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Welcome, Crazy Cat People!
The Maine Coon cat is often referred to as the big friendly giant of the cat world! They have so much love to give but do Maine Coons experience Jealousy?
I have spent several years studying the behaviour of cats and how different breeds differ in personality and temperament and I used my experience of the Maine Coon to answer your questions.
Maine Coon Cats like any other animal experience emotions and can experience feelings of jealousy. These feelings are often triggered by a change in routine and can sometimes be directed towards a new person, a new animal in the home, or even an inanimate object.
Later in this post, we explore some related questions. I also delve a little deeper into the main cause of Jealousy in cats and exactly what you can do about it.
So keep reading to learn more and help prevent jealousy in your Maine Coon.
Check out my full post to find out if Maine coons are aggressive, the different types of aggression in cats and how to deal with a mean cat in the correct way. – Click here to take a look or bookmark for a later read!
Do Maine Coon Cats Get Jealous?
When you search online you will find that there is some debate amongst the cat community about whether cats feel jealousy, in the same way, as humans.
You will know if you have spent your time around cats that they experience anger, frustration and sometimes get upset. So why would they also not experience feelings of jealousy?
Maine Coon cats can get very attached to their owners and all cats have territorial instincts. When their routine is changed or if they feel their territory is under threat whether justified or not, they may experience feelings of jealousy.
A jealous cat can often be an insecure cat and this can be for several reasons –
Have they been separated from the mother and littermates too early and not been socialised?
Do they feel comfortable in their environment and have space they can call their own?
Are you showing less attention to them since the addition of a new pet, family member or partner?
When a cat is feeling jealous they may not always show these behaviours directly and a common jealous behaviour is to pee around the home to mark their territory and to let other people know that this spot is theirs.
Fortunately for any jealous behaviour, there are always solutions as well as things you can do to prevent this from happening in the first place.
Later in this post, you will discover how.
Are Maine Coon Cats Possessive?
Maine coons can be possessive over their owners and this comes down to how much they bond with their fellow humans.
When they become possessive it’s common for them to mark their scent around the home to let other animals and humans know that this is their turf.
Ever have your Maine coon headbutt you or rub their cheeks against you?
They are releasing pheromones (Cat hormones) from their scent glands and leaving them on you to let others know that you are their daddy/mommy.
Maine coons can become possessive over your affection and with a tendency to bond with one person in the home it can be quite common for them to become irritated if anyone interferes with the alone time that you spend with them.
Take one of my cats for example whenever anyone comes around she tries to sit in between us and she will instantly jump onto my lap, she is never nasty to anyone but she is letting them know that I am hers and she doesn’t want to share me with anyone else.
In a way, possessiveness is cute as long as there is no nastiness involved, at least you know that you are loved by your Big gentle giant!
Are Maine Coon Cats Protective of their Owners?
Maine coon cats are often protective of their owners, even a calm relaxed cat can become defensive if they sense their owner is in any danger. This is often due to a cats territorial nature and can become stronger over time as its owner develops a strong bond with them.
Maine coons are truly the gentle giants of the cat world and their behaviour is often very much like a dog in a lot of ways.
Gentle, loving and loyal are some of the ways people often describe the Main coon but they can also be protective over their owners.
Think about it for a second, you provide all their essential needs such as feeding, affection and playtime.
You are the centre of their little universe and it would be a natural response for them to protect you. They see you as part of their pack and part of their territory so if they see you as being under attack they could get very upset.
This may be why some Maine coons can be wary of strangers they want to check them out and make sure they are not a threat before they show them the playful and loving side of their personality.
Causes of Maine Coon Jealousy
Before we look at how to prevent Jealousy and how to deal with a jealous Miane coon cat I think we need to look at some of the common causes first!
Maine coons tend to want to be the centre of attention and can become jealous if they see you are giving more attention to someone or something that is not them.
They can become jealous of –
- A new baby in the home
- A partner
- A new pet such as a dog or even a new kitten
- When you are reading a book and not giving them attention
- When you are watching TV and they feel ignored
Remember that cats are very routined animals, they are creatures of habit and any change in routine can make them act out and become envious of people, animals or objects.
Watch out for a cat who suddenly starts to spend more time alone or starts to act out in any way such as hissing at people or objects.
How Can I prevent my Maine Coon from becoming Jealous?
There are several ways in which you can prevent Jealousy from happening before the green-eyed monster rears its ugly head!
It’s important with a change of routine to introduce cats to the changes slowly.
So let’s say your new partner is about to move into your home.
It would be a good idea to have them come over frequently to meet the cats and spend quality time with them before they move in, let your partner play with your cat and start to build that bond before the big change.
Another great tip would be to get them to leave a used item of clothing in the home that they have worn a couple of times.
Cats have an extremely strong sense of smell and they use this to make sense of their environment, get them used to the new smell before the big change of routine happens to ease them into it slowly.
If you want to find out more about introducing your baby to your Maine coon cats then I made a whole post called ”Do cats get jealous of babies” Click the link and take a read, I share some really useful tips on how to make the transition a lot easier.
If you’re introducing a new partner or want to learn how to deal with jealousy with your new spouse then click on this link to read my post ”My cat gets jealous of my partner”
When you introduce your cat to new people or whenever their routine is disturbed it’s so important to make sure they still get the same amount of love and affection as before.
Spend quality time with them alone and let your cat know that even though this new person is around they are still just as important and if you do this from day one then you can prevent much of the behavioural issues that can arise from jealousy.
The most important thing to remember with cats is they are territorial and they need to have their own space they can call their own.
When introducing new pets make sure they have their own litter trays, their own beds and their own scratching posts.
I made this mistake when I bought a new big bed for my cats to share, it was world war 3 in my home with catfights and lots of hissing until I bought another big bed so they had one each.
I learned the hard way that cats don’t like to share!
How to deal with a Jealous Maine Coon?
So what do I do if my Maine coon is already showing jealous behaviour?
What If you have followed the tips in the last section and they are still acting out?
Let’s say your cat is starting to spray around the home.
The last thing you want to do is scream and shout at them! A Jealous cat is often feeling on edge and insecure and shouting at them can often make them feel much worse and start to act out even more.
If you catch them about to spray or hiss or act out it’s okay to say NO firmly before they act out but more importantly when they do act out take them out of the room somewhere where you can both be alone together.
Hold them, talk to your cat gently and give them some love and attention until they calm down.
Often spending this alone time with your cat can calm them down and reduce their anxiety but at the same time, you’re letting them know they are important too.
Positive reinforcement is also very important so whenever your cat spends time with the object of their envy and behaves positively, offer them treats and affection to reinforce this behaviour.
It may take time and patience but eventually, your cat will learn to see the new person or pet in a positive light and not view them as a threat.
More importantly make sure the cats have an enriching environment with lots of toys, individual space and ideally vertical space that they can climb up onto when needed.
Key takeaways: Do Maine Coon Cats get Jealous?
- All Cats including the Maine coon can get Jealous
- Maine coons are gentle and affectionate so are less likely to misbehave than other breeds
- Cats are territorial, introduce change slowly
- Never exclude your cat when a new baby or partner comes along
- Have patience, cats sometimes need time to adjust to changes
- Never shout or scream at your cat
Check out these other cool posts within this series
Click the links to take a look
As always take care of yourself and your little fur babies!
Mark (The Crazy Cat Man)
