# So, I got a Maine Coon kitten **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 17, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150 "2017-10-17T19:19:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/41 "2017-10-28T13:40:30Z")
Just one question: How did he swim all the way from Maine to Scotland? D&R ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/42 "2018-04-26T13:19:22Z")
I thought it was about time I resurrected this thread if anyone is interested in how the wee guy is growing up. Well, not-so-wee guy now! He’s between nine and ten months old, and is growing up into everything a Maine Coon should be. His repertoire of sleeping positions means that cameras are pointed at him regularly. He is an absolute joy. [I know how cute I am](https://www.dropbox.com/s/tctgqxh4a7smmsi/1000652.jpg?dl=0) [Tufty feet](https://www.dropbox.com/s/qd9vdqnl3tehue0/1000664.jpg?dl=0) [Flooff level - turned up to eleven](https://www.dropbox.com/s/i1dr4gwn59xwr0f/IMG_2817.jpg?dl=0) [Lounging around with Meg](https://www.dropbox.com/s/qxk7zfj2jslc9kc/IMG_20180415_113122.jpg?dl=0) ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/43 "2018-04-26T14:33:36Z")
I’m so glad you posted since I had missed the kitten photos. lovely cat, looks like Meg is comfortable with him, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/44 "2018-04-26T14:41:40Z")
What a cat! :: fals over again :: ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/45 "2018-04-26T15:12:04Z")
Jeez, that’s some SERIOUS fur he’s got going on! You could trim him and make a warm winter hat! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/46 "2018-04-26T15:13:59Z")
Absolutely gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/47 "2018-04-26T15:26:15Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Jeez, that’s some SERIOUS fur he’s got going on! You could trim him and make a warm winter hat! The cat looks seriously chill. Might be able to skip the trimming and just get him to curl up on his head. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/48 "2018-04-26T15:27:31Z")
Magnifi-cat! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/49 "2018-04-26T15:37:13Z")
Sheldon looks exactly like the Maine Coon I grew up with, Simon - yours is just a shade or two lighter on the gray of his coat. Such a smart, attentive, engaging cat. I suspect you’re in for a beautiful friendship. ---
**Author:** ![nofloyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nofloyd/32/2870_2.png) [@nofloyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nofloyd)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/50 "2018-04-26T16:24:10Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > Fair warning regarding the floof, though–MCs are very rough coated and they can have a hard time grooming properly. … A hygiene buzz around the bunghole area is also a very good idea. QFT - As our monster has gotten older (9, 25 lbs) we’re really seeing more of this. Tried a buzz once or twice, need to keep up more often. He is also polydactyl with 7 toes/claws on one front paw, 6 on the other. The 7th is more like a claw between toes and that can overgrow and curl under before we realize. Have thought about surgery for just the badly placed 7th claw. He trills more than chirps. But in utter desperation for the back porch can still pull out the pathetic kitten “miaow” in a teeny tiny voice. Not a jumper, have a well placed chair so he can get into a sunny window. Got a super fleecy quilt for the bed and when he tried for it his weight on the fleece pulled him and quilt down to the floor in slow motion free fall. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/51 "2018-04-30T00:58:01Z")
So, now that he’s getting bigger, is he headbutting you yet? Shamus’s favorite thing ever is to climb on your lap, plant his front paws on your chest, and purr ecstatically as he headbutts you in the face. Apparently it’s very common to Maine Coons. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/52 "2018-04-30T01:34:33Z")
So he and Meg did come to tolerate each other!😃 ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/53 "2018-04-30T03:53:32Z")
That’s a big cute kitteh! So floof! This is probably a good spot to drop in a warning about diabetes to all the MC owners–my Captain just got diagnosed as diabetic and it’s been a little nerve wracking. Unfortunately. big cats are more likely to develop the condition since they’re almost impossible to figure out whether they’re fit or fat given their overall size. One bit of advice I have to every cat owner is to STOP feeding kibble right now and switch over to just wet food. Preferably the pate style since the gravy with bits varieties tend to still have more carbs than any cats need. A cat eating mice and birds gets about 3-5% carbohydrate in their diet, but a cat eating dry food is getting up to 30% of their calories from carbs and that can play havoc with their digestion. If you don’t want to end up poking your extremely floofy cat with needles all day long (and trying to clear the fur off an injection spot is a challenge!) get them off the crunchy food right now. This is the first time I’ve had a cat go diabetic, but I’ve had large toms with kidney issues before that are likely also diet related. ☹ Live and learn, right? ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@MonkeyCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyCat)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/54 "2018-04-30T07:06:11Z")
> [@Scougs](#): > > Background: > > I’ve had moggy rescue cats my whole life. I had three indoor cats from March 2003 to August 2016, when my dear old Ghost had to be euthanased, aged nearly 19. Down to two cats. In early July this year, I got up to find 14-year old Jack lying dead on my bathroom floor. Down to one cat. For a while, I’d had a plan for once I was down to one cat - a Pedigree, Silver Tabby, Maine Coon boy. Can’t really explain why regarding the specifics - I just knew what I wanted. > > In late August I found a breeder about an hour and a half’s drive away with a litter that they were taking reservations for. So, a few messages, a visit, a payment of a deposit, some paperwork, and on Saturday I collected Sheldon (my choice of name, and not his full Pedigree name). > > My remaining girl, 14-year old Meg, is hiding a lot and being cautious, but it’s going OK so far. Sheldon is a total wee sweetheart and does everything a cute cat should. > > TL;DR version - I’ve got a three month old Maine Coon and I want to show him off. > > So, as per SDMB rules - meet Sheldon. > > [Hanging out in his basket](https://www.dropbox.com/s/hbfy06aj2j8b8c8/Sheldon1.jpg?dl=0) > > [Helping me out at the PC](https://www.dropbox.com/s/z93vm0kq8nvvbjg/Sheldon2.jpg?dl=0) > > [Sheldon, you’re in my spot](https://www.dropbox.com/s/9c9r0ws636vsd0s/Sheldon3.jpg?dl=0) > > [Exploring his new world](https://www.dropbox.com/s/ocmb8s31hk0vsbz/Sheldon4.jpg?dl=0) > > Any fellow Maine Coon co-habitants want to share any tips or stories? Owned two half-maine coons as of yet. Both get high marks. Amazing pets. The first was a legit dog who walked on a leash with me. Or even followed me in the woods without a leash like a puppy. The second just… He’s not your average cat. Huge. Nothing upsets him. Fluff his fur wrong, flick him on the nose, he just purrs. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150/55 "2018-04-30T07:26:21Z")
> [@tvaetbjorn](#): > > The second just… He’s not your average cat. Huge. Nothing upsets him. Fluff his fur wrong, flick him on the nose, he just purrs. I’ve heard that about Maine Coons, but I’ve also heard the reverse. One friend had a cat that sure looked like a Maine Coon, and he got to learn what his vet’s code phrase was for “put on the thickest, longest leather gloves we have before opening this cat carrier”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-maine-coon-kitten/799150.md?page=2)