Description

The largest breed of cats, males weigh from 5.9 to 8.2 kg (castrated to 12 kg), and females from 3.6 to 5.4 kg (sterilized to 7.5 to 8.5 kg) [1] . The height at the withers in adult cats reaches from 25 to 41 cm, and the total length with a tail is up to 120 cm (tail length up to 36 cm) [2]. The full potential size of a cat is reached at the age of 3 to 5 years, while in most other cats – at the age of 1 year [3]. However, there are other slow-growing breeds, also large (for example, Norwegian forest).

All Maine Coon specimens have small tassels at the tips of their ears. The length of the body of Maine Coons is a meter or more, the longest officially recorded Maine Coon had a body length of 1 meter 23 centimeters.
At birth, Maine Coon kittens are slightly larger than ordinary cats. The minimum weight of a viable newborn Maine Coon kitten is 80 grams, the normal weight of kittens is 100-180 grams. Maine Coon sexual dimorphism is markedly pronounced. Cats at birth are significantly smaller than cats, just like in adulthood.

The difference in weight can reach one third, on average, the difference in weight between cats and cats is one fourth.
Maine Coon is a long-haired cat. The coat is soft and silky; texture may vary depending on coat color and breed type. The length of the hair on the head and shoulders is shorter, on the stomach and on the sides longer, some cats have developed a decorating mane on the neck. Like many native breeds, Maine Coon wool is subject to seasonal changes, in summer it is lighter and shorter, in winter a little longer and with a more developed and dense undercoat.

Maine coons can be of any color typical of ordinary domestic cats, but artificial colors that indicate a possible admixture of other breeds, such as chocolate, lavender, color point or tipping, are not accepted in all federations. For example, the color point in Maine Coon colors is accepted only in TICA. The most common pattern in the breed is brown and smoky tabby, in Russia known as the “wild” color. All eye colors are accepted in accordance with color standards, with the exception of the appearance of blue or heterochromic (that is, two eyes of different colors) in cats with a coat color other than white.

Maine Coon wool is adapted to harsh and cold climates. A dense undercoat on the stomach and elongated hair on the hind legs allow you to sit on snow and ice, polydactyly and long tufts of hair between the paw pads, which are an indispensable feature of the breed, facilitate walking in the snow and are often compared with snowshoes, as they increase the area giving the paws additional stability without significant additional weight. Ears with tassels and elongated tufts of wool growing from the inside help keep the ears warm.

Many of the original Maine Coon cats that lived in the New England area had a trait known as polydactylism (the presence of one or more extra fingers on the paw). Although some sources claim that the symptom is believed to have occurred in about 40% of the Maine Coon population in Maine, now polydactylism is rare, if ever, seen in Maine Coons in the show ring, as it is unacceptable by common standards for semi-long-haired breeds in the main federations. This characteristic of the old, native breed was almost eradicated from the breed due to the fact that it was automatically disqualified in the show rings.

It has now been proven that the polydactylism gene is a basic autosomal dominant gene that does not pose a threat to cat health. Nowadays, private organizations and breeders have set the goal of preventing the disappearance of polydactylism in Maine Coons, and they breed these animals separately from the main pedigree lines adopted by WCF and AFC

Breed history

The breed was formed naturally under the influence of the harsh climatic conditions of the state of Maine, although there are alternative versions (legends of various kinds) about the origin of Maine Coons. Maine coons were first mentioned in literature in 1861. An article about a cat named Captain Jenks dates back to this time. from the ship * Sea Horse *
It was shown at shows in Boston and New York in 1861 and marked the beginning of the breed’s early popularity, but at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries Maine Coons were ahead of the more furry Persians. Maine Coon as a breed managed to survive only that the farmers paid tribute to it. size and hunting qualities.

The modern breed standard was adopted in 1967, and in the 1990s the Maine Coon became really popular, but it was first registered as a Maine Coon breed in 1908 at the felinological federation CFA, where the cat named Molly Bond became the fifth registered in this federation to animals.

Since 2002, the WCF General Assembly at the meeting in Milan decided that, based on the genotype of this breed, interbreeding of Maine Coons with cats of the following breeds is acceptable – Norwegian Forest, Turkish Angora, Siberian. The decision on the necessity and relevance of such