Your Maine Coon Guide

The question in the title looks a bit strange; very negative and perhaps unhelpful but there is some value in answering it. When you answer the question in respect of Maine Coon cats you have to answer the question in respect of all domestic cats of any kind. That's obvious but it needs to be stated. So, the question could be rephrased: "Why shouldn't you adopt a domestic cat?" Why shouldn't you buy a Maine Coon cat? There are pros and cons. Image: MikeB. You can see the slight difference in the question. You have to buy a Maine Coon cat because they are created by cat breeders and they are hobby breeders making some money on the side normally. They won't give you a Maine Coon for free normally. And that is the first issue to discuss: one reason why you shouldn't buy a Maine Coon cat is because you should adopt a rescue cat. The upfront costs will be much less when you pay an adoption fee at a rescue center than when you purchase a Maine Coon cat for abou...

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...

Malocclusion is the imperfect positioning of the teeth when the jaws are closed. There are various versions of it. The lady who cares for this extreme-bred, ginger Maine Coon says her cat has an underbite. It is hard to see in the photo. It means that the lower jaw protrudes further out than the upper jaw. It looks relatively slight in this cat. Ginger Maine Coon with underbite (malocclusion). Cause? Probably inbreeding. Photo: u/jourdanlc  She writes on Reddit: Vet thinks he’s around 4 or 5 years! Yeah, he was dumped out in our neighborhood last Christmas 🥺 we’re in Alabama so tbh it’s not surprising. The animals laws here are practically non-existent. I’ll look that up! He’s definitely been a great kitty! She doesn't have a great regard for animal welfare in Alabama 😉. I am sure that she is right. Imagine dumping a genuine Maine Coon. And one with a great character. Really careless and callous I'd say. And rare too. Very few Maine Coons are abandoned. But what about the u...

No, Maine Coon cats can't be left alone all day, particularly if the cat is confined to the home, perhaps an apartment. However, there are no absolutely right answers . But it would be very poor cat ownership to leave a super Maine Coon home alone daily.  The question is as much about buying a Maine Coon cat as anything else. When you buy any purebred cat, you have to decide whether you can afford to maintain your cat (about £1000 annually) and whether your life is in a position which allows you to be a proper, generous caregiver. Maine Coon at home. Image in public domain as assessed. Not everybody, often through no fault of their own, has a lifestyle which allows them to be a cat caregiver of a decent standard. An important aspect of cat caregiving is being there for them. And having a stable life with a decent home. Domestic cats live in the human world. Often times it is the cat and the human who live in the home and nobody else. From a cat's perspective their human caregiv...

The name "Maine cat" was an early version of today's 'Maine Coon cat'. It was used by Frances Simpson in 1902 in her book, " Cats and All about Them ". It is perhaps the earliest fully fledged book on the domestic cat and the breeds. She also edited "The Book of the Cat" which I believe was published in 1903. In this book she commissioned and collated the writing of breeders, naturalists and veterinarians. The quote below comes from the former I believe. "From my earliest recollection I have had from one to several long-haired cats of that variety often called Maine cats . As to how and when they came, I would say, like Topsy, they just “growed,” for their advent reaches far back beyond the memory of the oldest inhabitant." Personally, I would have to say that the earlier version of the name is much better than the later version particularly now in a woke world where any mention of the word "coon" is uncomfortable. For the l...

This is an infographic which examines the CFA breed standard for the Maine Coon in relation to the muzzle. An important part of the cat's anatomy. It is very important for the breeders as the muzzle is one element which distinguishes the Maine Coon from other at breeds. The breeds have to look different for obvious reasons. The cat fancy achieves this with selective breeding. Historically the Maine Coon is a regular, medium-longhaired moggie that was a barn cat. When you see the original Maine Coons from over 100 years ago, they look like rescue cats! They wouldn't pass muster today because of the evolved breed standard. The muzzle and the lynx tipped ears are probably the two most distinguishing features combined with the cats 'solid and rugged' appearance. Those are the words of the CFA. No mention of size. The cat show winner in the infographic must be female and is quite delicate, interestingly. The muzzle is pronounced however.

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...