Maine Coon Breed Standard

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The breed standard of a purebred cat is the document that contains the guidelines provided by a cat association that inform the cat breeder what the cat should look like. It is there to assist breeders and judges at cat shows. The breed standards are written in a style that is a bit difficult to read for people who are outside the cat fancy. The cat fancy is the group of people who breed and show purebred cats and manage the cat fancy.

The breed standard is written in a way that allows for interpretation by judges and breeders. This can lead to a drift towards over breeding or what is called "ultra typing". "Type" means appearance and "ultra" means extreme in this context. Classic examples are the modern Siamese and flat faced Persian. Breeders have not over bred the Maine Coon, however. The cat looks normal.

The breed standards of the various cat associations (registries) sometimes differ, unfortunately.

Below are links to various Maine Coon Breed Standards:
Some people refer to "Maine Coon Competition Standards" when meaning the breed standard.

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