hope to see some pictures of your new kitten soon 🙂
Pierre
We have two Maine Coons that are very affectionate as you have said. We do have one issue to discuss with you.
We love petting our cats but they seem to shy away from our hands or they shake or lick what area of body we have petted.
I have tried using the back of my hand we I approach to pet them.
Now these cats have never been hit or smacked at which you might expect caused this..
Why.and what to do about it?
Hey Patricia,
thank you for your comment!
I can understand that this can be quite frustrating. Especially if you love petting your cats.
Most of the time, the licking just means that they spread your scent on their body. So it doesn´t have to be a bad thing as long as it is not really excessive licking without stopping for a long time.
The reason for shying away might be that you just pet your cats in a way they dislike. Let your cats come to you and then pet them.
Keep a close eye on when your cats shy away and when (and where) they like to be pet. A good spot to pet is right before their tail.
Our Maine Coon, Maze, loves to be touched and she comes and demands it all the time. However, if I want to pet her head from the front she feels uncomfortable and often leaves. She just doesn´t like it.
Hope this helps,
Pierre
Hello dear Pierre i’m making a school project i did research on two three type of animals two of those were cats and i came across your website i learned a lot from it, a lot of usefull information thank you for making this.
And now why i’m contacting you: could you describe the charasteristics of the Maine Coon and the Norwegian forest cat i would really appreciate this and it would really help me out.kind regards
Noël Engel.
Hey Noël,
thank you very much. I am happy that you were able to find some helpful information on my website.
Regarding the Norwegian Forrest cats and Maine Coon cats, we are currently creating an article on that. I´ll let you know when it is done! 🙂 (It should not take too long)
All the best,
Pierre
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Well, I just read your article and I am not able to stop crying. EVERYTHING you said was just my Olivia. I adopted her from a good shelter here in Ohio. I had previously had a wonderful
Ragdoll. I discovered that they had much the
same personalities! My coon made me laugh a lot and was incredibly intelligent. One of her favorite tricks amazingly was to hop gently up
to the light switches and turn on the lights. Of course no one seemed to find this credible. UNTIL one day a couple friends came over. My son and his girlfriend were there, too. We were
telling the friends how smart she was and all of a sudden she rushed over to turn the light on, just as we were describing it to them. She
had to have known what I was telling them!!
Unfortunately she became sick a couple years later. I had to have her put to sleep. That’s why
I cry. I found another Maine Coon at the shelter
and I plan to go get him ASAP!
Hey Patricia,
thank you so much for your comment. I am very sorry that this article made you cry.
Also, I am very sorry that you lost your little Olivia. Unfortunately, that’s the price we pay when getting a cat. Having a couple of wonderful years – but only a few. I don’t even want to think about the day Maze, or Gigi will be gone.
I think that getting another Maine Coon is a good idea. It gives you a new task; something to be happy about. And that doesn’t mean that Olivia is forgotten. She will always be with you.
I wish you all the best and whenever you need help, leave a comment on my website. I will get back to you as quick as I can!
Regards,
Pierre
Thank you for great articles and information. I’ve owned and lost two wonderful and very loving Maine Coon cats in the past. Winston at six months to FIP and Wolfgang to cancer at 8 years young. Wolfgang was the sweetest and gentle giant of all even when he was sick. We recently got a new Maine Coon from a reputable breeder. Mozart will be a year old in November. We had him neutered at 6 months to help calm down his aggression and have spoken to the vet. My husband and I both work from home and show him tons of attention. I think he is bipolar where one moment so sweet and then ears back eyes dialiated and attack. He won’t let go and draws blood. We’re hoping he grow out of this but continues and attacks are often and many times unprovoked. We play often he has many toys multiple perches. Inside cat with a deck outside to go out whenever he wants to. We discipline the bites thump on nose and I have a whistle I blow to deter with a very loud noise. He still hides around corners to attack. Any insight or suggestions are appreciated.
Hey Jackie,
thank you very much for your comment.
I am very sorry to hear that Winston and Wolfgang had such short lives.
Great to hear that you got a new Maine Coon from a reputable breeder. Regarding the aggression, there are so many possible reasons for that. I do not know your full situation, that is why I just can make a few recommendations and ask a few questions:
– Have you already talked to the breeder about this?
– Do you know if anything happened in Mozart’s past that would explain this behavior?
– Does Mozart have enough time to relax alone and get away from you and your husband?
– Have you thought about letting him roam outside freely? You can also go outside with him on a leash – I show you how here!
– Have you thought about getting a buddy for Mozart?
– I also recommend reading this article on aggression in Maine Coons.
It may not always be the answer, but my personal opinion is that cats should not be kept alone. They should always have buddies they can love, fight, communicate with, and play with.
Our regular house cat, Gigi, showed a self-destructive behavior almost her entire life. She licked all her fur off her backside. The vet recommended giving her hormone shots every 3 to 6 months, which made her aggressive.
My girlfriend felt that that was the wrong way to go, so she stopped the treatment.
Years later, we got a second cat. Our Maine Coon, Maze. Gigi hated her at first, but one month later you could see her fur growing back – even though she did not like the new cat.
Maze is two years with us now. Gigi never had problems again. The excessive licking stopped immediately when we got Maze. Even though Gigi is still a little grumpy, she is way calmer now.
She used to bite and scratch my girlfriend from time to time. That behavior has stopped as well.
It turned out that she was lonely all these years – even though she was never alone. My girlfriend or her parents were always at home with her, but she never had a cat buddy.
Again, I do not say that this is the solution to all your problems. However, I think it is a start.
So I highly recommend calling the breeder you got Mozart from and talk to them about this problem. Maybe they recommend the same. Maybe they have another solution. However, I am sure a good breeder will also recommend getting a second cat.
Never forget that cats are pretty wild animals. They have wild needs – some more than others – that we can’t fulfill.
Hope this helps, Jackie!
Would love to hear from you how it turned out!
Regards,
Pierre