The serious appearance and character of the Maine Coon immediately instills a respectful and even slightly wary attitude towards him. The gigantic size, heavy clawed paws, lynx tufts on the ears, the bestial look and the stern expression of the “face” - all this raises the suspicion that the character of these cats matches their appearance - wild and unkind, and with such a predator you need to keep your eyes open. But when communicating with any representative of this breed, all fears dissipate - under the impressive guise of a forest giant hunter hides an angelic disposition and a kind soul. Such an expressive contrast in appearance and character makes American raccoon cats even more attractive. The character of the Maine Coon was formed as a result of many years of serious breeding work. During selection, not only the external characteristics of the breed are fixed, but also its psychological characteristics. The behavior of a cat depends not only on the conditions of keeping and upbringing, but also on heredity, therefore nervous, aggressive, withdrawn and fearful animals are excluded from breeding.
Here's what current breed standards say about the Maine Coon's character:
- TICA: “Character must be balanced; Any signs of clearly defined changes will cause disqualification. The animal may be afraid of the exhibition, try to run away or complain, but not make an angry threat.”
- FIFE: “The Maine Coon is a natural breed with a friendly personality.”
- CFA: “The cat has a wonderful even temperament and gets along well in any environment.”
Thus, the Maine Coon is a balanced, friendly and accommodating animal. A real dream cat for those who want to actively communicate with their pet.
History of the origin of the Maine Coon cat breed
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//data-ad-slot=”2475549904″ $ads_google = empty($ads_google) ? false : true; ?> if ($ads_google == false) {?> $ads_google = true; ?> } ?> The origin of the Maine is the most natural: it is an aboriginal cat, which, over the course of many, many years of the population’s existence, in the process of natural selection and adaptation to the surrounding world, acquired certain features. The handsome Maine Coons are Americans, and more specifically, they originally lived in North America, within the state of Maine. Since the climate of those lands was always humid in the summer months, and winter brought with it frosts and constant snowfalls, the fur coat of cats of this breed was very thick and dense, and the body became hardy.
The history of these catfish getting to Maine remains little studied; only legends are known, one of which is associated with the attempt to escape on the ship of Queen Marie Antoinette at the end of the 17th century to America. The Queen lost her life during execution, but her cats safely reached the shores of America. According to another legend, coons came to the land together with Captain Coon; according to a third, they were brought by the Vikings long before Columbus, which is most likely due to the similarity of Maine Coons with the Norwegian forest cat.
Starting in 1861, the Maine raccoon cat was a clear success from the very first exhibition, but then the giant cats were forgotten until the middle of the 20th century. Today it is a very popular breed, recognized throughout the world.
gulliver cat
The pros and cons of the breed are closely interrelated. The disadvantages of the breed largely appeared with the departure from the wild and careful selection by man. The prototypes of the breed are cats that lived on US farms in the 19th century. In the official history of the Maine breed, the animals are described as large and strong. Their features - tassels on the tips of the ears and between the pads of the fingers, a fluffy tail and huge eyes - are still carefully preserved by breeders.
But as it merged with civilization, the animal became more vulnerable, lost its natural immunity and became more susceptible to various diseases.
Today's Maine cats have forgotten how to catch mice. Menacing in appearance, they have an affectionate character. Maine Coons most often live in apartments, where their main function is to be a companion for humans. This significantly affected their weight - the normal weight for a cat is 7-12 kg, and cats can gain from 6 to 9 kg in adulthood.
Increased weight often leads to an increased likelihood of injury and a longer gestation period. It is now considered normal for a Maine cat to lamb during a gestation period of up to 72 days. For comparison, in other breeds pregnancy is allowed up to 65 days.
Description of Maine Coons
For those who love large pets, the description of the Maine Coon will bring aesthetic pleasure. The cat is on the list of the largest cat breeds, and, nevertheless, adult individuals get along well even in a small apartment.
The characteristics of Maine Coons according to the WCF standard indicate that the peculiarity of these cats is a long and muscular body with large and strong paws, gravitating towards a rectangle in shape. Tufts of fur are visible between the toes. The length of the limbs is average.
The head is also large, the profile resembles a square. Characteristic are pronounced whisker pads that form a protruding “box”. The chin is powerful, and the teeth match the size of the breed - large and sharp.
The eyes of the animal are very expressive and can be either yellow or amber.
The ears are set wide apart, large in size, and most often have tassels at the ends.
We can’t help but mention the gorgeous long tail of this breed, reminiscent of a raccoon’s tail. Its pubescence is very dense, and the tail itself is wider at the base than at the end.
The breed is considered semi-long-haired with thick fur and dense undercoat, which is due to the habitat of the cat’s ancestors.
Among Maine Coons there are polydactyls, which are valued in the USA and Europe, despite the fact that polydactyly (when the number of fingers exceeds the norm) is considered a deviation from the standard.
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The fur of cats on the back and sides is water-repellent and coarser than on the stomach, even slightly curly. An adult coon can boast of a chic collar and tight “pants”.
This breed of big cats is allergenic, but it is not the fur that is to blame, but the protein released along with feces, saliva, and skin particles. In Maine Coons, the highest concentration of allergen is located near the mouth.
Colors can be different: merle, agouti, solid (solid black, white, red, blue), bicolor, tortoiseshell, smoky. But acromelanism, lilac and chocolate colors, fawn, cinnamon and their variations are not allowed.
Maine Coon size and weight
Let's not believe fairy tales that a Maine Coon cat weighs 16-26 kg, this is impossible. But normal weight indicators for male representatives of the breed range from 8-12 kg. Females, due to their physiology, weigh less - 4.5-7.5 kg.
However, it is not for nothing that Maine Coons are considered quite large cats - the length of an adult cat can reach a meter.
These cute creatures with a serious expression on their faces create the impression of a giant among domestic cats thanks to their elongated body, strong muscles, powerful paws, massive neck and shoulders. So it seems that the cat’s weight is visually only 20 kg.
If you track the weight and height of Maine Coon kittens by month, you may be surprised at how quickly they grow. From birth, they are already more massive than their feline counterparts: the weight of a newborn Maine Coon calf is 125-170 g. Cats gain weight and increase in height also at a rapid pace, which depends on external and internal physiological reasons. If you weigh babies every week, you will notice that in the first 10 days the weight increases 2 times, at 4 weeks 4 times, at 8 weeks 8 times.
The cat's development continues, and by the age of 5 months, height and weight reach their maximum per day.
The Maine Coon cat grows up to 33 cm at the withers.
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//data-ad-slot=”2475549904″ $ads_google = empty($ads_google) ? false : true; ?> if ($ads_google == false) {?> $ads_google = true; ?> } ?> Maine Coon weight table by month
| Age | Female | Male |
| newborn | 100-145 gr | 115-165 gr |
| 1 month | 500-690 gr | 620-760 gr |
| 2 months | 1-1.35 kg | 1.2-1.55 kg |
| 3 months | 1.65-2.4 kg | 2.7-3.5 kg |
| 4 months | 2.6-3.5 kg | 3.1-3.9 kg |
| 5 months | 2.75-3.8 kg | 3.2-4.1 kg |
| 6 months | 3.15-4 kg | 3.7-4.6 kg |
| 8 months | 3.8-5 kg | 4.5-6.2 kg |
| 10 months | 4.2-6.6 kg | 4.9-7.3 kg |
| 1 year | 4.5-8.2 kg | 5.5-9 kg |
| 2 years | 4.7-8.8kg | 5.8-11.5 kg |
Habits and character of Maine Coons
The Maine Coon cat is an excellent dad; he is not isolated from his offspring, as he takes an active part in raising his children. This probably influences the development of the character of each kitten, making it very interesting and socialized.
The intelligence of the Maine Coon cat is at a high level: the animals are very smart, which makes them capable of training and learning certain behaviors. Their memory allows them to remember numerous commands, respond correctly to the words of the owner, and remember the intonations of household members. This all contributes to excellent mutual understanding in the family between a person and a cat.
The Maine Coon's character is friendly and peaceful. Their kindness will not allow them to throw a vase on the floor, get into someone else's bag, or spoil some thing in the house.
Due to its rather large size, the animal does not tolerate small spaces, and will not climb into a cramped closet or shelves.
The owner need not worry about how the Maine Coon kitten will be able to settle into the house. Reviews from lovers of these cats allow us to judge that the pet gives owners true pleasure with its behavior, funny habits and communication in the game. If you want your pet to fetch the ball, it will not be difficult to train him to do so. Therefore, when a charming kitten appears in a family, you don’t have to worry about how the child will make friends with it. Only children should not be allowed to cuddle the fluffy one, as the cat will not appreciate it. Maine Coons generally do not like to spend time in the arms of people; they would prefer to just sit next to them.
How to litter train a Maine Coon
Cats of this large breed get along well with other pets, will play with them and “communicate” in a language unknown to the owner.
Raising such a pet will bring joy to the whole family, as the furry creature is distinguished by canine devotion and understanding.
Tireless Hunters
Maine Coon is a wonderful hunter
However, the kun’s willingness to get along with everyone does not extend to small animals - he has the habits of a hunter in his blood, so he sees birds, mice and fish exclusively as prey. It is better to keep hamsters and parrots away from these cats.
Just like an aquarium: a coon will definitely want to play with its inhabitants, and, most often, these games will end badly for the latter. And water will not scare away the furry hunter; the Maine Coon demonstrates its unique characteristics here too.
Unlike most cats, Manx cats love to play with water; it literally fascinates them.
They like to follow the stream running from the tap, touch the water with their paws and even rinse pieces of food in it. And before starting to drink, the kun always “drives” the water in the bowl, as if cleaning its surface. According to felinologists, such features of Maine Coons are explained by the fact that in nature their ancestors drank from reservoirs, which were often littered with fallen leaves. One way or another, the maine needs a spacious drinking bowl, otherwise everything around will be constantly splashed.
Maine Coon care and feeding
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//data-ad-slot=”2475549904″ $ads_google = empty($ads_google) ? false : true; ?> if ($ads_google == false) {?> $ads_google = true; ?> } ?> It is enough to visually assess the condition of the animal to understand what kind of care its owner provides. The first thing that stands out is the luxury of the breed’s coat; its thick undercoat and the length of the fibers simply require weekly combing. A massive metal comb with rounded teeth will help with this. The hair on the tummy and neck is especially prone to forming tangles, so they are either untangled immediately or cut off with scissors.
Washing does not scare a Maine Coon kitten. Therefore, do not forget to bathe your pet and at the same time clean his ears with a dry soft cloth.
The fast-growing claws of the domestic predator are trimmed by the owner once a week.
A person quickly learns to care for his furry Maine, and the cat doesn’t even think about resisting.
Keeping a Maine Coon cat requires a special approach to nutrition. Veterinarians offer ready-made, calculated standards for feeding domestic giants depending on their age, gender, and health status. For example, during a cat’s pregnancy, the protein content in dry food should not be less than 30%, and the fat content should not be less than 9%.
What to feed a one-month-old kitten
The handsome Maine Coon does not need grain to grow, so it is better to give preference to a grain-free diet in dry food. There are a number of premium or super premium foods that meet all nutritional requirements and are balanced in composition for this breed. If you feed a cat with dry food, then do not forget that 150 g of water should be offered for 50 g of granulated food.
Even a small coon kitten from the age of one month needs a comfortable bowl with a diameter of about 30 cm and a depth of 10 cm. Change the water 1-2 times a day.
What to feed a 1.5 month old kitten
So that the baby can grow by leaps and bounds, suitable and healthy food is selected for him, and complementary foods are introduced as early as a month. There is a very convenient and understandable table for feeding kittens that will help the animals grow up healthy.
| Kitten age | You can feed | Norm per day |
| 1 month |
| 6 times a day |
| 1.5-2 months |
| 6 times a day/120-150 g per day |
| 3-6 months |
| 4 times a day/190-245 g per day |
| 6-9 months |
| 3 times a day/200-250 g per day |
| 10-12 months |
| 2 times a day/150-200 g per day |
The bowl must remain clean, so everything that is not eaten is immediately removed.
Adherents of natural food for animals should feed their “large-sized cat” raw beef: 30 g is enough for babies, and an adult cat from one year old needs at least 100-120 g per day. The Maine Coon's diet should include eggs (infrequently), sea fish (a couple of times a week), and fermented milk products with a fat content of up to 9%.
In order to avoid gaining excess weight, castrated males are given specialized food and fish are not allowed in their natural diet.
Maine health
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//data-ad-slot=”2475549904″ $ads_google = empty($ads_google) ? false : true; ?> if ($ads_google == false) {?> $ads_google = true; ?> } ?> The Maine Coon breed has fairly good health due to its natural origin, but sometimes the genetic disease cardiomyopathy can be traced. Other possible health problems include urolithiasis and, rarely, hip dysplasia. To eliminate such unpleasant diseases in your Maine Coon, a timely visit to the veterinarian, physical activity, properly selected nutrition and taking vitamins will help.
Without a veterinary passport with vaccination marks, you should not only walk your pet, but also plan mating, visiting exhibitions and long-distance travel. The baby bird receives its first vaccination at the age of 2 months, then at 3 and 12 months. Further vaccination will be carried out once a year, each time the owners do not forget to carry out deworming two weeks in advance.
The owner’s reluctance to have the Maine Coon participate in mating is understandable, so the male needs to be castrated and the female sterilized before puberty. At the same time, changes occur in the body that help soften the behavior of cats.
If you want to see the offspring of your favorite big Maine Coon cat, they select the same purebred king and leave the kitty with him for 2-3 days. It is worth breeding your pet after the third heat, not earlier. Pregnancy is somewhat longer in duration: birth occurs from 65 to 68 days.
When purchasing a fluffy Maine Coon, you should be glad that its life is sufficiently long by cat standards - these creatures live 12-15 years.
Breeding
Diseases and pathologies associated with the cardiovascular system and musculoskeletal system are hereditary for coons.
The breed should be bred by professionals in specialized nurseries.
Pedigree animals require careful selection of a pair, veterinary care, felinological education, communication with breeders and enormous material resources.
It is much easier to become the owner of a breeding cat as part of a cattery. The nursery will help you gain access to good quality animals for breeding and will assist in the sale of kittens.
Mating and partner selection
It is much easier to become the owner of a breeding cat as part of a cattery.
The search for a partner and mating of a breeding animal is carried out through specialized clubs. For regular mating, you can look for a partner at an exhibition or through an advertisement.
Animals younger than one year old should not be allowed to breed; it is optimal to postpone this until the third year of life.
Basic rules of mating:
- Mating takes place on the cat's territory, which gives him more confidence.
- It is advisable to trim the animal's claws.
- The cat should not be washed before mating.
- Both animals must have all necessary vaccinations.
Pregnancy and childbirth
Pregnancy in large cats is longer than in other breeds, lasting 9-10 weeks. Its duration depends on the number of kittens in the litter: the fewer kittens, the longer the cat bears them.
Coons usually give birth to offspring once a year, with babies in a litter ranging from 1 to 6.
If the owners do not have experience in giving birth to a cat, then it is best to negotiate with a veterinarian about the delivery.
Be sure to read:
What to feed a Maine Coon correctly: an adult cat, a kitten or a female cat
Buy a Maine Coon kitten
There are many cases of acquiring a kitten supposedly Maine Coon, when in fact this breed did not even smell. As a rule, such precedents happen on third-party free sale services, where people who claim to be experienced breeders offer reasonable prices. You shouldn’t blindly trust strangers; it’s better not to be lazy and visit cat shows or go to a good cattery. Trips to nurseries and exhibitions are good because there you can see with your own eyes the excellent genotype of the parents of the future kitten and receive good recommendations for care.
Why can’t the cost of the Maine Coon breed be low? The answer to this question consists of several points. Any nursery vouches for its protégés and offers a package of documents with a pedigree, a sales contract, a veterinary passport, which will indicate the presence of two vaccinations. It is clear that the second vaccination of a Maine Coon takes about 3 months, so it would be a big mistake to buy a baby from someone else’s hands, especially before this period.
The price range of a big cat is wide: from 20 thousand rubles
for belonging to the pet class, and
from 100 thousand rubles
for a representative of the show class.
Kennels engaged in breeding Maine Coons:
- Pet Palace
- St. Petersburg
What to name a Maine Coon
Before you start reading the list of names for Maine Coon, it’s worth understanding the principle by which a pet’s nickname is chosen.
A purebred cat usually has a name that reflects its affiliation with the pedigree and cattery from which it comes.
In nurseries, most often the Maine Coon is already assigned a nickname, which is better to preserve using its “domesticated” version.
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But if the new boy looks like this, what other name comes to mind?
Or do you just want to call the fluffy girl something else? In this case, let’s choose a new nickname using the proposed table of names for Maine Coon cats. How to name a kitten
| Girl | Boy | ||
| Aurora Alura Fiesta Vixie Magic Lamp Yusha Roxy Lawrence Era Kasya Silya Kunya Lynx Akira | Buxa Turva Eva Orinoco Cesa Bella Alba Malta Terra Chara Afra Piper Spruce Haze Gris | Cord Pixel Ars Marquis Chivas Talik Caesar Rimbaud Tiger Zur Agate Notty Euro Richie Ponch | Neil Martin Ivor Mac Quasi Sumer Baron Azur Mickey Lokis Fajax Lucky Samson Tima Urban |
How to choose a kitten
To choose a healthy kitten, first of all you need to buy it from trusted breeders or large nurseries. To make sure the owner is honest, you can read reviews on the Internet or ask your friends who own Maine Coons. After this, you can start choosing your future pet.
The minimum age at which you can adopt a kitten is 3 months. Since Maine Coons grow very slowly, until this time they are considered babies, feed on their mother's milk and are just beginning to adapt to environmental conditions. If you take him away from his usual living conditions before 3 months, it will be very stressful for the kitten. An experienced honest breeder will not offer too small Maine Coons to future owners.
When choosing a kitten, you need to pay attention to its appearance and compliance with breed standards, as well as its behavior. A healthy baby will be active, mobile, actively interested in the appearance of new people, and will not be afraid to be held. If a kitten sleeps for a long time, moves sluggishly, and is wary of visitors, this may indicate the presence of diseases. In addition, you need to check compliance with breed standards - make sure there are tufts on the ears, examine the shape of the profile, paws and the length of the tail.
To choose a kitten with a certain temperament, you need to ask the breeder about the character and behavior of each baby in the litter, and also observe them yourself. But this will not give a 100% guarantee - the behavior of a Maine Coon at home depends on its upbringing, the attitude of the owners, and the environment.
Conclusions about the breed
Once in the house, the cat rightfully becomes the eminence grise in it, and establishes a tandem with the owner, full of mutual understanding and love.
The Maine Coon cat is loved and praised for good reason, as it has a number of advantages:
- royal appearance and thick fur;
- high intelligence;
- good health:
- peacefulness.
But do not forget that the breed is allergenic and requires high-quality care, so it is worth weighing the pros and cons before buying a young Maine Coon.
Pros and cons of the breed
Maine Coon owners note the following advantages of this breed:
- majestic unusual appearance;
- slow maturation;
- high intelligence;
- easy learning;
- training abilities;
- lack of touchiness and anger towards the owners;
- sensitive character;
- love for children.
There are also some disadvantages:
- large size (which can only become a problem in a cramped apartment);
- wool that requires constant combing;
- high price;
- cost of maintenance and veterinary care;
- a love of pranks, which, combined with high intelligence, can significantly damage the house;
- tendency to leadership and dominance;
- a special way of drinking and eating.
However, most of the disadvantages can be compensated for by proper upbringing and sufficient attention. But as for the cost of maintenance, the owner must estimate from the very beginning. Will he be able to spend that much money on his pet?
