Maine Coon kitten with whopping ear furnishings

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What the hell are 'ear furnishings'? One of the features that a Maine Coon (MC) should have if they are bred to be in line with the CFA breed standard is well developed ear furnishings. I've used the phrase "ear furnishings" because that is the sort of phrase we hear in the cat fancy. Of course, I'm not referring to sofas and armchairs in a person's home. I'm specifically referring to the long hair inside the ear flap of this highly popular cat companion. But ear furnishings also applies to the tufts of hair sticking out of the tops of the ear flaps - these are lynx tipped ears.

Maine Coon kitten with whopping ear furnishings
Maine Coon kitten with whopping ear furnishings. Screenshot.

It's remarkable in some ways that the MC breed standard demands that the cat has hairy ears! That is what it comes down to. All men have their ear hair trimmed and removed whereas Maine Coon breeders use their best efforts to achieve the opposite.

The CFA breed standard with respect to ears states: Shape: large, well-tufted, wide at base, tapering to appear pointed. The bit I want to refer to in this short article is "well-tufted". They don't mention "ear furnishings" thankfully, but I suppose tufted ears sounds equally strange.

Please note that sometimese these sorts of video fail to work over time. If that has happened: sorry but I cannot control it.

I have chosen the picture on this page which come from a video on Pinterest because this particular individual, a young Maine Coon, has beautifully tufted ears. The tufts float around in the breeze. You won't get them much longer or better tufted!

The ears should be about one ear's width apart at the base and they should not be flared, incidentally. The thing about the breed standards is that you will see a lot of Maine Coons which don't really meet it. Indeed, some Maine Coons look quite similar to large moggies.

I would make sure if I was buying a Maine Coon that the cat I selected matched up to the breed standard so take a copy with you to the breeder when you purchase one of these beautiful animals and go through it to make sure that she'll be a great show cat.

It'll be a good opportunity, too, to challenge the breeder and you may be able to get a discount if you find some weaknesses in the appearance of your chosen cat.

Location: United States

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