Maine Coons meow clearly and loudly when they require attention. These intelligent cats know that we will respond to their meowing and use it to let us know that they want something.
Excessive meowing can occur if Maine Coons are ignored for any length of time or if they become trapped somewhere they don’t want to be.

Aside from meowing, Maine Coons are known to howl for attention. Female cats emit a guttural howl when they’re in season and male Maine Coons howl if they sense a female on heat. A Maine Coon might also howl if it’s injured or even because it’s hungry.
Maine Coons are talkative cats. As well as meowing, like most cats, they also produce an endearing high-pitched trill which can be best described as a cross between a meow and a purr. It’s a happy sound and they often make it as they enter a room, like a friendly greeting.
Why Do Maine Coon Cats Meow so much?
Maine Coons meow as a means of communicating with humans. Basically, they are trying to tell us they want something. A Maine Coon might meow excessively until you respond.
Over the years, owners have become quite astute at translating cat language, so let’s look at the various interpretations of what a Maine Coon meow means.
It’s Bored
Contrary to popular belief, cats are not aloof, independent creatures that don’t require interaction with people. Maine Coons,
If your Maine Coon doesn’t know what to do and you are busy elsewhere, it will meow at you to get you to pay it some attention. Sometimes you are able to drop what you are doing and spend some time with your cat but at other times you may not be able to respond to it immediately. Your cat might quieten down if it is allowed to be near you and watch what you are up to.
If your Maine Coon is an indoor cat, make sure its environment is stimulating enough to stop it from getting as too fed up. Invest in a climbing tree (here is a brilliant example), a scratching post and plenty of toys.
Consider setting a bird table up outside a window it can see out of. Cats will pass hours happily watching birds come and go. You may even hear another noise from your cat that you don’t hear that often – a soft chattering which is usually only emitted when it spots prey that it is unable to reach.

It Wants to Go Outside
If your Maine Coon is allowed outdoors and you don’t have a catflap, it will meow at you to let it outside whenever it feels like going out to play, pee or explore. I would recommend having a flap fitted into a door or window so your cat can nip in and out.
You can buy flaps that can be programmed to recognize your cat’s microchip and be locked when you want to restrict their use. Never let a Maine Coon out until it is fully settled in your home and totally familiar with you and its surroundings. This can take several weeks, depending on your cat’s disposition.
Maine Coons are large cats that require plenty of exercise. The outside world is the perfect place for them to indulge in natural cat behavior such as hunting, climbing, jumping and exploring. You are the only one who can make the decision to let your cat go out.

It wants to get into the room you’re in
Our red tabby Maine Coon, Harry, is famous for urgently needing to be in a room we’re in as soon as we shut the door – and that room just happens to be the bathroom, inconveniently. Unless he makes it through the door before it is shut, he will incessantly meow until we are able to let him in. This generally happens every morning.
My husband invariably gets up at 5 am and I then get woken up by his meowing. Then I get up at 7 am and Harry appears again. The funny thing is, he’s happy to hang out in the bathroom while we go to the loo and clean our teeth but then asks to go out as soon as we turn on the shower.
We put this behavior down to two things: he wants a
Our white Maine Coon, Charlie, can’t bear to be shut out of my husband’s office. Occasionally he has to move him out as he walks all over his keyboard and sits in front of the screen. Charlie then sits and meows until my
It hasn’t been spayed or neutered
This is a major cause of excessive meowing in all cats.
If a female Maine Coon isn’t spayed she might meow excessively when she is in heat. This will be accompanied by her become increasingly affectionate, rubbing against you, rolling around on the floor and purring manically. This will last for 4 to 10 days.
An unspayed female cat who isn’t bred with a male cat will come into heat every 18 to 24 days throughout her breeding season. Indoor cats may continue to come into heat all year round. If you are not planning to breed from your female Maine Coon, the best way to reduce this excessive meowing is to have her spayed.
If a male Maine Coon isn’t neutered and he periodically meows excessively, he might be able to hear or smell a female cat in heat. He will pace and meow relentlessly throughout the time the female is in heat.
It might not be possible to prevent him from being able to detect females in heat, so the best way to reduce his excessive meowing is to have him neutered – unless you are planning to breed from him.
It’s part of its character
Maine Coons are usually talkative cats. As well as meowing, they chirp, trill, chirrup and make all sort of strange noises. One of our Maine Coons talks to us all the time whilst the other is a little quieter.
So you may find you have a Maine Coon that is a complete chatterbox and meows at you for every little reason, or you may have one that’s a little less talkative.

It’s hungry or just fancies something to eat
I always feel a bit sorry for our Maine Coons. When we want a meal or a snack, we help ourselves. They rely on us to give them all their food and we do this with regularity. Occasionally it can be later, sometimes it’s earlier.
If a cat is hungry it has to make you understand this and,
It might also meow as you prepare your meal
Maine Coons generally only eat as much as they need and don’t gorge themselves. But it is easy for an indoor-only cat to gain weight so be careful of giving it to much.
It wants your attention
I can be typing and one of the cats will walk in, meowing, and squeeze onto my lap between me and the laptop which means I have to stop. It’s as if he wants me to put the laptop down and give him some attention.
Or I’m writing Christmas cards and a cat will appear and sit all over them, meowing happily.
Basically, your Maine Coon wants you to focus your attention on it and not something else. Give it some attention and after a while, it will move on and let you finish what you were doing.

You’ve gone to bed and it’s wondering where you are
Often when we’re in bed we hear the sound of the cat flap followed closely by the sound of one of our Maine Coons meowing. I think they wonder where we are. This is how it happens:
- We are in the living room watching TV with both Maine Coons curled up on our laps or nearby
- One of the cats decides to pop outside for a pee and a little explore
- After a while, we switch off the TV and the lights and go to bed
- The cat comes back in and is confused to find no one is where it left them
- He meows as if to ask where we are
- We call out to whichever cat it is (we can distinguish this from just a meow because they have different voices)
- Satisfied that we haven’t left the building, the meowing ceases and we can all go to sleep
- Sometimes the other cat has also been outside and comes in just after we’ve nodded off to sleep … and his meows wake us up
Occasionally one or both of the cats comes upstairs, meowing and purring. They jump up on the bed and soon settle down to sleep with us.
It’s in pain
If your Maine Coon’s meowing sounds urgent, it may be in pain. If it is hunched up and meowing pitifully it might have an illness such as overactive thyroid or kidney disease. You’ll be able to tell from your cat’s whole demeanor and should take it to a vet if you are at all unsure.
It’s getting old
Just like with elderly people, Maine Coons can suffer from mental confusion as they age. They can become disoriented and forget where they are, which leads to them meowing woefully for no apparent reason, especially at night. Try to leave a nightlight on if your elderly cat is meowing a lot at night.
Here is a great value pack of six nightlights that have
Conclusion
Most of the time a Maine Coons usual amount of meowing is endearing and a pleasure to hear. However, excessive meowing may become annoying or distressing to an owner.
Understanding your Maine Coon’s different reasons for meowing is the key.
The majority of the time excessive meowing can be curtailed by having your cat spayed or neutered.
Most other types of meowing, if they really do get on your nerves, can be limited by not reacting to it. Try techniques such as lavishing praise when your cat is quieter and ignoring unappreciated meowing.
But remember, meowing is how your Maine Coon communicates with you and it seems a bit sad to try to stop it from doing what is natural cat behavior.

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