How Fast Can A Maine Coon Run?
One look at your Maine Coon’s powerful legs, and you might be asking yourself how fast can a Maine Coon run?
The Maine Coon is a fast and athletic cat breed. It is estimated that the average Maine Coon cat can reach a top speed of between 20 and 25 miles per hour. Maine Coons can run very fast over short distances but are not built to run for long periods.
If you’ve watched your energetic Maine Coon run around your house with a sudden burst of energy, you’re probably curious about exactly how fast your cat can run.
While 20 to 25 miles per hour may sound incredibly fast, the Maine Coon is far from the fastest cat breed out there!
Read on to learn all about the Maine Coon’s athletic abilities, as well as the other cat breeds that can top even a Maine Coon’s running speed.
How Fast Can A Maine Coon Run?
The Maine Coon is a sturdily built cat breed that originated in the cold state of Maine. There, they became popular for catching mice and other vermin, both on farms and ships.
Today, they are incredibly popular for their playful yet gentle nature, as well as their enormous size.
On average, it is estimated that Maine Coon cats can reach top speeds between 20 and 25 miles per hour. However, they can only maintain this speed for so long.
Just like all other cats, domestic and wild, Maine Coons can run for short bursts of time before becoming exhausted.
Here are some other fascinating Maine Coon cats facts and information.
Are Maine Coons Faster Than Other Cat Breeds?
While most Maine Coons can outrun a human without any problem, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re faster than other cat breeds.
In fact, in this case, the Maine Coon’s large body puts the breed at a disadvantage.
Slim breeds with powerful muscles, such as the Egyptian Mau, Abyssinians, or Savannahs, are typically much faster than Maine Coon cats, averaging between 25 and 30 miles per hour.
Still, the Maine Coon is an athletic breed that is much faster than the more sedentary cat breeds, like Persians or Himalayans (source 1).
Are Male Maine Coons Faster Than Their Female Counterpart?
There is no hard evidence to suggest that gender affects a Maine Coon’s speed.
However, male Maine Coons are more likely to be energetic and playful than females, who are known for being especially calm and sweet.
Even if both male and female Maine Coons can run at the same speed, you’re far more likely to see a male Maine Coon zooming around the house than a female.
Even though female Maine Coons are typically less active than males, however, their smaller size may give them an advantage.
Male Maine Coons are usually a few pounds heavier than females, so a female’s lighter weight might make them a bit faster than their male counterparts.
Are Maine Coons Athletic?
Maine Coons are known for being a rather athletic cat breed.
While they aren’t quite as energetic as breeds like the Siamese or Abyssinian, they are still impressively athletic.
Maine Coons love to play and are especially known for their love of climbing.
The Maine Coon’s history as a ratter means they have also earned quite the reputation as skilled hunters.
Not only do Maine Coons have a high prey drive, but they are great at stalking and pouncing (source 1).
Are Maine Coons Agile?
At first glance, you might not expect the Maine Coon to be an agile breed.
Their powerful muscles and large bodies can make them appear bulky, and many owners would assume their Maine Coon to be clumsy.
However, Maine Coons are quite agile despite their size!
Even though the Maine Coon is agile enough to catch prey in a heartbeat, they are typically less agile than other domestic cat breeds.
Abyssinians, Siamese cats, and other slim, muscular cat breeds are known for their agility.
The Maine Coon’s bulk, however, often gets in the way of being nimble.
If you are interested in learning more about the Maine Coon shape, click on the link or picture to be transported to my article comparing the body shape of the Maine Coon vs Ragdoll!
How Fast Can A Maine Coon Cat Accelerate?
It is estimated that a Maine Coon can accelerate from 0mph to its top speed (between 20 and 25mph) in just three seconds, which is about as fast as most cars can accelerate (source 1).
Fastest Cat Breeds
While Maine Coons are much faster than most humans, they’re far from the fastest domestic cat breeds in the world.
Here are the top five fastest cat breeds (source 1).
1. Bengal
The Bengal is a hybrid between a domestic cat and a wild cat, most often the Egyptian Mau and the Asian Leopard.
The Egyptian Mau was once considered the fastest purely domestic cat breed, but the Bengal exceeds its record speed, reaching between 30 and 35 miles per hour!
2. Savannah
The highly coveted Savannah cat is a cross between a domestic cat and a Serval.
Their wild ancestry, combined with their incredibly long legs, makes them one of the fastest cat breeds today.
They can typically reach around 30 miles per hour.
3. Egyptian Mau
The Egyptian Mau was once considered the fastest domestic cat breed in the world, reaching a top speed of 30 miles per hour!
4. Abyssinian
The Abyssinian cat is one of the most athletic cat breeds out there.
These cats are often described as “dog-like” because they are always on the move.
5. Siamese
Siamese cats are incredibly fast and spend most of their time running, climbing, and jumping around the house.
Like the Abyssinian, their slim yet muscular frame gives them a huge advantage when it comes to speed.
Can A Human Outrun A Cat?
Even though humans can run for much longer periods than Maine Coons, however, the average domestic cat is much, much faster than a human!
The average person can run at about 15 mph, while an athletic person can sprint at about 20mph.
The fastest human ever recorded, Usain Bolt, ran at 27.33mph at his top running speed!
This means that Usain Bolt can outrun Maine Coons, who can typically only run between 20 and 25 mph.
However, the fastest domestic cat breed, the Egyptian Mau, can run at a top speed of 30mph, which is a speed that no human has ever been able to reach (source 1,2).
Why Do Cats Run Around The House Like Crazy?
A phenomenon lovingly known as “zoomies” by some cat owners refers to when cats run around the house like crazy, most often at dawn and dusk.
Cats sleep most during the day and are typically most active at night, as well as at dawn and dusk.
Many indoor cats spend most of their day lying around, rather than stalking and running around outside like many outdoor cats.
This can cause them to start building up energy, which they release by zooming around the house.
While this behavior can be quite funny at times, it can also be inconvenient, especially if you’re trying to sleep!
A good way to curb this behavior is by helping your cat to let out its energy in other ways.
Feather toys, lasers, and walks outside can all help your cat get a good amount of exercise throughout the day.
They will make the cat less likely to zoom around your house at night! (source 1).
Can You Walk A Maine Coon On A Leash?
Believe it or not, you can train most Maine Coons to walk on a leash!
Maine Coons are very intelligent, adaptable, and athletic cats and all of these traits combine to make them one of the easiest cats to leash train.
Make sure you teach them whilst they are still kittens though, as the male Maine Coon, in particular, can be quite stubborn and not open to training as he grows older!
This is one of my favorite cat leashes and has worked well with Pippin, our male Maine Coon cat. You can read more about this product on Amazon, by clicking here.
We purchased both the medium and large version of this cat leash with a padded harness, as our cat is 20lb, so sits just on the line between medium and large. Both work well!
The Maine Coon cat breed are large cats often described as having a “dog-like” personality, which likely contributes to their affinity for leash walking.
You can discover more about their personality here.
It’s best to get your Maine Coon acquainted with a harness and leash at a young age, as older cats typically struggle more with adapting to a new routine.
While it’s certainly harder to walk a cat on a leash than a dog, with time and patience, you can teach your cat to stroll through the neighborhood right by your side!
Leash walking is a popular way to give Maine Coons enrichment and exercise, without worrying about them getting into fights or getting injured while roaming around outside unsupervised.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever watched your Maine Coon run around the house like crazy and asked yourself how fast can a Maine Coon run, you will probably be surprised to learn that your cat can reach speeds between 20 and 25 miles per hour!
Despite their hunting prowess and athletic abilities, however, the Maine Coon’s large size means that it is far from the fastest cat breed in the world, which can reach top speeds of 30 miles per hour.
Related Questions
How Fast Can a Siamese Run?
Siamese cats can reach speeds between 25 and 30 miles per hour.
How High Can Maine Coons Jump?
Maine Coon cats, like most other domestic cat breeds, can jump about 7 to 8 feet high.
