Maine Coon coat: "Long, full, shaggy belly fur"

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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
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 hind legs. The tail fur should be long and flowing. The "frontal ruff" should be more developed with age.

RELATED: Handsome Maine Coon with Rare Coat.


You can see that the cat associations like to hark back to the 18th century when humans wore breeches (changed to 'britches' by the associations) and ruffs. Rather strange that I think. I wonder why they couldn't have chosen something a bit more modern. And I wonder what came first: the old-fashioned human clothes or the natural coat of the Maine Coon? I'm joking because what has happened here is that the Maine Coon has this shaggy fur and longer fur on the thighs and in order to describe it they have referred to the European clothes of the mid-16th century into the 17th century (ruffs) and 18th century (breeches).
Britches on a cat and breeches on an 18th century man
Britches on a cat and breeches on an 18th century man. Image: MikeB.

RELATED: Impressive Maine Coon at 6 weeks and 6-years-of-age.

This is an all-weather coat. There should be a slight undercoat which gives the coat some "body" but the coat should still fall smoothly. It should not be "cottony".

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