The extreme Maine Coon face
This is an example of extreme breeding. This is a Maine Coon but this cat is an extreme and rare example of this breed. This is not the way they look normally. This face is almost like an aggressive robot with the piercing eyes and the huge muzzle. Or like a lion's head. The head looks enormous and very heavy. It looks unreal. But it also looks very impressive. And purchasers like impressive-looking domestic cats. But this not the face of a Maine Coon that wins cat show competitions as it does not fit the breed standard as accurately as the more moderate winners (see below). Click here for more on the kind of MC which wins at shows.
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Maine Coon selectively breed to have an extreme face. Image in the public domain. |
And the Maine Coon is meant to be a large cat, the largest domestic cat breed and therefore if a breeder is going to breed to extreme this is the kind of direction they will go in where the emphasis is large, heavy and bulky. This is a very well-known photograph and understandably so because you just don't see domestic cats looking like this. I think, though, that some people might get the misapprehension that this is the way all Maine Coon cats look and it's not the case.
Winner at cat shows. More moderate and balanced. Photo: Channan. |
This is the original image. I have made improvements to it above.
These sorts of cats normally come from Russia (i.e. are bred in Russia) where they like their fancy domestic cats and where there are many breeders. I think sometimes people forget that. There is quite a healthy cat fancy in Russia. And they breed cats under a different cat association, the World Cat Federation which clearly allows this sort of extreme breeding.
What the hell are you talking about? The Maine coon originates in Maine. There is no such thing as a European maine coon. The breed has standards. They do not come from Russia. There is no such thing as extreme breeding
ReplyDeleteBollocks to that. The Maine Coon is bred in America and in Europe including Russia. You are ignorant of the facts. The WCF and TICA provides breed standards for Maine Coons bred in these regions.
DeleteMaine Coon cats don't come from Russia, how dumb can be
ReplyDeleteYou are very wrong. Sorry. Check your facts before commenting.
Deletenot here to argue but im confused by your response to the previous comment... Maine Coons originated in Maine... that is a fact. are you suggesting this person is false?
DeleteYou are mixed up. The breed originates in Maine and the east coast of the US but today 300 or more years later there are breeders in many countries including European countries and Russia.
DeleteHas anyone heard the story about this breed coming from France? The story says that Marie Antoinette had a boat ready to escape to America with her Maine Coon cats. She had a friend in Maine whom she was going to stay with. Marie Antoinette ended up being guillotined, but the cats journeyed to the friend Maine. The breed was then continued and named the Maine Coon breed. True? 🤷♀️ Idk but I read an article on it.
DeleteThe Maine Coon is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America. The breed originated in the U.S. state of Maine, where it is the official state cat. This cat did NOT originate in Russia!!
ReplyDeleteWho said that the breed originates in Russia? Not me. I said that there are Maine Coon breeders in Russia. An entirely different thing.
DeleteYou have a world of instant information AND FACTS at your fingertips, and you don'teven take the time to check to make sure what you're posting online is correct. How dumb is that?!
ReplyDeleteYou're mad bad and wrong. My post is accurate and precise. I am not saying that the MC originates in Russia. I am saying there are breeders in Russia; entirely different. Read the post properly and wake up.
DeleteNicely said...
DeleteI have to agree with Michael Broad. There are now Euro Maine Coons, typically bred to have extreme features. Russia is one of the countries that specializes in this breed. As far as how the breed started in Maine, which it officially did, is a mystery. There are many thoughts on where they came from when they first arrived, from the France legend to Viking legend. All I know is that they are all stunning in their own right. They have been evolving for centuries and will continue to as one of the most popular cats breeds in existance.
ReplyDeleteNowhere in the article does it say Maine Coons come from Russia. Reading comprehension is a lost skill.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what u mean. I say that Russian breeders like to breed MCs to extreme. That is correct. The Maine Coon as a breed does not come from Russia. Your comment is badly formulated and does not make sense. And u insult me to boot. You're mad.
DeleteI breed Maine Coons European bloodlines beautiful healthy cats. Shipped them
DeleteIn from Ukraine all are Tica registered. It’s crazy how us Americans don’t take pride anymore. Everyone who has a long haired cat with a mane thinks it’s a Maine Coon. Then when they see a real one they call it a Lynx lol. Not saying I will never buy a breeding cat from the states. I sure will be cautious though