Whether you just brought your Maine Coon kitten home for the first time or are thinking about taking the plunge to buy this adorable cat breed, you might be wondering how you can raise them to the best of your ability. Maine Coons are beloved for their independent, loyal, and gentle natures. Though they are larger than your average house cat, this breed has a personality larger than life! It’s important to know how to provide your Maine Coon kitten with adequate care so they flourish into the happiest and healthiest cat they can be. Here’s everything you need to know about properly raising your Maine Coon kitten.
Why Training, Raising, and Upbringing Are Important
Maine Coon kittens are loved for their lively, exuberant personalities and hilarious antics. This isn’t without potential consequences though, as your Maine Coon kitten can get into trouble if not careful. Providing them with a safe environment and properly training them are one of the most important factors in ownership of these magnificent cats. Maine Coons are a very unique breed that require lots of special attention and care. While these cats mature into laidback and easygoing gentle giants, they have a lot of energy expenditure while they’re young. Proper training, raising, and upbringing lets your kitten know your standards and what is and isn’t appropriate for them to do.
Here are the essential steps you need to take to ensure your Maine Coon kittens flourishes into adulthood.
Provide Adequate Nutrition and Plenty of Water
According to Maine Coon Central, diet plays an integral role in your kitten’s development. Maine Coons need a high protein and low carbohydrate diet for optimal growth. Since Maine Coons are larger than other domesticated cat breeds, their nutritional needs are greater. These kittens require more food and more water to grow big and strong. There is no right or wrong answer for what kind of food to opt for (dry or wet), it can solely come down to your Maine Coon’s preference. Just be sure to feed them a high quality, high protein, and low carbohydrate diet. Remember to watch out for harmful fillers or additives that provide little to no nutritional benefit.
Set Up Large Litter Boxes
Don’t be fooled, your Maine Coon kitten may be able to get by with an average sized litter box for their first few months, but after a while, they’re certain to have a growth spurt. This is why it’s important to invest in quality, large litter boxes throughout the house. Successfully litter training your kitten means that they have access to multiple litter boxes so they can relieve themselves when they need to. Take the plunge and buy larger litter boxes, specifically meant for Maine Coons, to ensure that they have ease of access when they need to go.
Exercise and Play With Your Kitten
We know how active regular kittens are, but Maine Coons are especially active in their first months of kittenhood due to the sheer fact that they’re growing at a quick rate. This is where toys and exercise come in to not only help your kitten grow big and strong, but to provide them the mental stimulation they need. According to Purr Craze, these muscular and active cats are particularly active at dusk and dawn. To avoid waking in the middle of the night, be sure to tucker your kitten out during the day. Maine Coons are usually particularly fond of walks. Your exercise and play for the day could be as simple as a long walk around the neighborhood or playing with a laser!
Will Your Kitten Be An Indoor or Outdoor Cat?
Perhaps one of the most important decisions we make as cat owners is whether or not our kitten will be an indoor or outdoor cat. According to Fetch by WebMD, on average, indoor cats typically tend to live 10 to 15 years whereas outdoor cats typically live 2 to 5 years. While there are cats that live long, happy, and healthy lives with access to the great outdoors, it’s not without risks. Consider your neighborhood and living situation before deciding whether your kitten will have outdoor access or not down the line.
Provide Lots of Toys and Scratch Posts
Since Maine Coons are incredibly playful and active, toys and scratch posts are essential to their well being as kittens. Toys provide mental and physical stimulation while scratch posts keep their claws trim and relieve your kitten’s urge to scratch. Without toys or scratch posts, your kitten may become bored and engage with your furniture or personal belongings as a substitute!
Invest Time Into Socialization
Maine Coons are exceptionally social breeds that require lots of socialization, and that should begin in kittenhood. Providing your kitten with proper socialization, like having friends over and mingling with your other pets, allows them the opportunity to embrace their social nature. Going on walks and outings with your Maine Coon kitten can be entirely beneficial. Find them a harness that fits and watch them embrace their surroundings and all the liveliness the world has to offer them!
Don’t Skip Vet Visits
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of owning a pet is taking them for regular vet visits. Ensuring your Maine Coon kitten’s physical health is wildly important to make sure they’re the happiest they can be. According to Maine Coon Central, Maine Coons are most susceptible to hip dysplasia, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, spinal muscular atrophy, stomatitis, periodontal disease, polycystic kidney disease (PKD), and obesity. Your vet will be able to catch any symptoms of the aforementioned conditions. By taking your Maine Coon kitten for regular checkups, you can ensure they’ll live a long, happy, healthy life by your side!
Maine Coon kittens are exceptionally sweet and darling creatures make wonderful pets. With time, love, and care, rest assured that your kitten will flourish into a happy and healthy adult. If you’re ready to parent through kittenhood, Maine Coon kittens are a wonderful breed that will go to the ends of the earth to put a smile on your face.
References
https://www.mainecooncentral.com/how-to-raise-a-maine-coon-kitten/
https://pets.webmd.com/cats/features/should-you-have-an-indoor-cat-or-an-outdoor-cat#1
https://www.mainecooncentral.com/maine-coon-health-issues/
