Your Maine Coon Guide

No, but it depends on the length of time. Clearly people who are thinking about adopting a Maine Coon are working full-time and they are wondering whether their work arrangements are a barrier to an adoption. I would say that they are if a person is working five days a week, 8-10 hours a day and is therefore away from the home for perhaps about 10-12 hours a day for five straight days. It is too long to leave a cat, including a Maine Coon cat, alone in my view but this is a matter of personal opinion. People ask the question in the title but I think it is a bit silly. The question is the same as asking if domestic cats can be left alone. Or you could ask the question whether dogs can be left alone. There is very little difference. The answer every time is No. But it depends on for how long they are left alone. Photo: Robert Sijka - this is a dilute tortie. I suppose the question in the title comes up in the minds of people because the domestic cat is sometimes believed to be a s...

It's quite interesting to look at the terms and conditions between the seller i.e. the breeder and the purchaser i.e. the adopter of a Maine Coon in the USA. I've selected a TICA listed Maine Coon cat breeder: BELLATRIX. They are located at: Blanchard, Oklahoma, United States. Bellatrix MCO Maine Coon. Photo: Bellatrix MCO. This is a tortoiseshell. I believe that this Maine Coon cat breeder is from Belarus. They breed European Maine Coons which is understandable bearing in mind the Belarusian link. RELATED:  Difference between European and American Maine Coons . They say that when they sell a cat it will be subject to the following conditions. I'm using my words but based entirely on their statement on their website. They guarantee that the cat or kitten will be in good health at the time of sale. They are unable to state for how long the guarantee lasts because they can only guarantee the health of a cat at the time of purchase. What happens after that is dependent upon...

I am having a bit of fun but I believe my assessment is correct. In this picture we have the parents of a kitten. They are beautiful ginger tabby Maine Coons. The mother is on the right hand side, the father is on the left and their kitten, is snuggling up to the woman. I believe that this photograph was taken in Russia and therefore the woman is Russian. She actually looks Russian to me by the way. I suspect that she is the breeder of these beautiful cats. It's a great picture on Instagram. Mr and Mrs Maine and kitten plus Ms Human who looks after them. Photo: Instagram.

This is a snow-white, God-like, golden-eyed monster Maine Coon who impresses tremendously. His name is Kefir and he is rapidly becoming famous. This cat certainly impressed me when I first saw him. What a cat 💖 . Totally outstanding. Almost unbelievable. It is hard to believe that this is a genuine domestic cat. And the expression on the cat's face is priceless. This is truly a God among cats. Are we looking at a mythical creature from legend? It is as if this cat comes from Greek mythology. Snow-white God-like monster Maine Coon impresses tremendously. Photo: Instagram. A slightly unusual feature is that this cat has two golden eyes. Normally all-white cats have odd-eye colour with one eye being blue and the other golden or yellow. Perhaps it is not normal as such but it is not that unusual. And so, we have this beautiful golden-eyed monster, snow-white Maine Coon to admire. The cat looks about as big as the woman holding him. RELATED:  What percentage of white cats are deaf ?...

This is a really well captured photograph of an attractive bicolour (chocolate brown-and-white) Maine Coon on a nice staircase with a toy mouse in her mouth. The staircase matches the dark areas of her coat. Her owner says that she likes to play with the mouse up and down the staircase which I thought wasn't that unusual. Perhaps the steps create an added dimension and complication to the game which makes it more exciting and stimulating for her. The owner/caregiver calls the toy a 'string toy'. Handsome Maine Coon well photographed with a toy mouse in her mouth. Photo credit: see below. The photographer did a really good job because, photographically speaking, the highlights in the white fur are not burnt out. You can see some detail in them and in the shadows; both are well-managed. That is the sign of a good photograph, technically speaking. So often we see dead shadows and burned-out highlights which ruin the quality. Such a beautiful cat requires a well-taken photo...

The Maine Coon is among the cat breeds most commonly stolen in Britain (Daily Express). The others are: Bengal, Siamese and of course the non-purebred moggy.  Magical Maine Coon queens of Norway. Moody...looking and feeling like snowy Norway. Photo:  Instagram. Maine Coon allowed outside unsupervised. Possibility of theft? Perhaps not. Increase in thefts In Britain, in 2021, there has been a 12.3% rise in cat thefts since the beginning of the year to April. There has been a threefold increase in the past five years. The Mail Online reports that up to 360,000 cats have been stolen in a year in the UK! That is a staggering figure. Although the Maine Coon is one of the favourites to be stolen, of the purebred cats, the Bengal is top of the list for thieves. The reason might be because the Bengal cat stands out more than the Maine Coon and therefore is more of a target. Over the past two years, there has been a 40% increase in thefts of cats in the UK. Less than 20% o...

NEWS AND COMMENT -BLOCK 195 ON PASIR RIS STREET 12, SINGAPORE: A Maine Coon cat was found injured at the foot of Pasir Ris Block, Singapore. Injured Maine Coon believed to have fallen from an apartment in Singapore. Photo: SPCA.  You can see in the photograph that the cat was actually in the hallway of what appears to be an apartment block. Perhaps they crawled there. The cat was breathing heavily and crying. There were dried bloodstains on the head and there was a trail of blood and cat poop nearby. The cat suffered quite severe injuries to the jaw and lungs and he or she has a broken left leg (not sure whether it's the hind or foreleg). The signs are that the cat fell from this apartment block. They are searching for the owner. You can see that the cat has a collar. They should be able to locate the owner. The cat was taken to a veterinarian and received oxygen support which sounds serious. Let's hope the cat pulls through. UPDATE FROM FACEBOOK (Lost and Found Pets in Sing...

I think this is in Russia. If not Russia it is in Eastern Europe. Russians breed some amazing Maine Coons. This big ginger male has a big chunky, square muzzle. He is a classic MC. He is very affable but dislikes the experience and politely complains. His human caregiver is clearly very experienced and does a professional job of trimming his nails. Woman trims the nails of a very large Maine Coon who politely complains but who is compliant. Screenshot. Videos like this one sometimes stop working because they are removed at source which is not this site's server. If it has disappeared I am sorry but I have no control over its existence.

You won't get a better example of a Maine Coon with "long, full, shaggy belly fur" than this pretty ginger tabby with the extra long whiskers, beautiful golden eyes and ginger lynx-tipped ears. I am sure that she is female but I am guessing. She looks directly into the camera in the sweetest way. But you can't help but look at her chest and then you move down to her belly which brings to mind The International Cat Association's breed standard for this most popular cat which insists on that shaggy belly fur Pretty ginger female Maine Coon with shaggy belly fur. Photo: Pinterest. The relevant section of the breed standard is in quotes in the title. The Maine Coon coat as per the TICA breed standard should be uneven and shorter on the shoulders but gradually lengthening down the back and sides. As mentioned, the belly should be shaggy and the fur should be long and full. They should have what is called "britches" which is longer fur on the thighs of the hin...

NEWS AND COMMENT-NEW BERLIN, USA: This is a nice story which dramatically highlights how council meetings about feeding feral cats and about TNR programs regarding feral cats can become heated. In this instance arguments developed to the point where the borough council secretary felt it necessary to call the sheriff. Two officers arrived to keep the peace. The report is that they had to supervise the meeting.

I have to speculate but I think my reasoning is sound. However, I am not a show judge. I would like a show judge to comment 🤞. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) state in the opening paragraph of their breed standard that: "Quality should never be sacrificed for size". This, to me, indicates that size alone will not help a cat win at a cat show. Pretty Maine Coon but not massive. More like medium-sized. Photo: Helmi Flick. It's not size alone which is going to help a Maine Coon to win a cat show but the overall quality of the animal. And by 'quality' the CFA must mean whether the individual cat fully meets the breed standard in every respect and then some more.  Perhaps it is fair to say that if there are two cats competing for the top prize and they both fully meet the breed standard, but one of them is a very large example and the other is not, the larger cat will win the cat show because the breed standard also hints that larger cats are preferable. I say...

In Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) cat shows, Maine Coons are disqualified if they have a "delicate bone structure". The antonym (opposite word) of "delicate" might be the word 'heavy' or 'indelicate' or 'rough' or 'coarse'. I prefer the word "heavy" in this instance. So, if a delicate bone structure disqualifies a Maine Coon, then the opposite might make them winners, which is why I have said in the title that Maine Coon should have a heavy bone structure. Heavy bone structure. Photo in public domain. And this is what we get with the very large Maine Coons that we see so much of nowadays. The Maine Coon need not be large but the breeders want them to be large. They should be solid, rugged and have the ability to endure a harsh climate which is all in line with the idea of being heavy boned.  But they've got to be well proportioned and balanced in appearance. This points to avoiding extreme breeding which can tend to...

This is a crazily good female Maine Coon with a massive muzzle, a white ruff reminiscent of the 17th-century and ears which jut out of the top of the head. All-in-all an outstanding looking Maine Coon. Of all the features which stand out the most it is the muzzle which looks inordinately heavy perhaps too heavy and perhaps bred to an extreme which I don't altogether like. Tortie-and-white Maine Coon. Photo in public domain. The Maine Coon tortie-and white should have a white 'bib' and white on all four paws. This individual appears to meet that standard. Let's talk about the muzzle for a minute. Under the CFA breed standard it should be 'visibly square'. It should also be medium in length and blunt-ended when viewed in profile. So far so good. This cat meets those objectives, very clearly. It seems that above all the Maine Coon muzzle should not be tapering or pointed.  This is the difference between the Maine Coon and the Norwegian Forest Cat. The latter has...

Google tells me that people are searching for an answer to the question "Are Maine Coons friendly?". To be brutally honest, it's a silly question. It has to be a silly question because Maine Coon cats are just like any other well-integrated domestic cat. It seems that I have answered this question before 😕. I will press on nonetheless. Maine Coon love-in. Photo: Pinterest. The central point that has to be made is that Maine Coons are purebred cats. They are created by cat breeders running hobby businesses. Part of the job of a cat breeder is to make sure that their kittens are ' raised underfoot '. This means that they are raised with people around them during the first weeks of their lives. The purpose: to socialise the cats and make sure that they are well-integrated into the world of humans. And ideally, they should also be integrated into the world of dogs and other pets. So from the get-go, Maine Coon cats are being trained or indoctrinated into being fri...

Three people namely the owner of the car, the operations manager, Ruthie Jesus, for the Arizona Humane Society (AHS), and the AHS vice-president of medical operations, Dr. Melissa Thompson, took three hours to remove a 2-year-old, female Maine Coon trapped in a car engine compartment in a very difficult position where she had become badly burnt after the car engine had been started.  Cindy Lou Who after her rescue and treatment. Photo: AHS. After starting the engine the car owner heard huge screams emanating from the engine compartment and soon turned the engine off. However, the operations supervisor, Ruthie Jesus, who'd been called to assist, discovered that the cat's skin had become fused to the engine and therefore decided that she required the assistance of a veterinarian. They succeeded in removing the Maine Coon, clearly with great difficulty. A video was made of the rescue which can be seen by clicking on this link: Three-hour engine rescue caught on camera ! I can...

A nice-looking white Maine Coon, Zeke, has been reunited with his human caregiver, David Blane, after he somehow travelled from Haringey, London to Stevenage, Herts which is about 30 miles. Nobody knows how he travelled from Haringey to Hertfordshire. Perhaps he got a lift in a van or lorry. Or perhaps he was stolen and then abandoned. Whatever happened, he was left abandoned on the streets of Stevenage in Hertfordshire. This is five years after he vanished in 2016 when he was 2.5 years old and a well known cat in his neighbourhood. Zeke and David Blane after reunion. Photo: Cats Protection. David Blaine said that Zeke disappeared when he got two new cats. He now realises that the two new cats bullied Zeke which forced him out of the home and eventually onto the street. David tried the usual methods to try and find Zeke but failed. He'd given up seeing him again. Then he turned up in Stevenage and was picked up and cared for by Cats Protection, the well-known cat charity. Bianca...

I've just written an article about dog breeding actually ( link ). It concerns an article in The Times newspaper about the Kennel Club in the UK. They have decided to change the breed standard for the French bulldog. The purpose: to make it absolutely clear to breeders that they must create a dog with a muzzle 👌. Over the years they've decided to breed dogs with flat faces because they look cute. They look like babies. The breed standard was probably slightly vague on this topic allowing breeders some discretion and leeway. Extreme-bred MC.. Impressive, yes, but what about health and where does this sort of breeding take the cat fancy? Bill Lambert, the guy in charge of health within the Kennel Club, decided I guess with other council members to tighten up the breed standard to state that French bulldogs must have clearly defined muzzles when viewed in profile. And they've made it clear that a French Bulldog cannot win a dog show if they have a flat face. The problem i...