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Showing posts with the label TICA

What type of Maine Coon cat would be disqualified at a cat show?

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Tabby Maine Coon at a cat show. The judge is typical of cat show judges. As well turned out as the cats. I believe that the photo is in the public domain. I can tell you what type of Maine Coon cat would be disqualified from a cat show that took place under the auspices of The International Cat Association (TICA). The breed standard for this cat breed under this cat association's rules state that the following aspects of a Maine Coon cat's appearance would disqualify them from a cat show: Non-permissible colors. Blue or odd-eyes in any colored cat other than solid white or with white. Fine boning. Cobby body. Tail fault. Tail length significantly out of balance with body. Significantly too small for age or gender. "Non-permissible colours" appears to refer primarily to modified colours such as chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn and caramel. These are non-dominant black-based colours which are not allowed under the breed standard. What is allowed in general is "all ...
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What is the purpose of lynx tips on a Maine Coon's ears?

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Firstly, the tufts of hair sticking out of the top of a Maine Coon's ear flaps are named after the lynx wild cat as they have them in abundance. The tufts of hair on the lynx wild cat are believed to have a function but we don't know as yet what it is! Perhaps a communication tool via body language. They are likely to be functional to improve survival as almost everything that evolves is designed to improve survival. Maine Coon lynx tips on the ears are purely decorative. Image: MikeB But for the Maine Coon cat these impressive tufts of hair are decorative . They enhance the ear. They decorate the ear as if decorating a sofa with cushions 😎💓. Same thing. There is a rules-based reason: the breed standards insist on them. I've quoted the CFA breed standard in the infographic on this page. The standard allows for breeder discretion which is why you see large variations in the length and density of lynx tips depending on the breeder. The breeders create them over generations ...
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Maine Coon Coefficient of Inbreeding not mentioned on CFA and TICA websites but is mentioned by GCCF

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This information might interest Maine Coon aficionados i.e. those people who are really into the Maine Coon cat. It's about inbreeding which is measured by the inbreeding coefficient (COI). Sarah Hartwell very usefully provides a diagrammatic chart of the coefficient of inbreeding. It is a scale of 0 to 1 but is often presented as a percentage. So, for example, when siblings are bred to each other the coefficient of inbreeding is 25% and when first cousins are bred to each other the coefficient of inbreeding is 6.25%. COI chart as presented by Sarah Hartwell on her website messybeast.com . Inbreeding depression When breeders inbreed their cats too much it can cause what the cat fancy describes as inbreeding depression which is a compromised immune system and even anatomical defects such as you see in the white tiger. The white tiger by the way is heavily inbred. Inbreeding depression means ill health basically and a shorter lifespan and weak kittens et cetera. It's what you wou...
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Are declawed Maine Coon cats disqualified from cat show competitions?

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Show MC cat. Image in public domain. Are declawed Maine Coon cats disqualified from cat show competitions? A fair question seeing as declawing is so prevalent in the United States despite the cruelty of the multiple amputations. I am faced with an imprecise answer from the two premier cat associations based in America. But Dr Morris, a British zoologist clears up the issue. CFA and TICA - Cat Fanciers' Association and The International Cat Association These are a couple of top cat associations. The top with the GCCF in the UK. Both as expected list the reasons why a cat might be disqualified from competition. In both examples they do not state that they disqualify declawed Maine Coon cats (MCs) or any other breed of cat. They should as it would send a clear message that they are against the operation. Perhaps they are afraid of alienating a large segment of American society. The CFA makes an INDIRECT reference to disqualifying declawed Maine Coons. Here it is: DISQUALIFY: Incorrect...
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Are CFA and TICA registered Maine Coon breeders better than unregistered breeders?

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The answer to the question in the title is that you won't know unless you have carried out due diligence checks yourself. However, the one advantage is that they shouldn't be a scam breeder. That's pretty basic but there are scammers out there. You want to select a Maine Coon cat breeder as you have decided to adopt. How do you select a breeder? It is a big decision because it affects the quality of the cat bought. It is a decision which will impact the next 15+ years of your life. " CFA and TICA don't protect buyers of Maine Coons from breeders listed on their websites" - MikeB CFA and TICA don't protect buyers of Maine Coons from breeders listed on their websites. Image: MikeB America's two biggest and best-known cat associations are the CFA and TICA. You probably know that. They are the Cat Fanciers' Association and The International Cat Association respectively. Both have a very similar policy with respect to the Maine Coon breeder listings. CF...
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What is the weight range of the Maine Coon cat?

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It is a useful question to ask because the answer might surprise you. I've mentioned it before, but the CFA, the leading cat association, do not insist through their breed standards that the Maine Coon cat should be big but TICA differ. The 'end product' is the choice of the breeders. The weight range of this popular breed reflects the cat association's breed standards. Dr. Bruce Fogle DVM in his book THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF THE CAT states that the weight range is 4-10 kg (9-22 lbs). The lower weight applies to females which as you might expect are generally smaller than males. And it is a weight which is not untypical for a large number of non-purebred cats. One website, 11pets, states that the average female weight is 11 pounds and the average male weight is 14.8 pounds. They also state that 25% of male Maine Coon cats weigh between 6 kg and 8 kg. And 30% of females way between 4 kg and 6 kg. Another website states that the average weight of a Maine Coon cat varies betwe...
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How much are breeding Maine Coon kittens?

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One well-known Maine Coon breeder in the US King Klaudr Coons Cattery , usefully has a price list for their Maine Coon kittens, both those that are ' pet kittens ' and those that are ' breeding kittens '. This is the cattery where they create the enormous European Maine Coons. These cats are going to be excellent I feel. Their prices may be higher than normal as a consequence. RELATED:  Difference between European and American Maine Coons . They boldly state that breeding kitten prices start at $9000 . Note the 'start at'. These are sold to wannabe cat breeders. What the purchaser gets is full TICA (The International Cat Association) registration and breeding rights. Maine Coon kittens. These are not kittens from the cattery mentioned on this page. The picture is simply added to illustrate the page. It is believed to be in the public domain. The kitten comes with: TICA registration. Breeding rights. Veterinary certificate. Two pounds of vaccinations and dewormer...
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Location: Colorado, USA
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Contradictory, badly worded CFA Maine Coon breed standard

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Yes, the Cat Fanciers' Association Maine Coon breed standard is quite clearly contradictory in respect of the GENERAL standard and in reference to the breed's coat. I will explain what I mean. Now, that's shaggy 😎👍✔️ but it is not SMOOTH. I hope this cat is not registered with the CFA! Image in public domain. Under "GENERAL" the breed standard states "A distinctive characteristic is its smooth, shaggy coat". The word "smooth" is contradictory to the word "shaggy". We all know what the word smooth means, but I will be more precise and say that it means something which has a regular surface and is free from perceptible projections and lumps. The surface should be flat. The word shaggy needs to be defined. It means unkempt, thick and long. It normally applies to hair and in which case it means unkempt hair or fur. The word "unkempt" means having an untidy or dishevelled appearance. It is impossible to reconcile a coat with a ...
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The extreme Maine Coon face

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This is an example of extreme breeding. This is a Maine Coon but this cat is an extreme and rare example of this breed. This is not the way they look normally. This face is almost like an aggressive robot with the piercing eyes and the huge muzzle.  Or like a lion's head. The head looks enormous and very heavy. It looks unreal. But it also looks very impressive.  And purchasers like impressive-looking domestic cats. But this not the face of a Maine Coon that wins cat show competitions as it does not fit the breed standard as accurately as the more moderate winners (see below).  In fact, the CFA standard is clear in that the cat should have a balanced appearance although this cat was not bred under the CFA breed standard as I understand it (see below).  Click here for more on the kind of MC which wins at shows . Maine Coon selectively breed to have an extreme face. Image in the public domain. And the Maine Coon is meant to be a large cat, the largest domestic cat b...
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Maine Coon Size - this is a huge one!

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  Enormous Maine Coon with a head bigger than the person holding him. Pic: in public domain. Maine Coon size is very important to both breeders of this cat and the public. I sometimes think that the public is more obsessed with Maine Coon size than the breeders are. The bigger the Maine Coon the better. There is a fascination about it and I confess that there is nothing much more impressive than a huge Maine Coon. They've been bred like this through selective breeding but please remember that they weren't always like this. The original Maine Coons were regular farm cats in the state of Maine in 19th-century and before. They were robust, rugged, medium-longhaired moggy cats but impressive nonetheless. Their impressiveness led to breeders deciding to breed them which in turn led to the breed being accepted by the cat associations and then to win cat shows and become perhaps one of the most famous breeds in the world. The breed standard for the Maine Coon as provided by e.g. Cat F...
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Average lifespan of Maine Coon cat

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How long do Maine Coon cats live for? What's the average lifespan? Do they live shorter lives than the average random-bred family cat? These are difficult questions to answer accurately. In fact, I don't think we can answer them accurately because nobody has been counting. Nobody has a database or carried out a full-blown survey and therefore you will read anecdotal evidence i.e. statements by breeders or people who think they know the answer and these answers get repeated on the Internet. I am not sure that they are accurate. Picture of a Maine Coon who looks like a middle-aged man. Photo: Pinterest. My research indicates that people believe that Maine Coon cats live between about 10 and 15 years old. Some may live longer than that and some may live shorter lives. One well-known Maine Coon, Rubble, lived for 31 years and was at one time the oldest domestic cat in the world. But there will always be exceptions and this article is about the mean or the average although these ...
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Comparison of a black smoke Maine Coon at 6 weeks and 6-years-of-age

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This is a cross-post as the image is so damned good. It is amazing because the cat is amazing. To put the same cat at different stages of their life in the same photograph is a nice idea especially with this Maine Coon (MC) who has an amazingly heavy face. It is so mightily masculine to be almost unbelievable. He has a priceless expression on his face too. Very serious compared to the innocence of his face when he was 6 weeks old. He looks a bit coy when 6 weeks old and a slightly grumpy middle-aged man when 6 years old. Comparison of a black smoke Maine Coon at 6-weeks and 6-years-of-age. Image in pubic domain. No doubt he is huge too. You get a clear sense of that in the image. There is a serious and less impressive side to this image. It's the backstory that people don't really want to read about and discuss or in fact do anything about: heart ( HCM ) and joint disease. The bigger and heavier the MCs are the more predisposed to heart disease they are. Here is the posts on...
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Are Maine Coons illegal in some countries, states or territories?

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One Maine Coon website asks if Maine Coons are legal? My initial response was that it is a bizarre question (second thoughts below), but I'll answer it in my way. I say that it is a bizarre question because the Maine Coon is an entirely domestic cat by which I mean NOT a wild cat hybrid and therefore there is no reason whatsoever to declare it illegal in any jurisdiction unless that there is some other fanciful reason to ban the cat (there might be - see below). Are Maine Coons illegal in some countries, states or territories? No, to the best of my knowledge. Image: MikeB I know of no jurisdiction anywhere in the world that bans Maine Coons which makes sense. Conversely a similar sized domestic cat, the F1-F2 Savannah, is illegal in many jurisdictions (states, territories and countries) because it is a wildcat hybrid. The cat has some wild cat DNA which some legislatures consider to be detrimental to human health and welfare and to the conservation of wildlife (if the cat escapes t...
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Tortoiseshell Maine Coon with split-face

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Maine Coon with "split face". Photo: Screenshot. This is a very impressive Maine Coon. As you can see she is a tortoiseshell and as you probably know almost all tortoiseshell and calico cats are female. There are a few male tortoiseshell cats (and this might be one of them). Their sex is caused by a genetic aberration because the genetics of tortoiseshell cats dictates that they are almost always female. About one in 3000 are male as I recall. Also, it is not that unusual to see this extreme pattern on the face which creates the appearance of a "split-face". This is not what is called a "chimera" but a normal variation of the tortoiseshell pattern. Sometimes you do see what some people call "two-faced" cats with this sort of face due to a sharply defined pattern down the middle of the face. But the genetics behind that is different to this normal tortoiseshell variation. This is a particularly extraordinary looking Maine Coon cat. Not all Maine C...
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5 Maine Coon transformations from kitten to adult (video)

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Maine Coon kitten and his adult self. Photo: Robert Silka. This is a series of photographs by the very famous Maine Coon photographer: robert_sijka. I think he presents his photographs too dark as there is not enough information in the photographs for my liking but he takes great photographs of great Maine Coon cats. In this series he photographs a kitten and their adult version. Each individual cat is a wonderful example of the Maine Coon breed. I can count five examples. In my experience, these Google Blogger videos only work if you click the centre play button and then, immediately afterwards, the play button bottom-left! It sounds bad but the short video is worth watching.
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Eerie picture of a Maine Coon sitting like a human on a chest of drawers

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This is a slightly scary picture according to those who've seen it. One social media user said it was the devil and "If I walked into a room and saw that, I would assume some shit is about to go down". There is a ghostly stillness and sinister feeling about the image. 'Eerie' is a better description. This attractive cat appears to be completely at ease and comfortable sitting on top of a chest of bedroom drawers. The lighting from below (deliberate?) enhances the eerie effect. It seems possible that this is a photo-edited image but if so, it has been done with great skill. However, I don't think this is Photoshopped. Rethink: to be honest, the more I look at the picture, the more I feel that this is a photo-edited image. It is just too unnatural to be real. Although some domestic cats get themselves into some very strange positions. Maine Coon calmly sitting just like a human on a chest of drawers. Picture source unclear. Image deemed to be in the public d...
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Picture showing a Maine Coon as big as a child

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Another good example of the size of the bigger Maine Coons. Photo: Reddit.com This is a good photograph from the point of view of comparing size because it is from above and so we can see the full length of this almost totally black Maine Coon with white boots. The cat looks bigger than the child which is possible because I've seen Maine Coons which are positively enormous. I'm sure breeders of this cat go out of the way and bend over backwards to breed the biggest Maine Coon that they can. It's a challenge. They're not meant to necessarily be as big as this, as far as I know. That wasn't the initial objective under the breed standard. The standard does not say that Maine Coons must be enormous. In fact, the Cat Fanciers' Association breed standard, in the opening paragraph provides an overview of the cat and there is no mention that this cat should be very big. It is reproduced below (great cat though): "GENERAL: originally a working cat, the Maine Coon is...
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Should Maine Coons wear collars?

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Should Maine Coon cats wear collars? It's a question posed by the owner of the website Maine Coon Central and I think the question is not a great one to be perfectly frank but it does just about need to be addressed which is why I am writing this article. Maine Coon cat wearing a collar. Photo by Warren Photographic (modified by MikeB) and used with his express permission. You could ask the same question about any domestic cat that goes outside. Cat collars normally contain an identification tag. Cats that go outside might get lost. The ID tag can help them be reunited with their owner without recourse to having to scan for a microchip. The thing is though that it is probably exceptional for a Maine Coon cat to be allowed to go outside unsupervised. Quite rarely people take them outside on a harness and lead to allow them to explore the outside and be mentally stimulated. However, under these circumstances you don't need a collar with an ID tag for obvious reasons (unless they ...
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