How BIG DO MAINE COONS GET?

While most cats stop growing between 12 and 18 months, a Maine Coon will keep growing for the first several years of its life, though the average is often reported anywhere between 3-5 years.

Because a Maine Coon grows longer it also takes longer to reach adult status and remains a kitten for the first full year of its life. For this reason, if you know your cat is a Maine Coon, it’s probably a good idea to keep feeding them kitten food until around 15 months. Maine Coons don’t have the same nutritional needs as a typical house cat!

Most male Maine Coons can get to be over three feet long and exceed 26 lbs in weight! It’s for this reason that it takes them so much longer to grow than other cats. Where most cats will be finished growing at the end of a year and stay that size for the rest of their lives, a Maine Coon is only getting started. They need the extra time to grow into their paws and get to be the gentle giants they are known to be.

It’s also worth noting that a Maine Coon takes a while to grow into its coat as well. It can take up to a year for the Maine Coon to grow the mane the breed is famous for, and even once it does it can be significantly thinner in the summer months. These cats shed! Even a fully grown Maine Coon will not always be as fluffy as it is in the winter, so don’t worry because they will grow their beautiful mane and coat back when the weather cools down.