Thread: Not very affectionate

give it time - I know 9 months seems like a lot of time, but mine is 3 years old and started getting affectionate at around 2 and a half - and then again it has to be in her own terms for now. Talk to them, get them used to being brushed and picked up - mine likes to be picked up and carried on the shoulder, "fireman style" for some reason... which is handy given her size... - do you sit down and watch tv or read a lot? if so, when you do, have a blanket that is their special blanket. Mine hates fleece, I think the static stings her every time, so if she sees a fleece jumper or anything fleece-like she just won't come. I have a wool blanket that I cover myself with to watch tv when it's a bit cold, now that's the business. If she sees it, she'll wait impatiently for me to place it properly on my lap (well, sometimes ... ) and then boom she's there. She hates when I build fire - I don't know what's with that, when I build the fire she meows and tries to attract me away from the chimney... - but she loves it when there is a good fire in the chiminey, so if there's one, and I'm lying on the couch watching tv, she'll be there too. Since I started talking to her and playing with her, I'm bonding more with her now also - she'll come more and more often for cuddles... - In other words, she's not ALWAYS affectionate, but she's getting there.

Our last moggy was a real lap cat and Sidney simply isn't. He will be in the same room as us (follows me everywhere) but just needs his own "personal space".
Seeing as he's getting quite heavy, this isn't the end of the world for me! At bedtime, he comes and pads on us, then needs a head rub and a good stroke and lies on the bed till the lights go out, then he heads off to sleep on the carpet. I can't help but appreciate having space to roll over without being attacked for disturbing the cat!
We have noticed recently that he is starting to join us on the sofa and has a couple of times jumped up onto a lap for a few moments, so maybe things are changing? He will be 2 in 2 months and was neutered at 7 months.

As you've probably heard before, Maine Coons aren't fully mature until they're 4 or 5 years old. It seems that along with this loooong adolescence is the tendency to be more kittenish that most breeds. Maine Coons ARE affectionate, but as kittens generally don't like to hold still enough to be true lap cats. Of course, it also depends on personality, but many Maine Coons will become cuddlier as they get older. However, older might be 4, 5, or more years later. My first MC was very affectionate, but only for short periods, when she was a kitten. After about age 6 or 7, though, a lap or a chest was her favorite place to be.

The only Maine Coons I've had were already mature when I acquired them and neither is/was a lap cat. (Casey, the boy, sadly has passed away). They both like to be nearby and will lie next to my pillow all night, fortunately barely moving, and since the bed is king-size there isn't a problem with space. A good thing too since Lacey weighs 21 pounds (Casey weighed 18 pounds). I personally like a cat who is more subtle in showing affection and doesn't want to be a constant lap sitter, but wants to be nearby and likes to be stroked, although not for long periods of time. Since they were/are quite heavy I really prefer them to lie next to me on the couch, which gives me their sweet company without the strain of all that weight in my lap, and it works really well since I frequently sit on the couch with the laptop on my knees.