The Maine Coon cat breed is known for being extremely sociable, and chatty. But, why do Maine Coons talk so much? Let’s investigate the facts in this article!
Maine Coon cats are extremely vocal, using trills and chirps to communicate their needs. They never meow. Chirping and trilling is a sign of happiness and excitement. Maine Coons are not loud cats, but will chirp persistently if hungry, thirsty, distressed, or want attention! A Maine Coon suffering from laryngeal paralysis will not be vocal.
It certainly isn’t uncommon to hear a Maine Coon engaging in a talkative conversation with its owners, using a selection of sounds like a chirp or trill.
Are Maine Coons noisy to live with?
Keep reading to find out why this particular cat breed offers the best of both worlds: your chatty best friend on the one hand, but also silent companionship on the other.
Do Maine Coons Talk A Lot?
Of all the cat breeds in the world, the Maine Coon cat is likely to be the most chatty.
Before you start to panic though, their voice isn’t going to become increasingly annoying, loud, or irritating as they grow up.
Instead, a Maine Coons voice remains soft, gentle, and beautiful.
One of the unique attributes of the Maine Coon breed is that they do not make the usual meow sound that cats are known for.
Instead, their quiet chirps and trills are the predominant Maine Coon sound you will hear.
This might be music to your ears if you have lived with a cat breed that meows endlessly, and can become pretty tiresome!
Ultimately, it’s not so much a question of whether they talk a lot though, but more why do Maine Coons talk so much. Is it purely down to their overly affectionate and sociable nature?
Or could it simply be another ‘dog-like characteristic that they possess?
Whatever the true reason, your Maine Coon cat will intentionally engage their human family in conversation, often staring intensely at you, and talking.
If you talk back to your cat, you will likely find that your Maine Coon will talk back at you, like they are engaged in the conversation.
8 Reasons Why Your Maine Coon Talks
We all know that the Maine Coon cat loves to talk, but have you ever stopped to wonder why Maine Coons talk so much?
Is it purely a natural characteristic common to the breed, or could your Maine Coon be trying to communicate something else?
Take a look at the table below to see the top 8 reasons why Maine Coon cats talk so much, and how you can help them:
| Why Maine Coons Talk | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Hungry | Maine Coon cats are very good at communicating when they are hungry. Use an automatic cat food dispenser like this one on Amazon, to ensure food is always available. They might also just be after a sneaky cat treat or two! |
| Thirsty | Cats will chirp at you if they feel thirsty but have no water. Make sure they have a regular supply of water, to prevent dehydration symptoms. Maine Coons are messy drinkers, so and enjoy patting their water over the floor, therefore make sure you use a large cat water fountain like this on Amazon, to meet their drinking needs |
| Excited or Happy | Maine Coons chirp and trill with excitement and happiness. Purring indicates that your cat is content |
| Angry or Annoyed | This cat breed has a lot of attitudes, which I refer to as ‘cattitude’. They will make disgruntled Maine Coon sounds if they are angry, or simply annoyed about being moved from their resting spot |
| Sick or Pain | Maine Coons cannot speak, so owners need to watch out for loud persistent chirping and trills, since this is a Maine Coons way of letting you know they are sick, or in pain. Seek veterinary assistance to assess the issue |
| Attention or Play | This highly intelligent, and sociable cat the breed has learned to get its owner’s attention by talking to them. They love to play, so keep them entertained with this interactive laser cat toy from Amazon is ideal for Maine Coon cats |
| Territorial | All cats are territorial. Expect your Maine Coon to ‘puff their fur up’ and hiss, growl, or spit if another cat threatens their territory |
| Fighting | Maine Coons will growl, hiss, spit or howl if they are fighting another animal |
As you can see, there are a large number of reasons why the Maine Coon cat will chatter to its owner.
Thankfully Maine Coon cats are highly intelligent creatures, therefore will learn how to teach their owner what they need, over the course of time.
Example:
If a Maine Coon cat looks up at you and chirps a few times, before then walking away, it is possible that your cat is trying to lead you somewhere. Follow your cat, and see where they lead you!
Maine Coon Sounds
Depending upon whom your Maine Coon is trying to talk to, you are likely to notice a difference between the Maine Coon sounds that you hear.
Here’s a quick summary of the sounds you might hear:
a) Maine Coon Trill
If you hear your Maine Coon cat trilling, then they are excited and happy.
This cat breed is particularly sociable, therefore if you are giving them plenty of attention, you will likely hear them trill with pleasure.
Maine Coons also often trill to say ‘hello’ when you return home.
b) Maine Coon Chirp
Maine Coons are known for chirping away at their owners. According to some people, the chirps and trills sound like a combination of a purr and a meow (source 1).
c) Maine Coon Hissing
Your cat is trying to ward off another animal, pest, or threat.
Though Maine Coons are not naturally aggressive cats, they might show signs of aggression due to these 14 reasons.
d) Maine Coon Yowling
The most likely reason for a Maine Coon cat to be yowling is because they are trying to get their owner’s attention.
Whilst this isn’t a common Maine Coon sound, owners will unintentionally encourage such behavior if they consistently respond to their cats, by providing them with food, etc.
Maine Coon cats are very intelligent.
Thus, jumping to your cat’s tune every time they yowl at you, is likely to result in excessive yowling because they quickly learn this is the quickest way to get their owner’s attention.
EXAMPLE
A great example of this is, if you automatically feed your Maine Coon cat when they make yowling sounds, they will instinctively always make this sound whenever they want food.
Personally, I would find this somewhat irritating!
Are Maine Coon Cats Loud?
Maine Coon cats are not loud, however, they are extremely vocal.
Therefore, if you prefer complete silence when you get home after work each day, please do not purchase a Maine Coon.
This is because Maine Coons are massively sociable and chatty, so they will naturally wish to engage in conversation.
I personally love it when my Maine Coon cat talks to me because his little voice is utterly adorable.
I’m also a crazy cat lady though, so many might find it bizarre that I talk back to the cat-like he’s a human being!
Are Maine Coons Vocal
Do you ever get the impression that your Maine Coon is trying to tell you something?
If you do, you’re not alone!
This incredibly intelligent cat breed loves to interact with its family, and has become very good at telling their owners what they want e.g. treats
Watch this funny video of our male Maine Coon cat chattering away to me. He’s incredibly bossy, isn’t he? He’s so vocal in this video because he loves these cat treats from Amazon.
They must taste pretty good because our Maine Coon goes crazy for them!
He also loves these yummy treats too, which are also sold on Amazon too.
We tend to buy these items in bulk, to keep our Maine Coons happy, then alternate between the two products. Does your cat love them too?
Maine Coon Cat Talking Video
You’re never alone when you have a Maine Coon cat, because they are always by your side, and love to chatter away to you.
As crazy as it sounds, sometimes it even feels like you are having a full-blown conversation with your cat.
Take a look at this adorable short video of my male Maine Coon cat talking, to my husband.
This is a common event in our home since our Maine Coon loves to communicate with us. It often feels like our beautiful cat is a human, reincarnated as a cat!
Maine Coon Excessive Meowing
There are a number of reasons that could be causing your Maine Coon cat to meow excessively.
These include:
- Pain
- Hunger
- Thirst
- Separation Anxiety
- Lonely
- Stressed
- Attention
- Non neutered or spayed cat
If you notice your cat making excessive noises, first make sure that they are well-fed, and watered. These are key physical requirements that should always be met.
Owners should also keep in mind that this breed is very sociable, therefore they do not like spending large amounts of time on their own.
Separation anxiety is a real issue for Maine Coon cats since they thrive on social interaction and companionship.
Ultimately, owners should seek veterinary professional assistance if they are unable to determine the cause of the excessive meowing.
This is important since your cat may be suffering from an underlying health issue.
Conclusion
For cat lovers that have owned various cat breeds before, you will likely have noticed that Maine Coons seem to chatter far more than other cat breeds.
This isn’t something to get concerned about at all but is instead a complete joy that brings a cat and its owner closer.
So why do Maine Coons talk so much?
The simple answer is that this cat breed just loves to communicate with its owners.
In fact, Maine Coon talking is one of these cat breeds’ key characteristics, so if you aren’t keen on owning a chatty cat, make sure to stay away from this very sociable, and chatty cat breed.
Finally, potential owners shouldn’t worry that a Maine Coon cat will talk too much since this breed are more than happy to lay by your feet in silence for large chunks of the day.
They tend to reserve Maine Coon chattering for when they want to tell you something i.e. they would like food, water, play, or are not feeling well.