Your Maine Coon Guide

Happy and health, ginger tabby indoor Maine Coon cat on his cat tree. Image: MikeB This article applies to all domestic cats but I am publishing it on this Maine Coon website. It is quite an important topic as urinary tract diseases or disorders are common in male cats. It is one of the most common male feline diseases. My research indicates the following: Castration and Urologic Health: Castration does not directly cause urologic disorders. However, some theories (or studies) suggest that castrated cats may be more prone to developing urinary tract problems, although this has not been definitively proven [I question that last statement as the study referred to fond a correlation]. A study came to this conclusion: "Castrated males had increased risk for each cause of lower urinary tract disease except infections and incontinence. Other urinary tract disorders include: urocystolithiasis, urethral obstructions, and idiopathic LUTD" -  (unknown cause but might be stress). To the...

I am speculating here but I like to do that sometimes to see if I can push the boundaries of what we know. But this form of causation or series of events could happen to a Maine Coon cat and the article starts off with a Maine Coon cross suffering from a rare disease called polycythemia aka erythrocytosis, which was reported on the AVMA website in a recent study. Maine Coon eating dry cat food. The label describes a disease in which there is high concentration of red blood cells in the circulatory system. This makes the blood thicker and less able to travel through the blood vessels. The symptoms are linked to the nervous system: ataxia (balance and coordination problems), weakness, seizures, blindness and behaviour change). Although it can be hard to find the underlying cause of polycythemia, dehydration will naturally make the blood thicker. Dehydration according to the the PetMD website leads to an increase of red blood cells (RBC) in proportion to the fluid level of the blood. The ...

Note: I don't wish to put people off buying a Maine Coon. They are amazing. But I just like addressing reality. A reality check to make sure adopters know all there is to know before diving in because it is expensive and you want to spend wisely and know what the overall cost over say 14 years will be for a Maine Coon (a lot 😓) The Mail Online has, I believe, helped people who are considering adopting one of the popular purebred cats. People want to buy a purebred cat need to think hard about the purchase - and it is a purchase with quite a lot of money being handed over - in terms of the health of the cat that they are buying and not so much the appearance. That advice in fact comes from the RSPCA who claim, correctly, that cat breeders tend to focus too much on appearance to try and create a cat which fits exactly cat association's breed standard rather than focusing on the health of the animal that they are creating. Ultimately, in the long-term, health is more important ...

Neoplasia is the uncontrolled abnormal growth of cells or tissues in the body and can be benign or malignant. It is the fourth most common cause of death in cats according to veterinary records in England, UK. The disease accounts for up to 25% of deaths in the older cat population. This information comes from a study about skin tumours called: "Retrospective study of more than 9000 feline cutaneous tumours in the UK 2006-2013". The word "cutaneous" means affecting the skin. The scientists looked at 219,083 feline samples. 4.4% of the sample had cutaneous tumours. The four most common types of cancerous growths in the skin were basal cell tumours, fibro sarcomas, squamous cell sarcomas and mast cell tumours. Mast cell tumours These are tumours consisting of mast cells. They are very common in dogs. The most common malignant skin tumour and dogs in fact. Mast cell tumours contain granules filled with substances which can be released into the bloodstream and potential...

A study discovered that Maine Coon cats are 12 times more likely to develop "slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). So, what is it and is this important? Maine Coon cats are 12 times more likely to develop "slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). Image: the study referred to (background). The overall image is by MikeB (Canva). It may interest Maine Coon cat owners and those who want to purchase a Maine Coon to know that this cat breed - in addition to inheriting a predisposition to hip dysplasia - also appears to inherit another hip joint condition which, as I understand it, can sometimes lead to hip dysplasia and this other condition is called slipped capital femoral epiphysis . It affects the hip joint. RELATED:  Infographic on hip dysplasia in Maine Coon cats . The study was published in 2016. It is online. You can read it if you wish by clicking on this link . The study was conducted in Austria. The interesting and perhaps disconcerting conclusion of the study, as me...

This may help people who are in the process of adopting a Maine Coon kitten. It is an infographic which highlights the basic health factors to assess when buying a kitten. You should really visit the seller's home to assess the kitten before buying. This is going to be ruled out if you buy online and at a distance. You could, however, insist on a contract that states that you have the right to reject the kitten if it does not meet the standards as stated in the infographic although I would expect that to be very rarely demanded. CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IT LARGER IF YOU LIKE Buying a Maine Coon is about quality; the quality of the kitten, the services provided such as guarantees, the aftercare provided and above all the quality of the parents and the standard of the breeder. All these factors increase the cost of the kitten from under $1000 to something in the order of $5000. A big difference but if you can afford it, I'd go for the quality option as you are guaranteed to adop...

Well, the question is a bit odd but it's being asked on the internet so I'll answer it. It applies of course to all domestic cats as Maine Coons are no different in matters of diet. The short answer is that if a Maine Coon is interested in eating a cooked chicken egg, scrambled or hard boiled (which is debatable but possible), the owner shouldn't stop them as it is okay in moderation. I would not think that a Maine Coon would eat more than a small portion which is all the more reason why it could be regarded as a little treat. Maine Coon eating boiled eggs. It is okay in moderation. Image: MikeB I mean eggs are good for humans and although there is a difference in the diets of humans and cats, they are not so different as to exclude eggs from a cat's diet in terms of a small treat. Fully cooked eggs would be a decent treat for a Maine Coon as they are full of nutrients such as amino acids, the building blocks of protein, and eggs are very digestible. Proper storage and...

NEWS AND VIEWS - ENGLAND: The title is bad enough but, on my judgement, the kitten wasn't a Maine Coon in any case. This was a multi-scam: a very unhealthy kitten was sold to a woman who bought her for her autistic 10-year-old son, Bryn Stutley, and the kitten was not a Maine Coon cat as described by the scammy seller. Note : this is a good instructional story for would be Maine Coon adopters. A very important lesson actually. The scammers are a former police officer, Amy Byrne and Harry Angell. I feel compelled to make a comment. It is ironic that the scammer is a former police officer. That tells me that the police service in the UK is employing the wrong sort of applicants to be police officers. In fact, this has been admitted by the Metropolitan Police chief but that is another topic. The kitten was named Lokie by the purchaser who is Yolanda, 45. She bought the kitten from a seller called 'Semeena' as reported by the Mail Online.  The seller assured Yolanda that the ki...

A study which has been published online and which you can see by clicking on the following link:  https://doi.org/10.5326/0460398 , concluded that longhaired cats of varying breeds particularly Maine Coon cats appear to be at a higher risk of PPDH.  Maine Coons appear to be at a higher risk of peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia (PPDH). Image: Clinician's Brief. "Peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia" describes the most common congenital defect involving the pericardium in dogs and cats. In this defect, the abdominal contents are herniated (to protrude through an abnormal body opening, rupture) into the pericardial sac (a fibrous sac that encloses the heart and great vessels). For a cat, the symptoms might include: vomiting, diarrhoea, coughing, weight loss and difficulty breathing according to the pet MD website. I think this information may interest some Maine Coon owners who want to do their best for the health of their cat. It is always useful to have a bit ...

In human terms it is sexist to select one sex over another and I feel slightly uncomfortable doing it but this article should interest people who are thinking of adopting a Maine Coon cat (MC). 2 reasons why female Maine Coons are better than males. Image: MikeB HCM If you are thinking of adopting you probably know by now that the MC is predisposed to several inherited diseases, one of which is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). It is a serious heart disease and ultimately a killer. It can start at a very young age . A breeder says that a cat predisposed to HCM should be tested for the disease yearly. How do you check ? This disease is present in the general domestic cat population and in other breeds at a higher prevalence e.g., the Bengal cat at around 15% of all Bengal cats. It is also present in humans at 0.2% prevalence (1 in 500). However, 30% of Maine coon cats have a genetic mutation that makes it likely that they will develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Cats in general are mo...

Maine Coon cats and arthritis. Image: MikeB One website dedicated to the Maine Coon cat tells us that the breed can be affected by the following forms of arthritis based on vet advice: Immune-mediated arthritis  - this is arthritis caused by joint inflammation which in turn has been caused by the cat's immune system going wrong. I will presume that it is an auto-immune disease leading to various symptoms one of which is arthritis. Septic arthritis  - this is arthritis caused by a bacterial infection and the toxins produced by the bacteria which enter the joint cavity via the bloodstream. Osteoarthritis  - this is also known as degenerative joint disease arthritis. Cancerous arthritis  - this apparently is the results of synovial cell sarcomas. These are tumours of the synovial cells in the joint. This is a malignant tumour which can spread to the cat's lungs in 25% of the cases. That looks terribly bad. And it may be painting an overly negative picture of this breed....

Stunning flame coloured Maine Coon. Photo:  Катерина Силантьева. Bred in Russia. What are the ethical standards like in Russia? Any different to anywhere else?  This is a provocative question and a statement that implies that all cat breeders are bad people. This is incorrect and unfair. It is generalizing far too much. Breeders including Maine Coon cat breeders are not bad people. If you met one - usually a middle-aged lady - you'd probably like them and get on just fine. They are just people who normally don't see the problem with cat breeding in terms of the following two overarching issues: When you breed an individual cat such as a glorious Maine Coon kitten which will be bought by somebody, in effect you take away the possibility of adoption of one rescue cat in one shelter somewhere. That is somewhat theoretical but the equation is obvious. A person adopting a Maine Coon cat might have adopted a beautiful, large rescue cat with medium-length hair instead, that's been...

This is a cross-post. I hope that it helps to explain hip dysplasia in Maine Coon cats. The x-rays that we see are not very helpful in terms of understanding the disease. So, I decided to produce a very compact and succinct infographic which I hope people will find useful because a lot of people look at websites on their smartphones. They are looking for speed. As I have said before, it is a great shame that this beautiful cat breed suffers from four serious inherited health problems one of which is hip dysplasia. The diseases don't come about exclusively because of artificial selection i.e. selective breeding but inbreeding is a major contributor to this disease being so prevalent at around a quarter of all Maine Coons. I can think of three others immediately: spinal atrophy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and patella luxation. The first concerns the spine gradually atrophying i.e. becoming weaker, the second regards a serious heart disease in which the muscle thickens. It begins wit...

This is a long page to try and make it fairly comprehensive. Starting from scratch, what does a person need to do to buy a Maine Coon cat? Obviously, you've got to approach a cat breeder because on nearly every occasion, you will have to buy your Maine Coon cat from a cat breeder. Rarely there are rescue Maine Coons. Although it is worth checking out the rescue Maine Coon route. But what do you do before that? Ready to buy a cat? I think that you must go back to square one first. At the beginning of a decision to buy a Maine Coon cat you have to consider domestic cats generally by which I mean: "Are you in a position to adopt a domestic cat?". "Are you in a position to live with a domestic cat for the lifespan of the cat?" It is a fundamental question which applies to every domestic cat whether they are non-purebred or purebred. In fact, the question is more appropriate or more pointed in respect of the Maine Coon cat because when you adopt a Maine Coon cat you ...

This is about people and cats living in modern homes . I'm going to refer to an article in The Times newspaper today which is about the UK, but it refers to all modern homes. And the reason why modern homes are relevant to this discussion is because there is less ventilation in them. There are less gaps and holes around windows and in other parts of the home which provide natural ventilation.  Maine Coon lounges on a sofa. Are they safe from pollutants? Image believed to be in the public domain. The modern home is sealed up with double glazing for, ironically, environmental reasons. The idea is to keep the heat in to minimise the use of energy which at the moment often comes from gas, oil and coal, dug up from the ground and producing carbon dioxide when burnt which warms up the planet. It's ironic, too, that the urban environment is becoming slightly healthier because of electric vehicles (EVs) but relatively speaking inside the home is becoming more polluted. Tackling indoo...