What does the Maine Coon cat look like?

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That's a fair question and I have the answer. Firstly, the photograph of a Maine Coon mother and her kittens by Helmi Flick shows you very nicely what a tabby Maine Coon looks like. The tabby coat is probably the best for this cat breed.

Maine Coon "Star" and her kittens. Photo: Helmi Flick with her express permission.

This breed is an American cat and the Americans are proud of it. It is a big, tough, outdoor, cold-country cat similar to the Norwegian Forest cat and the Siberian cat. The three go together and some people have difficulty in distinguishing between them. If you look carefully there are real differences. The Maine Coon was a barn and farm cat. They were selectively bred and refined to create this beautiful and highly popular breed. There are many myths and legends about how the Maine Coon came about but the simple truth is that they are refined barn cats originally from Europe, imported by settlers into the east coast of North America.

The winner of the first cat show in America was a tabby Main Coon which should please you if you are an American. Although the cat was originally a tabby cat (and it is still the best code in my opinion) you will see Main Coons in a whole range of coat types from solid colours, shaded and smoke coats, bicolours and tortoiseshells. There are no fewer than 64 colour forms listed by the British Main Coon Cat Club.

Zak by Michael

As for their personality, they are charming. You will find a whole range of descriptions of the personality of this cat. I going to rely, today, on my own experiences. I have lived with a couple of Main Coon cats in America and one of them became fond of me and I reciprocated. He's on this page just above this paragraph. He is or was (he may now be deceased) a charming, slightly shy cat who enjoyed my company. They form strong attachment to their owners but do not constantly demand attention. They might not like being held but nonetheless want to be close to their human companion. They are fairly quiet and imposing in appearance. With a tabby coat can look quite wild sometimes. But they are calm and collected and are sure to make beautiful companions.

Location: Maine, USA

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