One in a million super rare Maine Coon
Three-year-old MezzoMixx is a tortoiseshell Maine Coon with a gorgeous blaze down his nose. Being a breeding male he is exceptionally rare. The degree of rareness is unclear. In the title I have said that he is a one in a million cat. I explain why.
Mezzomixx, a rare Maine Coon cat
I guess we know why he is special; he is a male tortie. Before I discuss that further it is probably fair to say that MezzoMixx is a calico because he has white fur all over his lower neck. Male calicos are as rare as male torties. They are tortoiseshell-and-white cats.
The reason for his rarity is due to the genetics which create the tortie coat and which are sex linked. But why is he so rare and special?
Firstly, it is probably fair to say that a tortie Maine Coon is rarer than a tortie moggie (random bred or free-living cat) because purebred cats are rarer than random bred cats.
| Useful links |
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| Anxiety - reduce it |
| FULL Maine Coon guide - lots of pages |
| Children and cats - important |
Mezzomixx and daughter
In terms of pure genetics being a male tortie is somewhere between one in one thousand to one in four hundred thousand is terms of rarity. Even at the lower end of this rarity scale he is still exceptionally unusual. A study by the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri concluded that male tortoiseshell cats are one in three thousand.
Rarity does not always translate to increased value. Male tortoiseshell cats are nearly always sterile which decreases their financial value. However, and here is the clincher, MezzoMixx is not sterile. And he is a potent stud boy – he recognises when a female is in heat before his human caretaker. The fact that he is a breeding male tortie makes him far more rare, I’d argue.
This very handsome boy cat lives with Carina in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia. Yes, they like their Maine Coons in Germany as much as they do in America.
He is a super cat too. His character is beautiful (mellow and friendly) and he likes to be held. And he holds a good conversation with his human companions.
Carina, a Maine Coon breeder, believed that he was female until he was four months of age. What a fantastic cat.
Source: Conscious Cat. The photos come from his Facebook page.
