Yay, pet thread! I'm so happy I found this. We just got a kitten and I'm still at the 'proud mum' stage, lol.
This is my Maine Coon cat, Dinah. She's nearly 6 months old and is a total rascal but so affectionate and adorable (and, as you can see, she likes sitting on my laptop to 'help' me when I'm working).
For those of you who have moggies that you suspect are half maine coons, I've never had another cat like an MC. They're really unique cats. Some of the things Dinah does:
1. Follows me round the house like a puppy. Totally freaks out if she can't see me or my boyfriend and starts mewling. This includes trips to the bathroom - she will sit outside the door yowling if you don't let her in. Despite having conducted this routine about 80 times now, she is still convinced I'm going to climb out the window and leave her an orphan if I shut the door. As far as she is concerned being next to us is good, being on us is better; and if there was a way for her to surgically attach herself she probably would.
2. She is so, so vocal. Everything she does is accompanied by lots of mad chirruping. Any time she wants something, she makes damn sure you know it! She chats to me about everything she does - when she comes into a room, she chirps, if she's about to move, she chirps, and she makes this insane trilling noise when she's running around. She also has the loudest purr you've ever heard! I've never had any other cat that is quite so chatty.
3. She likes to play with her front paws - she picks things up in them, and likes sitting on her hind legs to 'sit up' and play with things.
4. Is perfectly happy being manhandled. Likes being picked up upside down, cuddled on her back, etc (google image 'maine coon' and you'll see what I mean - they're all being held in ways most cats wouldn't tolerate).
So maybe if yours does these things they're a partbred
Pictures! Click to embiggen:
We adore her so much we're trying to get a little boy MC to keep her company. Cross your fingers for us!