Are Maine Coons Destructive?
Happy Maine Coons whose social and enrichment needs are being met are not known for being destructive. However, these highly social and intelligent felines will become destructive if bored, lonely, or left without stimulating things to do.
With proper care, Maine Coon Cats are unlikely to become destructive though. Therefore, if your cat is showing signs of destructive behavior it’s likely because your cat’s needs aren’t being met.
Are Maine Coons Destructive?
Maine Coons are not known for being purposefully destructive, but they can be accidentally destructive! You can blame their bulky build and naturally clumsy nature for easily knocking over glasses, lamps, and other items!
The darker side of this cat breed, however, is that Maine Coons can become destructive if their social and enrichment needs aren’t being met.
These incredibly social and affectionate creatures need human companionship and mental stimulation. Therefore, if you’re away at work all day or don’t spend time with them they’ll feel lonely and bored, often leading to destructive behavior.
The Maine Coon’s intelligent nature means they require more enrichment and stimulation than the average house cat. A few floor toys and a play session with the laser just won’t cut it!
Instead, these big cats need furniture they can climb on, moving toys that will ignite their senses, and play sessions that exercise both their bodies and minds.
Whilst Maine Coons are not naturally destructive when treated properly, they may lash out by becoming destructive if bored, lonely,, or depressed.
If you notice any destructive behaviors in your cat, the root problem is your care for the cat, rather than the cat itself.
Types Of Destructive Cat Behavior
Destructive behavior in Maine Coons can manifest in many different ways, including:
- Chewing: Just like human babies, cats use their mouths as another sensory way to explore their environments. It’s also a part of their instinct to use their sharp canines to chew on things. Cats can chew on a multitude of things, from cords to plants to fabrics.
- Scratching: Cats instinctively scratch to remove the dead sheath of their nails as they grow, and it’s also a pleasurable way for cats to stretch. Of course, scratching can also leave horrible marks on your favorite furniture or table legs.
- Excessive Grooming/Licking: Some cats even participate in self-destructive behaviors. Stressed and bored cats sometimes groom themselves so excessively that their own fur starts falling out. This is a huge problem that can have negative effects on your cat’s health.
- Ingesting Non-Food Items: Another destructive behavior that is potentially harmful to your cat is the ingestion of inedible items. Some cats have an obsession with not only chewing, but swallowing objects like plastic, wood, or other inedible materials.
- Spraying: A common behavior present in dominant or aggressive cats is spraying. This problem is most common in unneutered male cats, particularly those who feel threatened by other cats in their territory. This problem usually goes away if the cat is neutered, but sometimes it requires more extensive training.
Why Do Cats Destroy Things?
The most common reasons why cats engage in destructive behaviors (source 1):
1. Boredom
The most common cause of destruction in cats is boredom. Maine Coons especially are incredibly intelligent and need to keep their minds stimulated with interesting toys and sensory input.
If your cat does not have enough toys or enriching stimuli in its environment, it will naturally begin exploring its environment in other ways, most commonly through scratching and chewing on cords, furniture, and other undesirable objects.
2. Stress
Cats love routine and sameness. Big changes in their environment, such as moving, bringing home a baby, or even something as simple as moving the furniture around can cause a cat to feel immense stress.
Cats also prefer quiet, calm environments, and tend to feel insecure in loud, rambunctious households, particularly if they don’t have a quiet, safe space to escape to.
If your cat is stressed, it might lash out by destroying furniture or carpet.
3. Loneliness
Maine Coons are highly social creatures, and they crave attention and affection from their owners. If you are away from home all day, this can easily cause your Maine Coon to become depressed and lonely.
Maine Coons are best suited to households with people who can provide them enough attention.
If you’re worried your Maine Coon is lonely, you might also want to consider getting them a companion. Maine Coons are famous for getting along well with other cats, and even dogs!
4. Curiosity
While they are young, kittens are still trying to explore and learn about their environment.
Kittens will scratch at and chew on things because they are curious about how they taste or feel.
For kittens, destruction is a form of engaging with their senses.
5. Poor Training
While it is natural for kittens to explore their world in destructive ways, this behavior should not be encouraged.
Owners should give kittens toys and materials that are safe to destroy, rather than allowing them to destroy furniture.
If you do not discourage this behavior at a young age, it is likely to become a habit throughout the cat’s life.
Why Do Cats Scratch Furniture?
It is very common for cats to scratch furniture, carpets, or rugs, much to the dismay of their owners. Here are the most common reasons why cats scratch furniture.
- Expressing Emotions: Cats often scratch when they are excited or upset. Scratching is just one of the ways that cats like to express their emotions!
- Marking Their Territory: Believe it or not, cats have scent glands on their paws! Many cats will scratch to spread their scent and mark their territory throughout the house.
- Stretching: Many cats like to scratch after just waking up from a nap. This is a comfortable way for cats to stretch their paws and claws, and it probably feels pretty good, too!
- Removing Dead Nails: As a cat’s nails grow, it sheds the outer, dead part of its nails. Cats scratch to help remove this dead sheath and allow their new nails to grow in.
- Furniture Is Comfortable and Convenient: Cats need to scratch for all of the above reasons, but why do they usually choose furniture? The furniture is tall and sturdy, making it easy for cats to sink their claws in and put a lot of weight into their scratch. Overall, furniture is simply a convenient and desirable place to scratch.
How To Stop Cat Destroying Furniture
Here is a simple method to stop your cat from scratching the furniture.
Provide A Good Alternative
The first step to getting your cat to stop scratching the furniture is to make sure your cat has something to scratch.
Get a tall, sturdy scratching post and place it close to the place where your cat likes to scratch the most.
Redirect The Behavior
A lot of owners use negative behavior, such as loud noises or rough handling as a punishment for bad behavior, but this is not the way to go!
Instead, every time you see your cat scratch the furniture, simply pick your cat up and place it directly near the scratching post.
You might even want to scratch the post yourself to demonstrate the correct behavior.
Reward Good Behavior
Cats respond a lot better to positive reinforcement than punishment.
Whenever you see your cat use the scratching post on its own, make a big deal out of the good behavior.
Provide plenty of treats, and make a big fuss over your cat. This will help your cat associate using the scratching post with positive stimuli and will be more likely to do it again in the future.
How To Discipline A Maine Coon Cat
While most Maine Coons aren’t known for being troublemakers, it’s important to have a set of rules for your cat, both for the safety of your cat as well as for your furniture!
Here are some important things to keep in mind while disciplining your cat.
- Be Consistent: Disciplining your cat also requires a lot of self-discipline. Remember, your cat won’t understand what you want if you change the rules on it constantly!
- Start Young: While this isn’t always an option, especially for cats adopted from shelters, you should start enforcing rules for your cat as early as possible.
- Encourage Positive Behavior: Rather than focusing on what your cat does wrong, reward your cat every time it does something right. For example, give your cat treats whenever it uses the scratching post instead of the furniture.
- Startle Your Cat: Making a loud, somewhat scary noise every time your cat does something it’s not supposed to can help reinforce what is good behavior and what is bad behavior. Cats also learn from a young age to be gentle with littermates based on vocalizations. If your cat plays a little too rough, say “Ouch!” loudly to get your cat’s attention.
With that being said, there are also a few things that you should never do when disciplining a cat. Firstly, you should never hit or hurt your cat in any way. This is simply abusive behavior and will likely only destroy your bond with your cat.
Many owners will grab their cats by the scruff of their necks, but this is actually harmful to cats, so you must avoid doing this, as well.
Cat Is Destructive At Night
Some cats are perfect angels during the day but become energetic and destructive at night. When left to their own devices, cats can find all sorts of ways to wreak havoc on your house!
One method to curb destructive behavior in your cat at night is to play with your cat for about fifteen minutes before bed. This can sometimes help to get rid of any pent-up energy and can lessen your cat’s need to tear up the house while you’re asleep.
You can also try to lessen destructive behavior by providing lots of fun toys for your cat to play with at night.
These sturdy cat toys have been amazingly successful with our extra-large Maine Coon cat.
If you don’t already have a cat tree or shelves mounted to the walls specifically for your cat, consider installing some cat-friendly furniture.
Finally, in more dire circumstances, you may need to confine your cat to a spare bedroom at night. Make sure your cat has all it needs, including toys, food, water, and a scratching post.
Remove any items or furniture that can be easily broken or destroyed.