The Maine Coon cat is a fiercely loyal and loving cat breed. They love to spend as much time as possible with their owners. They love to cuddle when they are ready, yet, some will absolutely jump into your lap at any time to get the cuddles.
However, they may prefer to snuggle up next to you on the bed or couch versus on your lap. A Maine Coon is a fiercely loyal animal, however, he or she may not choose to be buddies with just one person in the family. They can be bonded with each person in the family and find a way to not leave a single one out.
Unless the Maine Coon is treated in a rough way, or not treated at all to food and water, socializing and some cuddle time, there is no reason that your Maine Coon and you do not form a bond.
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Maine Coon Qualities
Temperament is one of the best qualities of the Maine Coon Cat. They are gentle and loving cats. They are called the Gentle Giant, after all.
Loyalty is another one of the top qualities that come naturally to a Maine Coon cat. They know who loves them and takes care of them. They are true to these people. Adorably gorgeous is what a Maine Coon is. For such a large breed, nothing stops the cuteness. Most Like Water and will go for a short swim. This means that they do not fight their bathing time also.
They Like To Talk to you and other members of the family. Especially when they are happy. The sound that comes out is more like a chirp or a chitter. It can be considered an odd sound for a cat to make, just know that this is their form of speaking to you.
Many Like To Take Walks with you or another member of the family. They even allow themselves to wear the dreaded leash as they are out on a daily walk.
Friendly and Sociable creatures like not too many others. The Maine Coon cat is friendly with most people, including strangers. The majority of them do not have issues meeting new people. It is not, however, just humans that the Maine Coon will basically try to get to know and become friends with. If you have a family dog, watch a bond begin to develop between your dog and your Maine Coon. Once they know that the other has no plans of being mean, they will form a type of sibling bond.
Can a Cat Choose the Owners?
Personality is not small when it comes to a Maine Coon cat. They are large felines and have the personality to match. However, there are also just as many introverts as there can be extroverts, so do not be dismayed.
Your Maine Coon will likely gravitate towards the human with a personality that is much like their own. If you are more outgoing and friendly to others the extroverted Maine Coon will likely be choosing you as his or her best friend.
If you are more of a quiet and shy type of person, the introverted Maine Coon may be your best friend. The Maine Coon cat will gravitate and attempt to form the largest and tightest bond with the person it feels most like.
Bonding with a Maine Coon
In order to build a close bond with your Maine Coon there are a few suggestions as to how this will work out best for you. Spending time with your Maine Coon cat is the first step in not only forming a bond but also developing trust with you. All cats, and the Maine Coon especially, since there is so much more to a Maine Coon, want to know and believe that it is able to trust their human.
When you can take the time from your busy and hectic day to sit with the Maine Coon and have a conversation with him or her, they automatically feel connected. No, I am not saying that you need to ask questions and wait for a response. Just have a normal conversation as you would with a human. Use the cat’s name when you are speaking to him or her.
Pet the Maine Coon as you are speaking with them so they know you are speaking with them, as well as interacting with them. Besides, the Maine Coon loves to have attention, so when you are petting him or her, they know you are focused on them.
Slow Blinking at your Maine Coon is a smooth and easy way to let the Maine Coon know that you are not a threat to him or her. If you have ever watched your cat’s face when they are watching you, you will see that they blink very slowly. This, for them, is telling the other party that they are not a threat.
It may sound silly but sit down next to your Maine Coon when speaking to him or her, and watch the eyes. You will see that they will focus on you and blink very slowly. Please, try this with your Maine Coon, and mimic their eye blinks. Let them know that you are not a threat to them.
Be the One That Feeds Them
For those of you that are trying your hardest to be the favorite human for your Maine Coon cat, be the one to feed them, and give them fresh water throughout the day. However, a simple method to get on your cat's level is to get down on your knees when you give the cat his or her food and water.
When you want to give your Maine Coon a treat, get down on the floor with the Maine Coon and talk to him or her while extending the treat out in your hand. It is possible that the more they hear you say their name, the more often they see you doing the things that are important to them, and the more likely it will be that they will gravitate towards you as their favourite person.
One thing that is very seldom understood about a Maine Coon is that they will begin to form a bond with you and the family once they begin to acclimate to the new surroundings. I recall when we picked up the two Maine Coons we have now. They had previously been adopted but had been returned to the location. We have no knowledge of what the reason for return was, to this day, and we will never question it.
When we first brought the two brothers into our home, we noticed right away that one seemed more laid back and not as nervous as the other one. I cannot say that we figured out how to stop this reaction to people, we have learned to let him come to us when he is ready.
His brother, however, will chase all of us through the house in an attempt to play and chitter with us. He shares his time with not only his Maine Coon brother but also with the dog and each human in the family.
The introverted one seems skittish around females for some reason. We work at this slowly, even over many years now. All we can do is to let him know that he is okay now, he can trust us, and he can feel free to play and run just like his brother.
Honestly, part of me believes this cat was born old if that is possible. They are treated the exact same way and yet, there is something that holds the introverted Maine Coon back from being just as outgoing and goofy as his brother. It may be his personality, or it may be just that that is who he is. That is why I say he was born old, he does not have the same desire and ambition to play as his brother does.
Yet, to be fully honest, the Maine Coon will decide very early on who their favorite person is. This is the person that they will follow from room to room, they will want to sleep with this person, and when they have an issue it is this person that they will go to. This Maine Coon will be 100% loyal and dedicated to the person it chooses. Trust me though, it will not always be obvious who the favorite person is for the cat.
Conclusion
To be honest though, how truly important is it that your cat choose you as the favorite member of the household? The Maine Coon knows that each person loves him or her when everybody is helping to take care of the cat or cats.
However, if you want to be the person who has a cat a step or two behind them, trying to get into the bathroom with you when you want to shower, interrupting one of your favorite shows to get you to cuddle up with them, then, by all means, do so.
The love and bonding between a Maine Coon and their family is one that should never be broken by anyone or anything. Your Maine Coon is part of the family and just wants to participate in all family activities. As far as we all know, it could be a form of sibling rivalry, where the Maine Coon is trying to tell the other humans and animals in the family that you are theirs and theirs only.
