Maine Coon Adoption: Kitten, Young, Adult?

[mikey]

As many of you have read on the Behavior Forum, our beloved cat Henry left us suddenly last week. Henry came to us as a stray when he was about 6 months old. He quickly grew into part of our family. We learned his routines and he learned ours.

Now we are considering adoption on the Maine Coon Rescue site. We have found several candidates. Here is my question. We have read that Maine Coons are very loyal to their owners. Does this mean that a young cat or adult will not take well to a new owner? That being said, would a kitten or very young adult (like Henry) be a better choice?

We are not cat experts and any comments are appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

[Prairie Purrs]

I'm so sorry about Henry. :(

I don't know how Maine Coon Rescue works, but my experience has been that the best way to choose a cat is to let the cat choose you. If you can possibly meet some of the kitties on the site, you'll know which one wants to go home with you. :)

[mikey]

Originally posted by CatsinDenver
I'm so sorry about Henry. :(

I don't know how Maine Coon Rescue works, but my experience has been that the best way to choose a cat is to let the cat choose you. If you can possibly meet some of the kitties on the site, you'll know which one wants to go home with you. :)

Can you explain in more detail? How will we know?

[jenluckenbach]

I don't know anything about purebreds and their habits, but I am sure that it will vary with individuals. I wish you luck in your search. I would like to add to try not to limit yourself to "Maine Coon only" because you could miss out on a very special cat, maybe the least likely one you'd ever expect, if you don't keep an open mind :)

When I adopted Monte (my all white cat) he was the furthest thing from my mind. I was at a shelter trying very hard to make friends with a domestic long hair named Ivan. And all the while Monte was pestering me for attention. He was SO persistant!!! I even remember saying to him. "OH ALL RIGHT !!! I will hold you!". Well it was fate and almost 4 years later I still can't believe how I almost missed my soul-mate cat by thinking I wanted something else.

[iloverat]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. Good luck in your efforts to adopt. I don't have anything to add re: choosing a new addition. I think Jen's response was right on the money. Take care --- Bobbi

[Prairie Purrs]

Originally posted by mikey
Can you explain in more detail? How will we know?

Oh, you'll know! :D My Kacey was a shelter kitten who bounced around in front of me like a fuzzy little ball until he got my attention. I sat down and picked him up, and he promptly fell asleep in my lap.

A couple years ago I had some rescue kittens (not babies--they were several months old) that needed homes. A friend of mine wanted another cat, but she specifically wanted a lap cat because her other two were madly in love with each other and ignored her. So she came over to visit. While we sat on the sofa and chatted, one of the kittens crawled into her lap and stayed there. Love at first sight!

[RedHedd]

My Mishi was described as a young MC - he's probably around 2 years old and is still very kitten-like. I knew the minute I saw him on Petfinder that I wanted him. He was a rescue so I don't know his full background, just that he was horribly abused and very sick when they rescued him. It took me a month or so to finally adopt him. His first few hours with me, he was an angry growling, hissing mass of MC fur - it took him a couple of hours to turn into my looney-tunes funny, furry, goony lovebug.

The secret to success? Time and patience, gentle quiet loving. If you've found a few "candidates" talk to the people who are offering the cats for adoption - they will be able to tell you a lot more about their background, behavior problems, etc. before you make a final decision. The adoption sites really want you to adopt their animals, but all might not be suitable for you. Take your time and the right cat will appear - cats just do that.

[sirrahved]

I agree with the previous posts. You just kind of know when the cat is right for you. You know what qualities you are looking for in a cat. If you want a cool tempered, even-keeled cat, look for that. chances are that they will act the same way around you when you first meet them as when they are used to you.

I've found that breed generalizations usually have some truth to them. My Marsha is every bit the persian. She was two when we adopted her. We've bonded wonderfully. Of course, they are not ALWAYS true! I would never adopt a cat without interacting with it first.

Good luck on your new friend search.

[jenluckenbach]

Any luck with the search for a kitty?