Comparison of Maine Coons with ordinary cats

Maine Coon is one of the largest breeds of domestic cats. These animals owe their size to their forest ancestors. The material in this article will help the reader to find the differences between ordinary pets and representatives of the Maine Coon breed.

The external features of the Maine Coon can be lost during uncontrolled reproduction. Its genetic traits have their own nuances. For example, they can be inherited by genotype and phenotype. The genotype determines the set of parental genes in which the kitten receives them from both parents. The phenotype is nothing more than external signs that depend on the combination of genes.

These cats are friendly, agreeable, loyal, non-aggressive, although cautious in their behavior. The purebred representatives of the breed have medium-length wool. Kittens are born with different weights, however, regardless of this, the Maine Coon's weight is always greater than the weight of a mongrel individual. Unlike regular cats, Maine Coons love water. They can splash in it, bathe, pour from a bowl, play with its jets, do what an ordinary cat would hardly agree to.

As practice shows, these cats also differ in the level of intelligence, so they can be taught various tricks... Other features of the breed include mobility. These cats are so active that ordinary pets can envy them. Despite their important appearance, they are happy to rush around, play, sometimes entertaining themselves with the most ordinary objects.

These animals distinguish one owner, although they are quite friendly to the rest of the household. They are naturally fearless, but very curious and constantly looking for something to do. They are very talkative and often purr, even though they do not emit heart-rending and harsh sounds. The character of the representative of the breed completes its formation by the age of three.

Maine Coon has a number of its own characteristics that distinguish it from an ordinary relative. The appearance of this cat is more like a wild animal. Their muzzle vaguely resembles that of a panther, the look is rather predatory and confident. This cat is solid, large, often with a rather stern look. At the same time, the eyes of a wild cat are slightly slanted, which is not the case for a pet: its eyes are round.

At first glance, it immediately seems that this is a cat on an enlarged scale. Despite the fact that females in Maine Coons are smaller than males, the length of a cat can reach about 1 meter. The average weight is 8-9 kg, neuter cats weigh up to 10-12 kg.

Compared to an ordinary cat, the Maine Coon has an elongated muzzle, and its lower part protrudes forward. The chin itself is in line with the nose, it is quite powerful and well developed. Unlike domestic cats, the Maine Coon is similar to an athlete: individuals of this breed are characterized by a strong and even muscular physique. Their skeleton is large, paws are more powerful, wider and longer.

Maine Coon boasts a thick coat, and it is not just dense and thick, but very soft. This cat has a fluffy frill collar that covers not only the neck, but also the chest. Longer hair grows on the tail, hind legs and belly. In addition, it is present between the claws.

The position of the ears is also different: in the Maine Coon, they are located higher than in an ordinary cat. The ears themselves are wider, from the inside they have long tufts of wool that are located horizontally to the floor. The key difference between a large cat is the presence of brushes on the ears, characteristic of a lynx.

It is difficult to distinguish Maine Coon from mestizo. Experts can recognize this by examining the animal's face.They note that in a thoroughbred Maine raccoon cat, the box formed by means of pillows with vibrissae is geometrically flawless. In addition, they are distinguished by a more distinct transition to the zygomatic part. The weight of the mestizo also differs: as a rule, sexually mature individuals do not exceed 7 kg in weight.

The Maine Coon cat differs from the Siberian cat in a fully formed breed, it is not of different types. Its legs and body are longer, and its neck is longer. The Siberian cat has a deeper and wider chest. In addition, Siberians have a roundness of the back.

The Maine Coon has a long muzzle, with the shape of a sharp wedge. His forehead is convex, cheekbones protruding with a high landing. The chin of this breed is strong and developed, and the pillows with vibrissae located on them are prominent. Maine raccoon cats have less distance between the ears than Siberians. They look almost vertical.

Cats differ in color. For example, purebred Maine individuals cannot have chocolate, lilac, fawn, or cinnamon colors. In addition, such a cat cannot have an acromelanic coloration. As for grooming, unlike the Siberian cat, the Maine Coon needs regular brushing of its thick and silky coat.

When it comes to the Norwegian forest breed, the difference lies in its appearance. If the Maine's head tends more towards the "box" or "rectangle" shape, then the Norwegians have it wedge-shaped or triangular, narrowed at the bottom. At the same time, the profile of Norwegian cats is straight, they have a flatter forehead. In addition, Skogcutts have coarse and coarse coats, albeit double coats.

You can also notice the difference in body length: in Norwegians it is more compact in comparison with Maine Coons.

Usually, clear differences can be seen when the Maine Coon is 3 months old. A purebred individual with a weight of 100-150 grams is born against a normal kitten with parameters 80-100 grams. Maine Coon grows and develops faster, it is more active and gets used to regular food earlier. In addition, his eyes open earlier.

A thoroughbred kitten also has tassels between the claws. If it is difficult to identify an individual, you can take a closer look at the tail: in a thoroughbred baby, it is twice as long. Its body is distinguished by a massive chest. A six-month-old representative of the feline family is comparable in weight to an ordinary yard cat.

Kittens differ in the shape of the head. In Maine Coon, it is more elongated, and the length is always greater than the width, while in classic pets it is often wide. In addition, purebred Maine cats have a pedigree.

You can find out about 10 interesting facts about Maine Coons by watching the video below.