Your Maine Coon Guide

  Photo by Jean-Luc Toilet on Flickr. In the Cat Fanciers' Association breed standard the Maine Coon coat is described as, "heavy and shaggy;....Frontal ruff desirable.." Well this cat has a perfect coat under that description. It looks very heavy and very shaggy and there is plenty of "ruff". She has nice "ear furnishings" too. This means ear hair including those important ear tufts coming out of the top of the ears. The coat looks like a brown tabby and white one.

Coonyham Maine Coon cats -  a cat breeder - did at one time have a website http://www.coonyham.com/ according to TICA. But the domain name expired it seems and the site is no more. The name is up for sale. That indicates that Joe and Laura Cunningham, who own or who owned the cattery no longer trade. But I don't know. On this page from TICA you can see them listed as TICA people. There is a phone number and email address on the page.

There are two main sources of Maine Coon rescue in New York and both are affiliated to or work through major rescue websites: Petfinder ( Maine Coon Rescue ) and Adopt a Pet ( Maine Coon rescue on this site ). The big thing about these Maine Coon rescue sites is that nearly all the cats are Maine Coon mix. They are described as this. I am not convinced that some are even that! They look like long haired moggies to me. How can you tell what a Maine Coon mix is? And exactly what is a Maine Coon mix? They are random bred cats in fact. Great cats yes but not purebred Maine Coons. There are some - a few - purebred Maine Coons on these sites but even then the rescue center says that they cannot guarantee that they are purebred. Are there papers to establish that? Not sure. I'd watch out for that. [ Note: moggies are at least as good as purebred cats. They are probably more inherently healthy as they come from a wider gene pool. But if you would like to adopt a real Maine Coon th

Grooming tips for a Maine Coon cat will be the same as for any cat or at least any semi-longhaired or longhaired cat. Longhaired need to be groomed by us. Shorthairs can be left alone but grooming is beneficial. I can't think of one tip that is more important than this one: groom regularly, ideally once or even twice a day. The key is to prevent matting. Once you have matting it is very hard to remove the matts. Your cat won't like it and neither will you. But your cat will enjoy being groomed with a nice comb bought perhaps at your local veterinary surgery or online at Amazon. The Furminator is very efficient but beware of the fact that it might be too strong for your cat. Not all cats will like the Furminator. A more gentle brush/comb combo device is probably better to keep the matting at bay. If your groom regularly you can even get a flea comb through a dense coat (32 teeth to the inch comb). Not all cats will like being groomed but most will. The key once again

Here are some Maine Coon Cat Accessories on Amazon.com: <A HREF="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?rt=tf_ssw&ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fpictofcats-20%2F8003%2F27c0137c-4f5f-4686-b92d-eb03f9d7b1fb&Operation=NoScript">Amazon.com Widgets</A> Just click on the images to go to the relevant page.

Here are two Maine Coon Cat Breeders in Oregon: Note: cat breeders don't exist for very long. On that basis both these breeders may go out of business in the not to distant future. Mainefolkus Cattery - listed by the CFA so CFA affiliated. They are located in Lebanon, Oregon: View Larger Map This is their website where you can explore and through which you can contact Dan and Jackie Blondell, the owners. Secondly, I will list a cattery that is not quite in Oregon! It is in Vancouver, Washington but a 20 mins drive from Portland, Oregon. It is called Cascade Mountain Maine Coons and this is their website . View Larger Map

The history of the Maine Coon cat is not set in concrete let us not forget! But the timeline below fits the general consensus about this cat breed: 1620 - pilgrims from England land at Plymouth in Maine. They brought ships cats. Some were long haired or semi-longhaired and some were shorthaired. More pilgrims arrived later. Ships cats were routine in those days and polydactyl cats (cats with extra toes) were it seems favored. These longhaired ships cats are thought to be the precursors to the purebred Maine Coon. They are the founding cats if you like. The shorthaired cats started the American Shorthair purebred cat by the way. These cats were random bred cats (moggies). 1620 to 1850s - Random bred cats are farm cats in Maine and elsewhere. Some are longhaired and some shorthaired. 1850s - breeding of Maine Coon commences. 1861 or thereabouts - early cat shows as additions to farm livestock shows at which "Maine Cats" were shown. These became formal cat shows ap

Below is a fine photo of a fine Maine Coon cat: Brown Tabby and White Maine Coon - Photo copyright Helmi Flick The photo on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA).

Maine coon cat , a photo by fox_kiyo on Flickr. This is the first time I have seen this cat. The photo is directly from Flickr so I have no control as to whether it is deleted at source or not. The cat looks female and she looks pretty. She has no ear tufts - fur at the tip of her ears. I like tufts of of hair at the tips of the Maine Coon ears. They are well known for them! The eyes are orange/copper colored. The eye color need not bear any relationship to the coat color under the breed standard . I am not sure what she is wearing. I think the photographer is from Japan. I presume therefore that the cat lives in Japan. Japan has a decent cat fancy. Helmi Flick was once invited to take photographs there at a cat show. She lives in the USA.

There are two Maine Coon legends that I know of. There are probably more. The first is that the breed started when a raccoon mated with a domestic cat. This probably came about because of the large size of the Maine Coon and the ringed tail. The other less outrageous Maine Coon legend is that the beginning of this breed was the mating of an American Bobcat with a domestic cat. The latter is possible it seems but the former, positively, is not possible. Both are false. It is almost certain that the breed started with the importation of English moggies as ships cats with the first immigrants from Europe in the early 1600s. Polydactyl long haired cats from England were often ships cats as sailors thought that the extra toes helped with stability on deck and in catching rodents. See Tootsie a polydactyl Maine Coon . See Maine Coon History

In April 1985 the governor of Maine signed a bill after a considerable struggle, it seems, that recognised the Maine Coon cat breed as the official state feline. A "no" vote from the legislature's State Government Committee was overturned and there was a a bit of a media campaign to see off too. The bill/legislation is number HF 199-LC233. A champion Maine Coon cat called, "None-such Baxter" was present when the bill was passed (as I understand it!). It was a joyous day for those in the cat fancy who were concerned with the Maine Coon cat.

This cat has a farm cat type coat! It is functional and a bit shaggy not well manicured let's say. The Maine Coon cat coat requires relatively little maintenance. It is water repellant (aren't all cat coats the same?). The cat associations have allowed a very wide range of cat coat colours and types, which might have made the more traditional cat fanciers a little unhappy - I am not sure. The coat colors and patterns include - there are many more: Red Shaded Tabby Blue and White (blue is dilute black). Maine Wave - these are Rex coat cats. They are controversial. The wavey coat is caused by a genetic mutation. There are a number of rex cats such as the LaPerm and Devon Rex to name two. The coat has not guard hairs and is surprising to see this coat on a Maine Coon. This coat is not accepted by the cat associations. Black Smoke (see "Quin" below) Odd-eyed White Silver tabbies - these are apparently preferred by TICA (USA association). The cat's face is

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 S

The books refer to a Maine Coon cat that appears to have been shown at American cat shows as early as 1861. I don't think this is correct because the first cat show in England was in 1871 as far as I am aware and the cat fancy in the USA was a little behind that of the UK. If anyone can clarify by leaving a comment it would be most welcome. Update: I think the truth lies between these two points. There were farm shows at which purebred cats or domestic cats generally were shown perhaps by the farmer's wife. This is where early Maine Coon cats could have been shown. Anyway the books do record a Maine Coon called "Captain Jenks of the Horse Marines" (big and grand name, don't you think? But Maine Coons are big and grand!). He was a black and white Maine Coon cat. The name incidentally is after a music hall song of the mid-1800s. He is said to have been "owned" by the brother of Mr FR Pierce and Mr Pierce himself who wrote the book, The Book of the Cat

一般 品种开始： 19世纪60年代 时的日期 地方品种开始： 美国 品种祖先： 在美国和 在此之前，英国moggies（被认为）的农场猫。 宠物繁殖 outcrosses ：无 其他名称：沙格 缅因州 ，美国长毛（旧名），美国Snughead。 重量范围：4-10 公斤或 9-22磅（完全国内最大的猫 - 非 野猫 混合 ）。 气质：温柔，安静的 权威 。 猫协会：华人慈善基金“ （英国 猫协会），TICA FIFE （欧洲大陆），终审法院（美国），（美国）。 品种颜色 自（固体）和玳瑁： 黑色，奶油色，蓝色，红色 ，白色 ，蓝色tortie（蓝，绿，奇，橙色眼睛）totoiseshell。 烟雾和阴影： 颜色为自我和tortie颜色为白色除外。 虎斑 - 经典（斑点）和鲭鱼（条纹）： 棕，红，蓝，奶油，tortie，蓝色tortie。 银虎斑： 颜色为标准虎斑。 双颜色： 所有的自我，tortie和虎斑的颜色用白色。 杂项 已知 chirrups 和 颤音 （ 杂音 的声音 ） 。 在 终审法院 注册 的 最大的 猫。最受欢迎的 纯种 猫 。 This is a Google translation! So it might not be that good.

What is the price of a Maine Coon cat? Well, it will vary. And I guess that you are looking for a purebred Maine Coon from a breeder. You can occasionally find purebred Maine Coons at rescue centers but probably won't get the certificates to prove it. Tootsie is a great example and she is polydactyl too . The human companion to Tootsie, "Valley Girl", did as far as I am aware, obtain documents to confirm purebred status as well. Tootsie is quite internet famous! Tootsie Maine Coon Cat - Silver Smoke Coat? Photo copyright Valley Girl People who are not breeders by "pet quality" purebred cats as opposed to breeding cats. Breeding cats are more expensive because they have to be of a particularly high quality. In the USA the price of a Maine Coon might be between $400 and $1000 depending on quality (quality means how close to the breed standard and based on overall appearance and temperament). In the UK you can probably say the same figures in pounds (GPD

Brown Tabby & White Maine Coon Photo copyright Helmi Flick The photo on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA). General Date when breed started: 1860s Place where breed started: United States Breed Ancestry: Farm cats in the USA and before that British moggies (it is thought). Allowed breeding outcrosses: None Other names: Maine Shag, American Longhair (old name?), American Snughead. Weight range: 4-10 kg or 9-22 lbs (the largest fully domestic cat - non- wildcat hybrid ). Temperament: Gentle, quiet authority. Cat Associations: GCCF (UK cat association), FiFé (mainland Europe), CFA (USA), TICA (USA). Breed Colours Self (solid) and tortoiseshell: Black, cream, blue, red, totoiseshell, blue tortie, white (Blue-, Green-, Odd-, Orange-eyed). Smoke and Shaded: Colors as for self and tortie colors except for white. Tabby - classic (blotched) and mackerel (stripes): Brown, red, blue, cream, t

The best place to buy a Maine Coon Cat Calendar is probably online from Amazon. Here is a  nice selection for 2011 and 2012: <A HREF="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?rt=tf_ssw&ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fpictofcats-20%2F8003%2Fe27b9920-60ea-492d-a79e-67bb45236030&Operation=NoScript">Amazon.com Widgets</A> The Maine Coon is the world's most popular purebred domestic cat .

Some people will say that their large long haired cat is a Maine Coon. It sounds good. And a large random bred cat can look similar to a Maine Coon. And even cat breeders can produce Maine Coons that are not great in respect of compliance with the breed standard. So these purebred Maine Coons are similar in appearance to random bred cats that look like Maine Coons. You have to be careful. You have to be careful to about which cat breeder to go to because a Maine Coon that is purebred and which looks perfect Maine Coon may not be that healthy. Sorry, I don't want to stir up trouble but it can happen. I am not saying that Maine Coons are inherently unhealthy, just that health problems such as hip dysplasia and HCM (a heart disease) are factors. There are many Maine Coon mixes on Petfinder.com for instance. These are not purebred. These are worthy and wonderful cats but if you want a purebred cat you'll have to get documentary evidence and go to a damn good cat breeder or be

photo by navvywavvy (Flickr) There is an association between the Maine Coon cat and water, strange though it sounds. Maine Coons seem to like water. They like playing with it . Apparently some Maine Coon like to paw at their water bowl. Why is this? I attempt to answer that question on this page . And Dante who lives in Chicago, Illinois says this about Oliver: My Maine Coon cat is obsessed with water ! And on this webpage your will see a Maine Coon fascinated with water. So what is going on? Well, it is probably no more than what all domestic cats do or certain individual cats do. This is a throwback to the small wildcat who likes to hunt near water courses because there is prey there. Many small wildcats do this. Maine Coons are descendants, ultimately, of the wildcat as are all domestic cats, purebred and random bred.

This is a photo on Flickr and embedded from Flickr so the image might disappear! Also I don't know if this cat is a purebred Maine Coon or not. There are lots of Maine Coon "mix" cats out there. They are as good as any other cat and better than most but not purebred. Black Smoke Maine Coon and a touch of orange -by Dan Hershman This cat definitely has a smoked coat. You can see a purebred Maine Coon that has a black smoke coat on this page . Smoked coats are caused by the inhibitor gene stopping the production of melanin being produced in the skin so that it is only embedded in the top one third of the hair strand. What is that orange fur doing around the face and under the white? This cat has patches of white too. So I'd say that he might be a smoked calico cat ! Not sure if that is possible or that it is a good assessment. But Max (his name) is a very handsome cat and male cats are very rarely calico cats!

Black Jack Maine Coons is a sought after Maine Coon cattery located "on the outskirts of Huddersfield" in northern England, UK. They have been breeding for eleven years so there is plenty of experience. If you are thinking of buying please visit the cattery. There is no substitute for visiting. Your Maine Coon can then choose you! And you can check out the facilities. Don't assume that all Maine Coon breeders are good or even competent. Prize winning cats at a cattery is no guarantee of competent breeding. Go to their website . See the location: View Larger Map At the time of this post they have two charming silver tabby and white kittens for sale in September 2011.

Wallpaper, to those who are not sure, is a large image that can be shown on the desktop of your computer as a substitute for what is provided by the manufacturer of the computer. If you like Maine Coon cats, Maine Coon cat wallpaper has its attractions. No doubt there are websites that provide wallpaper downloads etc. But why not make you own wallpaper? You just have to find a copyright free Maine Coon image that is free or under license or, if you don't mind paying a small sum of money, you can go to iStockphoto for suitable images . Most of these images are perfect for wallpaper. For free Maine Coon cat pics under license (comply with the license, please) go to Flickr. Read this about copyright and free public domain photos . The photo below would make a decent wallpaper as there is plenty of white on the left for the icons: If you click on this page you can see it in very large format so you can them re-size to fit the computer screen. This image is can be used unde

This concerns genetic or inherited illnesses . All or nearly all purebred cats have some weaknesses in respect of inheriting genetic illness because all are inbred to varying degrees. This promotes the chance of mutant or defective recessive genes being inherited from both parents and becoming active. There are some concerns about Maine Coon health. The two biggest issues are hip dysplasia and HCM - Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (a heart disease that affect Bengal cats and other cat breeds and cats generally).  I cover this subject on this page: HCM in Maine Coons . I have a page on Maine Coon cat health . And this page also touches the subject: Free Maine Coon kittens in the comments section.

The Maine Coon is considered an American cat because it has a long history in the USA. It goes back at least approximately 400 years and perhaps considerably longer. Although 400 years ago the predecessor to the Maine Coon was not a Maine Coon but an English long haired or semi-longhaired Moggie (random bred cat). The video above (heading this website) mentions this breed's history and on the following page I go into considerable detail about the history of this cat breed: Maine Coon Cat History .

Well, I have a nice photo - no, a really fine photo - of a black smoke Maine Coon. This is an interesting coat type. Black Smoke Maine Coon Quin Photo copyright Helmi Flick The black smoke cat's fur has black at the top of the hair strands and about one third down the hair losses its pigmentation. This results in this smokey appearance as the fur is parted and the underneath is revealed. The inhibitor gene prevents black pigmentation being formed and becoming embedded in the hair strands. I have more on this cat on this page .

I don't have a photo of a calico Maine Coon but a cat coat type that is very close: the Tortoiseshell Maine Coon. You just have to add some white (by the application of the white spotting gene - see cat genetics ). Update: see below a calico Maine Coon. Tortoiseshell Maine Coon Photo copyright Helmi Flick The photos on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA). You can read and see a lot on Calico Cats on this page . Do calico cats have a certain type of behavior ? See this page on tortoiseshell cats generally. Beautiful Cookiecat The above photo is by ~Sage~ a well known Flickr photographer. Below is another picture by ~Sage~ of this gorgeous Maine Coon cat:

Rasclub Maine Coon is a Dutch Maine Coon cat club. This is their website . The Dutch are as keen on their purebred cats as the Americans it appears.

Here is a beautiful photograph of a beautiful white Maine Coon cat taken early on in the career of Helmi Flick. White Maine Coon. Photo copyright Helmi Flick The photo on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA). This cat is deaf. The gene that takes pigment away from the cat coat can also affect hearing. It is quite common. Please read this page about deaf cat featuring the above photo. This page: Cat Coats White discusses the genetics about white cats.

There are many Maine Coon cat breeders in Florida. Florida appears to be a state where a lot of cat breeding takes place probably because it is a retirement state and cat breeding is a hobby business. I will list three Maine Coon cat breeders in Florida here with location maps where the address is provided. I have selected these four on the quality of the website. A rather limited way of selecting but all I can go on: Hearts Haven Maine Coons : Appears that they are affiliated to the Cat Fanciers' Association. Located in Debary, Florida. Concerned breeders. Family business. Prefer that clients travel to the cattery rather than ship. View Larger Map CJPaws Maine Coons : They are located in "central Florida". No more on the site about location. I believe they are located at Tavares, Florida. CFA affiliated. Please visit their site and contact them to learn more. View Larger Map Kumskaka Maine Coon cats : Registered in all associations. Specialize in silver t

The  United Maine Coon Cat Association is a Maine Coon cat club that is affiliated to one of the cat associations, the CFF, the Cat Fanciers' Federation , Inc. which is a "feline registry with clubs and judges in northeastern portions of the United States". The word "united" in its title comes from the "formulation of a unified standard" (breed standard) for the Maine Coon. At the time of the club's creation (1972) there were a many breed standards that were slightly different. This is because there were many cat associations who wrote their own breed standards. The intention in 1972 was to create one breed standard - the master guidelines regarding appearance - for all the various cat associations. See: Too many cat associations and a page on the major cat associations and here is a link to the United Maine Coon Cat Association .

The best way to see a series of pictures of Maine Coons by the acclaimed cat photographer by Helmi Flick is through a slides show. Here it is: Fine photos by Helmi Flick, Dani and others.

Here is a well know picture of a giant Maine Coon: Giant Maine Coon - Photo is copyright wendyophoto   The photo on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA). You can see a larger format image of Shooter on this page .

The Maine Coon is, on my reckoning, the largest purely domestic cat breed (meaning other wildcat hybrids ). The size of individual cats varies though so some Maine Coons will be of a more average size. Males weight from 15 - 25 lb (6.8 - 11 kg) 1 Weight does not completely tell us about size, however. The Maine Coon is a rangy cat so they look larger anyway. Click on the link in the navigation bar labelled "domestic cat size" for more on domestic cat size generally.

A grey Maine Coon will often be a grey tabby Maine Coon. The coat will not be even in colouring and without a pattern. I suspect that you are looking for a pure grey coat color like the Russian Blue or Chartreux . The Maine Coon is found in a large range of coat colors and patterns. You will no doubt find a pure grey one somewhere. They are better looking, though, and more Maine Coonish when the coat is a tabby coat and particularly a tabby and white. Below I show a grey tabby Maine Coon. The photo is by Helmi Flick and protected by copyright. The photo on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA). Silver grey tabby Maine Coon - Photo copyright Helmi Flick See a fantastic photo by Helmi of silver classic tabby and white Maine Coon kittens . This is a special photo.

Maine Coon Vlammetje Eternal Flame van Siduroy (im), black silver tortie tabby classic. Photo copyright Dani This is Dutch which means, "the maine coon as a pet". People from Holland search the internet using this phrase. The photo above is by a talented cat breeder and photographer living in Holland, Dani (Daniëlle Rozeboom). This is her website . Well this is a question, in Dutch, about how the Maine Coon is as a pet. This is my answer in Dutch (a Google translation so please forgive the bad grammar etc.): "De Maine Coon is een geweldig huisdier. Dit is een grote binnenlandse kat die zich gedraagt ​​als iedere andere binnenlandse kat. U moet om te communiceren met je Maine Coon. Maar ze zijn veeleisend in mijn ervaring. De Maine Coon is ontspannen en zorgeloos. Maine Coons in het algemeen op goed met kinderen en honden en andere katten. Het zijn mensen georiënteerd katten. Die zeiden dat ze niet te veel afhankelijk zijn van mensen. Ze hebben geen aandacht vrag

I made this video about the Maine Coon sometime ago. It contains the photographs of Helmi Flick and Dani plus one photograph by me of ZAK . The music is by John Barry and I very pleased to say that YouTube have let me use this music and I presume so has John Barry or his agent. The music works well with the images because it is called "Kicking Bird's Gift" and it comes from the Dances with Wolves film so it is very much part of American history as is this fine and popular purebred cat. Here is the video:

Tootsie a rescued purebred Maine Coon - Photo copyright Valley Girl The photo on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA). As I have quite a comprehensive page on Maine Coon cat rescue I won't go over the same ground here. This is the page . It contains general information about Maine Coons as well. One thing to be aware of is that there are many Maine Coon mix cats that are waiting to be rescued. These are not purebred cats but equally valuable (in a general sense not a monetary sense) and as nice. But if your want to acquire a purebred make enquiries and read the small print. It is possible to adopt a fantastic purebred cat through the rescue process. Valley Girl is one person who did when she adopted Tootsie . See photo heading this post. Tootsie is polydactyl as are many Maine Coons.

The Maine Coon cat is an American cat but known and kept worldwide. It is a very popular cat breed . There will be many breeders and "owners" in the UK. A good starting point for people who want to adopt a Maine Coon might be to go the Maine Coon Cat Club . They have a lot of useful information on the site together with a very big list of Maine Coon cat breeders in the UK categorised by location - excellent. There are also some nice Yahoo Groups where you can exchange ideas and learn from others. There are no country boundaries to Yahoo Groups so you'll be able to meet up with breeders and keepers from anywhere in the world. Expect to discuss the Maine Coon with mainly Americans. This is the page for mcats the top Yahoo group on this cat breed. The photo below by Helmi Flick illustrates their home page: Bicolor Red Tabby Maine Coon Photo copyright Helmi Flick The photo on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Googl

The best place to buy books is on Amazon. They started out selling books and books are very convenient to ship. Below is a nice selection of Maine Coon cat books from Amazon.com (North American market place). ...sorry, the Amazon gizmo has stopped working . Typical. If you go to Amazon and search for "maine coon cat" in "Books" you get a very nice list.  <A HREF="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?rt=tf_ssw&ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fpictofcats-20%2F8003%2F731380db-6d0b-49da-8cff-be68c72a9fc6&Operation=NoScript">Amazon.com Widgets</A> I have limited this selection in a slide show to the USA and Canadian market. For the UK market you can visit this page on Amazon.co.uk: Maine Coon Cat Books I have the Yankee Cat by Marilis Hornidge. It is very wordy and good on the cat's history . Not bad but n

If you are looking for the largest Maine Coon cat you won't find a definitive answer on the internet as to the particular individual cat that is the largest. There is no competition that ranks Maine Coon cats in terms of size and weight. This boy is pretty large, though: Shooter . The biggest Maine Coon? Photo is copyright wendyophoto The photo on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA). But that said, the Maine Coon as a purebred cat breed is the largest of the domestic cat breeds other than the wildcat hybrids. And lets be honest, wildcat hybrid domestic cats are really domestic cats (i.e. they are not wildcats ). The first filial (F1) wild cat hybrids are normally bigger than the Maine Coons. That means the F1 wildcat hybrids are larger than the large Maine Coons. The people at Guinness World Records have awarded Magic the accolade of the largest domestic cat. That shuts out Maine Coons . There is

Well, I have a picture of the most beautiful Maine Coon cat in the world and she is a black and white Maine Coon cat. Maybe you have seen this cat and are searching for her or maybe you just like black and white Maine Coons. Black and White Maine Coon - Miss Kate Photo copyright Helmi Flick I confess that I love Miss Kate. She is pure glamor. She epitomizes the attraction of the Maine Coon cat and why the Maine Coon is the world's most popular purebred cat . If you want to know a bit more about the genetics of this kind of cat coat please go to cat coats solid and white . This is a bicolor cat coat. Bicolor means "two colors". Here is another black and white Maine Coon Cat. Although this does not look like a Maine Coon😢. Photo copyright Helmi Flick.

Ruth lives with by Dan Hershman who took the photo People search on the internet for "Maine Coon Kitties" The word, "kitties" is used by Americans so I know that it is Americans who are searching. Hi...you might be one of these people. If you are, you are wise! The Maine Coon is the post popular purebred cat in the world, I believe. The video heading this website explains why I think this is. This page also discusses the reasons behind the Maine Coon's popularity . Before adopting (buying or rescuing) a Maine Coon it is probably sensible to think about the cost of maintaining a purebred cat and to learn about the Maine Coon. The Maine Coon does have potential health issues , lets remember. I don't want to run down the Maine Coon. Not at all. This is a very special breed of cat and I love this breed. But people who wish to keep a Maine Coon should be aware of health issues as they translate into cost issues! Going to the vet is expensive. Pet insura

People looking for a Maine Coon breeder in Tennessee might like to start with these (remember things change over time and breeders eventually cease to trade). Coonpaws - CFA registered and located in Knox County. They don't have a website but their phone number as at the date of this post is: 865-694-6037. View Larger Map Cumbercoon - registered with the two major cat associations: CFA, TICA. They are located in the Nashville area. There website is here: http://www.cumbercoon.com View Larger Map The third I would like to mention is Firemountain registered with the ACFA, CFA and TICA. They have a website too: http://www.firemountaincats.com and they are located in Franklin County: View Larger Map

Ken and Helmi Flick's Maine Coon Cat - ZAK , a photo by broadsurf on Flickr. Here are some of the best Maine Coon cat pics from Flickr photographers, published under a creative commons license. Some of the adsense money earned on this site goes to cat charities. The remainder goes towards running costs. The heading pic is by me. It is good - big head - because the cat is so handsome. He is ZAK and he lives with the celebrated cat photographer Helmi Flick and her husband Ken. He is a grey and blue bicolor. He has a shy but charming character. The next Maine Coon cat pic is by BerylM . It is of a charming kitten that I used to illustrate a page on my website about why Maine Coon kittens are never free ! Charming Maine Coon Kitten Next we have a very handsome Maine Coon cat in a box. Cats like little spaces. The picture is by WindRanch . He is called Norm. I would say he is a dilute silver tabby and white coated cat. But will defer to someone who knows better. Di

The tabby Maine Coon is probably the most popular. The cat above is a brown tabby and white Maine Coon.  The cat is a European Maine Coon. The coat looks diluted brown to me. This is one of my favorite colours and patterns for this breed of cat. See an article about tabby and white cats in general. Maine Coons can be bred to a wide range of colours and patterns . This is dictated by the cat associations.

Got to show you a cat Maine Coon cat that is becoming more and more famous as the months go by. Her name is Tootsie and she lives with Valley Girl. Valley Girl is a professor and lecturer. She has her own website that is part of the PoC sites. She adopted Tootsie from a cat rescue center. She is purebred and she is polydactyl. Maine Coons have a habit of being polyactyl cats, which as you probably know means that she has more than the usual number of toes on her paws. The reason for this has been said to be because the immigrant cats that accompanied the pilgrims from England in the early 1600s, were ships cats and ships cats were often polydactyl. They were considered good luck and thought to be better on deck because of the extra toes - more stable. They were also thought to have been better hunters. The way Tootsie is using her paws to grab objects bears this out. Read some more about Tootsie . Ships cats that were polydactyl would also have landed at Florida and Ke

This is an American cat. The breed almost certainly has origins in semi-long haired ships cats that immigrated with the pilgrims in the early 1600s. They landed at Maine, hence the name of this cat. The cats would have been moggies as there were no cat breeds at that time. The Maine Coon is with the American Shorthair one of the first breeds to be developed in the USA. There is no connection between the Maine Coon and the raccoon! See history of the Maine Coon . The Maine Coon is the world's most popular purebred cat on my reckoning. The Maine Coon is the largest of the cat breeds excluding the F1 wildcat hybrids. The Maine Coon is allowed by the cat associations to have a wide range of the usual coat colors and patterns. The tabby colors are probably the most popular. This is a cat known for its chirrup and trills, a version of the meow, I suspect that is probably a verbal expression of excitement. The Maine Coon coat is shaggy and less full than the British Longhai

Another fine Helmi Flick photo of a black Maine Coon cat Black Maine Coon Cat - Photo copyright Helmi Flick All the photos and text on this page are protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA). This page discusses black cats in general from a genetic point of view and this page discusses black cats from the point of view of superstition .

The cat associations allow a huge range of colors and patterns for the Maine Coon cat. The Maine Coon is recognised in all colors and divisions of the traditional category. Breed Colors Self (solid colors) and Tortie - Black, Blue, Cream, Red, Tortoiseshell, Blue Tortie, White Smoke and Shaded - self and tortie colors "with the exception of white" (Encylopedia of the Cat). Tabby, classic and mackerel - Brown, Red, Blue, Cream, Tortie and Blue Tortie Silver tabby - as for standard tabbies Bi-colors - self, tortie and tabbies and white. Here is one example from a Flickr photographer: Brown mackerel tabby - photo by DreamShoot by Marcel Steger

Here is a short side show or video of the best Maine Coon cat pics by the celebrated professional cat photographer, Helmi Flick.   Some pics of the most popular purebred cat by Helmi Flick.

I'll write about the Maine Coon personality using three sources: myself from first hand experience, from legacy of the cat (Gloria Stephens) and The Encyclopedia Of The Cat (Dr Fogle). Myself I had the pleasure of meeting and playing with Zak , a beautiful Maine Coon who is the cat companion of the Flick's in Dallas, USA. This is Zak: He was a bit shy, intelligent, interested in playing and liked to be fussed and around me. He was shy and a bit anxious about me but he as a great boy cat. Loved him. The point I am making in a round about way is that the personalities of individual cats irrespective of their breed is more variable and of greater significance that the differences between the cat breeds. Legacy of the Cat Gloria says that the Maine Coon is relaxed and easygoing and calm and collected. They are good with children and dogs and people orientated. Unlike the Siamese they don't tend to demand attention. They don't particularly like to be held. They

Red Tabby Maine Coon - Cat Show Champion - Photo BerylM The red Maine Coon cat is also the orange Maine Coon or ginger or marmalade etc.. They are one and the same. Below is a pic of a very large red Maine Coon. He is a little overweight, yes, but he is also large excluding that. Orange Maine Coon - photo by Zak Greant This picture is cross referenced to large Maine Coon cat because of his size. The cat associations allow a very wide range of colours for the Maine Coon. That is not always the case. Some breeds can only be one color - the Chartreux for example is grey only. "All the ginger, marmalade and red tabby cats display the sex-linked orange gene O ". (Robinson's Genetics). Red Maine Coons are nearly always male cats for the converse reason that calico Maine Coons are nearly always female. Below is a show cat Maine Coon - orange tabby. He has to be a boy! Finally, here are two professionally taken photographs of a red Maine Coon cats: