Maine Coon

Maine Coon, a native US cat breed, is thought to be one of the oldest breeds of cats in the US as it can be traced back that the breed started somewhere in the 1800s. It is known for its massive and bulky size as it is found to be tagged and resolutely built. This breed might seem frightening and menace to some people due to their large size but to our astonishment this cat breed has quite sweet, gentle and affable personality.

Some experts say that they are a mix breed of bobcats and Norwegian forest cat, but it is widely accepted that this breed is naturally developed in North American state Maine. These cats were stated as state cats of Maine in 1985.

It is estimated that more than 600000 Maine coons are registered in different cat registration bodies like CFA and TICA. They were rare once upon a time but now you can find them anywhere.

Personality and physical appearance of this majestic breed make them little bit expensive. Kittens will cost you around $1500 to $3000 and if we talk about a young adult cat price, it will be between $2500 and $4500.

These cats were first shown in a local cat show named Skowhegan Fair in the early 1860s when local North American farmers brought their cats into the show. Where their muscular and fierce look quickly captured the audience’s attention. As the cat shows became popular with the passage of time, They also became popular among people.

After many competitions, on May 8, 1895, a female brown colored Maine Coon tabby cat won the prize for best cat at a cat show held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Silver collar and award can be seen in CFA Headquarters in Jean Baker Rose Memorial Library. It is listed as a foundation breed as Maine Cats in 1908 by Cat Fancier Association.

In the early 1900s, with the arrival of long hair cats in the USA, they started losing their popularity. They were declared extinct in the 1950s. Obviously, they were not entirely finished. Very small number of them were available. Both the humans who had Maine coons and the cat associations showed negligence to these gentle giants.

But thanks to passionate breeders, this breed was brought back from the brick. A central Maine coon cat club was established in 1950 by these breeders and Maine coon-only cat shows were organized. These activities help breeders to keep this breed alive. After many ups and downs, they became the 3rd largest cat breed in 2020.

Each cat breed has different characteristics. So make sure to know about characteristics of different breeds and choose the best one which suits you. They cats have some unique characteristics.

Their life depends on the environment provided to them. Some Experts say that these cats can live up to 20 years if a healthy environment is given. Majority of experts agree that their average life is 12 to 15 years.

These are big size cats so we can consider them as non-lap cats. An average adult Coon cat size & weight could be as below:

Measurements	Male	Female
Height	10-16 Inches (25-40.50 cm)	8-14 Inches (20.50-35.50 cm)
Length	19-40 Inches (48.25-101.5 cm)	18-30 Inches (45.72-76.20 cm)
Weight	15-24 lbs. (6.80-10.80 kg)	09-18 lbs. (4.10-8.10 kg)

Click here to read more about the growth stages of this breed.

They have a strong muscular, rectangular shaped body. Their tails and paws are bigger than normal cats. Their whole body is covered with long hair. But the fur around their neck is longer than the other body. That’s why they look like lions.

They have big pointed ears topped with some hairs and big eyes in different colors.  They came in a wide variety of coat colors and shades. These cats have a wide chest and large strong legs.

Click here to read more about their physical appearance.

These cats came in a wide variety of colors in many patterns. There are 70+ colors and patterns available according to CFA sources but some important color pattern are:

Solid Colors:

These cats are available in many solid colors including:

Tabby Colors:

They are also available in many tabby colors which are:

Bi-Color Maine Coon:

A cat with two colors is called Bi-Color Cat. It is the combination of white and some other color. They are available in many bi-colors which are:

Smoke Shaded Maine Coon:

A solid color with lighter shade on the tips of the fur makes smoke shaded color. Maine coon also have some smoke shaded colors which are:

These cats are also available in some other patterns like tortoiseshell, Tri-color which is also known as Calico Maine coon.

Maine coons are known for their friendly social temperament. They are known as in-door cats because they love to play with other pets, and kids in the house. Their loving nature tends to develop a strong bond with their humans. As you know they are social cats, so they are never shy to come in front of your guests and play with them.

They are highly intelligent and curious about the questions they have in their mind. They love playing with puzzles and hunting toys. You can note their intelligence level when they play with puzzle toys. They are never seen in aggression until someone teases them. If we talk about loyalty, no doubt, they form a strong bond with their humans and can be loyal and devoted to their humans just like dogs.

Click here to read more about their basic behaviors.

These are Social cats. They need the attention of their humans. So avoid pet a coon cat if you couldn’t give them proper time. These cats are favorite for their affectionate and friendly demeanor. They enjoy playing with the kids and other pets at home.

Some key personality traits of this breed are as follows:

Maine Coon is more intelligent than the rest of the breeds of cats. This makes it clear that they would find it not more difficult to learn and get trained.

There are many examples that determine that they are highly intelligent and wise. One of the examples is that they can find the easiest and coolest way to climb up a wall. Many of the cats of other breeds will just jump on the wall from any side and might get hurt in the process but they will first look for the safest and easiest way to climb up or to reach the top.

Maine coons love to groom and cuddle themselves like any teddy bear. They also love being carried up like babies and being treated with sweet cuddles. You can get tired and feel stress due to your daily routine. But if you have a Maine Coon, it will shower its affection and love upon you and release your stress. The cat is habitual of showering love on a daily basis. 

Maine Coons don’t feel much jealous of the other pets and babies, and are massively social and always form a good relationship with others. They don’t indulge in fights like other pet animals and are socially active. They are also referred to as the family lovers and are very sweet and good around the kids who make noises and sounds.

The interesting fact about this breed is that they are very vocal without being loud. Most of the cats use “Meow Meow” for communicating with others but this breed is very different. These cats use Chirps or trills to get attention of their owners and the rest of the people around them.

But if they meow constantly, consider them hungry or they need something. They also meow constantly if they are sick or they might have reached sexual maturity.

As discussed earlier, these are social and affectionate cats. It means they are also dependent on their owner. They can’t live without their owner for a long time. So avoid to pet them if you couldn’t give them proper time.

Big muscular body makes them good hunters. In fact, many farmers keep Maine coons to hunt vermin and began. They love playing with toys that copy chasing behavior like laser pointers and mouse hunting toys.

The Maine Coon cats can have various genetic disorders. They can face many health issues due to disorders they take in genes from their parents. There are various diseases these cats can catch and they include; Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Polycystic Kidney Disease, Hips Dysplasia, and Chronic Gingivitis. Following table will show the diseases with their description and treatments;

Diseases	Explanation	Symptoms	Treatment
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy	In most of the cats, this disease remains unclear in the early stages. But with its progress it becomes a more dangerous disease like a cardiac arrest. The cat might feel lethargic and short of breath.	Fast open mouth breathing, Fainting, eating less are common symptoms. Some cats can feel pain in their legs and can’t move easily.	All Maine Coons have an annual Echocardiogram, this tests whether they have a heart disease or not. It is useful to ask the breeder about the HCM and then take care of the cat in accordance.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy	It is a neurological disease which often affects the physical abilities of the cats. These effects show that a cat is either 3 or 4 months old.	Cats muscles become weak and feel difficulty in moving. Cats also feel difficulty in eating, drinking due to weakness.	This disease requires special care and affection for the cat. Fortunately, the SMA affected cats can live a healthy long life.
Polycystic Kidney Disease	Like in humans, the kidneys of the cats perform the same functions. This disease produces cysts in the kidney leading to its failure.	Cats feel more thirst and drink water continuously, vomiting, Weight loss and damaged hair coats are common symptoms.	In order to know about the PKD in the cat, you need to consult the breeder to check the DNA of the cat that needs special care and treatment.
Hips Dysplasia	This is a complete or partial dislocation of the hip joint in the hip socket.	Cats feel difficulty in walking. They feel pain if the hip area is touched. They reduce their physical activities.	The treatments include a proper healthy and balanced diet with the management of the body weight.
Chronic Gingivitis	It is the inflammation in the gums of the body.	Cats reduce eating, swollen gums or bleeding gums, loss in weight are common symptoms.	Owners of the cats are advised to brush the teeth of the cats daily.

Some Other factors like unsuitable environment, bad food or seasonal infections can also disturb their health. You can reduce their health issues by taking care and regular checkups.

If you have a Maine coon in your house then you need to take some responsibility of her like your family member. They need your attention regularly.

We are discussing some steps you can take to take care of your Maine coon. By following these steps, you can create a loving and healthy environment for your cat, ensuring they lead to be happy and healthy.

Before getting a Maine coon cat, you should learn about this breed and prepare yourself and your home with a cat friendly environment. Bring necessary items like, food bowl, litter box, bed and toys before your pet. Learn about their personality to build a loving relationship with your cat.

Make a schedule and provide them with well-balanced food on time. You need to search for a quality food which fulfills the nutritional requirements including taurine or any other amino acid which is essential to minimize heart problems in your cat.

Always provide your cat fresh water. Basically Maine coons have affection for water. So try to bring a water fountain or big bowl to encourage them to drink. Wash the drinker regularly to avoid any bacterial infections.

As you know they are long haired cats, it means they need grooming on a regular basis. You need to brush their coat after giving bath once a week. It will help you to prevent matting and reduce shedding. You need to pay special attention to the neck area because they have long hairs around their neck.

Click here to read more about grooming of a Maine coon cat.

Provide regular playtime to your cat and monitor their weight to ensure their health and activeness. Bring an exercising toy for your cat or take them outside for a walk daily to avoid obesity.

Spend quality time with your cat while playing and cuddling. It would be helpful to create a strong bond with your pet and reduce your pet’s stress. As you know, they are social cats, so they are fun to spend time with.

We have now enough information to decide weather we should pet a Maine coon or not. We learned about the history of this breed, ups and downs in the past, and origin. There are 70+ colors available and we can get our favorite color in this breed. They can live longer than other cat breeds. We discussed their personality and we came to know that whether their personality suits us or not.

Some of their major health issues with symptoms and treatments are also mentioned in this article and some care tips to keep them healthy and happy are also discussed. We hope this article help you a lot.