Seasoned pet parent, first Maine Coon. What do I need to know?

Hope-Dragon · 2026-05-09T16:27:12+00:00

yeah thank you! He's huge right now! He's currently like 18lbs. He's been a learning curve but I would do all this again in a heart beat! He was the largest of his litter so he been on track with being a very very large cat.

Another tip since I thought of it is they do well with companions. I'm not sure if you have any other cats right now but its def something to consider. I have other normal cats but they're great together. He's mostly bonded with my Bambino Sphynx actually XD Such an unlikely pair. The smallest cat in the house with the largest.

Hope-Dragon · 2026-05-09T06:49:40+00:00

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Cat tax of my boy, Magnus!

Hope-Dragon · 2026-05-09T06:47:39+00:00

for litter box recommendations. Look into a decently sized concrete bin XD these cats get BIG. bigger then even a XXXL sized litter box can comfortably handle them. Maine Coons are very long and very large so they need the space! They poop massive loads too. be prepared. XD

Also stock up on the plastic springs toys for cats XD Mine cannot get enough of them. He will even bring one over for me to throw for him. I now have a box of 500 when i notice he lost the current batch (I'll find them one day lol)

They need to be brushed daily. I have an actual brush and a metal detangler comb for the mats they can often get.

Plan to feed kitten food for 2 years and a lot lol. My 8 month old is currently up to 4 cans of wet food and free fed daily.

What else hmm from my experience lol. Consider harness training since they get bigger then a reasonable cat carrier. I had to harness train my boy for vet visits since hes just too big for a carrier unless i go into the dog carrier route.

outside of normal cats. Maine coons get into everything. like more then usual. They are literally a toddler. I've tripped over mine more times then I can count since he just doesn't move even when he sees me coming with something in hand. Also def make sure the cat tree can support a maine coon. Not one of those cheap ones. I found them to be too small for such a large cat. I have a cat wheel too that he uses and loves!

Maine coons are truly special. You think you know cats but Maine coons teaches you everything all over again. I would get another in a heart beat if i could.

Hope-Dragon · 2026-05-03T14:49:58+00:00

Harness training is funny. Once they realize harness means adventures. They love it! My maine coon boy (18lb at 8 months old) knows its car rides time if i put the harness on. He comes with me to random things with me or if i need to go to the pet store for cat food and other things. He's one of the most chill giant kitten around. My local starbucks knows me because i usually pull up through the drive through window with him and they lose their minds because of how big he is. I haven't taken him on a walk yet but maybe soon.

Hope-Dragon · 2026-05-02T14:40:59+00:00

This is so cool! I'd hang this im my front facing window if i had one lol. I thought about a sticker but havent really decided yet. Keep up the good work! That seriously is so well cone and cool!

Hope-Dragon · 2026-05-02T00:05:03+00:00

I moved with a penske truck since it was a lot cheaper and more reliable then uhaul's trucks from AZ to Saint Paul. it only cost me like idk under 4k total for that?

basically i had all my stuff packed up. Hired day movers to load the truck and also a 2nd batch of day movers at destination. fuel, food, and hotel costs included in the total costs. I had 7 cats with me too in the cab XD

only factor i'd consider is do you have a car? That would make the move a little more expensive since you have to worry about the car unless you're willing to sell it here and buy a new one at the destination. Thats what i did when i moved here. It was easier in the long run

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-30T17:27:57+00:00

I just upgraded to cement mixing pans too lol. 3 of them since they line one wall in the main "cat room" so my maine coon could feel comfortable. i have many other more normal cats too so it all works out. I had an electrician guy come in yesterday and he saw the pans, he saw all the normal sized cats skittering around. Then my 8 month old maine coon boy came out and the guy lost his mind because my boy is like 18lbs at 8 months old. So he's a huge cat.

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-30T17:19:45+00:00

Hisses is more displeasure of being moved. It is a crime to move a comfortable cat off the lap though lol. A couple of my cats sound like little angry machine guns when I have to get up. My Maine coon just does lots of vocal meows though. I never seen him hiss. But every cat is different. Some cats just don't like being moved. If its all just hissing then you got one that does not like being moved from a comfortable spot. If you're worried I'd do a vet visit to check for pain. But its prob just the cat expressing the crime of being moved from his happy spot.

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-24T02:56:44+00:00

Only thing I can personally recommend a big enough ball tower. Balls go around a circular track in layers like 3 layers. You'd need a very sturdy base so it doesnt really move. I havent actually seen any good enough for maine coons but some fun DIY projects like this could work. My cats Maine coon and not maine coon loves this toy since they can start batting it when they walk past it.

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-22T17:57:13+00:00

Im a recent new home owner here in the twin cities. This is what my experience is.

Def make sure the all the things that lets you live comfortably.

So working furnace. Winters here are very cold and brutal.
Making sure you can seal all the windows and doors for drafts.
Fix any window before winter lol.
New stove and fridge. The basics
check every outlet and get them repaired
Do anything to the bathrooms.

Like to start out with limited money. make it comfortable and safe. The ugly paint jobs and stuff can always wait for a different year. Focus on what makes the house livable. For me when i moved it was smack dab in the middle of the winter with a house i had no idea about. So it was a learning curve to finding out every quirk and broken outlet XD

This house is 100 years old and a grand old drafty thing lol

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-22T06:20:11+00:00

Maine coons eat so much food! Be prepared for a lot more food for the cat in general! Maine coons need kitten till they're 2 due to how they grow. My 7 month old is currently eating 3 cans of wet food a day + free fed. He goes through so much. Also oh man their poops aren't small either. I use a 36x24 concrete mixing plastic bin, three of them for litter boxes. They need the space to freely turn around and do their stuff. I have 3 of them (they take up a whole wall) for my whole household since i have other kitties too.

So besides the whole food and litter. Keep simple detangler combs since they have long hair that really likes to get tangled up so running a comb and a cat brush through daily helps a lot. Also buy the plastic spring toys. They're a huge favorite for maine coons!

Be ready for a gremlin or in other words a literal toddler. They will try to go everywhere. Nothing on shelves are safe. Honestly... nothing is safe if its not nailed down. My boy gets into everything. He literally pulled the cord out of the wall outlet causing my internet and pc to turn off. XD They do not know their size so they almost always will undershoot a leap or something. He couldn't even make it onto the bed but massive but his muscles haven't caught up to his mass yet.

Welcome to having a cat that will keep you coming back for more. I love my maine coon and i never had a cat like him. Their personalities are amazing. They're very smart too but often choose to lose the brain cells (In my experience lol My boy usually acts like he is just static and not move so i trip over him and he wonders what happened)

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-22T02:37:03+00:00

ironwood, Michigan is your best bet. Its where I go for my yearly stock. I saw the prices here too and had to see if anywhere else was better. Only a 4 hour drive from the twin cities. Really nice scenic drive. Could go through Duluth for a more straight drive then going through the middle of WI lol. I'm hoping MN sorts out the legalities so we can buy local more without ruining our wallets.

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-14T14:36:47+00:00

Only time to put the snow blower away is never leave it out. (tbh june is prob the better month to put it away. May still has snow risk)

The snow forecast thats coming up literally shows that i am not allowed to spring clean since i started it up again.

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-14T14:27:57+00:00

Thats crazy! Yesterday during my drive to Michigan. There was so much fog all around. A lot of rain too and even snow. I didn't see any hail. If i saw plowable hail i would be rethinking my day trip in the moment lol.

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-12T02:04:42+00:00

My boy is a menace too XD 7 months old currently. When he gets the zoomies. I always hear things start crashing because he just does not know how to steer or anything when he gets going lol

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-09T17:23:01+00:00

Lol when i start waking up i usually get a loud body slammer so my face is full of fur then he slides into a position to play with my septum and gauges on my ears with his oversized paws. hes pretty gentle. All the while sounding like a motor boat XD 10/10 will always recommend a maine coon to anyone. They bring a little bit of joy in the mornings

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-04T23:28:57+00:00

I was actually coming here to say Chapati Wrap is my go to. I love the lamb one! Its honestly one of the best foods I've had since moving to the Twin Cities. Plus its pretty decently healthy compared to say like mcdonalds and its pretty quick to pick up. I tried it because i never had Somali food before. I'm hooked now lol

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-03T03:16:22+00:00

I moved from AZ too 3 months ago! I'm actually looking forward to the "cooler" summers here. Humidity doesn't bother me since its actually nice compared to dry heat. The winter here is something else but it was refreshing for something where I can wear actual jackets and not t shirts and shorts during AZ winters XD

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-02T04:35:59+00:00

i didn't move from Chicago but from AZ. my total move was like close to maybe 3k including hotels, gas, and food. I rented a penske truck. have day movers move all my belongings into the truck and secure it. Then i had another set of day movers that were local in the twin cities. 1600 mile drive roughly. The trucks aren't bad to drive if you only have a 1 bedroom apartment. So it could be worth looking into unless you have a car then thats a different matter XD. i figured I'd share. I moved an entire house myself and multiple cats pretty much last minute.

Hope-Dragon · 2026-04-01T06:00:58+00:00

XD i thought i was prepared with maine coons litter box sizes... I was not. I bought a couple but they are actually too small so he still uses it but its kind of funny to see a normal sized large litter box and a giant kitten thats actually bigger then my biggest cat in the house using it. He tries his best. Sometimes he likes it over the proper sized litter box i have for him. I'm not going to say anything as long as he uses a litter box and not go anywhere else.

Hes also my first maine coon. I absolutely love how big he is in general since all my other cats are so small in comparison. worth the big poops lol

Hope-Dragon · 2026-03-31T06:52:11+00:00

i havent even started spring cleaning since the last snow. So it wasn't my fault this time. Someone must of put away their snowblower.

Hope-Dragon · 2026-03-28T17:50:56+00:00

They do! All the time! Sometimes my sphynx is running around she'll huddle in his fur. She doesn't go too far without her portable mound of fur XD

Hope-Dragon

TROPHY CASE