Your Maine Coon Guide

What's the purpose? Why do Maine Coon breeders go out of their way to create cats with abnormally large and "square" muzzles. They are unnatural. They are more like dog muzzles. Why do breeders create Maine Coons with big, square muzzles? What's the purpose? Image: MikeB. Not common The first point to make is that Maine Coon cats with these kinds of extreme and heavy muzzles are relatively rare. They are quite common on the internet (social media) but on the ground in the "real world" - among the Maine Coon pets - they are much less common. One can be misled by the internet. And the Maine Coon show cats are not like this. They will have heavier than usual muzzles but not the type that we see on social media. The show Maine Coon have slightly heavier and squarer muzzles than normal because they should look natural (see below). Standard guides and encourages But the reason why breeders focus on the muzzle as a defining appearance aspect is because the breed st...

Maine Coon cats, like other domestic cats, lack the ability to roar due to differences in their larynx structure compared to big cats.  The larynx of domestic cats is not as specialized as that of big cats, and their vocal cords are shorter and less flexible. As a result, domestic cats are unable to produce the deep, low-frequency vibrations that create a roar. Maine Coon meowing loudly asking for food. Image: DALL-E. However, Maine Coon cats, like other domestic cats, are still capable of producing a variety of other vocalizations, such as meows, purrs, growls, and hisses, to communicate with their owners and other cats. These vocalizations are produced by other parts of the larynx and the mouth. The tiger roar is meant to be heard over 2-3 kilometers. It is a long-distance call . Domestic cats don't need to call that far and their anatomy is too small to produce a roar. A point worth mentioning is that a cat can either purr/meow or roar but they can't do both. The mountain li...

I have seen some very misleading articles on this from leading websites including Maine Coon Central. 'Ear tufts' refer to the long, stiff hair strands that sprout from the tip of the ear flap. It is hair outside the ear flap and therefore plays no part in preventing dirt and debris from entering the ear canal as stated by Maine Coon Central.  Fantastic ear tufts on a young ginger tabby and white Maine Coon. Photo: Facebook (believed). Debris is stopped by what the cat fancy call 'ear furnishings' which is the hair inside the ear flap.  Ear tufts are purely decorative for the domestic cat and the Maine Coon. All domestic cats have ear tufts but for nearly all of them they are very slight and hardly visible sometimes. So why do Maine Coons have enlarged ear tufts? It is because the breed standard insists on them. Here is the CFA breed standard: EARS : Shape: large, well-tufted, wide at base, tapering to appear pointed. Set: approximately one ear’s width apart at the base...

The infographic on this page is about all there is to know about big Maine Coons. There is a fascination with the enormous. Until I'd seen such large feline heads on equally large domestic cat bodies, I would never have envisaged a domestic cat's head being the same size as that of their owner. It demonstrates the power of selective breeding from foundation stock that includes a massive male Maine Coon. You could argue that it has got out of hand a little as the CFA breed standard does not insist that Maine Coons need to be huge or even large. The standard does not state that.  The cat show winning Maine Coons are not huge. They look quite normal. In fact, the breed standard says that quality should not be sacrificed at the altar of massive size. Point made. What kind of Maine Coon wins cat show competitions ? Instructive. Like almost all others, however, I like big Maine Coons as long as they are healthy. There is an issue here as the bigger Maine Coons are more likely to deve...

On the left is GC, BWI, DW NEKOLAND XOXO XANDER BRIGHTMAN from the 2019-20 cat show season: International: Best of Breed. A brown tabby & white, male Maine Coon Cat. A top-quality MC. On the right is a cat from Pinterest which has probably be bred in Eastern Europe or Russia. I have mentioned this before as you might know. Extreme Maine Coon muzzle versus CFA International Best of Breed muzzle. Image on left: CFA. On right: Robert Sijka. The difference is reflected in the different approach to selective breeding in the US and in Eastern Europe. Or perhaps this 'extreme' Maine Coon was bred in the US which the objective of creating a European style Maine Coon. And the difference is very clear. The muzzle should not be as unnatural as we see on the right. Naturalness must count for a lot in breeding. The Cat Fanciers' Association make this clear in their breed standard: MUZZLE/CHIN: is visibly square, medium in length and blunt ended when viewed in profile. It may give t...

In an apparent anomaly, a study measuring beauty using the 'golden ratio' organised by the website All About Cats concluded that the Maine Coon is the 9th most attractive cat breed with the most attractive breeds being the Norwegian Forest cat together with the Russian Blue. I say "anomaly" because it is likely that the Maine Coon is today's most popular cat breed.  Russian Blue - mathematically the most beautiful. Image: Daily Mail. Explaining the difference between mathematical beauty and observed beauty In another anomaly, the Persian and the Himalayan, both flat-faced-bread cat breeds, are the least attractive under a mathematical formula called the "golden ratio". Both these breeds are popular among the cat fancy. For decades, the Persian was the most popular cat breed as recognised by the Cat Fanciers' Association (most registrations). There are three possible reasons for this anomaly. The first is that the popularity of a cat breeder is no...

CFA breed standard for ears: EARS: Shape: large, well-tufted, wide at base, tapering to appear pointed. Set: approximately one ear’s width apart at the base; not flared. Well, yes, it is the hallmark of the Maine Coon that their ears should be large and well-tufted. That and the muzzle distinguishes them from the common cat! 😏 No cat is a common cat but you'll take my point. The ears and muzzle are what makes them what they are plus their size and shaggy coat. And this smoky beauty has those ears. Breeders focus on them. They mould the appearance genetically. I must say I am not a great fan of selective breeding (artificial selection as opposed to natural selection). It is humans playing God. I prefer leaving nature alone as nature knows best.  Humans can go wrong if they think they are better and bigger than nature. Look at climate change. Nature is telling humankind to get a grip and to stop destroying the planet. Global warming is like a Maine Coon slapping down a person who...

This is a little, respectful reminder, as it is no longer news, about the very tragic story of Cygnus, the Maine Coon who held the Guinness World Record for the longest tail on a domestic cat. He lived with the then tallest domestic cat Acturus who was a Savannah cat. I think he was an F1 Savannah cat. But they lived in the same home with Lauren and Will Powers in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Cygnus's tail measured 44.6 cm or 17.58 inches. Cygnus. Photo: Guinness World Records. Their home caught fire on Sunday, November 12, 2017. Will and Lauren managed to escape but they both risked their lives, we are told, to find their cats before being forced to vacate the property. They left the doors and windows open hoping that their cats and two others, Yuki and Sirius, would find a way out. Will and Lauren. Screenshot from YouTube video. The fire occurred about one month after this video was published on YouTube. When the fire was put out, they searched for their beloved cats Cygnus and Ac...

This is an unusual-looking Maine Coon. It looks like a black smoke coat but the white spotting gene has created the white ruff (like a lion's mane) and the blaze down the middle of the face. The muzzle is very large in line with the modern trend for European Maine Coons. Maine Coon with an unusual coat and pattern. Photo: Pinterest.

In summary European Maine Coons tend to be bred more often to extreme, with larger ears and pronounced lynx tipped ears and large lion-like, chiselled muzzles compared to their American cousins. Plus, they might be more feral looking. I have also heard that TICA prefer more wild looking Maine Coons compared to the CFA more delicate or refined features and coat. TICA is an international cat association. The CFA is an American association. American Maine Coon. Photo: Helmi Flick European Maine Coon by Eurocoons based in Kansas , USA. Photo by them. European and American Maine Coons are the same breed. There are some differences. There has to be otherwise you wouldn't describe them as European and American Maine Coons. Also, it is worth noting that some American breeders in America breed European Maine Coons. The European Maine Coon is not only bred in Europe. American breeders appear to be importing Maine Coon foundation cats from Europe to start their own breeding lines. My ...

Maine Coons have tufty toes! It is part of their appearance and desirable. The breed standard mentions them and therefore Maine Coons have to have them ! But, interestingly, a mother and cat owner on the mumsnet.com website did raise a question about these fluffy appendages. She asked whether you should trim tufts of fur which stick out between the toes of a Maine coon cat in order to stop the fur picking up bits of poo from the cat litter.  It's a worthy question and I guess sometimes bits of dirt and detritus might get trapped within these tufts of fur but they should not be trimmed. I don't believe that any part of the domestic cat, whether they are a moggy or a purebred, pedigree cat, should be altered unless it is for a vital medical reason and only if it is in the interests of the cat. For instance, it might be necessary to give a Maine Coon a lion cut for medical reasons. It would be rare. Fortunately, the mother who asked the question got the same answer from ano...

I see a mass of whiskers and toes on this cute Maine Coon youngster bred by Albireo Yuliasha. I don't know where she lives. It might be Ukraine. I like the cat. It is nice to see a polydactyl Maine Coon. They are famous for this multi-toed congenital condition which is harmless. It is not an illness. I have a page the world record polydactyl cats - those with the most toes which you can see by clicking on this link . Polydactyl Maine Coon youngster with unruly whiskers. Photo and breeder: Albireo Yuliasha. Hemingway's House on Key West is the most famous place for polydactyl Maine Coons. But I think a lot are not Maine Coons. In fact, I don't think any are today but there may have been some years ago. Perhaps they were never Maine Coons but referred to as cats of this breed. 

CFA Maine Coon standard for tail -- TAIL: long, wide at base, and tapering. Fur long and flowing . Well, a magnificent tail. Fully plumed as they say in the cat fancy. This Maine Coon is a calico - tortoiseshell-and-white - which is why the tail has those super highlights across it. People understimate the value of a good tail on a domestic cat to enhance attractiveness! :) They are important and the Cat Fanciers' Association breed standard recognises this.