10 Maine Coon Cat Behavior Problems To Be Aware Of

Maine Coon cats are quite extraordinary cats, would you agree? These gentle giants, as they are usually called, can have some deviations in behavior. 

Owning a cat is a challenge but it can be an even bigger challenge if the cat you own is ready for trouble all the time. In this article we’ll discuss main Maine Coon cat behavior problems so keep reading. 

1. Maine Coon Likes To Scratch Furniture

This is a common favorite thing for cats, but Maine Coons seem to enjoy it so much.

However, this is their instinct and you cannot be mad at them for doing that, nor to stop it.

But, the thing you can do is to provide scratching posts for your gentle giant. In this way, you’ll help your feline with their scratching needs instead of buying new furniture over and over again. 

Decide what scratching posts is the best for your household and make sure to pick one that will last. 

2. If Bored, Maine Coon Can Become Destructive 

When a Maine Coon is not mentally stimulated enough and gets bored, it may do things just to get your attention, and the first thing that comes to mind to them is to mess with your furniture. 

The best solution is to give your cat attention and provide some stimulation in order to tire them. Let your cat spend time with you wherever you are in the household. 

3. Maine Coon Can Develop Separation Anxiety

What does it mean? Separation anxiety can happen with kittens that grow up without you even realizing the condition. If you notice that your cat cannot be separated from you for long periods of time, this could indicate that they have separation anxiety.

Whether it is severe or not, you’ll find out by learning the circumstances. What you can do about this is provide your gentle giant with a lot of toys when you leave the house. If that doesn’t work, then you can try restricting your cat to one place so it cannot cause mess until you come back. 

4. Maine Coons Are VERY Vocal 

When a gentle giant decides to be heard, it is going to be very vocal and loud. The noise you’ll need to deal with will be too much to handle. 

The one thing you can do about this issue is to be patient. Check on your cat if it starts to meow suddenly and cause a mess. Sometimes, it can be that they want to tell you something, like being thirsty or hungry, but in other cases, they want attention right here right now!

When your big cat seeks attention, don’t give it just because they’re making a scene, and make sure to not reward the behavior. Because, this can only encourage them to be more vocal. 

RELATED: 15 Reasons Why Your Maine Coon Won’t Stop Meowing

5. Maine Coons Are Territorial Creatures

All cats are territorial when it comes to sharing their space. However, Maine Coons tend to be extremely territorial. This happens when you have a new pet in your home. Or even a new family member, baby. And we all know that cats tend to be jealous of babies.

To prevent such behavior, introduce your cat to new members early on as that socialization will lead to friendships and they’ll become tolerant of others.   

6. Avoiding The Litter Box 

It is a well known fact that a Maine Coon won’t avoid its litter box if you keep it clean and tidy. But if you notice that your cat has been peeing somewhere else, it might signify that there is an underlying health issue that needs to be solved so make sure to contact the vet. 

7. House Soiling

If avoiding the litter box is accompanied with house soiling, you might need to take a quick check with the vet. Why? 

Because cats usually are clean and tidy animals that don’t choose to eliminate outside the litter box, which actually means that there is something with their health that causes them to do it. 

8. Maine Coons Can Be Aggressive In A Playful Manner 

There is a chance that your cat gets a bit aggressive during playtime and bites you a bit. Even though it was because they are playing with you, you need to react as if it was bad behavior in order to not encourage them to do it again and again. 

RELATED: Why Does My Cat Bite Me Gently Out Of Nowhere? 12 Motives

9. Maine Coons Tend To Be Night Owls 

Cats are dawn and dusk animals, or crepuscular if you prefer. Those are the times they’re doing their dances. However, Maine Coons tend to  pull an all-nighter. 

If you notice that your cat has too much energy at night and you cannot sleep because of them, that signifies that they didn’t do much during the day and you let them sleep all day. Because of that you cannot expect that they’ll sleep when you sleep. 

As they’re up all night, they do not have the attention and probably will be loud in order to seek the owner. That will probably wake you up if you didn’t hear their zoomies. 

However, if you know for a fact that your cat isn’t in danger, don’t get up and don’t show reaction to their bad behavior. If you ignore it, they’ll know that they won’t get attention at night while it’s time for bed. 

Instead of that, make sure to have your ritual before bed, try playing with your cat to make it tired. Therefore, both of you will get a good night’s sleep. 

10. Maine Coons Tend To Be Aggressive Towards Other Cats 

This is similar to territorial behavior. If you notice that your Maine Coon shows aggression to other cats, you need to take over the situation and make your cat behave nicely. 

You can solve this problem if you expose your cat with other cats while they’re kittens so they get used to being surrounded by other animals. 

How To Deal With Such Behaviors? 

Whatever you do, remember, you need to be consistent if you want to solve these issues. The more you try, the better the result will be and your gentle giant will finally understand what is actually normal behavior and what you won’t tolerate. 

As these gorgeous creatures are highly intelligent, they know how to satisfy their needs and how to get everything from their owner, but you need to be smarter than them to solve this. 

Now let’s see some methods in order to rest the case: 

1. Find Out The Cause Of The Behavior

Before you make the first step, you need to find out why your cat behaves in some way. If you cannot do it on your own, you can always contact the vet or a cat specialist. 

There are probably some problems that are bothering your cat since they are not problematic creatures. So when you visit the vet, talk about everything you have noticed with your cat and hopefully you’ll both get the answer. 

2. Don’t Punish Your Cat 

If your cat is doing something you don’t like, or being aggressive towards you, don’t reciprocate.You’re a reasonable human being and you can do better than that. 

Avoid being aggressive and try quite the opposite, gentle and relaxed manners. 

Remember don’t touch them on the belly as they’re not fond of it. But you can start by petting the head and the cheeks, they adoooore that. You can check our cat petting chart  to learn where to pet your pet.   

3. Show Your Cat That You’re Disturbed

You should show your cat that their behavior upset you and that they’ve done something that they shouldn’t.  How will you do that? Show it with your behavior, cats will understand your body language. 

Let your voice be a bit firm, but not too much, and speak to your cat to let her know that you didn’t like the behavior. 

4. Reward Good Behavior 

Now let’s talk about your cat’s good behavior. If your cat shows that they’re behaving well you need to let her know that you are aware and reward it. You can try with a piece of meat or some delicious treats. 

That will motivate them and they’ll want to keep it up in that mood. 

5. Spend Some Quality Time With Your Cat

The reason your cat is behaving the way it is behaving is because they want attention they don’t get usually. Maine Coons are loving creatures and they want to feel loved by their favorite human beings. 

If you don’t spend some time with your cat, it may develop aggression and behave in a destructive manner so keep in mind that time with you is crucial. Even if you manage to spend only 20 minutes with your cat. 

6. Try Clicker Training 

Have you heard of clicker training?  This is a great practice and usually the one that has tremendous success. You need to be patient as this takes time, but you will definitely succeed if you keep it up and have treats in one hand and clickers in another hand. 

How do you do it? Click the clicker, and make a wish, if your cat does as it was told to do, a treat will be given. Over time, you will decrease the amount of treats and after you will completely stop using it, but you’ll have a cat that is completely well-behaved. 

7. Try With Spray Bottles 

Yes, you guessed it, Maine Coons are not fans of water. When you tell them that it is time for a bath, they go crazy and want nothing to do with you.

Sooo, you might take this to your advantage. If you spot that your cat is doing something it shouldn’t be doing, spray a bit of water on it and  over time it will have negative connotations when it comes to their unwanted behaviors. 

8. Spay Or Neuter Your Maine Coon Cat 

All of these above mentioned behaviors can signify that your cat is in their mating cycle. So it is advised that you spay or neuter your cat, or if you don’t want that, you need to let them breed. 

During their mating season, they can be more aggressive because they feel threatened and insecure due to their inability to produce. Many people forget about it, but then they face a cat that is aggressive and undisciplined. 

9.Let Your Cat Outside For A While

For centuries, cats have been free and used to live in the wild enjoying nature surrounded by birds and trees. And to be in nature it’s a cat’s natural instinct. 

We can keep them in our household, but we cannot change what they are. So if you try to take that from your cats, there will be consequences. 

Indoor cats can develop depression, anxiety and manifest it through aggression. So feel free to take your cat for a walk, a play of fetch that will end up with you fetching it, but it doesn’t matter. The only thing that is important is for you to spend some time with your cat in the air.

But keep a close eye on them so they don’t wander. 

Closing Words

I hope that the Maine Coon cat behavior problems helped you understand your gentle giant more. However, you’re not alone, many Maine Coon owners face it and they all managed to deal with such Maine Coon behaviors. 

To deal and solve Maine Coon behavior, make sure to first understand why it is happening. From that point you can have better methods and approaches.

Good luck!

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