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Known as the ‘gentle giant’, the Maine Coon is known for its sweet, kitten-like disposition. They possess above-average intelligence, which makes them easy to. Affordable. Designed to be single-handed, the Maine Cat 38 is fun to sail and out-performs all current cruising catamarans on the market. Maine Coons have a sweet nature and are very playful and friendly. They enjoy human company. Possibly because of their humble origins they are used to sleeping.
 
 

– Maine Coon Cat Breed Information, Pictures, Characteristics & Facts

The size of a typical Maine coon comes in at 10—16 inches tall and up to an impressive 40 inches in length. These sturdily built felines usually weigh 8—18 pounds and have muscular bodies with wide chests and solid legs.

As if their big-boned build wasn’t enough, the ample fur in the Main coone’s coat makes these majestic animals look even bigger. Their long coat is silky and smooth and grows shorter near the shoulders. Maine coons come in a variety of colors and patterns. You can find solid white, cream, red, blue, and black Maine coons, as well as tabby, bi-color, particolor, tortoiseshell, shaded, and calico Maine coons. Other defining physical features are large pointed ears often topped with wisps of hair, expressive oval-shaped eyes, and a long, bushy tail.

Don’t let their imposing size fool you—deep down, Maine coons are soft, gentle giants who love to spend time with their humans. They very much expect to be part of the family and aren’t big on personal space or privacy. These cats are delighted at the thought of following you from room to room as you go about your day. Though Maine coon’s are definitely affectionate and social, they’re not usually lap cats.

This breed typically prefers to hang out beside you rather than on top of you—which can be a good thing, considering their size. Maine coons are incredibly intelligent , fun-loving, and will keep their kittenish playfulness well into old age. The Maine Coon Cat Club calls them the “clowns of the cat world. These animals are friendly , kind, and patient with children. The Maine coon’s first and foremost need is an affectionate, loving family with the time to play and willingness to include this cat in all aspects of day-to-day life.

These patient pets are good with kids, dogs, and other cats. Maine coons can be left alone for periods of time, but they won’t be happy about it.

Regularly being left alone can make these cats sad and anxious , so they’re best matched with a family that often has at least one or two people home during the day for some company. Most Maine coons love to play in water. This is great news for bath time, but it also means they’ll follow you into the shower or try to interfere while you do the dishes. These big cats are surprisingly quiet—they do love to communicate and vocalize to their humans, but their soft voice may take you by surprise.

Maine coons are amazing family pets. Those with the time, patience, and attention to give to a member of this cat breed will be hard-pressed to find a more loving, adoring feline friend.

Your Maine coon will need regular, dedicated grooming and will require anywhere from weekly to monthly bathing. Their long coats are usually silky smooth, but when they start to look greasy or stringy, it’s time for a bath. They also require weekly brushing to keep their long hair and undercoat from getting tangled and matted. These cats do shed quite a bit , and regular brushing will also help get rid of loose hairs. Don’t worry—the Maine coon loves any sort of attention it can get, so grooming is usually a pleasant task.

Maine coons don’t have any special exercise needs—they’ll keep the same activity schedule of most cats, with long hours of sleep and playful bouts of jumping and running through the house. Cat toys and cat trees can help them work out some of that energy. These super-intelligent cats are easily trainable. Some owners have described the Maine coon as “dog-like” for their ability to be trained—they can learn to walk on a leash outdoors or even play a round of fetch.

They take quickly to basic housetraining and litter box use , but keep in mind these large cats will require a large litter box to help them comfortably do their business. Maine coons should be socialized early on. If you’re bringing home a Maine coon kitten as a family pet, be sure to let the various members of the household—small kids included—gently handle the kitten daily.

They should also be introduced to other pets if possible. These early introductions will keep your cat from becoming shy and reserved. Feed your Maine coon high-quality cat food and monitor their diet to prevent them from overeating. Check-in with your vet to learn how much and how often to feed your individual cat. Maine coons have a lifespan of 10—13 years and are typically healthy pets.

But, as with all breeds, there are some health issues to be aware of. Reputable breeders will screen for health issues in your kitten, but it’s important to have them screened regularly into adulthood. HCM and other health problems can go undetected until later in your cat’s life. Most experts speculate that the Maine coon is descended from foreign long-haired cats brought ashore by early American explorers in—where else?

Those ship cats then mated with the native short-haired breeds, creating the U. There are multiple theories as to how the Maine coon got its name , including one that traces the breed’s ancestors to a sailor named Charles Coon and another that links the name to the cat’s bushy tail, which resembles that of a raccoon. The New England native breed enjoyed some popularity in 19th century cat shows but was later overshadowed by more exotic breeds until a resurgence in popularity in the s.

Because the Maine coon breed was left to develop naturally from the s to the middle of the 20th century, it’s typically a strong and healthy breed. The modern Maine coon retains many of the characteristics of the breed’s earliest form—from the cold-weather tolerant coats that helped them survive harsh New England winters to the high prey drive that makes these sweet house cats excellent mousers. The silver collar Cosey won was later purchased by the Cat Fanciers’ Association CFA Foundation and is now displayed in their headquarters as an important piece of cat history.

Maine coons are large, intelligent, affectionate pets who love their people. Learn more about the characteristics of Maine coons. The length is shorter on the head and shoulders and longer on the stomach and flanks, with some cats having a leonine ruff around their neck. Minimal grooming is required for the breed compared to other long-haired breeds, as their coat is mostly self-maintaining owing to a light-density undercoat.

The coat is subject to seasonal variation, [17] with the fur being thicker in the winter and thinner during the summer. Maine Coons can have any colors that other cats have. Colors indicating crossbreeding , such as chocolate, lavender, the Siamese pointed patterns or the ” ticked ” patterns, are not accepted by some breed standards. Maine Coons have several physical adaptations for survival in harsh winter climates.

Their dense water-resistant fur is longer and shaggier on their underside and rear for extra protection when they are walking or sitting on top of wet surfaces of snow or ice. It can even be curled around their backside like an insulated seat cushion when sitting down on a frozen surface. Maine Coons are known as the “gentle giants” [6] and possess above-average intelligence, making them relatively easy to train.

The Maine Coon is generally not known for being a “lap cat,” but their gentle disposition makes the breed relaxed around dogs, other cats, and children. Many Maine Coons have a fascination with water and some speculate that this personality trait comes from their ancestors, who were aboard ships for much of their lives. They are known for their frequent yowling or howling, trilling, chirping, and making other loud vocalizations. The Maine Coon was considered the largest breed of domestic cat until the introduction of the Savannah cat in the mid s, and is still the largest non-hybrid breed.

On average, males weigh from 13 to 18 lb 5. The body is solid and muscular, which is necessary for supporting their weight, and the chest is broad. Maine Coons possess a rectangular body shape and are slow to physically mature; their full size is normally not reached until they are three to five years old, while other cats take about one year. Stewie died on February 4th, , from cancer at his home in Reno, Nevada , at age 8.

He lives in Wakefield , England , in the United Kingdom. Maine Coon cats generally can eat the same food as other types of cats, although their high energy expenditure can mean that they need a larger-than-average diet. The most severe threat is feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy HCM , the most common heart disease seen in cats, whether purebred or not. In Maine Coons, it is thought to be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait.

Middle-aged to older cats and males are thought to be predisposed to the disease. The HCM prevalence was found to be Another potential health problem is spinal muscular atrophy SMA , another genetically inherited disease that causes the loss of the spinal-cord neurons which activate the skeletal muscles of the trunk and limbs.

Symptoms are normally seen within 3—4 months of age and result in muscle atrophy , muscle weakness , and a shortened lifespan. A test is offered to detect the genes responsible for SMA. Maine Coons also seem to be predisposed to develop entropion , mainly on the lateral aspect of the eyelids, which can lead to corneal irritation and ulceration, and may require surgery.

Hip dysplasia is an abnormality of the hip joint which can cause crippling lameness and arthritis. The cats most commonly affected with hip dysplasia tend to be males of the larger, big-boned breeds such as Persians and Maine Coons.

The relatively smaller size and weight of cats frequently results in symptoms that are less pronounced. The Maine Coon is the only cat breed listed in the database. Polycystic kidney disease PKD is an inherited condition in cats that causes multiple cysts pockets of fluid to form in the kidneys. These cysts are present from birth. Initially, they are very small, but they grow larger over time and may eventually disrupt kidney function, resulting in kidney failure.

While renal cysts are observed with a low incidence in Maine Coons, PKD appears to be a misnomer in this particular breed. In a recent study [43] spanning 8 years, renal cysts were documented by ultrasound in 7 of healthy Maine Coons enrolled in a pre-breeding screening programme.

In the same study, not only did all six Maine Coon cats with renal cysts test negative for the PKD1 mutation, proving the disease in these cats to be unrelated to the PKD observed in Persians and related breeds, but gene sequencing of these cats failed to demonstrate any common genetic sequences.

Many of the original Maine Coon cats that inhabited the New England area possessed a trait known as polydactylism having one or more extra toes on a paw. Polydactyly not only affects digit number and conformation, but also carpus and tarsus conformation. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Breed of cat. Cats portal. Cat breeds of the world: A complete illustrated encyclopedia.

ISBN Retrieved 28 June Retrieved 26 October The Cat Fanciers’ Association. Archived from the original on 23 April Retrieved 4 February Popular Cats Series. Bow Tie Magazines. American Cat Fanciers Association.

Telemark Productions. Archived from the original on 19 November Retrieved 16 June Maine Coon Rescue. Archived from the original on 5 December Retrieved 27 October Cat Fanciers’ Association. Archived from the original on 6 June Retrieved 20 April Retrieved 30 August Animal Planet. Discovery Communications. Retrieved 15 January Maine State Legislature.

Retrieved 7 December The state cat shall be the Maine Coon cat. Retrieved 15 May Retrieved 16 February Archived from the original on 23 September Retrieved 2 November Intelligent Content Corp. Cat Fanciers. The Scratch Sheet. Retrieved 15 December The origin of the Maine Coon.

Retrieved 8 January The Maine Coon Cat. Minnesota: Capstone Press. Royal Canin. Archived from the original PDF on 23 July Retrieved 31 October Cat Fanciers Federation.

Maine Coon Cat Breed Information & Characteristics | Daily Paws –

 
 
Stewie died on February 4th,from cancer at his home in Reno, Nevadaat age 8.