My Maine Coon cat is SO FUNNY! She fetches and retrieves just like a dog! It's the cutest thing! She runs down the hall after a unraveled yoyo and pulls it back with her mouth by the string. She also LOVES to go in the sink and bathtub. I found these things so surprising, since I have never seen these behaviors in any other cat. I thought only dogs fetched and retrieved, and I thought cats loathed getting wet! Does anyone else's Maine Coon behave in these ways? I noticed on this website that these are common behaviors of this breed, which also surprised me! Please share your stories with me!

-- Anonymous, September 30, 1999

Answers

GINA, our 2 year old female Maine Coon, PJ, will fetch and retrieve anything she can carry. And if she finds an old toy laying around, she will bring it to us to play fetch with. She will even take turns if there are two people in the room, perfectly alternating to whom she returns the toy (or wadded up piece of paper, if no toy is available).

-- Anonymous, October 15, 1999

MC's are insane, I have discovered. I got my MC-type(he's half Siamese, but you wouldn't know it). He not only goes into the shower the instant I'm done, but he'll sit at my feet while I'm drying off and lick my ankles. He learned "fetch" on his own-surprising me and his dad one night by dropping his "mouse" at our feet. If you like playing with your MC, try this-get either a string or the plastic thing that comes wrapped around your newspaper. Start with shaking it so he'll attack, but then start to pull it up. We did this with Elliot and now he'll jump about 5 feet into the air AND do flips and twists. It's good to play "jump" right before you go to bed- tires them out and they slep, too. BUT- don't hold the string too low or lean over him-you'll end up in the ER getting your eyelid sewn back together! True story.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

My Maine Coon "Pookie" 6 month old male, LOVES to jump in the bathtub all the time and play, one day he got a surprise that there was water in the tub which was suspose to be MY bath, and still he sat there in the water I laughed so hard, I was so amazed that he loves the water so well, he even enjoys his bath that he gets every 2 weeks.

-- Anonymous, July 20, 2000

Muffin is a 2 yr. old mostly MC mix who I find amazing. He just started to play fetch one day when he was about 6 mos. old. He also plays tug of war and is attracted to devices that emit mechanical sounds.

-- Anonymous, November 29, 2000

My 2 year old MC, loves to play fetch. When he wants to play he brings his old, ragged mouse and drops it at our feet. He waits patiently for about 1 minute for you to throw it and if you don't he will pick it up and drop it in your lap. He fetches better than most dogs. My other cat(mixed breed) fetches also. They really get going sometimes and will run into eachother, as they both are so intent on fetching thier individual toys.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2001