Videos Maine Coon Breed Information
Country of origin -
United States
Breed standards -
AACE, CFA, ACFA, TICA, CCA,
ACF, GCCF, FIFe
The Maine Coon is one of the largest breeds of domestic cat,
known for its intelligence and playfulness as well as its
distinctive physical appearance. The breed is one of the oldest
natural breeds in North America and originated from New England, making it America's first
indigenous show cat. The Maine Coon Cat is known as "the
gentle giant."
1. Origin
In the 17th and 18th centuries, domestic cats brought over from
Europe faced very severe winters in New
England, where only the strongest and most adaptable cats survived.
Through natural selection (as
opposed to selective
breeding), the Maine Coon developed into a large, rugged cat
with a water-resistant, thick coat and a hardy constitution.
The origin of the breed (and its name) has several, often
fantastic, stories surrounding it. One tale comes from a story that
a domestic cat released in the wilds of Maine interbred with a raccoon, resulting in offspring with the Maine
Coon's characteristics. Though biologically impossible, this
false story, bolstered by the bushy tail and the most common
coloring (a raccoon-like brown tabby) could have led to the
adoption of the name "Maine Coon." Another story is that
the cat was named after a ship's captain named Coon who was
responsible for the cat reaching Maine shores, or that the breed
sprang from the six pet cats that Marie Antoinette sent to Wiscasset, Maine when she was planning
to escape from France during the French Revolution.
Nevertheless, most breeders today believe that the breed
originated in matings between pre-existing shorthaired domestic
cats and overseas longhairs, perhaps Angora types introduced by New England
seamen, or longhairs brought to America by the Vikings. Maine Coons are similar in appearance to
both the Norwegian Forest
Cat and to the Siberian,
however this may be attributed to convergent evolution the shaping
of unrelated species by similar environments, selecting for similar
characteristics, resulting in similar animals.
2. Physical characteristics
Maine Coons are very large and energetic cats, sometimes
weighing up to around 11-12 kilograms (25 pounds); the average
weight is 6 to 9 kilograms (13-20 pounds) for adult males and less
(7-11 pounds) for females. Male Maine Coons may grow to a length in
excess of 1 meter (40 inches); as of 2006,
the longest cat on record is a Maine Coon 122cm (48 inches) in
length. [1] Growth to full size often takes longer than for most
cats, with Maine Coons usually reaching full size at age four or
five.
The most common color/pattern in the breed is brown with
tabby markings. Maine Coons are
recognized in all colors, including tortoiseshell, except for chocolate,
lavender, ticked tabby, and the point-restricted
("Siamese") pattern. Eye color also varies widely. All
patterns may have green, green-gold, or gold. Blue eyes, or one
blue eye with one gold eye, are possible in white coat cats. They
share similar facial markings, for example, a distinct
"M" shape on the forehead.
Maine Coons have medium-long, dense fur, with longer hair, or a
ruff, on their chests similar to the mane of a lion (which is why
the breed is sometimes humorously called the "Mane
Coon"). Their fur consists of two layers - an undercoat and an additional layer of longer
guard hairs, which gives the breed
their key physical feature. The fur is generally very soft. Maine
Coons have long hair on the backs of their legs (called pantaloons
or britches) and between their toes which helps to keep warm in the
cold. They also have bushy plumed tails and broad, angular heads,
squared-off muzzles and wide-set ears topped with tufts of fur
(known as 'Lynx-tips'). Their tails can be so bushy that
the Maine Coon has earned the nickname the 'tail with a cat
attached to it'.
Most Maine Coons keep their fur in good order without the need
for additional human grooming. While the Coon may be polydactyl, having one or more extra toes on
their paws, this trait is generally bred out.
Maine Coons have large ears, which can be tipped at the end with
fur. This is a common trait of a Maine Coon, giving them their
Lynx-like appearance.
3. Behavioral characteristics
Maine Coons are a breed distinguished by intelligence,
dexterity, and playfulness. They have a tendency to use their front
paws extensively (often curling the paw round to pick objects up)
and as a consequence will easily learn to open cabinet doors, turn
on water faucets, flush toilets, or pick up small objects. Some
Maine Coons will eat, or even drink, from their paws, rather than
from the bowl itself.
Due to their above-average intelligence, Maine Coons are known
to be one of the easiest cat breeds to train. Maine Coons are noted
for their ability to trill their meows, which sounds like a combination
of a purr and a meow, and they tend to make this sound when happy
or startled. They are noted for rarely eating alone, preferring to
eat in the company of other cats or humans. Maine Coons are usually
not "lap" cats (possibly because of their large size),
and thus are generally not comfortable sitting on a person's
lap or chest, though this may depend on the personality of the
individual cat.
Some Maine Coons enjoy playing with, but not usually in, water.
They may dip toys in their water bowls before playing with them, or
just tip the water bowl over. They may also skim their paws across
the surface of their water bowl. Maine Coons occasionally engage in
mischievous behavior when bored, such as deliberately pushing
things off tables and the tops of refrigerators with their
paws.
Maine Coons can be very dog-like in their behavior. Playing
fetch is a favorite game. As with dogs, they will bring their ball,
drop it at the feet of their intended playmate and wait for the
ball to be thrown. They will often accompany their owner on chores
like getting the mail, walking the dog, and may also come when
beckoned, even if outside.
4. Health considerations
Hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle where the
muscle of the left ventricle thickens and becomes stiffer than
normal. In cats, it can cause heart failure, aortic
thromboembolism, and sudden death. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can
be detected by cardiac ultrasound (echocardiography) between 1 and 7 years
of age in Maine Coon cats.
A mutation in the gene that codes for cardiac myosin binding
protein C has been shown to cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in
certain genetic lines of the Maine
Coon cat population.[1] Approximately one third of
Maine Coon cats tested for the mutation have tested positive,
although this population sampling is most likely biased. It appears
that another mutation responsible for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
is also present in the breed. Responsible Maine Coon cat breeders,
in an effort to reduce the occurrence of HCM, now screen their
animals both for the disease long-term (via echocardiography) and
for the mutation and make this information available to potential
pet buyers.
Until 1988, taurine deficiency was a
common cause of dilated cardiomyopathy in all cats, including Maine
Coons. Since the pet food industry started adding more taurine to
cat food in the late 1980s, this kind of cardiomyopathy is rare.
Taurine-related cardiomyopathy can be cured with the addition of
the nutrient to the diet, but genetic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
causes a permanent thickening of the left ventricle and is not
curable.
Other potential health problems include hip dysplasia and polycystic kidney disease.
Gum disease is also more common in
Maine Coons than in other breeds. However, Coons are very hardy,
healthy, and resilient animals who can live to be over 20 years
old.
Copyright (c) 2008 Kitt Killion Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
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