by Tiffany
(Saint Paul, MN)
I cannot tell if my 13 year old Francis that I have had since he was a kitten is a Tiffany or a Black Maine Coon? Or both? Is there a difference?
Thank you!
Tiffany
Hi…thanks for visiting and asking.
Bakground info...Sometimes you do get subtle differences between cat breeds. This is certainly the case with respect to appearance because the breed standards are quite flexible allowing cats of one breed to encroach upon the appearance of cats of another cat breed. But these cats are still a different cat breed because their pedigree is different. Pedigree is something you can't readily see as it will be in a document. It is the parentage of the individual cat going back sufficient generations to satisfy the cat association that the cat is of the cat breed concerned.
So, the difference between a Tiffany and a Maine Coon is in the registration of the cat with the cat association, its pedigree and the breed standard for that cat breed.
Cats of a cat breed are purebred cats.
Most cats are not purebred. They are called random bred cats or sometimes mixed breed cats. Sometimes random bred cats can look like purebred cats. In fact all purebred cats originate in random bred cats and before that in the wild cat. Sounds a bit complicated but the point I am making is that there is an overlap and a lack of clear demarcation sometimes, particularly when the cat is almost a purebred cat e.g. Maine Coon mix.
There is a lot of confusion (for me at least) surrounding the Tiffany and I am not sure about registrations with cat associations for this breed. The Maine Coon is well known and accepted by all cat associations.
Answering your question.. the truth is, and don't take this the wrong way, you would probably know if your cat was a Maine Coon. You'd have registration papers etc. As the Tiffany is rare it is likely that Francis is a very handsome random bred cat.
From the point of appearance only, Francis does have some Main Coon-like qualities: ruff, long hair etc. The Maine Coon breed standard says that the cat should have a coat (if black) that is "dense coal black, sound from roots to tip of fur". The Tiffany can be black but I am unable to see a breed standard. Francis has brown in his fur. His ears are not tufted as is often the case with Maine Coons and desirable. Francis has nice standard ears. Maine Coon ears are larger. Maine Coons are large cats. The largest domestic cat outside of wildcat hybrids. The Tiffany is a standard sized cat. If Francis is standard size that would point to not being a Maine Coon. The Maine Coon face is quite particular too. Although Francis does have a face that has Maine Coon characteristics.
I have waffled a bit trying to write a decent answer. My answer to your question is that Francis, handsome that he is, is neither a Maine Coon nor a Tiffany but a really nice random bred cat. Random bred cats are in many respects better than purebred cats.
Update April 2013:
By Paulette
The large picture of him on the bath, is my favorite. Would you guess Maine Coon or Chantilly background?
Response
First, I'd like to celebrate a very handsome cat. He has a beautiful ruff and a gorgeous deep, chocolate coloured coat.
Secondly, you are never really going to be sure of his background. Sammy definitely has a Maine Coon look about him. The ruff is classic and I think he has a hint of the Maine Coon lynx tip ears.
His muzzle is not the classic Maine Coon muzzle, which is very square and strong.
Chantilly?
Chantilly is another name for Tiffany. My personal opinion is that there is some Tiffany in Sammy. But it is probably is not as straightforward as that. The genetics of the Maine Coon are all over the USA and there is probably a lot of Maine Coon in the Tiiffany. The truth is we don't know and that does not just mean me, but people who are more expert than me.
These black babies are beautiful. Ours again very similar qualities and looks a mix of Tiffany with definite Maine Coon size and personality, ear tufts and hairy toe beans. We love her.
Super-looking cat. Thanks for sharing.
I was curious if anyone knew the bread of this cat. When reading the description of the Tiffany cat are Luna meets much of the description. She’s playful extremely talkative loves to follow us around the house but still likes her alone time. She has a pretty fluffy mane and hair on the bottoms of all four feet.
Our family rescued our beautiful sweet cat, mimi, from a shelter. She was shot in the arm by someone and the vet said she would need care for indoor. Well, even though they clipped one of her ears, she has all the signs of specialty. She is docile, chirps, talks and greets, loves to be brushed, has elegant but large features. We think she is a chantilly mix bred. Also,facial features attractive are her eyes are very large, greenish with large pupils. We thought at first she might have Maine coon but she does have ruff around neck, chocolate brown undercoat but dark black top coat with a little wisp of white streak. She is very intelligent, watches videos, and gentle. What are your thoughts?
She could well be a Chantilly mix. The thing is it is impossible from appeareance to tell with certainty if we’re honest. This is because some cats might look like a Chantilly but be random bred. You just need a certificate from a cat association to confirm that a cat is purebred or not. So I would go with you and say that it is possible that your cat is a Chantilly mix but the important thing is that she is beautiful and has a lovely character and makes you happy.
Michael,Yes, your right, it’s hard to tell and without papers…we were guessing… however, she is delightful and we enjoy her. Also, we enjoy your site and all the cat information you provide. Here is mimi again…as you can see, she is a big cat, that is why I was thinking maybe some Maine Coon? Her paws are huge.
Here’s maybe a better photo of Watson – close-up of his beautiful face.
We’ve had Watson for almost 8 years. He was a rescue. From what I’ve read on-line, we are convinced he’s a Tiffany-Chantilly, but a friend thinks he has some Maine Coon…any thoughts would be appreciated. Note that he has a stumpy tail – the vet said it’s probably genetic (vs. from injury).
Thank you.
Robyn thanks for sharing. On appearance he is much more a Tiffany so I am going with you on this one. There is a page on the Tiffany:
https://pictures-of-cats.org/tiffany-cat.html
I think you’ll agree that Watson is close to a Tiffany in appearance but not so close to the Maine Coon. They have more slender bodies and squarer more pronounced muzzles. They also have strong lynx-tipped ears. There are none on Watson. He is very handsome by the way.
Thank you…I should have added that one reason my friend thought so is that he is big for a Tiffany – 16 pounds. But we thought he was a T-C and appreciate your feedback! He is a rare kitty.
Was curious to see if perhaps my Howard has some Chantilly in him. His fur is super soft, he’s only about 12 lbs with a long fluffy tail and doesn’t shed hardly at all. He also tends to “squeal” rather than give a full.out meow and will converse if you answer him. I think his face is too pointy to be maine coon, coupled with the lack of size. Look forward to your input.
Sorry..should be *squeak* not squeal….
Hello Amanda. The first thing that I would like to say is that your cat is extremely handsome. He looks very impressive. The second point is that the Chantilly or Tiffany cat is quite a rare cat breed with a rather vague background and the truth of the matter is it is unlikely that your cat is a Chantilly-mix. The trouble is that we don’t know because you cannot assess a cat entirely from appearance and behaviour if that cat is not a purebred cat. Purebred cats do have an appearance about them and you can normally tell what breed they are solely from appearance but even then you need documentary evidence to support the assessment. I’m not sure where you adopted your cat from how you adopted him. It is more likely that he is a very good looking random bred cat although he may have some purebred genes in him.Sorry if my answer is too vague.But thank you very much for showing us Howard. This is a nice photograph as well.