My wife and I have been married for 31 years. I am in my 50's. We have always had mixed breed cats. We will soon adopt two Main Coon kittens for pets (not breeding or show).

We hear and read all the nice and neat things about this breed and have heard about "hips and hearts". What are some other general/specific downsides to this breed of cat?

Chuck . . .

-- Anonymous, March 06, 2001

Answers

They don't always fit in a standard size cat carrier. In all seriousness, breeders usually breed for temperment as well as physical characteristics. Therefore, with training and attention you will have a couple of great good natured cats. Soon the Maine Coon will take over the Persian as the most popular breed, and all will be right with the universe. Ravi

-- Anonymous, March 06, 2001

There are no other downsides to Maine Coons. They are the most wonderful, playful cats around. After owning (or being owned by) two I don't know if I would ever have a different type of cat again. Maine Coons are extremely curious, they will follow you around and want to know everything that you are doing. And they usually want to help you do it, which means it takes you more time to complete the task. If you are not use to this close interaction it could bother some people.

I hope you enjoy your new cats!

-- Anonymous, March 06, 2001

Hi,

I adopted an retired adult Maine Coon at 4 1/2 years of age. He was a great cat - sweet natured, quiet and got along well with other cats. He wasn't an extremely gregarious cat by any means, but every once in a while he would jump on your lap or chest and purr and purr. Every one is an individual - some are more outgoing than others. (Our Siamese mix, on the other hand, can't bear not to be by your side every moment of the day).

Sadly, we had to put him (our Maine Coon) to sleep recently due to heart failure - yes, the genetic type. He was 7 years old. We had no indication he was ill beforehand except that he seemed to be losing weight. It was very sad and heartbreaking to put him down but he was in bad shape.

However, this experience has not deterred us from getting another Maine Coon, this time a 3 month old kitten. These are just gorgeous cats! They do shed quite a bit and hairballs can be a problem, especially in the spring. But they are such beautiful and sweet cats one overlooks these traits.

-- Anonymous, March 06, 2001

Hi,

As far as my husband and I are concerned there are NO downsides to owning one of these beautiful and spunky cats. If we could we'd get 15 more (only kidding),we have a six month old silver/white classic tabby female (spayed) and are looking into getting a male as soon as the breeder returns my calls. Has anyone had luck regarding returned phone calls from breeders? I've called one twice in the past week, but have not heard from them.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

You might want to look for upcoming cat shows in your area and go there and visit with breeders and thier cats. We have done this and established good relationships with two breeders and were able to see how they interact with thier cats. We will be getting our third Coon from a breeder in May. The cat we are adopting was at a show and we were able to meet it and actually socialize with it and we fell in love. Normally you are not able to touch the cats at the show so as not to spread any illnesses, but this breeder really wanted us to meet the cat up close and personal. We will visit the cat once more in April at the breeders home so we can check out how the cat socializes with other cats since we have two others now. Our other two Coons are rescues. One from an SPCA and the other came from a breeder who got the cat back from a previous owner who was moving and could not take the cat. you can find show listings in Cat Fancy or Cats magazines.

-- Anonymous, March 08, 2001