Thread: Why Does He Do That?

heeheehee sounds like a caracter!
well, I think simply Maine Coons each have their little quirks

1. Loves to have his head and, in particular, face scratched, petted, rubbed, touched, etc. When we stop, he presses his head against your hand demanding more. Why? .... because you stopped... you shouldn't stop... ever....
2. When touching his face, he typically - though not always, raises his rear end. Why (remember, this is a guy, not a female cat)? mine doesn't - she just looks all posh like "yes, human, adore me" and then ends up falling on her side from sheer exhaustion.... but if I stop she still does the head bumping thing and/or grabs my hand with her paws to pring it back to its rightful place....
3. He hasn't yet, but can we expect this neutered male to spray inside the house? no idea - I always only had females to avoid just that :-D
4. Often when petting him - which he loves, we find he turns his back on us and then slowly moves away. When we no longer can reach him without chasing after him, he turns and comes back for more attention. It's like he's playing hard-to-get. you're supposed to follow him and keep petting... while walking... the best method is to get on all 4 - well all 3 coz one is busy petting - and follow. One does enjoy a walk about while being petted....
5. He will lap up all the liquid from tuna, but eat very little, if any, of the tuna meat we give him. He refuses all the canned food - opting instead, for dry (including Meow Mix). Frankly, it's cheaper, but we would like to provide him some variety, but he doesn't seem to care. Why? We thought all cats like canned food and especially tuna. Are there alternatives? ah good point - a lot of us on this forum are firm believers of "wet food" versus dry - the reason for that is that cats don't feel thirst so they might not drink as much, and while wet food provides moisture so they don't need to drink the tin of tuna, dry food doesn't - also, mine doesn't eat much at all any more. She used to gobble 6 pouches of wet food a day till she was 1 and a half, then she kind of stopped. So if he fills up on dry food which is often what they prefer he won't want the wet stuff any more - doesn't mean it's good for him, though that seems to be a matter of opinion. Mine LOVES chicken breasts - preferably boiled or grilled - and salmon sashimi. try different meats, cooked or uncooked, see what he likes best - also sometimes he'll like it for like 3 days and then ... he won't. That's cats for ya. (I re-read that and it sounds patronising - I don't mean it like that....)
6. When he's being petted/scratched, he often turns on his back to expose his stomach. We understand this means submission, but does it? I don't think so - I think in dogs it's submission, in cats it's I-condescend-to-allow-you-to-rub-my-belly
7. His tail is short. The doctor believes he was born this way. Has anyone noted a trend with some Maine Coons with such a condition or was this just something in this guy's case? usually they are longer than non-MC-cats. (anyone else?)
8. We suspect it's his age, but while he does a bit of playing (e.g., sometimes playfully runs the length of the yard, climbs up a tree part way, looks at you, then jumps down, etc.) he seemingly is too important/cool to play with purchased toys like a small motorized mouse that he views with disdain, opting instead for a bit of rope. It's like purchasing expensive toys for grandchildren only to have them prefer the box in which they came. no it's not his age - lots and lots of expensive toys at home too, which we purchased to please ourselves more than her I think - her love is paper balls, which is cheap and convenient - if you want to make her happy, just scrunch up a sheet of paper into a ball and throw it. She'll run after it, tap it once, then hide behind a chair leg (yeah she's hidden I can't see her eyes) waiting for me to come get the paper ball back and throw it again. My previous cat would fetch the ball and bring it back, we'd play that till she comes back with her tongue hanging out, panting and her paws all sweaty.
9. When he chooses to talk - which is rare, his meow often lasts for some time - perhaps 5+ seconds, rather short phrasing. Is this characteristic of Maine Coons or just another idiosyncrasy of this guy? again, with MC's they seem to all have a different language - mine sometimes does that too and it usually means "I have asked you 3 times to feed me why is my plate still full of old food?" - she also does little chirps and mrrrrrr and things like that - she has a perticular squeek when she wants a cuddle, too, so cute!

Alekto - my wife and I not only learned alot from your comments, but can you say belly-laugh. We really enjoyed the humor. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks Alekto you have covered that brilliantly & here I am sitting nodding my head at your replies...... A very good thread for MC owners to read on here is the House Rule one if you put that into the search{Think it comes up Dear cat} & read through the postings I am sure there will be a lot more head nodding or blimey is that what we have got coming & who knows some new ones may be added.

Help with No 3 neuters don't normally spray but can't be ruled out if something stresses them but I have four males & never ever had a problem....
No 7 Like everything there is the exception to the rule,I have one whose tail is not as long as you would expect in a MC but can also be due to birth defect or
it has been known for tip of tail to be damaged & stunt growth but they still fly them at full glory....xxxx