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Welcome, Crazy Cat People!
The Maine coon cat is fastly becoming one of the most popular breeds in the world and for very good reason but are Maine coon cats affectionate?
I used my knowledge and expertise of this super cute breed to answer your question.
As a general rule, Maine coon cats are one of the most affectionate and friendly cat breeds. They are gentle giants who love attention as well as giving and receiving affection. Their behaviour and traits are very similar to a dog and they are often referred to as the dogs of the cat world.
Who doesn’t love a gentle giant?
If you are looking for a cat who doesn’t like cuddles and doesn’t want to show affection then the Maine coon cat is not for you.
In the rest of this post, I answer some of your related questions and we look at just how Maine coons show affection to their owners and how to deal with clinginess should it arise.
So keep reading to learn more!
Read my Full-length post that accompanies this series of articles called ”Are Maine Coon Cats Friendly (The poll results and proof) to find out just how friendly and loving this breed truly is! – Click here to take a look.
Are Maine Coon Cats Affectionate To Their Owners?
The Maine coon cat is a big friendly giant.
They have a similar look to a lynx cat and on the first appearance, they could be judged as being big, wild and dangerous but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Maine coons are very affectionate by nature and they express their love through their facial expressions, their cute little chirps, meows and their body language.
A Maine coon cat is always up for attention and cuddles and they will happily follow you around the home and just enjoy being in your company.
Some cat breeds are known for being aloof and distant and sometimes only come over for the odd cuddle now and again apart from when they want food. The Maine coon is not that cat!
The Maine coon often likes to be picked up, in a way they are very similar in personality to a ragdoll cat. They don’t tend to go floppy like a ragdoll when picked up but they will enjoy the attention and the affection you give to them and they will give that love back equally to you as their owner with purrs, headbutts and lots of cuddles!
As a breed, they also seem to have a fascination with grooming and licking their owners too! Which is kinda cute!
Think of how loving and loyal a puppy becomes when they bond with its owner and that’s exactly the way a Maine coon will behave too.
There is a reason they call them the dogs of the cat world.
The only time that your Maine coon may not be so trusting and affectionate is if they have had previous bad experiences or if not socialised correctly at a young age.
However, you can still learn to bond with your cat, some cats just take a little longer than others.
We all have a past and so do cats!
How do Maine Coon Cats Show affection?
Maine coon cats show affection in lots of ways, some of the signs to look out for are more obvious and some of them are very subtle.
It’s important to know what signs to look out for before you mistake your cat to be cold-hearted and aloof.
So I have listed some of the signs to look out for below, How many of these behaviours does your cat engage in to show they love you?
- Slow blinking – You may notice your Maine coon looking at you and blinking really slowly. This is a sign your cat is comfortable in your presence and they want to let you know that they trust you. You can even try giving them a slow wink back, I like to call it a ”Kitty Kiss”.
- Rubbing against your leg – This is an obvious one but cats will only do this to people they love and trust, it’s a little friendly kitty greeting.
- Tall tail, held up high – Does your cat walk towards you with their tail in the air with the end forming a question mark shape? This means they are happy and excited to see you and generally a content little kitty! Cats give away alot about how they feel with their tails.
- Showing you their belly? – A Cats stomach is one of the most sensitive places on a cats body and also one of the most vulnerable. A cat who wants to show you they love you and trust you will roll over and show you their belly. Just don’t dive in for a belly rub or you may get your hand scratched!
- Headbutting – A true sure sign of affection! If your cat gives you a little headbutt you can rest assured they see you as part of their clan and they are letting you know that they value you.
- Making biscuits – Yes you read that right! Also called kneading, cats will knead on your lap with their paws to show affection. They used to do this to their mother to stimulate milk when they were kittens! They now see you as their new mommy or daddy! Well done you for being a good cat parent!
- They bite you – I don’t mean a nasty bite, I mean a little love bite that doesn’t hurt. Cats often do this to show you they love you, a little gentle kitty bite.
There are many other ways that your Main coon will show you that they value you and care for you as much as you do for them.
They are affectionate to not only their owners but they can be such a great family cat and they easily get along with dogs, other friendly cat breeds and they make a great companion for children too.
If this is your first time reading about the Maine coon then I am sure you are beginning to see just why they have become so popular in recent years.
Are Maine Coons Clingy?
Even though the Maine coon cat is curious and thrives on human companionship, they are not generally clingy. They love affection and they will want to be around you. Clinginess can be an issue with cats who are not socialized from a young age or who do not live in an environment that meets their needs.
Your Maine coon may also become overly clingy if they are not used to you leaving the home regularly.
This has become more of an issue in recent times due to the covid 19 pandemic with people working from home.
A lot of people adopted cats in the pandemic and now people are starting to leave the house more and go back to work they are finding that their cats are becoming overly clingy when they are back home and also showing signs of separation anxiety.
It’s important to spend time away from your cat and allow them to be alone occasionally and have a sense of independence from a young age.
It will be less of a shock to them when you finally do need to leave home for a few days and they will be less clingy when you do come home.
Clinginess can also develop in cats who are weaned from their mother too early or taken away from their littermates before the age of 7 weeks old, so it’s super important to make sure your kitten is socialised from a young age to learn all the skills they need to become a secure adult Maine coon.
It’s also important to make sure they live in an enriched environment full of toys, scratching posts and places they can jump up onto such as cat trees to keep them entertained. This will prevent boredom and should also reduce any clingy behaviour.
Remember that Maine coons are just like dogs, they need attention, they need play and they need social interaction, this is not clinginess it’s just part of their big loving personality.
Key points: Are Maine Coon cats affectionate?
- Maine Coons are big gentle giants
- They behave just like a puppy
- They are loyal to the core
- They love cuddles
- Unlike some breeds, they generally enjoy being picked up
- Don’t get a Maine coon if you’re looking for a cat who will just want to do their own thing all the time, they need lots of affection
Check out these other cool posts within this series
Click the links to take a look
Do Maine Coons like to be held?
As always take care of yourself and your little fur babies!
Mark (The Crazy Cat Man)
