Maine Coon with a hint of gargoyle

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A little bit of imagination is needed to see the hint of gargoyle in this majestic, tabby Maine Coon with the floppy ear furnishings, but it is there, and I have created a montage to help you. I hope I am not being disrespectful of the Maine Coon and of this individual cat. I am having a bit of fun and making a statement that breeders should not breed to extreme - please.

Maine Coon with a hint of gargoyle
Maine Coon with a hint of gargoyle. Image: MikeB based on (left) Amazon image and (right) Tomaso Gargoyle costing £109.99 on Wayfair.co.uk.

So why is there a hint of gargoyle in this Maine Coon (if you agree with me)? It is all about extreme breeding which is what it says on the box. Breeders, through selective breeding, alter the anatomy of the Maine Coon to create 'extreme' more pronounced facial features. In essence without wishing to be unkind, the breeder distorts the cat's facial anatomy and exaggerates it.

The gargoyle always has exaggerated features. That's what they are. And they are a bit gruesome and disturbing. You see them on cathedrals. Historically they were made to be ugly to contrast with the beauty of the church/cathedral and to ward off evil spirits.

The reason why breeders sometimes create Maine Coons with extreme features is not to ward off evil spirits but to become a desirable and exotic object that humans would like to possess.

The Maine Coon that you see in the image above is not the type that you see winning cat shows. They are very different actually. You can see it by clicking on this link.

The two big features for this cat are (1) the massive muzzle which is not normal for a cat and (2) the floppy, drape-like ear furnishings so called meaning ear hair.

If your play around with the anatomy of an animal, it is not hard science. You know where you are going to end up. They might no longer look like cats.

The classic mistake is the flat-faced Persian. Said to be attractive by breeders, to many they are ugly, as ugly as gargoyles.

Gargoyle-like Persian cat
Gargoyle-like Persian cat. Notice, too, the left eye health condition which is probably due to the distorted facial features. Image: MikeB from photos deemed to be in the public domain.

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