My Teddy (Actually Theodore Spartacus of Antioch, a.k.a. the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch) has just turned two. I have read Maine Coons continue growing to age 3 or 5, depending on the source. Anyone have experience or knowledge with this breed?
I am a bit concerned. He is still growing and if he grows much more, we will have to buy a saddle and rent him out for children's parties....
Jaenne
A friend of mine has a mixed breed that *looks* to be part Maine Coon - at 1 year old she weighed in at 15-16 lbs. Maine Coons do tend to get big.
LOL! As I was reading your post, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Teddy. He was up on his hind legs and tapping my shoulder to get a cuddle and a pet! He's such a sweet and affectionate clown.
Jaenne
I can absolutely confirm that they do keep growing for several years. My Percy is now 10 years old, and such a bundle of love. He was originally a stray, and had some health problems because of it. He never "grew into his full size" according to the vet, and he's 14 lbs. Usually when we move and have to get a new vet, they make sure we feed him enough as he's "so underweight". For the record, he has access to food and water 24/7, he's just content to be a "lean coon". He is the most affectionate cat I have ever owned, and my baby. Still incredibly playful. And I don't care if the "experts" say cats are colourblind. He loves red sparkly pompoms over all colours! We even bought a brand new package to test the theory (in case the original red one smelled different etc). Always goes for the red one in a bunch. Has yours started talking to birds yet? Be prepared, it's not a sound I ever would have associated with a cat. Scared the bejeezes out of me the first few times as I wasn't in the room and couldn't figure out where that noise was coming from, it never crossed my mind it was the cat. Enjoy your cat, and may you have many happy years together! Heather
One of my indoor cats does that when she sees a bird through the window(so does the female that hangs around my yard). I keep telling her the birds won't come to her, no matter how hard she calls them.
-- Carey in MA (going back to her corner....)
My cat talks to birds, but isn't a Coon. Just a black long hair mix. It is a weird sound. I call it a sort of grackling sound.
Barbara Clem
Teddy has a common trait for Maine Coons. He doesn't really have a meow. He will open his mouth and mostly air escapes with a tiny sound. It breaks your heart to hear it. My first instinct is to pick him up and hug him after he does it. Our Ragdoll mix is half his size and she starts chattering away when she sees a bug or a bird.
Teddy stays lean, but gets chubby right before a growth spurt. We will have a chubby cat, and then we notice we have a much larger lean cat.
I've always seen color preferences in cats. When I took psychology in college, we saw films of color tests on cats proving they could distinguish between colors. I don't know why researchers are reversing their findings now.
Jaenne
Piggy-backing on my own post to add, that neither of these cats I mentioned are Maine Coon cats, but one male that used to be around here looked like he may have been part Maine Coon, and he also tried to "call the birds."
-- Carey (going back to my corner...)
>
As I understand it, color blind does not mean "unable to distinguish between colors." It means unable to see colors the way most people see them.
Elizabeth
I read somewhere that cats in the wild do not miaow. They howl and growl but do not make the sound we usually associate with "miaow". Apparently cats only do this if they are socialised with people, and it is their attempt at vocalisation.
I have no idea if this is true, but I would like to think it is. Certainly my three ex-stray cats (who BTW weight in at 23lbs, 17lbs and a very modest
8lbs) all "talk" to me and are very expressive.
Oh, yes, yes, I chitter at birds, too. I'm not calling them, I'm trying to persuade That Woman to let me OUT!
Love, Miss Kitty Intrepid Huntress and Non-Consenting House Cat
Dear Miss Kitty; Sorry you miss going out, but it is *so* much safer in. My Human brought me in when I was only 3-months old last year, so I wouldn't get run over, and the big black cat (5-yr old) said she brought him in a few years before when it snowed on St. Patrick's day and his feet were almost frozen. We don't
*ever* want to go back outside any more; we've got the Humans trained to feed us, brush us, buy us toys, and love us quite nicely now. Now, if we can just get the old girl cat (14-yr old) to stop hissing so much and play a little more.... Love, Little Bit (We do get to chase flies, and an occasional mouse [ guess they want to keep warm, too ]...)
Very good point. Thank you.
Jaenne
We have a stray who adopted us and he spends more time outside than in. He very rarely meows...usually only to say, "Hey, bring my dinner HERE, wench, I'm waiting!!" if I don't move fast enough for him. That would be one single meow a day, max. (And most days, none)
Sue
The Creation Myth
On the first day of creation, God created the cat.
On the second day, God created man to serve the cat.
On the third day, God created all the animals of the earth to serve as potential food for the cat.
On the fourth day, God created honest toil so that man could labor for the good of the cat.
On the fifth day, God created the sparkle ball so that the cat might or might not play with it.
On the sixth day, God created veterinary science to keep the cat healthy and the man broke.
On the seventh day, God tried to rest, but he had to scoop the litter box.
"Jaenne Bonner" had some very interesting things to say about OT - Maine Coon Cats:
Based on my experience with my Maine Coon mix (we think. He's a shelter adoptee), I think they keep growing until about 3.
Check out the following for more on Maine Coons (terrific cats, IMO):
That sounds like Emilie. For quite some time, we wondered if she even had vocal cords. Then someone stepped on her tail and from this huuuuge cat, we heard a very quiet little "peep".
She purrs loudly enough to be heard 10 feet away, but the only time you get a meow is if you've stepped on her or if breakfast is seriously late.
"Seanette Blaylock" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...
Here is a picture of the Teddy in question at age 1. He is the large one. Both cats are only a few months apart in age.
Be grateful for a relatively quiet cat. All mine not only "talk" to me all day, presumably telling me what is going on outside as they dash in and out, but two of them also snore loud enough to wake me from the next room!
Oh, I AM grateful for the quiet one, because the other one yammers on non-stop. Mom's on the phone? I gotta talk on the phone. Mom's talking to someone at the front door? I gotta go talk to them, too.
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