How long do Maine Coons live?

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For me, to be very frank, the question is not that useful because it is encouraging me to generalise, and it is wrong to generalise on lifespan because it will vary between individual cats even when they are all Maine Coons. 

Precious Maine Coon life beginning. Will he have a long life free of HCM? Image in public domain (as assessed).

But I'm going to try and answer the question nonetheless because a well-known website on Maine Coons answers it and they say that you can expect Maine Coons to live beyond 12 years of age. Like I said, that's not extremely helpful. My assessment that their lifespan is 12 years! Not beyond it. See the update below if you want to cut to the chase.

HCM the key

It seems to me the discussion about Maine Coon lifespan should centre on a critically important inherited disease that affects this popular breed namely hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

A lot has been written about this heart disease. How does it affect lifespan? It must affect lifespan to a certain extent.

Other than HCM, Maine Coon cat should live as long as any other domestic cat including non-purebred cats because there's nothing in their health profile which indicates a shortened lifespan other than HCM.

Moggie lifespan

And you can expect moggies (non-purebred cats) to live to around 18 years these days. There's been improved veterinary care and diet since a hundred years ago which would extend lifespan.

Inbreeding depression

It is known that purebred cats in general (I'm generalising I'm afraid) have shortened lifespans compared to moggies because they are inbred. Inbreeding causes what is called "inbreeding depression". That does not mean that the cat is mentally depressed, but it means their immune system is compromised and their health in general is less robust than it might otherwise be.

30% attrition rate

So inbreeding depression reduces lifespan to which you can add HCM. HCM is not a death sentence, but it can worsen quickly, or it can progress slowly over many years. And it can start at a young age in Maine Coon cats of which 30% inherit the disease. Both parents need to carry the autosomal genetic mutation in a recessive gene to pass it on to offspring them to be predisposed to it.

Right away we have to note that if 30% inherit the disease 70% do not and therefore their lifespan is not affected by HCM. Once again, you can see the inaccuracies that can come out of generalising.

But if a Maine Coon cat is one of those with HCM they may have a shortened lifespan or they may live a long full life according to one veterinary hospital.

Symptoms

Here we have another problem about generalising. Many cats with HCM don't appear to be ill while others have signs of congestive heart failure. This causes laboured or rapid breathing and lethargy. This occurs because of fluid accumulating in or around the lungs. Other symptoms include loss of appetite, weak pulse, difficulty breathing, abnormal heart sounds and an ability to tolerate exercise or physical exertion.

Indications of shorter life

One Maine Coon breeder, Loving Lynx, has a full page on this disease but they do not speculate as to lifespan which I think is sensible.

One veterinary website, Pet Health Network states: "with supportive care and medication, some cats can live with HCM for years". That indicates that the disease shortens lifespan but by how much?

So, for those cats with the disease, I would expect lifespan to be on average around 12 years perhaps. There is no data on this that I can find. This is compared to an average lifespan of a non-purebred cats of around 18 years in my view. I welcome the comments of people who've lived with Maine Coons including breeders.

Update: I have found a study but it is slightly controversial. They say that the average Maine Coon lifespan is 11 years! That's across the board. So, I was right more or less.

Click this to read about this study

Extend life

With those cats suffering from disease, there lifespan can be extended to a certain extent by medications which slow the heart rate and help to correct abnormal heartbeats, improve blood flow and cardiac function. Medication can also decrease blood clots and alleviate fluid build-up leading to congestive heart failure.

And a diet minimising sodium intake i.e., salt and which is optimised to fight congestive heart failure may help extend lifespan.

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