Are Maine Coons Good With Babies And Children?

When you have young children it is natural to worry about their safety. Therefore, if you are entertaining the idea of adopting or purchasing a Maine Coon kitten, it is natural to wonder are Maine Coon cats good with babies and children?

Keep reading to discover some much need information relevant to keeping both your baby, children, and Maine Coon kitten safe when living in the same household.

Maine Coons are good with babies and children because they are gentle; calm and trainable. They are not naturally aggressive felines. These ‘gentle giants’ instinctively look after babies within their family, protecting them from perceived dangers or harm. Maine Coons form strong social bonds with all family members, including young children.

If you have held off owning a Maine Coon because you are unsure of their compatibility with your baby and children, rest assured you will find everything you need to know in this article.

Are you an expectant parent unsure whether you can leave your Maine Coon cat with your baby and children?

If so, keep reading to calm your natural new parent jitters relating to the risk of a cat harming your baby.

Are Maine Coons Good With Babies?

Despite their huge size, these gentle giants are one of the most friendly cat breeds you will ever encounter.

These family-friendly felines are particularly suited to families with babies and children since their calm, docile temperaments help them just ‘go with the family flow’.

Not Easily Phased

There is not much that phases a Maine Coon cat.

Whilst there are hundreds of different things your baby could accidentally do to your Maine Coon cat, thankfully the Maine Coon cat breed is less likely to run and hide.

Instead, pedigree Maine Coons tend to be pretty laid-back felines, especially when it comes to babies and children.

It is almost like they understand the baby or child is not meaning to harm them and is simply acting as babies and children do.

Gentle

Surprisingly, a Maine Coon is unlikely to lash out at a baby or child if they do the following. Instead, they may simply walk away, or give the baby/child a warning hiss to tell them to stop:

• Pulling Their Tail
• Poking And Prodding Them
• Laying On Them
• Grabbing Them
• Crying Loudly Nearby

If the baby or child does not listen to the Maine Coon cat’s warning hiss and continues to hound the cat relentlessly, a Maine Coon cat may whack the baby or child with its paw in an attempt to make them stop.

Unfortunately, the cat’s claws may not be fully retracted at this moment, so they might scratch your baby or child.

It is therefore vital that you never leave your Maine Coon alone with your baby, and always teach your baby and children to treat the Maine Coon with respect.

Maine Coons are considered exceptionally loyal cats, but even a tolerant Maine Coon will only put up with so much!

Sturdy Build

Maine Coon cats can weigh up to 25 lbs in weight, and have a large muscular build.

The Maine Coon cat’s sturdy build makes them ideally suited to living in families with babies and young children since a baby, toddler, or child is less likely to knock the Maine Coon cat over!

Maine Coon Personality

Pedigree Maine Coons tend to all share the same Maine Coon personality traits.

If you adopt or buy a purebred Maine Coon cat, it is unlikely that your cat does not share the personality traits consistent with this particular cat breed.

This makes their personality quite predictable, therefore making them a great combination for families with babies and children.

The following purebred Maine Coon personality traits mean that Maine Coon cats are ideally suited to living with babies and children:

• Gentle
• Calm
• Tolerant
• Don’t Mind Noise
• Instinctively Know Who Are Babies And Children
• Pack Mentality
• Playful
• Bond Closely With Family
• Non-Aggressive

Parents across the world will always feel immensely protective over their young, whatever age their age.

For those of you that are still not convinced whether to trust your Maine Coon cat around your newborn baby or child, keep reading to discover more about the Maine Coon cat personality.

1. Gentle

These cats are one of the kindest, most docile, and most gentle cat breeds in the world.

Maine Coons didn’t get their nickname ‘gentle giants’ from nowhere. Instead, they rightfully earned this title through consistent displays of their gentle, calm, and caring nature. 

When showing their affection towards their family, Maine Coons are very good at retracting their claws.

This is important, especially when a baby or child is concerned because the baby or child is oblivious to the harm a cat can cause them and in the case of a baby is unable to walk away from a cat playing with them.

For more information on their friendly nature, take a look at my article ‘Are Maine Coon Cats Friendly?‘.

2. Calm

Maine Coon cats have a very calm temperament.

This laidback feline literally oozes calm vibes, so will not be phased by a baby screaming right next to them, or pushing them around whilst a young toddler or child tries to learn how to interact with their family pet.

Maine Coons love the attention of their human family, and will happily cover their family in Maine Coon kisses if you give them the chance.

Love and affection will be shown to all family members, including babies and children.

3. Tolerant

The Maine Coon cat is known for being a very laid-back cat breed.

In the face of adversity, these dog-like cats remain loyal, calm and caring towards all their young family members.

Some cat specialists believe this is because the breed instinctively understands that the babies and young children within their ‘pack’, pose them no harm.

If true, this theory helps to explain why Maine Coons rarely lash out with their claws when babies, toddlers, and children manhandle them.

They are not phased by babies stroking them haphazardly.

Whilst the Maine Coon is known for being tolerant, it is still important that parents actively teach their babies and young children how to stroke and handle their Maine Coon cat correctly.

For example, young children should never be permitted to lift a cat and drag it along the floor. Instead, children must always be taught to respect and care for animals.

4. Don’t Mind Noise

Babies are known for screaming non-stop when they are hungry, dirty, or simply have wind.

Thankfully, the Maine Coon is not bothered by loud noises made by babies, or when children scream and shout.

Unlike most cat breeds, it is more likely that your Maine Coon will be drawn toward the noise within your home, including that of a baby!

In our personal experience, I have found that our male Maine Coon goes to sit next to our daughter whenever she decides to practice her grade 2 violin pieces!

Whilst this might initially sound weird, it is to be expected because Maine Coon cats are really curious and clever felines.

They are also exceptionally sociable felines and just love to spend time with their family.

The Maine Coon cat also wants to be involved in everything going on around them.

Their gentle and caring nature also makes it more likely that they will want to calm a screaming baby or child down, rather than run away.

5. Instinct

A Maine Coon cat instinctively seems to know that the baby is smaller, and is not trying to
harm them.

They will instinctively protect babies and young children from perceived dangers.

If you watch a Maine Coon cat around your baby, or young children, then you will quickly notice that the cat seems to instinctively know they are safe.

This is evident because they remain calm and rarely act aggressively when babies or toddlers roughly stroke them (whilst learning what cats are, and how to look after them). 

Maine Coon cats are also so dog-like, that they consider human babies to be younger ‘pack members’, so instinctively lick babies to keep them clean!

They will also purr, and rub themselves against a baby, to scent them. This is effectively your cat saying that your baby is part of ‘their’ family, too.

6. Pack Mentality

The Maine Coons dog-like behavior has resulted in many owners calling them ‘dogs of the cat world’.

One of the dog-like characteristics that they display which makes them ideally suited to living with babies and children, is their pack mentality.

This pack mentality is important because it enables Maine Coons to adapt well to new babies joining their ‘pack’. New babies become part of their pack, which they happily protect.

Thankfully, this breed quickly accepts new babies within the household.

7. Playful

Maine Coons are extremely playful felines and love to play with their human family.

This makes the Maine Coon cat breed ideally suited to living with babies and children since the younger family members become great playmate companions for them.

Unlike many other cat breeds, the Maine Coon cat will remain playful late into their adult lives.

They will therefore bond closely with the family children who offer them lots of attention, and playtime fun. 

Young children and babies will be amused by the Maine Coon cat’s quirky behavior and fun-loving characteristics.

Parents could even show their young toddlers how to play ‘fetch’ with their Maine Coon kitten.

8. Bonding

Maine Coons are very loyal cats that bond closely with their family members.

The female of the species in particular likes to bond with all the family members, whereas the male tends to bond closely with just one owner.

This is usually the owner that feeds them!

Maine Coon cats will want to have a relationship with all members of the household, both young and old.

Babies in particular have no preconceived ideas about cleanliness or dirt, nor are they the least bit bothered by cat fur all over their clothes.

This makes the Maine Coon ideally suited to living with babies and children since these loving gentle giants will lavish affection on babies, and the baby will happily bond closely with them.

This cat breed’s desire to bond with family members makes them ideally suited to living in a household with babies and children.

9. Aggression

Maine Coons are not naturally aggressive felines, so will very rarely attack a baby or young child.

If they do lightly scratch a baby’s arm, this is usually by complete accident, only occurring when your cat has failed to retract their claws quickly enough whilst playing.

By comparison, most other cat breeds tend to act more aggressively towards babies and children.

This aggression is visible when they hiss and lash out at an unsuspecting baby, toddler, or child.

By contrast, the Maine Coon is very docile and tolerant of babies and children, therefore making them an ideal pet choice for families with young children.

Are Maine Coons Family Friendly?

If you are looking for a family-friendly cat breed, the Maine Coon cat is definitely the best option.

Not only do they have a reputation for being amiable and loving felines, but their friendly temperament also makes them ideally suited to living with young children.

Are Maine Coons Phased By Loud Children?

One of the key reasons why Maine Coons are good with young babies and children is because they are not the least bit bothered by loud noises.

For example, if our daughter is playing the violin our Maine Coon cat actively strolls over towards the violin noise the minute it starts! He then sits close by for the entire violin lesson.

With such good cat hearing, I would have expected him to run a mile!

Are Maine Coon Cats Protective?

Maine Coon cats are often very protective of the young babies and children in their families, most likely due to their dog-like pack mentality.

They instinctively want to protect young babies, and if a parent permits them they will try to calm and care for an upset baby that is crying.

Are Maine Coon Cats Good With Children?

If you are thinking of buying a cat, the Maine Coon is a solid and trustworthy cat breed to buy, since they love children, and will thoroughly integrate themselves with your children.

You might not be able to part the companions!

Before we purchased our purebred Maine Coon, I spent a great deal of time researching the Maine Coon cat breed online.

At the time our son was only 12 months old and had only just started crawling.

Being the protective mummy I am, I needed to reassure my anxious mind that the Maine Coon cat breed was suitable for us.

Everything I read about the Maine Coon breed indicated they were good with babies and children, and from experience, I would have to agree.

Yes, every cat does have an individual personality, but our Maine Coon could not have been better and more protective of our son.

Our Maine Coon immediately attempted to bond with our son, and then our daughter when she was born. They all still love to play ‘chase’ and ‘catch’ together, with a piece of string.

Below is a video of our 7-year-old Maine Coon, and 5-year-old daughter on this Youtube video:

Are Maine Coon Cats Safe With Newborns?

Make sure you consider the following factors, before leaving your baby around your Maine Coon:

1. Size

Weighing between 8 – 25 lbs (3.6 – 11.3 kg), the Maine Coon cat is considered the largest domesticated cat breed in the world.

These gentle giants are well known for being family-friendly, gentle, and good with children.

However, parents must still ALWAYS remain vigilant when their Maine Coon is in the company of their baby.

The sheer size and weight of a Maine Coon cat pose a threat to small babies, since they may accidentally crush a baby if left unattended.

2. Rolling Over

Young babies cannot roll over on their own.

Owners should therefore ensure their Maine Coon does not sit on their baby’s body and smother them with their thick dense fur, since their three layers of fur may accidentally cover the baby’s access to oxygen.

3. Sharp Claws

Maine Coon cats are great hunters, with extremely sharp claws that can catch, hold and rip their prey to shreds.

It is a horrifying thought considering what those claws could do to your baby or child should your Maine Coon become uncharacteristically aggressive towards your kids.

Owners must make sure they trim their Maine Coons claws regularly, to protect their offspring from being accidentally scratched.

Alternatively (and more preferable), owners should provide their cats with multiple cat scratching posts around their home, to enable their cats to naturally keep their claws short.

These cat towers on Amazon are particularly suited for the job since they are sturdy, and designed to withstand the Maine Coon cat’s extra weight.

These cat trees include multiple scratching posts, whilst also offering the cat additional places to sit and climb. 

Is It Safe To Leave A Baby With A Maine Coon?

Maine Coons are historically wild animals, capable of hunting and killing such prey with ease. They are well known for their superb hunting skills.

Therefore, although Maine Coons are considered to be a child-friendly cat breed, parents should always remain vigilant.

Although these cats are now domesticated, their natural instinctive behavior will always exist. This makes a Maine Coon potentially unpredictable.

Learn more about whether the Maine Coon cat is dangerous.

Whilst many owners might argue that their cat is entirely trustworthy around their child (and in many cases they are), the safest approach when ANY pet is concerned is that parents must always be vigilant.

Careful supervision is imperative to ensure a baby or young child does not act in a way that angers the cat.

It is therefore recommended that parents never leave their babies, on their own, with a Maine Coon cat.

Although the risks are minuscule, there is always the possibility that this now domesticated cat breed could harm a young child with their claws or sharp teeth.

These sturdy, heavy, muscular felines might also knock household items onto a baby accidentally, as they jump up on your furniture.

Although harming a child in this instance would have been unintentional, the risk is still there.

How To Introduce Maine Coon Cat To Baby

As with any animal, make sure that you introduce the Maine Coon cat to the baby gradually. Never force a relationship to develop.

Instead, let it grow naturally by allowing your baby and cat to explore, sniff and get to know each other at their own pace.

During the initial introductory period, NEVER leave the baby and Maine Coon cat on their own since both cats, babies, and children are all unpredictable.

Keep in mind that male Maine Coons tend to be the life and soul of the party.

They are naturally more confident and inquisitive than their female counterparts and are most likely to approach the baby or child straight away.

By contrast, female Maine Coons are considered more cat-like, so will approach the baby or child on their own terms.

Conclusion

Are Maine Coon cats good with babies? … In short, YES!

In fact, of all the cat breeds out there, they are possibly the absolute best choice when buying a cat for your family.

Maine Coon cats have a calm and docile temperament that is ideally suited to loud, clumsy baby, toddler, and child interaction.

Their physically large build means these cats are more similar to owning a small dog than a cat.

Related Questions

Baby Friendly Cat Breeds

There are a number of baby-friendly cat breeds, including:

• Devon Rex Cat
• European Burmese
• Cornish Rex Cats
• Bengal Cats
• Japanese Bobtail Cats