The Maine Coon guide · Kats Kits
How to Care for a Maine Coon Cat
Looking after a Maine Coon is much like looking after any cat, scaled up. It needs good food, fresh water, a clean litter box, daily play, regular brushing and a yearly vet visit. The difference is size: a grown male usually weighs 13 to 18 pounds, so the litter box, cat tree and carrier all need to be bigger and sturdier than average, and the long coat needs brushing two or three times a week.
Below is the practical checklist: what to buy, the first week home, a routine from daily to yearly, and when to call the vet. Each topic links to a fuller guide if you want the detail.
What Should You Know Before Getting a Maine Coon?
A few things surprise new owners:
- They grow slowly. A Maine Coon keeps filling out until it is 3 to 5 years old, so you live with a big kitten for a long time. See Maine Coon kitten growth stages.
- They shed. The coat needs brushing two or three times a week, and Maine Coons are not hypoallergenic.
- They like company. Most follow their people around and get bored if left alone with nothing to do.
- They live a long time. Typically 10 to 13 years, so a kitten is a long commitment.
- Everything costs a little more. A big cat eats more, uses more litter and needs bigger equipment. How much a Maine Coon costs has rough figures.
What Supplies Do You Need for a Maine Coon?
Buy these before your kitten comes home, and size them for the adult cat where you can:
- An extra-large litter box with high sides, a scoop and unscented clumping litter.
- A tall, sturdy cat tree with a heavy base and wide platforms, plus a scratching post tall enough for a full stretch.
- A hard-sided carrier big enough for an adult. A kitten-sized one is soon outgrown.
- A wide-toothed metal comb and a slicker brush for the coat.
- Cat nail clippers, a cat toothbrush and cat toothpaste.
- A water fountain or wide, shallow water bowls, and shallow food bowls.
- Toys: a wand toy, a few balls and a puzzle feeder.
- The food your kitten already eats, so it does not face a change of diet on top of a move.
What Should You Do in the First Week With a Maine Coon Kitten?
- Start in one quiet room. Set it up with the litter box, food, water, a scratching post, a bed and somewhere to hide, such as a box on its side. Let your kitten explore at its own pace, then open up the rest of the home a room or two at a time.
- Keep the food the same. Feed exactly what your kitten ate at the breeder for the first few weeks, as a sudden change is a common cause of an upset stomach. What Maine Coons eat explains how to switch later.
- See your vet within 72 hours. A first checkup confirms your kitten is healthy and gets the remaining vaccinations booked. The Kats Kits written health guarantee asks for this visit within 72 hours of bringing your kitten home; see the kitten contract.
- Keep other pets apart at first. Let them get used to each other's scent before they meet. Maine Coons with dogs and other cats sets out the steps.
- Handle a little every day. Short, gentle sessions touching the paws, ears and mouth make brushing, nail trims and vet visits easier for life.
What Does a Maine Coon Need Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Yearly?
| How often | What to do |
|---|---|
| Daily | Fresh water and measured meals. Scoop the litter box. Two play sessions of 10 to 15 minutes. |
| 2 or 3 times a week | Brush and comb, checking the belly, armpits and back legs for knots. Brush daily during the spring and fall sheds. |
| Weekly | Look inside the ears. Wash the bowls. Clean the water fountain as the maker recommends. Brush the teeth, more often if your cat accepts it. |
| Every 2 to 3 weeks | Trim the nails. |
| Monthly | Weigh your cat. Empty and wash the litter box every few weeks. Give parasite prevention if your vet recommends it. |
| Yearly | Vet checkup with a dental check, and vaccine boosters as your vet advises. |
Do Maine Coon Cats Use a Litter Box?
Yes. Maine Coons use a litter box like any other cat, and a well-raised kitten usually comes home already using one, having learned from its mother. What a Maine Coon needs is a box that fits:
- Size. At least one and a half times your cat's body length, with high sides for a cat that digs hard. Many owners use a large plastic storage tote with an entrance cut in one side.
- Open or covered. Many big cats find covered boxes cramped, so start with an open one.
- Litter. Many cats prefer unscented clumping litter, a couple of inches deep.
- Number. One box per cat, plus one.
- Place. Somewhere quiet and easy to reach, away from food and water.
- Cleanliness. Scoop every day. Cats avoid a dirty box.
The long fur on the back legs can catch litter, so check it when you groom. A cat that starts going outside the box may be ill or stressed and should see the vet, and a cat straining with little or no urine is an emergency.
What Vaccinations and Vet Care Does a Maine Coon Kitten Need?
Kats Kits kittens have two rounds of the FVRCP vaccine and test negative for FeLV and FIV before they go home at 10 weeks. That is not the end of the course:
- The last FVRCP booster and rabies are due at around 12 to 16 weeks, and your vet will schedule them. Many states require rabies vaccination for cats, including indoor cats.
- Boosters after that follow the schedule your vet sets. Your vet may also suggest other vaccines, such as FeLV, depending on your cat's lifestyle.
- Parasite control. Ask your vet about deworming and flea prevention.
- A microchip. Indoor cats do slip out, and a chip gives a vet or shelter a way to find you.
- Spay or neuter before 9 months. Kats Kits kittens are spayed or neutered before 9 months of age, so book it with your vet in good time.
Maine Coons have a few known breed health concerns, such as HCM and hip dysplasia. The health tests page and Maine Coon lifespan cover them.
How Do You Care for a Maine Coon's Teeth and Nails?
Teeth. Gum disease is common in adult cats, and it is painful. Brushing with a cat toothpaste is the best home care; never use human toothpaste. Start while your kitten is young, a few seconds at a time with a finger, and build up. Your vet will check the teeth at each yearly visit and may suggest a professional cleaning.
Nails. Trim them every two to three weeks, cutting only the clear tip well short of the pink quick. Polydactyl cats have extra claws to check. A tall, heavy scratching post saves your furniture.
Declawing. Kats Kits kittens are not to be declawed without the breeder's approval. Declawing removes the last bone of each toe, not just the claw, and some states and cities have banned it. Regular trims, scratching posts and soft nail caps are the alternatives. Step-by-step trimming is in Maine Coon shedding and grooming.
How Do You Make Your Home Safe for a Maine Coon?
- Lilies. Every part of true lilies and daylilies, even the pollen, can cause kidney failure in cats. Keep them out of the house, and check any new houseplant against the ASPCA's list of plants toxic to cats.
- Medicines and chemicals. Human painkillers such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen are poisonous to cats. Keep medicines, cleaning products and essential oils shut away.
- Cords and string. Kittens chew cords, so tidy them away or cover them. String, yarn, ribbon, hair ties and dental floss can cause serious blockages if swallowed, so put wand toys away after play.
- Windows and screens. A big cat leaning on a loose screen can push it out. Make sure screens are secure, and keep upstairs windows closed if they are not screened.
- Recliners, sofa beds and appliances. Cats crawl into small spaces. Check before you close a recliner or sofa bed, and before you run the washer or dryer.
- Toilets and tubs. Keep lids down, and never leave a kitten alone near a full tub.
If you think your cat has swallowed something toxic, call your vet or an animal poison control line straight away.
How Much Play and Enrichment Does a Maine Coon Need?
More than a sofa and a food bowl. Maine Coons are clever and stay playful for years, and a bored one makes its own fun, usually at your expense. The basics:
- Two play sessions of 10 to 15 minutes a day with a wand toy, ending with a catch and then a meal.
- Somewhere high: a cat tree, wall shelves or a window perch for bird watching.
- Puzzle feeders, so some of the food takes work.
- Toys rotated every week or so to keep them interesting.
Training, harness walks and keeping an indoor cat content are covered in Maine Coon behavior.
When Should You Call the Vet?
Cats hide illness well, so small changes matter. Call your vet if your Maine Coon:
- Stops eating for more than a day. Going without food is dangerous for cats, especially overweight ones.
- Vomits or has diarrhea for more than a day, or seems lethargic with it.
- Drinks or urinates much more than usual, or loses weight.
- Hides, limps, stops grooming or turns suddenly grumpy.
- Has runny eyes, a sneeze or a cough that lasts more than a day or two.
Go straight to a vet, day or night, if your cat strains in the litter box producing little or no urine, breathes with its mouth open while resting, suddenly cannot use its back legs, or may have eaten something toxic.
Quick Answers
How often should a Maine Coon go to the vet?
Once a year for a healthy adult. Kittens need several visits in their first months for vaccines and the spay or neuter, and many vets suggest checkups every six months for cats over about 10.
Are Maine Coons high maintenance?
Not really. They need the same care as any cat, plus brushing two or three times a week and bigger equipment. Their size and their love of company are the main things to plan for.
What kind of litter is best for a Maine Coon?
Many cats prefer an unscented, clumping litter. Start with whatever your kitten used at the breeder, and change gradually if you want something different.
Can a Maine Coon use a covered litter box?
Some do, but many big cats find a covered box cramped, and it traps odor inside. If you use one, make sure your cat can stand up and turn around in it easily.
Does an indoor Maine Coon need a microchip?
It is a good idea. Indoor cats do slip out through open doors, and a chip registered with your current contact details helps a vet or shelter get your cat home.
How long does it take a Maine Coon kitten to settle in?
Often a few days to a couple of weeks. A confident kitten may explore on the first evening; let a shy one set the pace from its quiet room, and call your vet if it stops eating.
