Pros and cons of getting a cat

[Big Red Cat]

Love cats and up until 6 days ago had 4, one moggy, two ragdolls and our little baby maine coon.
Sadly our baby Bo died on Sunday morning not even 1 year old with a suspected heart attack.
We are absolutely heartbroken.
She was a lovely cat and was starting to become the boss of the house and almost bigger than her two big ragdoll brothers.
If getting a maine coon make sure the parents have been tested for HCM as they can carry a gene which causes heart disease.
Also be prepared for lots of fun and wet floors as they love to play with water.
This is her with Mylo our 3 year old ragdoll a few months ago

Sad to hear about your lovely Bo.
I do have to add that any breed, including moggies can have HCM. It is not confined to Maine Coons it just happens that researchers identified a gene in the MC breed so breeders are able to test for it. I had a Norwegian Forest Cat who died from HCM & years ago my sister's moggie had it too.

 

[Bing]

My wife and son now want a Maine Coon thanks to this thread :|

Actually, I like the idea of a cat the size of a dog that looks like it should be roaming snowy glens hunting lambs and small deer

Do they even fit through a normal cat flap once they're grown though ?

 

[Nelly Welly]

I have Sphynx and have to test for HCM annually I also have Devon Rex who are so cute they melt hearts.

 

[Big Red Cat]

My wife and son now want a Maine Coon thanks to this thread :|

Actually, I like the idea of a cat the size of a dog that looks like it should be roaming snowy glens hunting lambs and small deer

Do they even fit through a normal cat flap once they're grown though ?

For a big Maine Coon you would need a small dog size flap. Maine Coon girls should be smaller than the boys but my Georgia doesn't know that, at shows the judges expected her to be a boy until they saw what class she was in.
When I go on holiday the cats stay in an excellent cattery, the boys can squeeze through the cat flap from the sleeping quarters to the pen but they have to leave the whole door open for Georgia
Once cats get used to using a cat flap they often come through at speed so if it is a squeeze to start with they can end up bringing the whole flap with them

If your wife & son want to see Maine Coons & other cats up close take them to a show. There is a two day FIFe show on 9th & 10th May at Swanley & there is a GCCF all breed show at the same venue (White Oak Leisure Centre) on 11th April. Visitors are welcome (FIFE shows from 10am with Bis In Show - the best bit - starting around 3.30pm & GCCF shows public entry from around midday) & entry is only around £2.
By the way there are some excellent Maine Coon breeders in your part of the world.

 

[Jasey]

My wife and son now want a Maine Coon thanks to this thread :|

Actually, I like the idea of a cat the size of a dog that looks like it should be roaming snowy glens hunting lambs and small deer

Do they even fit through a normal cat flap once they're grown though ?

Probably not

 

[Z4M-2006]

Big red cat..

Question... Do you hear anything about cats being stolen? Maine coons, bengals etc ??

 

[Big Red Cat]

Big red cat..

Question... Do you hear anything about cats being stolen? Maine coons, bengals etc ??

Very occasionally & I guess like me a lot of pedigree cat owners keep their pets as indoor only or with secure gardens. There is no where near the problem that people have with their dogs being stolen it is just that the dogs are easier to get hold of.
Cats do go missing & sometimes the owners never know what happened to them but I've not heard of anyone demanding payment for return as seems to happen with dogs.

 

[Z4M-2006]

Thanks ...

I live in a small village in Derbyshire and a couple of years ago we had a spate of pedigree cats go missing.

My neighbour has had Maine coons for years and one went missing. The cats do go outside, so the disappearance was put down to an accident.. No signs at all of the cat even though chipped and collared..
Her remaining Maine coon was pining terribly, they had been together for 11 years,so they bought another pair of Maine coon kits..

They where kept in the house for 3 months..

At this time my friend who has 6 cats had 2 rescue brothers.. They where big lovely cats that looked that they where 90% Bengal...he had them for 4 years... Both went missing within a few weeks of each other. He wS devastated and walked up and down the lanes for weeks after looking for any remains or signs if fur..

Unfortunatly the odd one does get found at the side of the road by farmers, but owners are found 95% of time.

Back to my neighbours with the MC's... Cats start to venture into garden and onto the fields in front if my house..

Within days, one disappears ..

All cats went without trace... The conclusion was drawn that they must have been stolen..

There as lots of cats near us, I can think of 20ish within the few farmhouses and cottages close to me and this has never happened at all..

I was just wondering if it was a common thing

 

[RubyBlueZ4MC]

My wife and son now want a Maine Coon thanks to this thread :|

Copy cat

 

[RubyBlueZ4MC]

Big red cat..

Question... Do you hear anything about cats being stolen? Maine coons, bengals etc ??

Very occasionally & I guess like me a lot of pedigree cat owners keep their pets as indoor only or with secure gardens. There is no where near the problem that people have with their dogs being stolen it is just that the dogs are easier to get hold of.
Cats do go missing & sometimes the owners never know what happened to them but I've not heard of anyone demanding payment for return as seems to happen with dogs.

Can I just ask - what makes a "secure" garden?

 

[ben g]

Here's one of mine. Haven't got a clue what breed he is. We rescued 2 from cat shelter. Have 3 in total now.

They absolutely ruin your house

 

[Nictrix]

Love cats and up until 6 days ago had 4, one moggy, two ragdolls and our little baby maine coon.
Sadly our baby Bo died on Sunday morning not even 1 year old with a suspected heart attack.
We are absolutely heartbroken.
She was a lovely cat and was starting to become the boss of the house and almost bigger than her two big ragdoll brothers.
If getting a maine coon make sure the parents have been tested for HCM as they can carry a gene which causes heart disease.
Also be prepared for lots of fun and wet floors as they love to play with water.
This is her with Mylo our 3 year old ragdoll a few months ago

Sad to hear about your lovely Bo.
I do have to add that any breed, including moggies can have HCM. It is not confined to Maine Coons it just happens that researchers identified a gene in the MC breed so breeders are able to test for it. I had a Norwegian Forest Cat who died from HCM & years ago my sister's moggie had it too.

Yep completely correct. Apparently as many as 34% of Maine Coons carry the gene and 28% of Ragdolls.
Not sure if testing the parents and they are clear rules out the kittens having it though as now we dont know whether to get another one.
She was an early birthday present for my wife whos birthday was on Christmas day.
The other cats are acting really strange as they must be missing her as well.

 

[Nictrix]

Big red cat..

Question... Do you hear anything about cats being stolen? Maine coons, bengals etc ??

Very occasionally & I guess like me a lot of pedigree cat owners keep their pets as indoor only or with secure gardens. There is no where near the problem that people have with their dogs being stolen it is just that the dogs are easier to get hold of.
Cats do go missing & sometimes the owners never know what happened to them but I've not heard of anyone demanding payment for return as seems to happen with dogs.

Can I just ask - what makes a "secure" garden?

Cats can jump and climb so theres almost no secure garden.
Our cats are house cats as I think all pets should be kept indoors.
Opening the door and letting them out into the world is just not safe for them.
Too many things can happen to them.
Ours go outside into our garden when we are with them as they love rolling about on the grass and chasing flies

 

[Big Red Cat]

Big red cat..

Question... Do you hear anything about cats being stolen? Maine coons, bengals etc ??

Very occasionally & I guess like me a lot of pedigree cat owners keep their pets as indoor only or with secure gardens. There is no where near the problem that people have with their dogs being stolen it is just that the dogs are easier to get hold of.
Cats do go missing & sometimes the owners never know what happened to them but I've not heard of anyone demanding payment for return as seems to happen with dogs.

Can I just ask - what makes a "secure" garden?

Ours is a new build with a six foot high wall on one side & six foot fences on the others. There are various ways to make the garden secure, some look a bit like Colditz but I chose the Katzecure system http://www.katzecure.com/ which is expensive but looks unobtrusive & above all works - yes Harry did try it out :roll:

This is it a couple of days after it was installed in 2012, the fence has weathered now so it all looks much the same colour & we have borders all around with lovely plants so it hardly notices at all.





The trees are far too slender for the Maine Coons to climb (they are also quite lazy cats) & were there when we moved in. Jenson, the Siberian, did however start climbing the trees but we now have old plastic drinks bottles hanging around the trunks which stops him but are not visible until you are very close.
This system really does work & on the whole stops other cats coming into our garden. Local cats sit on the fence & look in but will not jump over the rollers as they cannot see the ground below. One cat did get in once, we think he must have stepped onto the rollers & fallen in but he soon ran out when we opened the gate & has never done it again.
When we lived in France we rented our house so couldn't do anything with the garden, we converted a gazebo into a large pen on the back of the house so the cats could go outside but not wander off.

 

[californiagirl]

Reading all these posts and seeing the pictures, great to see so many owners who look after their cats. I love animals but as hubby is allergic to pet hair can't have any. However I get sick and tired of everyone elses cats on the close using my garden for a toilet, some don't even bother to dig now, just do it in the middle of the lawn :x may well have a read up on the Katzecure system to keep them out!!

BTW didn't realise MC grew so big!!!

 

[pvr]

californiagirl, I use sonic deterrents to keep cats out of the areas I don't want them to be in. The feral ones (I live rural) still roam everywhere else, just not in the areas that I really don't want them to be in.

 

[si-forks]

We love our cats have 3 now, got 2 rescue kittens in November

 

[Big Red Cat]

Reading all these posts and seeing the pictures, great to see so many owners who look after their cats. I love animals but as hubby is allergic to pet hair can't have any. However I get sick and tired of everyone elses cats on the close using my garden for a toilet, some don't even bother to dig now, just do it in the middle of the lawn :x may well have a read up on the Katzecure system to keep them out!!

BTW didn't realise MC grew so big!!!

Siberians are a hypoallergenic breed & can often be tolerated by people who never thought they could own a cat. The husband of my friend who bred Jenson & Wolfie is allergic to cats. When they were breeding Norwegians they had to be very careful about where the cats could go & to keep the house very clean, he has no problem with the Siberians. Not all the breed lines of Siberians are hypoallergenic & some people still cannot tolerate the fur (it is actually the dander from the coat that is the problem) but most of the Siberian breeders I know will allow prospective owners to visit & spend time with their cats to see if they bring on an allergic reaction.

 

[Taz]

Ruby, I have 3 main coones and I have mixed feelings about having them

Main Coones are known for the dog like characters and they are very friendly, they love affection and i always have at least 1 on my knee.

The draw back is they are messy and all animals are tying. From the pictures I have seen on here of your house its obvious you are very house proud, realise that from day 1 you will be constantly hovering up trillions of cat hairs. I would think very carefully x

 

[Taz]

Big Red Cat, what do your cats weigh? mine are not too big for maine coons, they are about 13lbs