Maine Coon Cat Shows New Kitten Brother Who's in Charge of the Household

It’s important when adding new members to the family that everyone else is on board with the idea. I remember that when I was pregnant with my youngest child, my older was super excited — as long as it was a girl. We ha to explain to her that “you get what you get and you don’t get upset” when it comes to the sex of the new arrival. (Maybe certain kings from history should have learned that lesson as well.) Luckily, my daughter got a little sister, and it’s mostly worked out.

Getting new animal companions can be similarly fraught. You always want to make sure that the pets who already live in your home have a positive experience meeting the newcomer, laying the groundwork for a fulfilling and close bond later on. And the animals, of course, can’t wait to show the new ones exactly what the pecking order is.

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In this video, a one-year-old Maine Coon cat is making her first overtures to her new little kitten brother. She starts by batting at him, but she’s so tall and her paw is so big, it frightens the youngster. So she gets down to his level, reaching her paw out along the ground. Still—he’s startled.

Related: Maine Coon Cat Dad Sweetly Watches Over Mom and Kittens in Heartwarming Video

But she’s determined to make friends.

“I think it’s going great!” writes their human mom in the caption. “Fig is very eager to play but hasn’t quite figured out how to be gentle enough not to scare Mr. E!”

In another clip they cuddle on the rug, and Fig submits poor Mr. E to some very maternal bathing rituals.

How to Introduce a New Cat To the House

Cats are extremely territorial creatures, and thus may view the arrival of a new feline as an encroachment on their territory. Thus, there are steps to take if you want to guarantee a harmonious living arrangements between an established cat and a new arrival. It’s best to introduce them slowly, and give them separate rooms from which to sniff at each other for a day or two (as well as separate spaces to retreat to while they are still figuring things out). Plenty of treats, careful supervision and a good deal of “alone time” can also make the transition smoother and help the cats learn to love one another.

Despite being territorial, cats are also social—they love to play tag and wrestle, as well as engage in “allogrooming,” a bonding ritual in which cats who are part of the same group bathe each other.

It looks like Fig and Mr. E are well on their way to becoming bonded, if they are already bathing each other.

“Stick around to see how it’s going with the dog,” she writes. And given that her pet dog is. Newfoundland, we know she likes her pets on the large side.

Is a Maine Coon Right For You?

Maine Coons are a large, striking breed of cat known for their enormous size, intelligence, and “doglike” behavior and personality. They are described as “gentle giants” whose love of performing tricks, swimming, and other unusual cat behaviors make them a popular option for people who think they don't like cats.

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