Scratching post, bowls, carrier, bed, toys and combs: what a big cat really needs, where not to cut corners and what you don't need to buy at all.
People usually put together a shopping list for a new kitten on the pet shop's advice, and half of those things end up lying unused. Meanwhile two or three really important items never make the list.
A big cat needs many things in a different size, and the most important purchase of all, cat-proof window screens, usually isn't on those lists.
A cat doesn't scratch to sharpen his claws: he's shedding the old outer sheath, and that's a physical need. If there's no suitable scratching post, there will be the sofa.
For a Maine Coon the scratching post has to be tall and stable, and people usually underestimate both. The cat stands on his hind legs and stretches to his full length, and for an adult Maine Coon that's over a metre. He'll ignore a sixty-centimetre post because he can't stretch out on it.
And nine kilos leaning on a light post will knock it over on day two. After that the cat won't go near it again: animals remember very well what has fallen on them.
Jute and sisal last longer than carpet. Carpet also teaches a cat to scratch carpeting in general, yours included.
Whether you choose a post, a wall panel or a cat tree depends on the space you have. Ideally have both a vertical and a horizontal surface: cats differ in what they prefer, and you can't guess in advance.
Put it where the cat already scratches, or next to where he sleeps: cats stretch and scratch as soon as they wake up.
Choose ceramic or stainless steel. Plastic scratches, bacteria stay in the tiny cracks, and some cats get a contact reaction to it on the chin: those familiar black spots.
The bowl should be wide and shallow. A Maine Coon has long whiskers, and in a narrow, deep bowl they keep brushing the sides. The cat finds that unpleasant, even if he doesn't complain out loud. If your cat scoops food out onto the floor with his paw and eats it there, the bowl isn't comfortable for him.
A big cat finds it easier to eat from a bowl raised ten to fifteen centimetres off the floor: there's less strain on the neck and spine. You can buy ready-made stands.
The water bowl goes at least a metre from the food: cats don't drink where they eat, it's instinct. A drinking fountain is even better. Cats trust running water more, Maine Coons drink from it more willingly, and the more a cat drinks, the less you need to worry about his kidneys.
Put something under the bowls: Maine Coons paw at the water and splash it all over the kitchen.
Buy a carrier sized for an adult cat from the start: you'll be using it for some fifteen years, and the kitten grows up within one.
You need a rigid plastic one with a metal door. A big cat squashes a soft bag and, when stressed, gets out of it.
It must have a top that lifts off or opens. Neither you nor the vet can get a frightened nine-kilo cat out through a side door, but from the top you can simply lift him out.
The cat should fit inside lying stretched out, and for an adult Maine Coon that means a carrier for medium-sized dogs.
Get him used to it in advance: leave it open in a room with a bed inside. A carrier that only comes out before a trip to the vet becomes a source of panic.
Out of everything the pet shop sells, you really need two things. A metal wide-toothed comb will be your main tool: go through the whole coat with it once a week, and every other day while he's shedding. A mat splitter is for just in case: you'll rarely need it, but when you do, it'll save the day.
We don't recommend a slicker brush: it's easy to rip out guard hairs with one, and the coat takes months to recover.
You'll also need claw clippers. Ordinary scissors won't do: they crush the claw instead of cutting it.
Buy a bed with room to spare: Maine Coons like to stretch out. Then again, half of all cats end up sleeping on your bed, and the cat bed is just for decoration.
Vertical space matters more: a shelf above a wardrobe, wall-mounted steps, a tall cat tree. A big cat needs a place where he's higher than everyone else and where nobody comes. In a flat with children or other animals, you can't do without one.
Check the fixings: a Maine Coon doesn't hop up delicately, he lands.
Wand toys and teasers are for playing together, and that's exactly the kind of play a Maine Coon needs, because the breed is people-oriented. For hunting on his own, small things will do: balls, toy mice, anything that crinkles.
Keep these out of reach: thread, hair ties, tinsel and laser pointers. Cats swallow the first three, and that ends in surgery. A laser pointer causes obsessive behaviour in some animals, because the hunt never ends in a catch.
The most important item, and the only one that saves lives, is cat-proof window screens with a metal frame and strong mesh. An ordinary mosquito screen won't hold a cat, least of all a nine-kilo one: it falls out with him.
Also put cables in trunking, check the house for poisonous plants (lilies are deadly to cats) and shut away household chemicals.
Clothes aren't needed, nor are flea collars for an indoor cat, and a harness is only useful if you're serious about taking him out for walks. Don't buy vitamins or supplements unless a vet prescribes them: on a complete food they aren't needed, and some are harmful in overdose. There's no point buying catnip on day one either: kittens under six months usually aren't interested in it.
Take the words "Maine Coon" out of this advice and you're left with an ordinary list for any cat. What differs is the size: a litter box twice as big, a scratching post twice as tall, a carrier for medium-sized dogs. Litter boxes and litter are covered separately.
What to take from the breeder on moving day and how the first days go is covered in The first days at home.
Home in Raksi Maine Coon cattery, St Petersburg. Our kittens are listed on the Kittens page, and you can ask about getting your home ready in our VK group (in Russian).
7 Maine Coon care mistakes that seem harmless23 October 2026
Litter box and litter for a Maine Coon: what size you need and what to do if the cat misses11 October 2026