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Breed guide · Cats
He was built for Maine winters. I leave the air conditioning on for him all summer.
Last updated 13 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
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At home
A two-year-old who is still gangly, with a kitten's energy in a big cat's body.
What's going onA Maine Coon can take three to four years to reach full size. Feed them for the adult they will be, and judge their weight with your hands, not your eyes.
At home
Stretched full length across the bathroom tiles, or asleep under the air conditioning vent.
What's going onTheir size and their coat were built to keep heat in, so a cool floor is a sensible choice. Leave the air conditioning on for them when you go out in summer, and keep them off the balcony.
At home
Knots behind the ears, under the front legs and on the belly, where you rarely look.
What's going onA coat this thick is more than they can keep clear on their own. Comb a few minutes at a time, at least twice a week, with a treat as you go. Mats hurt, and a matted cat stops wanting to be touched.
At home
A calm, easy cat who sleeps a great deal and rarely makes a fuss.
What's going onHypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is on their health record at every age, and it can give no signs for years. Fast or shallow breathing while resting should be discussed with your vet immediately, within the same day.
At home
Chirps and trills at every pigeon on the balcony rail, and at you.
What's going onMany Maine Coons trill and chirp instead of miaowing. Watching is half of their hunt. A wand toy along the floor, with a catch and a meal at the end, gives them the rest.
At home
From room to room all day, sometimes with a toy for you to throw.
What's going onFollowing you is how they show they are attached. When you lift them, use two hands, one under the chest and one under the back end. They are heavy, and they relax when they feel held.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their weather
Built for: Winters on farms in north-eastern America.
In Dubai: Air conditioning through a Gulf summer.
Their coat
Built for: Heavy, and made for snow.
In Dubai: A coat they cannot keep clear on their own.
Their size
Built for: Big and slow-growing, to hold heat in.
In Dubai: A weight their fur hides.
The afternoons on the bathroom tiles, the knots and the weight nobody notices mostly come from that gap.
You do not need to give them a barn. Keep them cool and lean, keep their coat clear, and watch their heart and their hips. The ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around what a Maine Coon is prone to at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
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Ten things that make their life better.
Their coat was built for Maine winters, and they cannot keep it clear on their own. Mats pull on the skin and hurt.
Every age, start with a soft brush as a kitten, and help more from 11 years, when they groom themselves less
Why
Their coat was built for Maine winters, and they cannot keep it clear on their own. Mats pull on the skin and hurt.
What to do
A few minutes, at least twice a week, with a wide-toothed metal comb. Work behind the ears, under the front legs, the belly and the back of the back legs. Treat as you go. Never cut a mat out with scissors: the skin sits right under it.
Their size and their coat hold heat, and cats sweat only through their paw pads. A cat who pants is overheating: cool them down and call your vet now.
Every age, most of all kittens and from 11 years
Why
Their size and their coat hold heat, and cats sweat only through their paw pads. A cat who pants is overheating: cool them down and call your vet now.
What to do
Leave the air conditioning on for them in the hot months. Give them a tiled floor to stretch out on. Keep them off the balcony in summer, and never leave them in a parked car. If the power fails while you are away, get someone in to check on them.
Obesity is on their health record from their junior years, and their coat hides it. Extra weight is also extra load on their hips.
Every age, most of all 7 months to 2 years
Why
Obesity is on their health record from their junior years, and their coat hides it. Extra weight is also extra load on their hips.
What to do
Weigh their daily food. Weigh them monthly: stand on the scales holding them, then without them. Once a week, feel for their ribs under the coat. You should find them without pressing. Ask your vet to reset their portion after neutering.
Watching the pigeons is half of their hunt. They still need the catch, and a big cat who does not play puts on weight.
Every age, most of all 7 months to 2 years
Why
Watching the pigeons is half of their hunt. They still need the catch, and a big cat who does not play puts on weight.
What to do
Move a wand toy along the floor and round corners, the way a mouse would go. Let them stalk. End with a catch, then a small meal. Many Maine Coons fetch, so try throwing a small toy.
A tray they have to crouch in, or a cat tree that rocks under them, is one they stop using.
Before they come home, and again from 7 years
Why
A tray they have to crouch in, or a cat tree that rocks under them, is one they stop using.
What to do
A long litter tray with a low entry. A cat tree with a broad, heavy base, and a scratching post tall enough for a full stretch. One tray per cat, plus one, in different rooms. From about seven, add steps to the tree.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is on their health record at every age, and it can be silent for years.
Every age, most of all from 7 years
Why
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is on their health record at every age, and it can be silent for years.
What to do
Fast or shallow breathing while resting should be discussed with your vet immediately, within the same day. If they breathe with their mouth open, or suddenly cannot use their back legs, contact your vet now.
Cats have a weak urge to drink. Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD, cysts in the kidneys) is on their record from 7 years, and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD, long-term kidney failure) later.
Every age, most of all from 7 years
Why
Cats have a weak urge to drink. Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD, cysts in the kidneys) is on their record from 7 years, and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD, long-term kidney failure) later.
What to do
Some wet food every day. Two or three wide, shallow bowls away from their food and tray. Many Maine Coons love running water, so a fountain may win them over. Scoop the tray daily, and call your vet if they start drinking a lot more. A baseline urinalysis (a urine test) is in your plan in their junior years, and a renal ultrasound (a kidney scan) in their mature years.
They are heavy, and a big cat lifted by the front legs fights it. That fight starts every vet visit badly.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
They are heavy, and a big cat lifted by the front legs fights it. That fight starts every vet visit badly.
What to do
One hand under the chest, one under the back end, held close. Choose a large carrier, top-opening if you can, and leave it out as a bed. Once a week, touch their paws, ears and mouth, then give them a treat.
Dental disease is on their health record from their junior years, and cats keep eating with sore teeth.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
Dental disease is on their health record from their junior years, and cats keep eating with sore teeth.
What to do
Lift their lip and look at their teeth and gums. Start brushing as a kitten, a few seconds at a time, with cat toothpaste. Notice if they drop food or chew on one side, and tell your vet. An annual dental evaluation (teeth and gum check) is in your plan from their junior years.
Hip Dysplasia (HD, a poorly fitting hip joint) is on their health record from kittenhood, and osteoarthritis (worn, painful joints) joins it from 7 years.
Every age, most of all 7 months to 6 years
Why
Hip Dysplasia (HD, a poorly fitting hip joint) is on their health record from kittenhood, and osteoarthritis (worn, painful joints) joins it from 7 years.
What to do
Notice whether they still jump straight onto the bed or go up in stages, and watch their back legs as they land. Keep them lean. Put steps by their favourite high places before they need them. A hip and mobility evaluation is in your plan as a kitten, with hip radiographs (X-rays) in their junior and prime adult years.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
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Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 6 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
11 to 14 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
15 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Types of Maine Coon
There is one Maine Coon breed. What people call types are really colour, coat pattern and size, and males grow bigger than females. A pedigree kitten comes with registration papers naming both parents, which is where your questions about their health start.
Colours
Maine Coons come in most colours and patterns, from the brown tabby of the old farm cats to silver, black smoke and white. Whatever the colour, the ruff, the tufted ears and the long tail come with it.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, and their vet listens to their heart from the first visit. Start a minute of brushing a day and some wet food now, while they will take to anything.
Kitten health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Buy for the cat they will be at four: a long litter tray with a low entry, a cat tree with a broad base that does not rock, and a cool tiled floor to stretch out on. A kitten grows into all of it.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Heart disease, hip problems and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (a gene fault that weakens the back legs) can all run in Maine Coon families. Ask the breeder about both parents' health, and watch the kitten walk: a wobble in the back legs is not clumsiness.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
If it's a kitten: First 30 days with a new kitten · Kitten vaccinations in the UAE
When it is not behaviour.
He'll still want the air conditioning more than you do. If his breathing speeds up while he sleeps, call your vet.
Before they were yours.
1700s and 1800s
Nobody knows exactly how long-haired cats reached Maine. The likeliest story is that they came ashore from ships and bred with local cats. The raccoon story is folklore: the two cannot interbreed.
What they still carrySize, a heavy coat that sheds water, tufted paws and a long tail, all shaped by Maine winters.
May 1895
Farmers showed their best cats at local fairs. In May 1895 a brown tabby Maine Coon called Cosey won the first major American cat show, at Madison Square Garden.
What they still carryThe look was fixed here. The working cat underneath was not changed.
1900s to 1950s
Persians and other imported long-hairs pushed the Maine Coon out of the show ring. Breed clubs, including the Central Maine Cat Club in 1953, kept it going.
What they still carryA breed that survived as working cats, not show cats.
1976 and 1985
The Cat Fanciers' Association accepted the Maine Coon for championship in 1976, and in 1985 Maine made it the official state cat.
What they still carryA closed pedigree, and with it the heart, hip and spinal conditions on their health record.
Today
A popular pedigree here, kept indoors, in air conditioning.
What they still carryA barn cat built for snow, with a coat they cannot keep clear alone and a weight their fur hides.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Maine Coon suits you, so might these.
Norwegian Forest CatThe same kind of cat: another big northern semi-longhair with a ruff and tufted paws, a little smaller and more reserved
SiberianThe same kind of cat: another big, slow-growing forest cat with a heavy coat, and even keener on company
Domestic LonghairThe same easy balance of play and company, in a medium-sized cat with no pedigree and a coat that sheds a little less
RagdollA similar size and the same need for a cool home in summer, in a calmer cat who would rather be on your lap
