Tortoiseshell Maine Coon with split-face

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Maine Coon with "split face". Photo: Screenshot.

This is a very impressive Maine Coon. As you can see she is a tortoiseshell and as you probably know almost all tortoiseshell and calico cats are female. There are a few male tortoiseshell cats (and this might be one of them). Their sex is caused by a genetic aberration because the genetics of tortoiseshell cats dictates that they are almost always female. About one in 3000 are male as I recall.

Also, it is not that unusual to see this extreme pattern on the face which creates the appearance of a "split-face". This is not what is called a "chimera" but a normal variation of the tortoiseshell pattern. Sometimes you do see what some people call "two-faced" cats with this sort of face due to a sharply defined pattern down the middle of the face. But the genetics behind that is different to this normal tortoiseshell variation.

This is a particularly extraordinary looking Maine Coon cat. Not all Maine Coons are like this. The photographer is also excellent and he is in fact known for his excellence. I suspect that this cat is bred in Russia because doubts is how they can breathe them there with these incredibly distinguished-looking faces and great "presence".


Please note that sometimes videos such as the one above fail for reasons beyond my control. If it has stopped working I apologise.

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