Maine Coon shaggy coat per breed standard

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CFA breed standard - COAT: heavy and shaggy; shorter on the shoulders and longer on the stomach and britches. Frontal ruff desirable. Texture silky with coat falling smoothly.
That shaggy coat. Photo: whippedcreamcheese / Reddit

The coat is meant to be shaggy under the breed standard. I think we can agree that this individual meets the Cat Fanciers' Association breed standard. It's a little bit wild but I guess with a brush and a smoothing he or she will meet the standard perfectly. I think that you will find that the requirement for a shaggy coat is the cat associations' respecting the history of this cat as a barn cat in the state of Maine in the 1800s. This is essentially a shaggy-coated semi-feral cat working cat refined over a hundred years and more through selective breeding. But at its heart is still that barn cat with a shaggy coat to keep it warm during chilly Maine winters in a draughty barn. Note: the CFA like their Maine Coons more refined than TICA who like them natural. I prefer the TICA ones.
Location: Maine, USA

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