Causes Of Maine Coon Jealousy
Maine Coon jealousy is a surprising emotion that many cat owners don’t even know their Maine Coons are capable of feeling.
As intelligent as cats are, a lot of humans don’t think that a cat is emotionally intelligent enough to feel and express jealousy.
The truth is, however, that Maine Coons are capable of feeling a range of emotions just like humans.
Maine Coons are highly affectionate cats, but if they feel that their owner has begun to give more attention to someone else, they can become very jealous. If a new baby, pet, or significant other disrupts your cat’s living space or routine, it can feel resentful and might even become bitter that you aren’t spending as much time with it.
If your Maine Coon has started experiencing jealousy because of a new addition to the family, it can be difficult to remind your cat that it is still just as loved as it was before.
Read on to find out how you can help prevent jealousy in Maine Coon Cats!
Do Maine Coons Get Jealous?
Many people are fascinated by Maine Coons because of their large size. However, their incredible personality is often the most unique part of this amazing cat breed. Maine Coons are known for being highly intelligent and playful, and are often described as being the “dogs of the cat world.”
Maine Coons are also highly affectionate and loving towards their owners- but are they capable of feeling jealous? These emotionally intelligent animals are perfectly capable of feeling jealous and, unfortunately, it can cause some problems when new members of the family are introduced.
Jealous Maine Coons might become more reserved, hiding in their favorite places and spending less time playing or cuddling. In more extreme cases, they might also become aggressive and begin hissing or even lashing out.
Causes Of Maine Coon Jealousy
It can be difficult to deal with jealousy in your Maine Coon, but the first step to curbing that jealousy is to figure out why your Maine Coon is feeling jealous in the first place. Here are some common causes of Maine Coon jealousy.
1. You Have A New Pet
Bringing home a new pet can be very exciting, and if that pet is young, it will probably take up a lot of your time.
Maine Coons are well known for getting along well with other pets in most cases, but at first, your cat might be feeling jealous, or even like it’s being replaced!
2. You Have A New Baby
If you bring home a baby, it’s likely nearly all of your time will be devoted to caring for your child.
Unfortunately, this can cause your Maine Coon to become jealous since it will be getting significantly less attention than it’s grown used to.
3. You Have A New Significant Other
Even having a new partner can cause your Maine Coon to be jealous if it disrupts the amount of time you spend with it.
If you end up moving in with a new person, your Maine Coon might be confused about sharing its living space with someone new and can become jealous of the amount of time you spend with your partner.
4. You Cat’s Spaces Has Been Invaded
Maine Coons aren’t known for being territorial, but it’s important for all cats to have a space of their own, where they can retreat for alone time if they want it.
If a new addition to the family has encroached on your Maine Coon’s space, it can be feeling very threatened, especially since it won’t have a space to hide in when it wants to get away from the new baby, pet, or significant other.
5. You Spend Less Time With Your Cat
Another thing that exacerbates jealousy in cats is if you spend less time with your Maine Coon because of the new addition to your family.
Your Maine Coon might be feeling like it’s been replaced, and not only will it miss spending time with you, but it will also notice that you spend more time with someone else.
6. Your Routine Has Been Disrupted
All cats are creatures of habit, and they enjoy having a dependable routine every day.
Bringing home a new addition to the family often disrupts that routine, which can make your cat feel confused and make its jealousy worse.
How To Stop My Cat Being Jealous
It’s completely natural for a Maine Coon to feel jealous of a newcomer, but there are ways you can make your Maine Coon feel welcomed and loved. Here are some important steps you should take to curb jealousy in your cat.
- Make Sure Your Cat Has Its Own Space: If your Maine Coon has specific places it always likes to go to, such as a favorite sleeping spot or hiding spot, make sure the new addition to your family doesn’t invade that space. That way, your Maine Coon won’t feel entirely disrupted by change. This will also ensure your Maine Coon has a safe space to retreat to if it’s feeling overwhelmed by the new family member’s presence.
- Stick To A Routine: Unfortunately, you may have to change your routine entirely, especially if you have a new baby. It’s still important to create a new routine and stick to it for your cat’s sake. Another way you can make the transition a little easier is to keep parts of the old routine. For example, if you always played with your Maine Coon at a certain time of day, try to keep that as part of your new routine.
- Spend Alone Time With Your Cat: Make time every day to spend with just your cat, without the new addition to your family in sight. This will remind your Maine Coon that it still has a special place in your heart. Furthermore, make time to hang out with both your Maine Coon and the new addition at the same time, so your Maine Coon can learn to get along without feeling jealous.
Maine Coon Temperament
While the Maine Coon’s large size is a big reason for its popularity, it is actually even more well known for its amazing temperament.
Here are some common traits of the lovable Maine Coon character!
- Highly Affectionate: Maine Coons are loving cats that will often follow their owners from room to room. However, they aren’t excessively clingy, and aren’t annoying with a tendency to get under your feet. Instead, they like to be in the same room as their owners, but they usually watch from a distance if you’re busy working.
- Athletic: Maine Coons are super active cats, and they love to climb and run around. These cats can have a lot of pent up energy if they aren’t given proper outlets to exercise. If you want to help your Maine Coon explore the world safely, you can even train them to walk on a leash and harness!
- Intelligent: Maine Coons are famous for their intelligence, and are often referred to as the “dogs of the cat world.” They are very emotionally intelligent, often with the uncanny ability to sense their owner’s moods. They’re also easily able to pick up tricks, and many Maine Coons even learn how to play fetch!
- Playful: Maine Coons have a kitten-like love of play that remains well into adulthood. These cats love to play with exciting toys, especially motorized ones that engage their natural hunting instincts. These large cats need sturdy toys that test their intelligence to remain properly stimulated.
Maine Coon Cat Behavioral Problems
Maine Coons are typically well-behaved cats, but they can engage in a lot of behavioral problems if they aren’t being properly stimulated or haven’t been well-trained.
Some possible behavioral problems in Maine Coons include:
- Spraying
- Digging
- Furniture and Carpet Destruction
- Aggressive Behavior Towards Humans
- Walking on Countertops or Tables
Why Is My Maine Coon So Aggressive?
Maine Coons aren’t known for being aggressive cats, but they can sometimes lash out due to a variety of reasons.
Here are some possible reasons why your Maine Coon is behaving aggressively:
1. Disrepected Boundaries
It can be tempting to play with and cuddle our cats even if they aren’t in the mood, but it’s important to keep in mind that cats have personal boundaries just like us.
If your Maine Coon feels like its boundaries are regularly stepped over, then it might become distrustful and begin lashing out.
2. Struggle With Change
Routine is incredibly important to cats.
Cats thrive on sameness in their environment, so big changes like moving or bringing home a new family member can result in aggression from your cat.
Believe it or not, in some cases, even small changes like switching laundry detergent or moving furniture have caused some cats to become aggressive.
3. Stress
Cats can’t use words to communicate as we can, so when cats experience stress, the only way they can tell us is through aggressive body language.
If your cat is feeling insecure in its environment, it will likely become aggressive as a result of this stress.
4. Overstimulation
Playing too aggressively can cause cats to go into an overstimulated frenzy, and they might lash out.
If you play with your cat and it suddenly lashes out aggressively, it’s likely due to overstimulation.
5. Boredom
Maine Coons are highly intelligent and active cats, and they need a lot of stimulation to stay enriched.
If their mental and emotional needs aren’t being met, they can engage in destructive behavior like biting, digging, and clawing furniture.
6. Loneliness
This highly affectionate cat breed thrives on social interaction, and they can become incredibly lonely if their owners are away from work all day.
Maine Coon cats cannot thrive in a household where they don’t get much attention.
If you’re worried your Maine Coon might be lonely, consider adopting a companion to keep your cat company.
Do Maine Coons Love Their Owners?
Our cats can’t use words to tell us how they feel, but they can use body language.
Cats that cuddle, nuzzle and lick their owners are displaying affection that they also display towards other cats that they love.
While we can never ask our cats to find out for sure if they love us, it certainly seems like they care for us!
Are Maine Coon Cats Protective Of Their Owners?
Maine Coons are highly intelligent, and they are also very loving towards their owners.
While most cats aren’t known for being protective, some protective behaviors have been observed in Maine Coon Cats. In fact, some Maine Coons have even been known to rescue their owners from danger!
Some protective Maine Coons might growl at strangers they perceive as a threat, especially if they begin interacting physically with their owners.
While Maine Coons are rarely aggressive, they might even attack strangers they view as threatening! These are the most common reasons a Maine Coon cat is aggressive towards a human.
Maine Coons are also known to follow their owners from room to room. Here’s why …
While this is likely due to their social nature, some owners wonder if it is also a way that Maine Coons make sure their owners are safe.
Maine Coons are also known for being protective towards children and have even been known to lunge at children about to handle something dangerous.
Maine Coons are also much more patient with children, as they seem to understand that they don’t quite understand boundaries the way that adults do.
Why Does My Maine Coon Bite Me?
Most people assume that when their cat bites them, it’s out of anger. However, there are actually a few different reasons why cats bite, and not all of them are bad.
Reason | Description |
---|---|
Affection | Also called “love bites,” many cats will lick and gently bite their owners. Nobody knows why cats do this, but it’s an odd way that they display affection towards their loved ones |
Play | Cats love to bite each other while playing, but play bites are not nearly as hard as bites out of anger. If your cat is engaging in play behavior and gives you a couple of nips, don’t be offended! It’s simply trying to play with you |
Warning | If a Maine Coon is close to reaching its social limit, they might give you a soft warning bite to let you know they are done being petted |
Anger | Finally, Maine Coons do still sometimes bite if they are upset. Harder bites usually follow warning nips if you continue to push their boundaries |
Do Maine Coons Get Along With Other Cats?
Maine Coons are very friendly creatures, and they are famous for getting along well with other cats, and even dogs!
However, always make sure to introduce your Maine Coon to a new cat slowly and gently, so that your Maine Coon doesn’t feel threatened by the newcomer.
It can take up to several weeks to introduce two cats properly, but eventually, the two cats should become good friends.
Do Maine Coons Growl?
Growling is a behavior seen in all cats, including Maine Coons. Maine Coons are very patient cats, but if their boundaries are repeatedly crossed, they can show aggressive behavior to defend themselves.
Growling is used as a defensive behavior to indicate that your cat is feeling threatened, and wants to be left alone. If your cat begins growling, it’s time to back off!
Maine Coon Attack
If your Maine Coon Cat attacks family members, it can be a very stressful experience. However, it’s incredibly rare for Maine Coons to attack. These gentle giants are known for their patience and docility.
If your Maine Coon does attack, it’s likely caused by a stressor in its environment.
If its boundaries are repeatedly crossed, or if its life has been upended by a big move or a new pet, Maine Coons are more likely to become stressed.
Since cats can’t talk the way we do, sometimes the only way they can communicate their feelings is through aggressive body language.
If your Maine Coon has become aggressive, don’t blame your cat for its behavior. Instead, look to your cat’s environment and figure out what you can change to make your cat feel more secure.
Conclusion
Dealing with Maine Coon jealousy can be difficult, but it’s important to keep in mind that jealousy is a natural reaction for cats who feel like they’re being replaced.
Bringing home a new baby, pet, or significant other can have a huge impact on your cat’s life. If you spend more time with the new addition to your family than your Maine Coon, it can become resentful and jealous.
To prevent jealousy in your Maine Coon, make sure you stick to a routine, provide personal space for your cat, and always make time to spend some alone time with your Maine Coon, so that it knows it’s still loved.
Related Questions
When Do Maine Coons Stop Teething?
Teething first starts in Maine Coons at about four months of age, and they continue to lose teeth until they reach about one-year-old (source 1).
Do Maine Coon Cats Purr?
Just like other cats, Maine Coons purr when they are happy or content.
Are Maine Coons Territorial?
Maine Coons are rarely territorial, but they can become possessive of their space if they feel threatened.