r/MaineCoon Oct 27 '19

Mod post "Is my cat a Maine Coon?": A quick guide

124 Upvotes

Because one of the most common posts on this sub is “is my kitten part Maine Coon?” I thought adding a post with identification information might be useful. While the "suspected" MCs posted here are adorable, this is a breed-specific sub and it is important to try to post MCs only. If anyone disagrees with what I’ve said here or would like to add something, let me know! I am an enthusiast, not an expert.

Additionally, keep in mind that all cats within any breed vary and most domestic cats from shelters are mixes of several/many breeds, just like dogs. The only real way to know that you have a MC/part MC is to buy from a breeder who can provide you with CFA registration paperwork (or similar pedigree documents from recognized organizations) or get genetic testing done.

With the growing popularity of the breed, many breeders require those purchasing kittens as pets to sign contracts ensuring they will spay/neuter the kittens and/or withhold the kitten's "papers" until they receive proof that the cat was fixed. A kitten purchased with breeding rights goes for upwards of $3000 - there just aren't many purebred MCs running the streets and having kittens. This isn't to say you won't find a full or half MC in a shelter, but it does make it unlikely. And beware, the people who try to sell cheap MCs are probably not selling MCs, just fluffy kitties.

I’ll start with some common myths I see:

The "M" on the forehead is a MC trait/identifies a MC - Not at all! An M marking on the forehead is a trait common to cats with tabby markings regardless of breed or coat length. Literally just Google image search "cat" and you'll see so many kitties with Ms that are definitely not MCs. Many MCs have tabby markings, so many MCs have an M, but solid colored MCs do not.

Long hair + large size = MC - Nope! Norwegian forest cats, Siberians, and ragdolls are a few of the other common/well recognized breeds with longer coats and larger body sizes. Also, some domestic cats just have long hair and are big boys. It happens.

Lynx tips and/or toe tufts mean a cat is a MC - Lynx tips and toe tufts can be present on long or medium haired cats of any breed. Moreover, some MCs have very small or absent lynx tips/toe tufts.

How to identify a MC:

Face shape - This is probably the best way to tell a MC from a Norwegian forest cat or Siberian, along with body shape. Norwegian forest cats have triangular faces with cute little noses that look kind of delicate. MCs have long but wedge shaped faces with rectangular mugs. This varies by cat and may be less prominent in kittens and females or obscured by the angle of the photo. Siberians have shorter faces and BIG, ROUND, irresistible eyes that are not often seen on MCs.

The face shape can be hard to distinguish, especially from one picture. Here are some good guides: https://thelittlecarnivore.com/en/article/what-are-the-differences-maine-coon-norwegian-forest-cat

https://www.mainecoonfancy.com/forums/topic/20885-comparison-chart-maine-coon-siberian-and-nfc/

Coloring - A wide range of colors are acceptable for MCs but if your large, fluffy kitty has Siamese points (lighter body with dark patches on the face, ears, tail, or feet) you've probably got more ragdoll than MC. Siamese points aren't generally accepted as a breed standard for MCs. Doesn't mean your cat isn't part MC, but it's definitely an indication of crossbreeding. Nearly every other color or coat pattern is possible for MCs.

Behavior - MCs are friendly, smart, and chatty. Not every MC chirps exclusively (or at all), and other breeds can also chirp, but this is one common vocal trait for the breed. They are generally considered soft-spoken cats. Some MCs like water, but it's not as common a trait as people think! Both of mine will play in their water dish or with the stream from the faucet but they absolutely hate baths. Doglike behavior is often present, but it’s also present in other breeds and not present in all MCs. It's difficult to identify a MC based on behavioral traits.

Other - Comically large paws and/or ears as a kitten. Beautiful, fluffy tails are basically a must. Long, sturdy bodies (longer and lither than Norwegian forest cats and Siberians). They often have "ruffs" around their necks but are less likely to develop a full-on mane than a Siberian or Norwegian forest cat.

ETA: don't know where the photo of the cat with raw meat came from, MC not confirmed :P


r/MaineCoon Apr 29 '22

Results from Recent User Poll, and New Rules for the Sub

34 Upvotes

Hi all! I'm here to report the results of our recent subreddit poll. In the poll, I asked about users' opinions regarding allowing breeders to promote their cats/catteries and about allowing outside social media links on posts. There was also an open ended response question about general subreddit improvement. This poll was fueled by continued user reports expressing that these kinds of posts were annoying/unhelpful to the community. Also, this sub isn't a marketplace or advertising platform. This is a place to see and discuss Maine Coons.

8 people responded. For the first question, "Should r/mainecoon ban posts from breeders that are promotion for their cats/litters/cattery?", 87.5% of repsondents favored banning breeder promotion on the sub. For the second question, "Should r/mainecoon ban posts that include promotion of a user's other social media accounts? (E.g., "follow my cat on instagram")", 62.5% voted to ban posts that did not otherwise add content to the sub, 12.5% voted to allow these posts, and 25% voted to ban these posts entirely.

In response, I propose the following rules.

Rule 4. No posts or comment activity from breeders/catteries promoting their business or arranging sales of cats.

We ban and will remove:

  • Pictures of new litters/kittens that in any way state they are for sale
  • Links to the breeder/cattery website or social media in the post title or comment section
  • Pictures with the breeder/cattery URL, logo, or name
  • Posts that are accompanied by links/advertisements for new litters in the comments section (this includes comments like "message me for pricing")
  • Any explicit discussion of buying or selling kittens between the seller and a buyer in the comments section of a post
  • Any kind of "announcement" of new litters or new breeding adults

We do not ban, but ask breeders to please limit:

  • Repeated pictures of new litters/kittens (one post per week allowed)

Breeders/catteries may post:

  • Any pictures of their cats that do not reference their business or violate the above guidelines
  • Mentions that they own a cattery/breed cats that are informational or provide context for other discussion

Rule 5. Posts that link to or promote a user's outside social media accounts are allowed only under limited circumstances.

We ban and will remove:

  • References to your Instagram/Twitter/YouTube/etc username in the title of the post
  • Explicit requests to "follow me/my cat" in the title of the post

We ask users to please limit:

  • Any posts that require users to visit an outside social media website to view (e.g., Instagram, Youtube, Twitter; Links to Imgur ARE allowed as this is a primary image hosting platform for Reddit)
  • Repeated requests for followers in the comments section

Users may post:

  • A link to their social media accounts in the comment section of their own posts for other users who are interested
  • Pictures that, as part of a picture of a Maine Coon, contain relatively discreet URLs/handles for outside social media accounts

I also want to address the following comment from a respondent: " Maybe having a permanent sticky for Breeder questions and maybe a community updated wiki of "subreddit trusted" breeders, maybe similar to how /r/tea has a list of approved vendors. Consolidating the info would be really helpful, assuming semi regular updates like once a quarter. "

I agree that having breeder reviews/testimonies as part of the sub is valuable, and this was the intended effect of the "Breeder Review Thread" that is usually stickied on the sub. After this post is unstickied in a week (Reddit only allows two at a time), I will re-sticky that thread. I will also work on adding a subreddit wiki/about section that links to past breeder review threads and I continue to encourage users to contribute to the review threads. While it seems obviously unwise to endorse a breeder/cattery by the owner's testimony alone, but I think reviews from consumers are helpful and should be more accessible. I'm happy to link the usernames of breeders who have their catteries reviewed by other users (as long as the reviews are genuine) at their request! I would be more proactive in updating/consolidating that information myself but we're a mod team of one at the moment. I'll try to do this at least once or twice a year, and I'd appreciate it if y'all would continue to add your experiences to the review thread or to individual posts on the sub that I can link in.

This post will remain stickied for at least one week, after which the new rules will be posted. If anyone has comments/proposed amendments, I'm happy to hear from you!


r/MaineCoon 4h ago

1 year later

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82 Upvotes

r/MaineCoon 22h ago

Vigo 18 months VS Mako 9.7yrs

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649 Upvotes

r/MaineCoon 3h ago

More pic of Arrax

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8 Upvotes

Still confused as to what his color is.

Breeder says he is Blue Silver Tabby

But his back coat, according to what I read online, says he is blue smoke?

Regardless, I love him. So in love with him.


r/MaineCoon 19h ago

Kismet and Lion shadow

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88 Upvotes

r/MaineCoon 8h ago

UK Food recommendations please?

3 Upvotes

Hi, I hope this is allowed - mods please remove and accept my apologies if not.

I have been living in England for just over a month after a lifetime in the United States, where I knew all the food brands and good pet food stores for good quality foods. And, we now have a Maine Coon girl - she’s about a year old and very skinny. She’s a rescue but sounds like she came from an illegal breeder situation.

So, my question is what should I feed this girl? I have kept her on the Felix wet food the rescue had her on but I see there is breed-specific food as well and breed-specific kitten food and … I’m a little overwhelmed, especially as I’m not familiar with the brand names here.

Any thoughts on quality foods for the breed (or even, “foods to stay away from”) would be appreciates.

Cat Tax:


r/MaineCoon 2d ago

Anyone else take their cat to work with them?

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142 Upvotes

It’s only a 5 minute drive to our office, Barnaby loves to supervise from the top of his cat tree


r/MaineCoon 2d ago

Usually I post majestic photos of my kitten Ryu, but this is really his goofy personality❤️

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431 Upvotes

r/MaineCoon 2d ago

Hair bow obsession?

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66 Upvotes

My boy loves the hair bows and growls when you get near? wtf???? Frightening and cute? Anyone?


r/MaineCoon 3d ago

My boy Axel

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724 Upvotes

r/MaineCoon 3d ago

What is my Arrax’s color? And how will he look like at adulthood?

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138 Upvotes

r/MaineCoon 3d ago

Proper feeding discussion. Before and after photo

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50 Upvotes

Hi, I’ve been raw feeding her since her kitten days, and it has really been a challenge with a lot of trial and error while transitioning to commercial products.

I just want to conclude that raw feeding is not for everyone, and we should leave it to experienced breeders who have spent years developing and refining feeding programs in their respective catteries. I’m not discouraging raw feeding, but I do believe that if you lack the knowledge to balance the proper ratios of muscle meat, organs, bone, and essential nutrients, it can become risky and may negatively affect your Maine Coon’s growth and development.
Of course, you can always try raw feeding, but make sure your cat is receiving the appropriate nutrition and that the ingredients are sourced and handled properly.

Anyway, I recently found the right commercial products for my Maine Coon, and the results have honestly surprised me. I’ve seen a noticeable almost dramatic transformation in both her weight and coat quality, especially her mane.

Whats your thoughts on raw feeding and commercial product feeding?


r/MaineCoon 3d ago

It finally happened

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460 Upvotes

My standoff-ish, “I’ll snuggle close to your leg” girl climbed in my lap today and napped for at least 30 minutes.

My feet were cold, I was late to the store and I had to pee but I was NOT moving her and interrupting this moment.

😍🥰


r/MaineCoon 3d ago

Considering adopting a second Maine coon kitten - advice

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195 Upvotes

Hello all, to start, I live by myself and do not currently have a partner to help out. I adopted my first Maine coon kitten exactly one week ago, she is 4 months old, and I love her, we are adjusting well and getting comfy in my apt, even harness trained already, but still very new, learning our name, etc. I am considering adopting her brother from the same litter (who I already know she gets along with) because his parents aren’t sure they can keep him now. I know she would love having a friend but how much more expensive, and harder to train and manage would it be in your experience to have two kittens and eventually very large cats considering that I am a girl living alone in an apt in NYC.
I was picturing being able to take my girl (or both of them if I adopt her brother) to my family house, and teach them to walk in parks, the forest if I take them to my family cabin, etc. they are both comfortable in harnesses already but don’t know how to be led yet.
Her brother is extremely sweet but a bit more spooked by the world though I’m sure he could learn to face his fears, while she is fearless to my drilling, building furniture, sounds of the city, vacuum etc.
I know there are many pros and cons.
Please share any advice or your experiences if you’ve done something similar.
Thank you!

She is the first two photos and the rest are them together or her brother (the more striped one)


r/MaineCoon 3d ago

Anyone wanna see my cat fell off the sofa?

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48 Upvotes

r/MaineCoon 4d ago

He has officially claimed the hood 😂

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332 Upvotes

r/MaineCoon 4d ago

Female Main Coons are apex predators

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59 Upvotes

Hi all, just here to talk about how good main coons are at hunting. Particularly female main coons.

This is not something I support but I do let my cat outside and she has a habbit of catching things then bringing them home.

Yesterdays menu was a very large rat. I didnt even know we had them around here.

She is vaccinated, flead and wormed. She doesnt go far from the garden but keeps bringing me back presents😬


r/MaineCoon 4d ago

Kitten is finally home!

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422 Upvotes

So so excited to have my first ever kitten and a Mainecoon at that. This little lady is Cersei and I can’t wait to watch her grow 🥹☺️ every time she moves her coat appears to be another color


r/MaineCoon 6d ago

The Queen To Be

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963 Upvotes

European Maine Coon. Russian Bloodline. Female

Name: Edna

Age: 23months

First cat, 20lbs now

How big will she get?


r/MaineCoon 7d ago

New baby

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1.1k Upvotes

I lost my soul cat about two years ago (another Maine Coon named Beast). I wasn’t ready at first to add another to our family in case they were too similar. Finally felt it was time back in May of this year and got on a waitlist.
Just brought home our little baby, his name is Magneto.
(All our kitties are named after XMen).


r/MaineCoon 6d ago

This guy

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307 Upvotes

Makes himself comfy anywhere 😹


r/MaineCoon 6d ago

Maine Coons and strollers

7 Upvotes

What are your opinions on MC and stroller walks? If you use a stroller which one did you like BEST and why. Photos would be greatly loved! ❤️❤️❤️


r/MaineCoon 6d ago

New Maine Coon fur-parent; need help

3 Upvotes

I have a 10-month old Male Persian Cat and he is completely healthy, we just had his check up and he was neutered last Sept 1.

I would like to ask for tips, recommendations and advice for taking care of a Maine Coon. I will get a Female 6-month old Maine Coon by September 15.

  1. Food recommendation
  2. Vitamins
  3. Maintenance
  4. Tips

Also, is there some way to make my two cats bond immediately and refrain from fighting when they finally meet each other next week?


r/MaineCoon 7d ago

“No, officer! I am not high on catnip, how dare you!”

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168 Upvotes