Maine Coon – Page 7 – Crazy about Cats

Welcome, Crazy Cat People! Maine coons are often referred to as being the dogs of the cat world, big friendly giants who are full of affection but are Maine coons lap cats? I have spent a lot of time researching the behaviour of this beautiful feline breed and used my knowledge to answer your question. Maine coons are not traditionally lap cats, although research shows that a small percentage of them are. Has a social breed Maine coons often enjoy just being near their owner, without being on your lap. Early socialisation and trust can have a big impact on how affectionate your cat turns out to be. You may want to keep reading because later in this post I go into detail about what a lap cat is, what the statistics say about Maine coons being lap cats, which gender is more likely to want to snuggle up on your lap and how to encourage this behaviour! Let's dive in and learn about the famous Maine coon cat! 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. What Does it mean to be a Lap Cat? To be a lap cat means that your cat waits for every opportunity to be cuddled up next to you on your lap! They will want to jump straight up onto your knees whenever you're sitting down even when you are trying to concentrate by watching your favourite TV show or reading your favourite book! These cats mean business when it comes to demanding all of your affection and love! To them, there is no better place than sitting on your lap while sleeping and snuggling up next to you. Some cats will want to be on your lap for 10-15 minutes while others may want to spend all day there. Some cats just want all the attention! Using my two cats as an example, my baby girl is a typical attention queen and as soon as she hears me sit down on the sofa regardless of the time of day she will snuggle up right next to me. I appreciate the love she has to give but sometimes it can be too much. She often refuses to move and will scowl at me when I pick her up to get off my lap, I think she thinks that when she is sat there I am not supposed to move or get up. My little boy however comes for a cuddle now and again, normally when he wants food and sometimes he is happy to just sit next to me. Often cats enjoy the comfort of sitting down on your lap but they are also attracted to the warmth of your body which is why you may find them snuggling up more next to you in wintertime. Some breeds that are known for being traditional lap cats are - RagamuffinRagdollPersians Bombays Some cats breeds that are known for NOT being lap cats are - Bengals Savvanah Chausies Safari cats These breeds are what we often call Hybrid breeds they are a mix between a domestic cat and a wild cat such as the Asian snow leopard. It's not to say that some hybrids are not lap cats but generally they are more active breeds who prefer long play sessions. What do the Statistics say about Maine Coons being Lap Cats? As you will know if you have read some of my previous blog articles, I generally like to perform my polls through Facebook groups and by searching Reddit and other forums and collating the information I find. Today though I would like to give credit to Maine Coon Cat Nation for the below statistics. Surprisingly when they conducted the survey the results were - 30.4% Said their Main coon was a typical lap cat, 34.8% said that their Maine coon was sometimes a lap cat and 34.4% said their Maine coon liked to be near them but not on them!Maine-coon-cat-nation So the results came back as a pretty even split but all in all slightly more owners said that their Main coon was affectionate but didn't enjoy being a Lapcat which fits in with the stereotypical Maine coon characteristics! Which Maine Coon Gender is More likely to be a Lap Cat? Again this is a big generalisation has behaviours can vary very much from cat to cat. Male Maine coons are said to be more affectionate and demand more physical attention whereas the females can be warier of strangers and a little more reserved. Females can also be lap cats but they may need a little more encouragement and take slightly longer to come out of their shells. Just watch out though because even though the male Maine coon is more prone to being a lap cat they are much larger and having them on your lap all day may prove to be uncomfortable! The male Maine coon can grow to weigh anywhere from 13 to 18 lb (5.9 to 8.2 kg) according to Wikipedia! How to Encourage your Maine Coon to be a Lap Cat? You may want your Maine coon to act a certain way but one thing you need to accept is your cat for the beautiful individual that they are! You cant always turn your cat into something that they are not. Learn to respect them for who they are and make sure you make them feel good enough and learn to spot the other ways your cat may show you affection such as - Little cute headbuttsGiving you a slow blink, often called a kitty kissRolling over onto their backs and exposing their stomach to you Rubbing themselves up against youLeaving their scent on you by rubbing their cheeks on you Grooming and licking you It's important to build a good level of trust with your Maine Coon cat by feeding them, playing with them, grooming them and playing with them from a young age. Once you have built that level of trust over time your Maine coon may just want to snuggle up in your lap. By providing a safe, secure and loving environment your cat will learn to trust you. It's also a good idea to use positive reinforcement whenever your cat jumps onto your lap by giving them cuddles and treats so they associate being on your lap with a reward. However, it's important if your cat does not co-operate to never force them on your lap or punish them in any way as this will only set them back and learn them to associate you with negativity. If they still don't like being in your lap then it's time to just accept them for who they are! These things should never be forced. Key takeaways: Are Maine Coons Lap Cats? Maine coon cats are stereotypically not always lap cats, they enjoy being near you but not always on you. They are a large breed and weigh more than most domestic breeds so being off of your lap is probably a good thing. 30.4% said their Maine coon was a lap cat. Learn to accept your cat for who they are! Check out these other cool posts within this series Do Maine Coons like to be held? Are Maine Coons Shy and how to deal with a shy cat? Are Maine coons affectionate? Do Maine Coons get attached to their owners? The ultimate guide to the Maine Coon personality! As always take care of yourself and your little fur babies! Mark (The Crazy Cat Man)