Maine Coon Kitten Care: All You Need To Know

If you’ve decided to get a Maine Coon or your adult Coon is pregnant, it’s imperative you know what Maine Coon kitten care consists of.

Maine Coon Kitten Care

maine coon kitten care

If your Maine Coon cat has given birth, it’s important you know all the steps in Maine Coon kitten care. By providing your kitten with everything they need, you’d be raising a healthy and happy cat.

Although, every breed and cat is different, Maine Coons are one of a kind. As Maine Coons grow much slower than regular cats, they need slightly different care.

The Maine Coon kitten care includes:

  • Maine Coon kitten growth and development
  • Maine Coon kitten teeth
  • Diet
  • Potty Training your Maine Coon kitten
  • Socialization
  • Vaccination

Maine Coon Kitten Growth And Development

maine coon kitten care

Part of the Maine Coon kitten care is knowing the growth stages and what to expected at certain ages.

By understanding what your Maine Coon should look like or how far they are in their development, you’d be doing two things:

  • Ensuring that they are on the right track
  • You’ll be able to spot any health problems early on

When Do Kittens Open Their Eyes

Maine Coon kittens will start opening their eyes around 8 – 10 days old. However, their vision won’t be clear until they are 3 months old.

When Do Maine Coon Kittens Start Moving

In week 2 you’ll start noticing your Maine Coon kittens becoming mobile. Although, they won’t be walking straight away, they will soon start scooting around.

Then the scooting turns into wobbly walking. By the time they are 4 weeks old, your Maine Coon kittens will be able to fully walk, even run a little. 

How Quickly Maine Coon Kittens Grow

maine coon kitten care

Unlike regular domesticated cats, Maine Coons continue to grow until they reach 3 – 4 years of age.

This cat breed grows at much slower rate compared to other domesticated cats. Therefore, it’s important that your provide the appropriate Maine Coon kitten care in order to raise a healthy and happy Maine Coon cat.

Between the ages of 3 to 7 months, you should expect your Maine Coon to gain 2 pounds per month. For instance, by the age of 3 – 4 months, a female Maine Coon kitten should weigh only 2 – 3 pounds. Whereas, a male Maine Coon kitten can reach up to 8 pounds!

Although, Maine Coon growth might not be consistent each month, once they are 9 months old, it will stabilize.

It’s important to note that Maine Coons experience a growth spurt at around 8 months old and then another one when they reach 1 year old.

Maine Coon Kitten Appearance

Maine Coon kittens start to shape their appearance when they reach 3 weeks old. By this time the kittens’ head starts rounding up and their coat becomes fluffy and shaggy. By end of week 4, the Maine Coon kittens start looking less goofy and chubby.

Maine Coon kittens will start growing their famous shaggy coat at around 3 to 4 months old. However, they will start getting britches and belly fur when they reach 6 months old.

The rest of the coat develops at around 1 year old. However, this can vary depending if the cat is neutered or spayed before 8 months of age.

Coat development is an exciting step in Maine Coon kitten care. Your kitten is starting to look like a cat and the famous Maine Coon coat is starting to form.

However, it can take up to 1 year and even longer for it to fully grow. The reason for that is Maine Coons have seasonal coats.

They shed their winter coat which puts the growth on a hold. Then when it’s Autumn again, the growth will resume.

Maine Coon Kitten Teeth

At the end of week 3, you’ll start noticing little teeth on your Maine Coon kitten. These are called baby teeth.

By the end of week 4, the teeth would have settled in and they are ready to be used. However, as you can imagine at this stage it won’t hurt if you get bitten during play.

Once they have their baby teeth, the next step in the Maine Coon kitten care is to change their diet.

You should start feeding them wet food in the morning and specialized dry kibble food for kittens the rest of the time.

Important stepping stone in the Maine Coon kitten care is when they start losing their baby teeth. This happens around 4 months old. Once the teeth come out, the kittens will usually just swallow them and then poop them out.

After the baby teeth fall out, the adult teeth will start growing. However, the teeth will stop growing when the Maine Coon reaches 1 year old.

Symptoms of your Maine Coon teething include chewing on things they would not normally chew. To help them relieve the discomfort, you can buy them special chew toys for kittens.

Maine Coon Kitten Diet

An important part of your Maine Coon kitten care is knowing what diet to feed them at the different stages of their development.

As mentioned earlier, once your Maine Coon kitten start getting their baby teeth, you should start feeding them wet food specialized for kittens in the morning and dry kibble food for kittens the rest of the time.

Unlike other domesticated cats, Maine Coons mature much later at around 3 – 4 years old. For that reason, they might need to be fed kitten food until they are 1.5 years old.

It’s recommended to feed your Maine Coon kitten a diet that’s high in protein and low in carbs. Moreover, you shouldn’t feed your Maine Coon a diet that encourages a rapid growth as their natural growth process is slower than other cats.

Specialized kitten food contains everything your Maine Coon needs. The food has all the ingredients needed for your Maine Coon’s healthy development.

Once they reach 2 years old, you can feed your Maine Coon adult cat food.

If you want to learn more about Maine Coon diet and cat food brands that are suitable click hereMaine Coon Diet: Guide On How To Pick The Best

Potty Training Your Maine Coon Kitten

If you are getting your Maine Coon kitten from a breeder, they should already be potty trained. The reason for that is breeders don’t allow their kittens be taken to the new home before they are 12 weeks old.

However, if your adult Maine Coon has given birth, then potty training needs to be a step in your Maine Coon kitten care. Usually, the mother will show the kittens how to use a litter tray. You just need to place a smaller litter tray for the kittens, so they can copy what their mother does.

One thing to note is that Maine Coons have long coats and fur. Therefore, it’s important to use non-clumping kitty litter, so it won’t get stuck in their fur when using the litter tray.

Maine Coon Kitten Socialization

As wonderful as Maine Coons are, some are quite shy, especially around strangers or other animals. The reason for that is they haven’t been socialized properly as kittens.

An essential part of Maine Coon kitten care is socialization. Although, this should start with the breeder at the age of 2 weeks old, it shouldn’t stop there.

Once the Maine Coon kitten leaves the breeder’s house, they are leaving behind everything they know including their mother. Therefore, it will take time to adjust to the new environment. It’s important that you are patient and take things slowly.

It’s imperative the kittens spend time with each member of the family and that they are handled with care. As soon as the kittens can move around, you should start building a bond through play. Moreover, a good way to play is by buying them safe kitten toys.

Another important part of the process is introducing your Maine Coon kitten to “strangers”. When inviting family and friends to your house, get them to interact with your kitten in a playful manner. That way your Maine Coon will get used to meeting new people from an early age.

All these habits that you teach your Maine Coon from an early age will help them develop into the friendly and social cat they are meant to be.

Maine Coon Kitten Vaccination

Important step in Maine Coon kitten care is vaccinating them.

The first vaccination is when they are 6 weeks old, followed by a booster shot in 3 weeks’ time. After that they get a final booster shot and a Rabies shot.

How To Choose A Maine Coon Kitten

When picking the breeder you’re going to get your Maine Coon kitten from, you should be very careful. The reason for that is many breeders are scamming people. Some instances of scams include:

  • There are breeders that sell kittens under the pretences of being Maine Coons, when in reality it’s not the genuine breed
  • A breeder can be selling Maine Coon kittens that are not purebred. If you purchase a mixed breed Maine Coon, it’s very likely that the cat won’t grow as big as purebred Maine Coon would and might have different characteristics.

All of the above can result in your Maine Coon not growing as big as expected or even worse not being a genuine Maine Coon.

There is nothing wrong with buying a mixed breed. However, if you are paying the hefty price for a purebred, that’s what you want to get.

Sometimes, you’d be able to tell that the kitten is not a Maine Coon. Whereas, other time, it won’t be as obvious.

That is why it’s so important to do your research before buying a Maine Coon kitten.

Finding a reputable breeder is essential. A genuine breeder should be:

  • Able to discuss the medical history of the kitten’s parents
  • Show you the Maine Coon’s parents in person
  • The breeder should be able to present you with medical tests such as DNA testing for the SMA, HCM and PK genes
  • X-rays should be available to confirm no signs of hip dysplasia
  • The kittens should be dewormed and had their first vaccination, including the first booster

If you want to learn more about Maine Coon health issues and what is this cat breed predisposed to click here Maine Coon Health Issues: How To Treat Or Prevent

By choosing a reputable breeder, you will be increasing your chance of getting a genuine Maine Coon kitten that is healthy and with a good temper.

Final Thoughts

Having a Maine Coon kitten is a rewarding and one of a kind experience. However, it’s also a big responsibility. To raise a healthy and well-mannered cat, you must be equipped with all the knowledge of how to provide Maine Coon kitten care.

This includes

  • Knowing the Maine Coon development process and what to expect at different stages of their life
  • Diet
  • Maine Coon teething
  • Potty training
  • Socialization

The most important thing to do before getting a Maine Coon kitten, is to ensure you have all the necessary information on how to raise a healthy and happy cat because this unique cat deserves the best!

Related Topics 

What Is Maine Coon Adult Size

The impressive Maine Coon growth is one of the main things that attracts people to them. This cat breed can grow up to 25 pounds in weight. However, most owners can’t wait for their Maine Coon to reach full size.

If you own a Maine Coon or planning to, it’s important to familiarize yourself with what is the average size of a Maine Coon. One of the reason for that is – if your Maine Coon becomes too big, it can be unhealthy and dangerous.

For what to expect when it comes to Maine Coon growth for male and female, check out the table below.

 Male Maine CoonFemale Maine Coon
Weight15-25 pounds/ 6.8 – 11.3kg8-12 pounds/ 3.6 – 5.4kg
Body Length19-30 inches/ 48.2 – 76.2cm19 – 30inches/ 48.2 – 76.2cm
Tail Length12-18 inches/ 30.4 – 45.7cm12 – 18 inches/ 30.4 – 45.7cm
Height10-16 inches/ 25 – 40cm10 – 14inches/ 25.4 – 35.5cm

Not only is the Maine Coon significantly bigger than a regular cat, they are also the largest domesticated cat breed in the world and hold a Guinness record.

The table above should act as a guide for the average size your Maine Coon can reach. However, in some cases Maine Coons can grow even bigger. For instance, the longest Maine Coon on record was 48.5 inches long from tip of the nose to base of the tail.

It’s important that you don’t overfeed your Maine Coon in a rush for it to grow as that will only lead to health problems further down the line.

How To Keep Track Of Maine Coon Kitten Growth

Usually, Maine Coon growth is not consistent. They can grow fast one week and slower the next week. That’s why if you want to record your Maine Coon growth process, you should do so on monthly basis.

By tracking Maine Coon growth, you’d be able to see if your cat is going through the correct stages.

In addition, by monitoring their weight, you’d be ensuring they don’t become overweight or underweight.

When tracking your Maine Coon’s growth, you should record monthly the following:

  • Weight
  • Length
  • Height

unusualpetsguide

My name is Iliyana and I'm a passionate animal lover and pet owner. As there is significantly less information online about unusual and exotic pets, I decided to found this website and recruit expert writers to help pet owners.

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