Can Maine Coons and Dogs Be Raised Together? And How?

Cats and dogs have been rivals for resources for millennia; now, they are rivals for our hearts and a place beside us in our homes. Did you know that cats and dogs are distant family? Both come from the order of Carnivora and have a common ancestor around 55 million years ago. Yet the two couldn’t be more different, so can Maine Coons and dogs be raised together?

Maine Coons adapt well to the presence of familiar dogs and live in harmony— reaching an understanding of each other’s body language. Pairing your Maine Coon kitten with a pup is best, as they can adapt to each other as part of their learning phase. Careful introduction and socialization are the keys to a harmonious cat vs. dog relationship.

Maine Coons are a level-headed breed, and their larger size makes it less likely your pup will consider them prey. Maine Coons are more tolerant of dog antics, and with their gentle natures, they are less likely to lash out. To Understand how to ensure that your Coon and Pup don’t clash, you should first understand their unique species dynamics—the secret to successfully raising Maine Coons and dogs together.

Understanding Potential Problems

55 million years ago, dogs and cats shared a common great-great (times a zillion) grandfather called the Dormaalocyon latouri. The Dormaalocyon was a crazy mash-up of a cat, dog, weasel, and a squirrel about a meter long who spent time wandering between forest trees.

When the cat and dog split into two distinct species, it paved the way for an enmity of millennia as they competed for prey and tackled each other in numbers (dog) vs. agility and strength (cat)

Beyond the fact that both species are part of our homes and families in rivalry for our affection, have you ever wondered why these two furries seem to push each other’s buttons?

Experts break down the dog vs. cat issue into a massive misunderstanding—a language barrier where the two species keep getting each other wrong. If you look at this cat vs. dog chart, you may have an inkling of why they often drive each other up the wall.

Body Language	Cats Intended Message	Dogs Intended Message
Tail wagging (horizontal position)	Cat Whole tail: I’m getting Angry Tip of the tail: Let’s play/hunt	Hi there, nice to meet you!
Moving the head to the side	I’m getting furious!	I don’t want any trouble, let’s not fight!
Lying on the back	Come over here, and I will claw you with all four paws!	I’m relaxed, I trust you!
Stretching out the forefeet	You’re in for a whipping…	Hey friend, wanna play?

With this fundamental misunderstanding of signals, it is no wonder why these two residents of our homes tend to clash. It’s like someone came up to you on the street with a friendly smile and then punched you in the face with a fist full of needles. You certainly wouldn’t be likely to strike up a friendship with the guy!

Raising Your Cat and Pup Harmoniously

You have heard those sweet stories or watched YouTube videos about animals joining the litter of other species. Often, the animals raised by a foreign species act similarly to their adopted parent and take the qualities of their littermates.

Research has shown that socializing kittens and pups at an early age is essential for a friendly bond between cats and dogs. Puppies and kittens have amazing neuroplasticity and learning power in their early months, so it is a great time to raise your pup and kitten together.

Kittens and puppies raised together early are more likely to indulge in play, learning each other’s body language to better understand each other as the very different adults they will soon become.

A study conducted in 2008 in Tel Aviv questioned 170 owners of mixed dog and cat households and how their animals got along. They then entered 45 homes and recorded the cat and dog interactions to see how cats and dogs who lived together interacted. They found that the dogs and cats got along well, often showing playful behaviors and sleeping together.

They even found that some dogs displayed cat signals, such as touching noses with their feline friends, which is not a natural canine behavior but an adaptation to living with their cat friends.

The dogs and cats that shared the closest bonds were cats and dogs adopted when both were in their puppy/kitten stage.  This closeness was especially true of cats and dogs who lived together for under six months for a cat and up to one year for the dog. These pets shared a close bond and appeared to have learned each other’s bodily language and social cues (Dag, 2011).

Look at this YouTube Meeting that went fantastically:

The most crucial part of the process is the introduction of your Maine Coon and a puppy which sets the stage for a great friendship or a dog show. (Dag,2011). So, if you are introducing a new pup to your beloved Maine Coon you should follow the following steps.

1. Build a Kitty Panic Room

Your Maine Coon kitten needs a safe space to retreat to should your new doggy prove a handful. If you don’t provide this safe space to retreat, your cat will most likely feel cornered and respond to the new pooch more aggressively.

Here are some tips for the purrfect kitty panic room

• Choose an out-of-the-way room, such as a spare bedroom in a quiet part of your home
• Make sure the area has a secure door and ceiling
• Place everything your Maine Coon may need in the sanctuary, such as food, water, a litter tray, toys, and bedding.
• Create some tunnels or place cozy blankets under the bed for your Maine Coon to use to feel more secure.
• Ensure your cat has some higher level preaches in the room and house, such as a bookshelf or invest in a cat tree available on Amazon.com

2. You Gotta Keep ‘Em Separated

Keep your Maine Coon and your pup separated to other sides of the house or between floors if you live on multiple levels. Although they will not meet face to face, they will begin to become familiar with each other’s odors and sounds. Bringing each pet’s bedding to the other for short spells is a good idea to get a good whiff.

Both dogs and cats rely heavily on scent to make sense of their world and can glean large amounts of information about other animals by their scent alone. Thus, introducing each other by scent first paves the way for their real-life meeting.

3. Pet Rotation: Getting to Know Each Other’s Scent and Sounds

Close your Maine Coon in its safe spot and allow your pup to investigate the cat from outside the room. You will find that they sniff each other from under the door. They will begin to familiarize themselves with each other’s scent and sounds without fear of confrontation.

PetMD suggests that you also rotate your pet’s bedding around so your feline and canine housemates can get a good noseful of their future companion.

It’s also a good idea to feed them at the same time on either side of the closed door. They will begin to associate each other with positive experiences such as a tasty breakfast or evening meal.

4. Leash Your Pup When First Meeting Your Maine Coon

It’s best to make introductions with your dog on a leash. This action will prevent the dog from running toward your cat and inciting a potential clash. Speak to your pets calmly and show positive body language to reassure your pets that they pose no threat to each other.

Don’t hold your pets in your arms during introductions. If your cat is afraid, it will react against your restraint, and you may end up looking like a scratch post. Let your Mine Coon wander freely and investigate the new housemate.

Choose a neutral area away from your cat’s safe place and keep the sessions short, gradually increasing the meeting time. Reinforce good behavior with praise and treats to create positive associations with each other. If either animal begins to behave aggressively, distract their attention and move them calmly from the room.

5. Repeat Meetings Each Day

Let your pets meet calmly and offer each of their favorite treats to sweeten the experience. Keep the meetings short and sweet, and end meetings on a good note. Gradually, you will notice a change in body language as the animals become accustomed to each other.

Don’t rush the process. Each pet needs to take its own time. If your pets are adults, they may have had bad experiences, which they need to resolve before they relax with each other. The process can take weeks or even months, depending on the age of your pets and their past life experiences.

6. Make Sure Your Pup Knows the Rules

Begin gentle training with your dog with lots of love and positive reinforcement. Focus on commands such as sit, down, stay, and leave. If your pup is obedient to your signals, you will be able to stop them from acting out the bad doggy traits like nipping or chasing.

Your cat will also grow in confidence when your dog responds, and they withdraw from disturbing our kitty. My Tervuren, Kenpachi, is a shepherd, so chasing and nipping is in his blood. I taught him the leave command early to prevent him from storming my Maine Coon (usually in happy boisterousness).

7. Watch Out for Potential Flareups

Your moggy and pup will give you clear body signals when they become agitated or angry.

You should look for these warning signs before they escalate into a more serious confrontation. Separate the two animals and let them cool down before allowing them to interact again.

Dog Stress/Aggression Signs	Cat Stress/Aggression Signs
Stiffened body posture	Crouches/freezes
Fixed stare	Swishes tail
Moving slowly	They pin back their ears
Rigid raised tail	Their pupils dilate

Keep repeating the leashed introduction until both pets show relaxed and friendly body language.

Dog Relaxed/Friendly Body Language	Cat Relaxed/Friendly Body Language
Loose body and tail position	Ears forward
Easy responds to your voice and turns away from cat	A relaxed body and soft gaze with narrow pupils

8. The Nose Knows: Try Pheromones for Your Maine Coon and Canine

Although the feline sense of smell is less understood than their canine cousins, olfaction, or smell, plays a vital role in a cat’s perception of the world. According to VCA Hospitals, cats have between 45 and 80 million olfactory receptors compared to dogs (100 million) and humans (5 million).

In fact, the part of the brain responsible for analyzing odors is almost 40 times larger in dogs than in humans. A University of Lincoln study showed that specific pheromones can make dogs and cats get along better! A combination of Feliway Friends, which emits calming pheromones for cats, and Adaptil, for the doggies in the family.

Researchers tested 17 cats and dogs in problematic households and found that their pets increased positive interaction and decreased negative encounters over six weeks.

9. Once Your Maine Coon and Dog Are Relaxed

Designate two separate feeding areas for your dog and your cat and ensure that the eating areas are off bounds (especially with greedy gut doggies). Establishing separate eating areas prevents one of the more severe forms of aggression: fighting over resources.

Once your cat and dog get used to each other, you should ensure you still supervise their interactions. Over time, when your pets have established trust, you will no longer have to be so vigilant.

Is It True Cats and Dogs Won’t Get Along?

A 2020 study published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2020 showed the findings of a survey of over a thousand people with dogs and cats living together in their households. Here are some interesting facts that they discovered.

Dog and Cat Activity	Percentage
Dog licking cat	42.8%
Cat ignoring dog	41.8%
Dog and cat sleep together occasionally	68.5%
Dog and cat play together	62.4%

The study showed that most dogs and cats housed together got along quite swimmingly despite the mixed signals that often cause dog and cat disharmony.

Just look how calm and collected this ginger Maine Coon is when faced with a canine adversary:

What Dog Breeds Get Along Best With Maine Coons?

While most breeds properly introduced can live with your Maine Coon, you should do your homework if you are thinking of bringing a dog to your Maine Coon’s territory. While introducing a puppy might be fine, adult dogs of the following breeds have a strong prey drive which may be a bad combination with your Maine Coon.

• Sporting dogs such as spaniels, retrievers, and pointers
• Herding animals such as Australian Cattle Dogs, shepherds, and collies
• Terriers including Jack Russells, Airedales, Bull Terriers
• Sighthounds, such as Greyhounds and Coonhounds

However, according to the AKC, some doggies suit your Maine Coon’s calm and collected manner, such as:

• Papillons
• Golden Retrievers
• Bulldogs
• Pugs

Closing Thoughts

Cats and dogs are very different creatures with some fundamental issues that can cause feuds. However, studies have shown that there is no reason that they can’t get along or even become fast friends. The key is how you introduce them to one another, setting the stage for their future life together. Who knows, they might just prove that you can “love like cats and dogs”—forget about the fights!