Can Maine Coons have short hair?

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Absolutely not; a purebred, pedigree Maine Coon cannot have short hair because the cat associations' breed standards always insist that the coat is "heavy and shaggy". I'm referring to the Cat Fanciers' Association's breed standard in this instance but they'll all be very similar. The CFA standard goes on to state that the coat should be "shorter on the shoulders and longer on the stomach and britches. Frontal ruff desirable. Texture silky with coat falling smoothly."

Classic Maine Coon complying with the breed standard
Decent-looking Maine Coon complying more or less with the breed standard. Although the ruff could be more prominent. The coat is very shaggy which is desired. It is like a shag pile carpet! Photo in public domain.

In the 'general section' of the breed standard it states that a distinctive characteristic of this cat breed is its "smooth, shaggy coat". A shorthaired cat cannot have a heavy, shaggy coat. The two are incompatible. Therefore, Maine Coons can't have short hair if they're going to comply with the breed standard.

And, of course, all breeders and owners of Maine Coons want their cat to comply with the breed standard i.e. look like a Maine Coon. There is no point having a Maine Coon if it doesn't look like a Maine Coon because people want to be with Maine Coons because of their appearance!

That said, on the Internet, you will see a lot of non-standard Maine Coons being advertised for adoption but these are Maine Coon mix cats i.e. they are not purebred. These cats might have a coat which is shorthaired. However, in my honest opinion, there's no point. Maine Coon mix cats are actually random bred cats or moggies to use the vernacular. Either a cat is purebred or is not. There is no halfway house.

"Maine Coon mix" means that the seller claims that their cat is the offspring of a Maine Coon crossed with a moggie. But to be frank they are probably not telling the truth. Any large cat with long hair can be called a Maine Coon mix (to enhance the chance of a sale/adoption) but no proof in the form of documentation (pedigree) is ever provided.

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