Skip to content
PetPrep
Get early access

Animal register · CatIn the app

Maine Coon

Maine Coon cat

The Maine Coon is widely considered one of the largest domestic cat breeds, with a muscular, rectangular body, a broad chest, large paws and a long, flowing tail. TICA gives an average weight of about 5.9–8.2 kg for mature males and 4.1–5.9 kg for females, and CFA notes that some males weigh more than 9 kg. It grows slowly: according to CFA it often does not reach full development until age three or four, and TICA says full maturity may take three to five years.

TICA describes it as gentle, friendly and playful, CFA as sociable, loyal and intelligent; it often talks with a chirping trill rather than a meow. Vetstreet writes that Maine Coons get along with everyone, including children, dogs and other cats. Its heavy, semi-longhaired coat is shorter on the shoulders and longer on the ruff, belly and hindquarters. Sources differ on grooming: Vetstreet says weekly combing is enough, CFA advises brushing or combing at least a couple of times a week, and TICA notes that a thicker coat can need daily combing. Pedigree kittens usually go to their new home at 12–13 weeks (PDSA).

Available in the 12-week PetPrep Challenge (paid breed).

Updated:

Maine Coon — photo (AI)
AI-generated photo

At a glance

Adult weight
males 5.9–8.2 kg, females 4.1–5.9 kg — USA TODAY Network C17
Coat and grooming
Sources differ on combing: from daily to once a week. — USA TODAY Network, Vetstreet Team C17C18
Lifespan
life expectancy at birth 9.71 years — J Feline Med Surg 2024 C14

Key facts from the sources at the bottom of the page. Where sources differ, each value is listed.

Who it suits

No sourced suitability tags for this breed yet.

What it needs

From cat breed registries, veterinary organisations and studies. Where sources differ, each one is shown.

Play

General guidance for cats (not breed-specific):

  • Play: 2–3 sessions of 10–15 minutes a day. — PetMD C10
  • Kittens need to play more often. — PetMD C10

Litter box

General guidance for cats (not breed-specific):

  • Scoop the litter: 1–2 times a day — ASPCA, Cats Protection C5C6C7
  • Change all the litter: every 7 days — ASPCA, Cats Protection C5C6C7
  • Urinates (adult): 2–4 times a day — Cats Protection C6
  • Passes faeces (adult): 1–2 times a day — Cats Protection C6

Scratching

General guidance for cats (not breed-specific):

  • Scratching is natural and necessary: give a scratching post and never punish it. — AAFP C23

Coat and grooming

  • Sources differ on combing: from daily to once a week. — USA TODAY Network, Vetstreet Team C17C18

Meals

General guidance for cats (not breed-specific):

  • 6–12 weeks: 4 meals a day — Royal Veterinary College C3
  • 3–6 months: 3 meals a day — Cornell Feline Health Center, Royal Veterinary College C2C3
  • 6–12 months: 2 meals a day — Cornell Feline Health Center, Royal Veterinary College C2C3
  • Adult: 2 meals a day — Cornell Feline Health Center C2
  • Senior: 2 meals a day — Cornell Feline Health Center C2

Water

General guidance for cats (not breed-specific):

  • Fresh water at all times; wash and refill the bowl daily. — Cornell Feline Health Center, ASPCA C2C5
  • Water need: 55–70 ml per kg of body weight a day — IVIS C4

Lifespan

  • Lifespan: life expectancy at birth 9.71 years — J Feline Med Surg 2024 C14

Life stages

  • Reaches adult size at: about 36–60 months — USA TODAY Network C17

General guidance for cats (not breed-specific):

  • Kitten: until 12 months — AAHA / AAFP C1
  • Young adult: 1–6 years — AAHA / AAFP C1
  • Mature adult: 7–10 years — AAHA / AAFP C1
  • Senior: from 10 years — AAHA / AAFP C1
  • Sleep (adult): 12–16 hours a day — PetMD C12

Size and weight

  • Adult weight: males 5.9–8.2 kg, females 4.1–5.9 kg — USA TODAY Network C17

Questions and answers

Answered only from the sourced facts on this page; every answer names its sources.

How long does a Maine Coon live?

According to our sources, the lifespan of the Maine Coon is: life expectancy at birth 9.71 years — J Feline Med Surg 2024 C14.

How big does a Maine Coon get and how much does it weigh?

Size and adult weight of the Maine Coon, according to our sources: males 5.9–8.2 kg, females 4.1–5.9 kg — USA TODAY Network C17.

How much grooming does a Maine Coon need?

Coat and grooming of the Maine Coon, according to our sources: Sources differ on combing: from daily to once a week. — USA TODAY Network, Vetstreet Team C17C18.

Game rules, not veterinary advice

How PetPrep simulates it

In PetPrep one real week is one month of the pet's life. These are the rules the game uses for this breed. PetPrep chose them from the sources on this page; they are not care instructions for a real animal.

Life stageStartsMeals a dayPlay a day
Kittenarrives at 3 months3; from month 6: 23 play sessions
Young catmonth 12 (1 year)22 play sessions
Mature catmonth 84 (7 years)22 play sessions
Seniormonth 120 (10 years)22 play sessions
  • No walks: an adult cat needs 2 play sessions a day with a wand toy, at least 2 hours apart.
  • Litter box: an adult cat uses it 2 times a day; each use is scooped within 4 hours (outside quiet hours), and all the litter is changed every 7 days.
  • After a day without enough play the cat scratches something once; the child carries it to the scratching post.
  • Combing 3 times a week.

Each game number is a PetPrep decision recorded with its sources. — Cornell Feline Health Center, Royal Veterinary College, ASPCA, Cats Protection, PetMD, PDSA, USA TODAY Network C2C3C5C6C7C10C13C17

Health

For information only, not vet-reviewed. Ask your vet about your own animal.

Our sources do not include breed-specific health information for this breed yet.

Before you buy: what to check with the breeder

Questions to settle before you take a kitten home. The points are advice from vets, welfare charities and cat federations; each cites its source.

For every breed

  • See the kitten with its mother, where the kittens live. — GCCF, International Cat Care K12K14
  • Under FIFe pedigree rules, a kitten does not go to a new home before 14 weeks of age. — FIFe K11
  • The kitten is fully vaccinated (panleukopenia, calicivirus, herpesvirus) and comes with a vaccination record. — FIFe, GCCF K11K12
  • A pedigree kitten comes with a pedigree certificate showing at least three generations. — GCCF K12
  • Ask whether either parent has had health problems the kitten could inherit. — PDSA K13

Laws on the minimum age, microchipping and vaccination differ by country — check the rules where you live.

Health tests of the parents for this breed

Tests a cat federation requires before a cat is bred

  • DNA test for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (MC HCM) — World Cat Congress K18
  • DNA test for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) — World Cat Congress K18
  • DNA test for pyruvate kinase deficiency (PK def) — World Cat Congress K18

This list comes from a foreign cat federation's breeding rules (see the source) and is an orientation. Ask the breeder which tests the parents have done.

Similar breeds

Other cats in the register with similar needs — each with sourced facts.

Sources

Every fact on this page cites one of these sources.

  1. C1AAHA / AAFP, JFMS / JAAHA 2021. Read through the AVMA JAVMA News summary of 2021-04-15. — 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelineshttps://www.avma.org/javma-news/2021-04-15/aaha-aafp-update-feline-life-stage-guidelines
  2. C2Cornell Feline Health Center (Cornell University CVM), edited 2024 — How Often Should You Feed Your Cat?https://vet.cornell.edu/departments/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/how-often-should-you-feed-your-cat
  3. C3Royal Veterinary College — Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital (London) — Kitten carehttps://www.rvc.ac.uk/beaumont-sainsbury-animal-hospital/kitten-care
  4. C4IVIS — Horwitz D. F., Soulard Y., Junien-Castagna A. (2010), in Encyclopedia of Feline Clinical Nutrition (Pibot P. et al., eds.) — Water drinking in catshttps://www.ivis.org/library/encyclopedia-of-feline-clinical-nutrition/water-drinking-cats
  5. C5ASPCA — General Cat Carehttps://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/general-cat-care
  6. C6Cats Protection (UK), blog, 2025-01-16 — How often should cats poo and pee?https://www.cats.org.uk/cats-blog/how-often-should-cats-poo-and-pee
  7. C7Cats Protection — The Cat magazine, Autumn 2013, pp. 24–25 (Vicky Halls) — To pee or not to peehttps://www.cats.org.uk/uploads/documents/Behaviour_-_To_pee_or_not_to_pee.pdf
  8. C10PetMD — Nicole Zittritsch, LVT; reviewed by Veronica Higgs, DVM; updated 2024-05-08 — How Long Should You Play With Your Cat Each Day?https://www.petmd.com/cat/care/how-long-should-you-play-your-cats-each-day
  9. C12PetMD — Nicole Zittritsch, LVT; updated 2026-03-25 — Why Do Cats Sleep So Much?https://www.petmd.com/cat/behavior/evr_ct_why_do_cats_sleep_so_much
  10. C13PDSA (UK veterinary charity) — Things to think about before getting a kittenhttps://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/kittens-cats/things-to-think-about-before-getting-a-kitten
  11. C14J Feline Med Surg 2024 — Teng K. T., Brodbelt D. C., Church D. B., O'Neill D. G. (VetCompass, RVC), doi:10.1177/1098612X241234556 — Life tables of annual life expectancy and risk factors for mortality in cats in the UKhttps://rvc-repository.worktribe.com/output/1760672/life-tables-of-annual-life-expectancy-and-risk-factors-for-mortality-in-cats-in-the-uk
  12. C17USA TODAY Network (P. Mueller), via Reuters Connect; reprinted by The Galveston County Daily News; undated — Maine coon cats: what to know about the big, fluffy breedhttps://www.galvnews.com/news_reuters/nation/maine-coon-cats-what-to-know-about-the-big-fluffy-breed/article_9ef510e5-47d3-5843-a884-41e6e37095ed.html
  13. C18Vetstreet Team (published 2011, modified 2026-05-26) — Maine Coonhttps://www.vetstreet.com/cats/maine-coon
  14. C23AAFP — Claw Friendly educational toolkit, client resources (2024) — Claw Friendly client resourceshttps://catvets.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/ClawFriendlyEducationalToolkit_ClientResources-upd.pdf
  15. K11FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline) — Breeding and Registration Ruleshttps://fifeweb.org/app/uploads/2023/11/br_reg_en.pdf
  16. K12GCCF (Governing Council of the Cat Fancy) — Choosing a Kittenhttps://www.gccfcats.org/getting-a-cat/choosing/choosing-a-kitten/
  17. K13PDSA — Things to think about before getting a kittenhttps://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/kittens-cats/things-to-think-about-before-getting-a-kitten
  18. K14International Cat Care — Where to get a cat or kittenhttps://icatcare.org/articles/where-to-get-a-cat-or-kitten
  19. K18World Cat Congress — Maine Coon — a comparison among the member organisationshttps://worldcatcongress.org/wp/cat_breed_comp_mco.php

PetPrep is a simulation for families. This page is not veterinary advice — for a real animal, ask a vet or the breed club.

Ready for a pet?

Be among the first families to try PetPrep. We will email you when it is ready — nothing else.

By subscribing you agree to receive emails about PetPrep. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy