Thread: What made you choose a Maine Coon?

About 20 years ago, my Dad heard about these giant domestic cats from a friend at work. He couldn't believe such a thing existed so he went to the library and did some digging (ah, the days before the internet was in everyone's home...) and decided he'd like to get one when our moggie eventually popped off this mortal coil. My folks are great with cats so moggie (Smudge) was with us for 19 years before she finally left us, and by that point my Mum couldn't face losing another cat so they scrapped the idea of getting a Coonie. But I never did.
So 10 years later, I move in with my fella and we get married. But we lived in a tiny flat (and I do mean TINY) and it just wouldn't have been fair to the cat so we scrapped the idea.
So we get married, and then bought a 3-story town house (lots of stairs for a kitten to exhaust itself on!) in a lovely part of the world 3 years ago and I thought "Great, I can get my giant pussy cat!". At this point, I find out that my hubby is allergic to cats - no idea why this small detail hadn't come out before now but there you go. So the idea got scrapped again.
Interestingly, last year we had a few problems and separate; I was devastated but the silver lining in my complete misery was realising that I could now - finally - get a cat! So I invested a lot of energy into doing more homework about the breed and what would be involved in keeping a Coonie - I also looked at Norwiegan Forest Cats and Bengals but MC's just appealed on every level - independent, affectionate, beautiful, BIG, loyal, clownish and clumsy. So I contacted some breeders in the local area and found two that had litters with blue or silver tabbies.
By this point, my mind had been made up and I can't wait to find my dream kitty. Then my hubby opens negotiations about a reconciliation and I had the awful feeling my cat plans would have to be scrapped again, so the kitten became part of the negotiations! Now me, my husband and Freyja (my 4 month old blue tortie tabbie girl) all live happily together, and after a week of my husband not being able to breath whilst he reacted to her, his allergies have cleared up (admittedly, with the aid of an asthma preventer) and he can't leave Freyja alone any more than I can! He's even made up a song that he sings to her when he gets in from work! He's absolutely besotted with her, and although she's only been with us a month, it feels like she's always been here. Best decision I've made in a long time and I'm wondering how long I should leave it before I try to persuade him we need another one!

I wouldn't wait FreyjaRoMaine,he must have heard about the saying "One mainecoon is never enough"by now.
We didn't choose a mainecoon as a breed,I love animals as I work with them but having to pick our last domestic cat up off the road had said no more cats,I cope,just with road accident cats brought into work but it is different when it is your own.I was not really a cat person anyway dogs were my forte. I went with my daughter to see a MC kitten & they wanted a home for the mother,my daughter persuaded me that as it was hubbys birthday coming up it would be a lovely present for him & the rest is history.Six MC's later !
We have a news letter at work & it is a standing joke now that every time one is issued everyone looks to see if non cat "Jackie"has added yet another one to her gang & on the day they all go up for boosters we have quite an audience wanting to see & cuddle the gentle giants.....
I think we have stopped adding to the family now but who knows,you just have to cuddle & luv them.

Well we waited one week before we got our 2nd MC!

We got Larry on 26th May, he was marvellous, a solid black MC with a stand-out personality. There were 5 kittens in the litter: 2 silver tabby, 2 black smoke and one solid black, and Larry was the only one left available. But ideally I would have chosen a black smoke.

Anyway, for some random reason 6 days later we looked at the breeder's website, and noticed the black smoke male was 're-available due to a timewaster'. Well that was it, my stomach flipped over and I couldn't stop thinking about it. My OH didn't go mad, so I wrote a tentative email to the breeder, asking if the kitten might like to live with his brother. Later that evening I started writing another email, saying ignore me, I've gone mad, we can't possibly have another kitten. The OH said 'what are you doing? Don't send that! Wait till she rings you'. I was half hoping to hear that the kitten was reserved again. But next day, the breeder rang and offered us the black smoke kitten! She was very keen that he went with his brother, as she only very rarely manages to home 2 together. But how tight was this, (and therefore fated): she had already promised him to a lady who was coming to collect him after work that very day, so we could only have the kitten if she managed to get hold of this lady in time, and let her down at very short notice! As luck would have it, things went our way and she brought Monty round that evening. Yes we already had 3 cats and no we can't really afford it, but we don't regret it for a second - they are so delighted to have each other. They are like one unit at the moment anyway!

Once upon a time long ago in 1992 I was in a pet shop on Tyneside & there was a kitten in a crate for sale - I know dont wag finger it was a long time ago - He was the cuteist set of paws Id ever seen, heart melted & he came home with me - minus dog treats which I forgot to get - Merlin grew & grew & grew he had a weird chirp loved nothing better than sitting in the rain or any other water he could get his paddas in & was the most loveing cat When he was about 1 year old he did'nt come home one night - no cat ever allowed out again untill garden cat proofed - we hunted high & low posters up no sign of him, a week later a little lad knocked on the door he had found Merlin under a fire escape at a club across the road, he had been hit by a car but managed to drag himself there I was heart broken. After sometime & getting a pc & internet I decided to look into the sorts of breed he could have been as the vet said he was no ordinary mog & MC kept popping up so bought a cat mag & found a breeder in York who put me in touch with now very good friend & x-breeder Jane she invited me round as just lived down the road from the new house we had moved into & it was like seeing Merlin again when Leo walked in anyway she is convinced Merlin was a MC as she had sold a kitten to someone who a while later said she was letting her have kittens this was not part of the agreement but there was'nt anything Jane could do & this woman lived in the area of the pet shop where I had found Merlin. Anyway we got Milo from her & thats it hooked cant be without a MC causeing mayhem Merlin was a very special cat & will always have a special place in my heart he also led to me makeing a very good friend to.

This is him with a tiny Scutter

Originally Posted by Howlinbob

As luck would have it, things went our way and she brought Monty round that evening.

What a nice coincidence! We also have a black smoke named Monty...
My hubby is a Monty Python fan, hence the name. Did you also have Monty Python in mind when you named him?

I looked at the pics of your Monty... I just love the 'devil like' appearance of black smokes.

I'm new here, but I'll post some pics once I've figured out how.

Greetz, Anna
.

Hi Antonia, wow you have a black smoke named Monty! I tried to follow your link to pics but it didn't work... would love to see pics of him!

Actually we didn't name him because of Monty Python, we just liked the name Monty, because it sounds a bit regal and dignified, as if it was short for Montgomery or Montague, but maybe it's really short for The Monster!

Anyway they are both wonderful creatures and we're so lucky to have Monty as well as Larry- it was meant to be!

When I was barely 17 yet, my mother promised me that when I had finished my last year at boarding school, she would let me have a cat to keep me company while I lived at home. On one condition; it had to be a purebreed to make sure I took full responsibility for it.
So I started reading about different breeds in books and online. I was considering a few different ones, Egyption Mau, Turkish Angora, Manx etc..
But as soon as I put my eyes on the Maine Coons, I knew they would be perfect!
5 months later, Enigma moved in, just 14 weeks old..
She just turned 6 years old this month

Through the last 6 years, I have had Enigma who has had two litters of 3 each, a girl called Alfa who died from Calici and HCM because the breeder didn't get her cats properly checked before sale and 1½ year ago Felina moved in.
Today, I only have Enigma and Felina who I hope will mother some beautiful kittens one day.
I can't imagin life without my MCO ladies..

Edward (Pirnie Paws Little Fire) came into our lives by pure chance. I'm Office Manager at a Veterinary Practice so see all sorts of gorgeous kittys but anyway one day a client came in with a Maine Coon and her three beautiful kittens (one black, one tortie and a red one). I admired these kittens and said "oh that wee ginger fella is a cracker" and left it at that. In they came for their vaccinations a couple of weeks later and the client said "if you want him, you can have him for half price, mates rates" so told her I would look at my budget and see if I could do that......another couple of weeks went by and in they came again for their second vacc, this time she told me "cover his vaccination costs and he's yours........." so I snapped him up! She brought him in to my work on Christmas Eve and I took him home and he promptly disappeared under my bed and didn't come out for hours. I wrapped up his Pedigree Papers and popped them in amongst my daughter's Christmas presents. Santa came and went and my girl came back from her dads and started opening up her pressies, came upon this envelope and said "what's this then?", I excused myself and popped Ed into a basket quickly, I'd been hiding him in my room by this point, and produced this little ball of ginger fluff and that was that............

He's settled in very well and is great buddies with Elvis, tho I can see Elvis getting agitated at times cos all Ed wants to do is play, jump on him, bite him and generally be a kitten! Priscilla, on the other hand, will have nothing to do with him at all, she'll sit in the same room at him and glare at him until she decides to leave and Ed has learnt the hard way to leave Cilla well alone.......

Anyway that's my story ;)

My Maine Coon mix found me. One day my friend's kids brought me this bedraggled kitten whom they had befriended. They gave her to a neighbor but she came back to then after a day or two. She hadn't been eating for a couple of days and they were worried. I took one look at how hard she was breathing and drove her straight to the vet, where she was found to have a low temperature and a traumatic diaphragmatic hernia. Turns out someone had seen the previous owner kicking her, which caused her diaphragm to rupture. Vet said he she was already so sick he had doubts about whether she would survive surgery but I knew without the surgery she would die for sure, so I decided to bite the bullet and go ahead. Well, she did survive the surgery and almost 7 years later, she's a joyful beauty and the boss of my cat tribe.

She was also failure to thrive and had lice on that first vet visit, so her hair was broken off and we had no idea she would grow up to be this lovely long-haired cat. She has no pedigree but she does have the look and the behaviors. So that's how I got my Maine Coon mix.