Reasons Why Your Maine Coon Follows You
Whilst being followed around your home might sound somewhat irritating, having a little animal ‘stalker’ is actually a very endearing character trait of the Maine Coon cat breed.
I personally love seeing my little best friend by my side, and truly believe this is a Maine Coons way of showing their owners how much they love them.
Owners quickly become accustomed to their Maine Coon sleeping next to them, whichever room they are in.
However, it goes without saying that you must be careful not to step on them!
Maine Coons might be a super-intelligent cat breed, but they still have a risky habit of resting in the most awkward of places, e.g. in the doorway, where the warm water pipe runs!
Or, just behind your office chair!
When you spend so much time with a Maine Coon, you tend to notice their daily behavior patterns i.e. when they eat, when they sleep, etc.
Owners are therefore best placed to notice when their Maine Coons personality and behavior change.
Therefore, if you spot a difference and are wondering why does my Maine Coon follow me more than usual, pay particular attention to their behavior.
Although there might not be anything wrong, these intelligent cats might also be trying to tell you something.
The table below shows 12 factors to consider if you are wondering: ‘Why does my Maine Coon follow me?’
| Reason | Description |
|---|---|
| Food | Cat is hungry |
| Water | Cat is thirsty |
| Attention | Looking for attention |
| Lonely | Doesn’t want to be on their own |
| Sickness | Feeling sick |
| Company | Enjoys human company |
| Curious | Curious to see what the owner doing |
| Learned Behavior | Cats adapt their behavior, according to the owner |
| Anxiety | Cats can suffer separation anxiety |
| Safety | Feel safe when around you |
| Sixth Sense | Cat senses something is wrong |
| Treats | Your cat wants treats! |
Why Does My Maine Coon Follow Me Everywhere?
Let’s look more closely at the 10 key reasons why your Maine Coon follows you everywhere:
1. Food
One of the most basic reasons why a cat will follow their owner, is because they are hungry.
Therefore, if you feel your Maine Coon is following you more than usual, check to see that they have plenty of dry food available.
A Maine Coons diet should be high in protein, and low in carbohydrates.
Here are my favorite dry cat foods that provide the Maine Coon cat breed with a nutritionally beneficial diet.
An easy way for owners to make sure that their Maine Coon never goes hungry is to use an automatic cat food dispenser.
This dry cat food dispenser is available on Amazon and has made feeding our Maine Coon cat a total breeze. You can literally set it to dispense food at certain times during the day, so your cat is never hungry.
I also love the functionality enabling the owner to record their voice message into the machine, so that the cat hears the owner’s reassuring voice at every mealtime.
If you are worried that another cat might be stealing your Maine Coons food, take a look at this clever microchip pet feeder on Amazon. It is ideal for keeping a cat wet or dry food fresh.
2. Water
Owners must ensure their Maine Coon is always fully hydrated.
This is imperative because dehydration in cats causes serious health complications, that are easily avoided.
Therefore, if your Maine Coon is following you around your home, check their water bowl hasn’t run dry.
Maine Coon cats are fascinated with water, so if you are worried they may pat and splash all the water out of their bowl whilst you are out at work, consider using a cat water fountain like this one, from Amazon.
This particular model is effective since it has a 2-liter water capacity and a 3-year guarantee.
3. Attention
The Maine Coon cat breed is known for being extremely sociable, craving higher levels of attention than the standard cat breeds, which are characteristically more aloof.
They adore human company, and may just want some attention!
Therefore, if your Maine Coon seems more needy than usual, give them some 1-2-1 attention by getting down to their level, and giving them lots of attention and love.
4. Lonely
Although Maine Coon cats can be left alone, they prefer being around their human family. The more the merrier, in their opinion!
Therefore, embrace their love and presence, since a lonely Maine Coon might suffer unwanted mental health conditions.
The Maine Coon breed is ideally suited to families, especially those with young children.
This is because they love being around people, and are not phased or frightened by noisy children running around them.
Take a look at this video of our Maine Coon cat, with our 5-year-old daughter. Their close bond is clear to see:
If you are interested in learning more about how friendly Maine Coon cats are, click here to take a look at my article.
5. Sickness
One of the saddest reasons which cause Maine Coons to follow their owner around everywhere is because they are feeling sick.
Although you might not be able to see an issue, your cat might have an underlying health issue that they are trying to tell you about.
Whilst the Maine Coon is well known for being a very chatty cat breed, they are unable to tell you what the issue is.
Therefore, owners must be vigilant to changes in their Maine Coons behavior and seek professional veterinary advice if they believe their cat might be sick.
Here are 7 common health issues that Maine Coons are prone to suffering from:
- Hip Dysplasia
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy
- Stomatitis
- Periodontal Disease
- Polycystic Kidney Disease
- Obesity
For more information on Maine Coon health issues, click here to take a look at my informative article.
6. Company
As I alluded to earlier in this article, Maine Coon cats are well known for being extremely sociable creatures.
Therefore, they are likely following you around because they are happiest when in your company.
Companionship is important to Maine Coon cats and vital for their health and wellbeing.
Some people misunderstand their Maine Coons behavior and assume their Maine Coon cat is clingy. This is not the case at all.
If you are interested in finding out whether Maine Coon cats make good pets, or not, watch my Youtube video:
7. Curious
We’ve all heard of the expression ‘curiosity killed the cat’.
Well, Maine Coons cats are the perfect example of a curious cat breed. They want to know what their owners are up to, at all times.
Therefore, expect to see your Maine Coon following you around the home since they are interested in what you are up to.
If you have some free time to play with your Maine Coon, why not hold onto a piece of string or rope in your hand, and walk around the home with it trailing on the floor behind you.
Your Maine Coons are super curious, so will not be able to resist following and catching the string/rope in their paws or mouth.
8. Learned Behaviour
One of the key characteristics of the Maine Coon cat breed is that they are highly intelligent.
These intelligent cats will therefore develop certain behaviors as a response to their owner’s actions, for instance, following their owner around chirping and trilling.
Examples of learned behavior include:
- Owners that feed their Maine Coon everytime they chirp or trill, are teaching a Maine Coon to make Maine Coon sounds every time they want are hungry.
- Maine Coons love to talk. If an owner responds to every Maine Coon chatter, the cat will likely follow their owner around endlessly, knowing their owner will give them what they want when they make a noise.
- These clever cats know when cat treats are usually available, therefore will follow their owners around non-stop at treat time.
- Owning a Maine Coon can often feel like owning a dog. If you usually sit down and watch TV each night time, with your Maine Coon beside you, it would not be uncommon for your Maine Coon to nag you incessantly (via Maine Coon sounds) to sit down with them.
9. Separation Anxiety
Whilst Maine Coons are very independent, they do require higher levels of interaction with their owners, than other cat breeds.
There’s nothing a Maine Coon loves more than playing with their owner, or just spending time with their human family.
These highly sociable cats crave attention, therefore, if you’ve spent more time away from home than usual, and notice your Maine Coon suddenly starts following you everywhere, it may simply mean that they have missed you.
In general, individuals that spend large amounts of time away from home (i.e. due to work) are not best suited to owning a Maine Coon cat.
This is because Maine Coons are prone to suffering from separation anxiety.
10. Safety
Maine Coon cats are well known for being an extremely hardy cat breed, with very impressive hunting skills.
They survived for many years in the wilderness, before being domesticated in Maine, where they originate.
Despite these qualities, however, the Maine Coon cat may still follow their owner around because they feel safer and more comfortable in an owner’s company.
11. Sixth Sense
Do you ever get the feeling that your cat knows something, that you don’t?
In some cases, their sixth sense might be real, since cats have an amazing ability to sense when something is wrong with their owner.
I’ve personally experienced a sixth sense with my Maine Coon cat (Pippin).
When he was a couple of years old, I experienced strong pains in my stomach and was unable to get up from the floor. No one else was in the house.
Our Maine Coon immediately came over to me and sat very close to me, not demanding any attention (like he normally does).
He simply sat very nearby to where the pain was, and occasionally licked my face and hands. Pippin stayed next to me until the pain subsided.
Although this may have been a coincidence, I don’t think it was because his behavior was completely different from normal.
12. Treats
Your Maine Coon cat may follow you around the home because they are after their yummy cat treats.
It is important that owners do not overfeed their cats on treats, since treats are quite addictive and may lead to obesity if given too often.
These are the cat treats my Maine Coon goes mental for. Click here to view more details on Amazon.
Funny Cat Videos: Maine Coon Cats Follow Their Owners
If you are wondering what to expect, when buying a Maine Coon cat, then scroll over to my Youtube channel ‘Maine Coon Central’ and watch our funny Maine Coon cat!
Why Do Cats Follow You To The Bathroom?
Many cats follow their owners to the bathroom. They do this for a number of reasons:
- Safety
- Comfort
- Affection
- Curiosity
- Companionship
- Routine
Conclusion
There are many factors to consider when determining ‘why does my Maine Coon follow me?’. Owners should therefore pay particular attention to the points raised in this article.
If your Maine Coon has recently started following you and you cannot put this behavior down to the 12 reasons stated, seek advice from a veterinary professional.
Vets are equipped with in-depth knowledge of the Maine Coon cat breed and can run tests to identify if there are any underlying health issues that require treatment.
I personally love that my Maine Coon follows me around the home.
He’s always loved spending time around us, and happily rests wherever we settle, even if we go out into the garden to play football with the kids.
Our cat has to attend the event, and has even been known to join in a little by pushing the ball along with his big paws!