Maine Coon cats can't have any signs of inherited Siamese cat genetics

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The Maine Coon x Siamese mix is a popular cat. Or at least it is discussed a lot on the Internet. But these are informal hybrid cats. They are not accepted by the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA), the premier association in the American cat fancy. 

It is just breeders or individuals experimenting it seems to me. They like the idea of a hybrid of a cross between them Maine Coon cat and a Siamese cat. And it is quite a nice hybrid.

Lynx point Siamese x Maine Coon hybrid
Lynx point Siamese x Maine Coon hybrid. Image: Reddit.com user: u/chance_tyler11

However, it is a hybrid which is rejected by the CFA breed standard. You will note a couple of references to the pointed cat coat of the Siamese in the CFA breed standard which indicates this rejection.

Disqualification

Firstly, in a paragraph concerning Maine Coon cats that should be disqualified at cat shows it refers to both the kinked tail and crossed eyes. In other words, any Maine Coon cat with a kinked tail or crossed eyes will be disqualified at a cat show run by the CFA.

In both these anatomical conditions are directly linked with the Siamese cat. They are inherited conditions which are quite commonly seen in Siamese cats.

Kinked tail

In fact, the kinked tail was so common in early importations of the Siamese cat (very late 1800s and early 1900s) from Thailand that the cat fancy set about ironing out the kink over many decades. The kink can still be felt in some Siamese cats if you run your fingers down the tail but the point is that it is a condition which is linked to the Siamese cat breed. 


You will see many kink-tailed street cats in Asia. It is an anatomical abnormality which is not uncommon in the Far East.

Crossed eyes

The same can be said about crossed eyes. This is also an inherited condition. It is called strabismus. My argument is that it is caused by the gene that produces the coat of the Siamese cat resulting in misrouting of optical nerves which is compensated for by a cross-eyes gaze. That might be incorrect but it is my argument in an article I wrote many years ago.

However you describe the underlying cause, crossed eyes in Siamese cats it is an inherited condition. And clearly the CFA administrators are concerned about these inherited genes creeping into Maine Coon breeding lines. And therefore, they have put their foot down and stamped on this possibility. That is my interpretation.

Hybridization an OMCC

As you know, the CFA breed standard includes a huge number of different coat types for the Maine Coon cat. It more or less covers every possible combination except what they describe as the "Himalayan pattern". 

This is a pointed coat on the Himalayan cat which is a long-haired Persian cat. So once again a rejection of the pointed coat in Maine Coon cats. And they refer to hybridisation resulting in this coat type.

Although any coat type outside of the long list I refer to can be shown a cat shows under "Other Maine Coon Colours" (OMCC). EXCEPT the pointed coat! There are other exceptions such as the colours chocolate and lavender. Is also due to hybridisation according to the CFA.

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