Is my cat a Maine Coon?
by Erin
(Oakland, CA)
She turned up on my door step about a year ago, and after trying but failing to find her owners, i decided to keep her.
She was a little thin when she turned up, but weighed 9lbs at the vet. Now, after being well taken care of, she weighs a lot more!
She was fixed and cared for by someone, but who knows how or why she became homeless.
She has all the characteristics, tufts in ears and paws, a long water proofed coat with three layers of fur, the huge tail, she chirps at me all the time and follows me around like a dog.
I am very curious please take a look and let me know what you think 🙂
Erin
Hi Erin... thanks for visiting. You ask a question which is almost impossible to answer on the basis of appearance alone.
Even a first class Maine Coon show cat that is retired and become a bit overweight could be difficult to assess as a purebred Maine Coon. All you can say, on looking at appearance only, is that a cat looks like a Maine Coon or a Persian or whatever. I would think that you want something more certain and black and white than that.
Your cat has some Maine Coon characteristics but does not look like a purebred Maine Coon. I am comparing her appearance with the Maine Coons that I have seen at shows or that have been photographed by Helmi Flick (cats at cat shows in the USA).
That said, I have seen Maine Coons in other countries that looked like your cat. The breed standard is quite flexible so you will see a range of types of Maine Coon, which makes it more difficult to assess a cat on appearance alone.
My guess is that your cat is more likely to be a Maine Coon Mix, meaning one removed from purebred. But that is a pure guess! To me she looks a little bit too cobby (stocky) and round of face to be a purebred Maine Coon in the USA.
There are a lot of Maine Coon mix cats around. You only have to look on Petfinder.com to see that.
Of course everything I have written could be wrong. Breeders breed Maine Coons and many of them will not meet the breed standard (the official guide provided by cat associations as to how the cat should look). They will be purebred but not show cat quality etc. Maybe the breeders don't bother to register them at cat associations. Once again these cats blur the boundaries in assessing a cat by appearance only.
This page may help a bit as well. Sorry I can't be more decisive or helpful.
She is a lovely looking cat by the way.
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I’m very interested in a maine coon I have 2 hymalain cats that is very large I would love to have or adopt a large maine coon
John, I hope that you are successful in adopting a large Maine Coon cat. They are my favourite cat breed and they are the most popular domestic cat breed in the world, I would say. Although, the cat association registration details might not support that.
I found your picture of your female “Maine Coon”. She was the 1st one that had the same markings as my male cat. He also ended up on our doorstep without a home, starving & needing some aide.
I had him fixed at approx. his 7-8 month, where he weighted 11.4 lbs. The Vet tech said he probably wasn’t a Main Coon due to the coloring, but a big boy. He probably weighs 16 lbs now, after 2 additional months that have passed, & he acts like a dog. He has learned how to play “dead” when I point my fingers at him & say “Bang!” & a few additional tricks. Then there are the doors he opens; the trouble he starts & instantly turns his back on us when he knows he is in trouble. Besides being a good “Watchdog/cat; he is very funny!
I believe we may have a mixture in our cats. I Know my cat has all the elements of feet, hair, tail, language, intelligence, ears, etc…, so I will claim that he is Main Coon.