It’s turned into a bit of a habit with one of mine (Harry). Every morning when I get up at around 5 am to go to work he will follow me into the bathroom. I’ll sit on the toilet and he’ll just sit opposite me, staring. It can be a little off-putting and I’d like to say you get used to it, but not sure you do.
I’ll give him a little stroke and we’ll have a little chat before I then brush my teeth. He’ll hang around until I turn the shower on and that seems to be his cue to ask to leave the bathroom and go back to bed.
It’s not just in the morning that I see this behavior. In the kitchen he’ll just look at me, chirping, following me around as if he’s hungry but knowing full well he’s got a large plate of fresh food in his usual place! It’s not uncommon for this breed to act this way, but why do they do it?
Your Maine Coon will follow you around the house for a number of reasons, mainly because they love you and they want to know what you’re doing, they’re being inquisitive.
Why Does Your Maine Coon Follow You?
There are a few reasons why your Maine Coon will follow you around the house, this could be because they are:
- Inquisitive – your Maine Coon is naturally a very inquisitive (or should I say nosy) cat. They will want to know what you’re doing at all times. What they really can’t stand is when you go into the room and close the door but leave just a little gap. They find this almost irresistible and the temptation to find out what’s going on inside will eventually be too much for them.
- Affectionate – your Maine Coon will follow you around because it just wants to be in your company. Some are more affectionate than others, they may like to be in your company but at their own distance. They just like to know that you’re there!
- Hungry – your Maine Coon may think it is hungry. I say ‘think’ as I’m sure they always think they’re hungry! So, it will follow you around in the hope that you’ll end up giving it some food.
- Wanting Your Attention – your Maine Coon may just want your attention for some reason. There could be numerous reasons why this is the case. They are very sociable animals and will just want to spend as much time with you as possible.
What Personality Does the Maine Coon have?
The Maine Coon, the gentle giant of the domesticated cat family. This is a quite unique breed of cat that has very distinct personality traits.
They are typically inquisitive and very outgoing although, like all personality traits, it very much depends on the individual. We have two brothers which we’ve had since kittens.
Harry, our ginger Maine Coon, will talk to anyone as long as they show him some affection. However, Charlie, our white one, only trusts our immediate family.
If someone else comes into the house, he shoots upstairs and hides under the bed 🙂 So, although it’s fine to generalize, it’s not always like that as we all know.
The Maine Coon is an unusual cat, fact. One of my 14-year old’s (Harry) still runs around the house as if he was a little kitten.
He’s always been like this and there’s never really been that transition from kitten to sensible cat. He will play fetch with you and bite your toes if you happen to stick them out of the covers in the middle of the night.
I’ve had nightmares about this. I’m sure he just sits there, waiting. They can be a lap cat (if they’re in the mood) and they are great hunters, well sometimes.
They can be a little clumsy at times. Charlie used to just jump in the general direction of his prey, all four legs our sideways just hoping something would make contact with whatever it was he was hunting.
How Does a Maine Coon Show Affection?
The Maine Coon will show affection in a number of different ways:
- Vocal – the Maine Coon has a very distinctive way of communicating with you. It’s not so much a meow but a kind of chirp. Often you’ll hear this when they enter a room that you’re in or come through the cat flap. Sometimes they try and do this when coming through the flap with something in their mouth, like a rabbit. Imagine saying hello with a football in your mouth, it sounds about the same.
- Purring – of course, the classic purr. A sign that your cat is happy. Or, a sign that it is 3 am and you should get up and feed them immediately. Usually, they will do this when they are lying on your chest in bed with their face about 2 mm from yours.
- Slow Blinking – A cat will blink slowly at you to show that it perceives you as not a threat. You should do the same back. Also, doing this at the same time as yawning may enhance the feeling. Then, stand on one leg, put your right finger in your left ear and sing the national anthem
backward . They love this the best. Err, don’t do this last bit, just kidding – just the blinking and yawning bit! 🙂 - Rolling onto its tummy – don’t be fooled! This is not an invitation for you to tickle it. If you do, you may well end up with fewer fingers than when you started. This is a classic sign that they trust you, check out the article here all about this (opens in a new window).
There are many other ways that the Maine Coon can show you affection, some of them you may not have realized – make sure you understand what they are and respond accordingly!
Why Does My Cat Follow Me to the Bathroom
Your Maine Coon does this for the same reasons he follows you around the house, he’s showing you affection and wants to know what you’re up to!
How to Stop a Cat from Following You
There may be times when you want to stop your cat from following you. For instance, it’s not unusual when you leave your house for your cat to follow you up the street.
The worst thing you can do here is to make a lot of fuss of your cat if she does this as that’ll probably just make her follow you even more.
You don’t want them getting lost or going somewhere it shouldn’t (onto a busy road for example). So, what can you do to prevent your Maine Coon from following you when you don’t want them to?
I’m going to assume here it’s when they follow you outside as this is just what they do inside, you can’t really stop them – just go with it.
If it’s outside, and assuming it’s your cat then it could be because they’re anxious you’re leaving them. Do you go away for long periods perhaps?
Anyway, the only real solution to this problem and the only one that really works is to pick them up and put them back in your house. Then run as fast as you can out the door before they realize what’s going on and dash through the cat flap again.
By the way, if you’re worried about your cat going missing, I do recommend a cat locator such as this one (click to read reviews on Amazon)
Summary
So there you have it. I love the fact that my Maine Coon follows me around the house everywhere. It’s sweet. I’ve never known another cat breed to do it quite as much as the Maine Coon and it’s just another example of how this breed differentiates itself from most others!