Heres a cat whos history is surounded in myth. The maine coon cat is Blessed with an extreme level of intelligence and demeanour. This cat has an interesting and vibrant hIstory and personality. Lets now explore in details the maine coon cats characteristics.
history or folk tales…
As the name suggests the Maine Coon cat originated in Maine U.S. Thier history however is surrounded in mystery and folk tale. One such theory suggests that the maine cat is a descendent of the Norwegian Forest cat a.k.a The Vikings Ship cat. which was a favourite among the vikings on thier expeditions.
Another theory is that the maine is a cross breed with another animal like the raccoon or bobcat.But the most amusing in all these myths is the one that says Marie Antoinnette the queen of France who was executed had tried to escape shortly before her death with the help of Captain Samuel Clough. She boarded his ship with all her prized possessions which included her turkish angora cats or some might say Siberian cats. Ironically Marie nevermade it, but the cats reached the shores of maine, where they bred with other short hair cats hence to produce the modern day maine coon cat. Although these stories are interesting there is little or no evidence to support any of these.
physical characteristics of the maine coon cat
This cat breed is distinguishable from far as their size makes them impossible to miss!!! Simply said they are huge. The maine can grow to upto an impressive height of 40 cm. The male can weigh as much as 18-22 pounds (8.5 to10kgs) while the female weighs less, around 12-15 pounds (5.6 to 8.5kgs).
Like all creature certain factors determine how big your maine coon will grow. These factors inlude genetics, diet, lifestyle and health.The maine grows upto the age 5 years.whereas most cat breeds stop growing by the time they are two.
With its slender body, a broad bones structure and jawline this cat represents complete feline dominance. The maine coons has not just one but a two layered coat, a soft, shiny, and silky to the touch coat lined with an outer longer shabby rough around the edges coat. it has a long bushy tail which is between 11-16 inches tall. Thie eye colour can vary from golden brown, bronze, copper, green, golden green, or blue.
shedding
Although the maine cat has a two layered coat shedding is not much of a problem for this cats care takers as it does not shed a lot. Ofcourse the twicw yearly seasonalchange does cause it to shed dead fur from its coat but its not as much as one might expect a long haired breed to shed. Hence it is not a high maintenance cat and does not require regular grooming.
personality traits
The Maine Coon is often known as a gentle giant given the cats size and in contrast gentle temperment. They are extremely friendly and adapt well to life everywhere with anyone. Maines are friendly toward children adults and love having playmates like dogs. these cats are not your general lap cat and prefer to sit next to you whenever they get the chance, as they have more of a companions nature rather than a pet. they will generally follow theyre human parent around and demand playtime that suits their intelligence.
The Maine is also very vocal and can take ut a number of sounds that suits theyr mood. sometimes you might hear them koowing or even whimpering to demand your attention. They are extremely intelligent can be trained well to guard their territory or do tricks alike.
The maine can make a great companion for people with special needs as they can be trained to do almost all small things like dogs. they love the outdoors and love togo for walk and are great hunters. With a maine coon cat around you can besure to be rid of all small unwanted rodents.
Onething to keep in mindwhile adopting a maine coon is that they are a pretty big cat that has the tendency to grow for upto 5 years, which means they require alot of space as well. You cannot keep a Maine coon comfortable in a tiny apartment as you might both end up fighting for the couch!
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
~Anatole France, French Poet
Characteristics chart .
| APPEARANCE TRAITS | double layered coat. Broad jawline. Bushy tail, unmistakenably large |
| COLOURS | Brown, Black, White, Cream, Orange, Dark Brown, Golden Brown, Burgundy,Ash Grey, Dark Grey,Tabby, Tortoise Shell, |
| TEMPERMENT | Extremely friendly and Intelligent, energetic, Gentle, great hunters, Curious, Sometimes shy,loves to be outdoors. |
| COMPATIBILITY | quite friendly with everyone kids, adults, dogs and other animals. |
| HABITUAL ADAPTATION | can adapt to almost any weather conditions, however natives to the cold and harsh weather of Maine. |
| SHEDDING FACTOR | Low (sheds only seasonally) |
| GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS | Extremely intelligent, can be trainedvery well for hunting expeditions and in place of a watchdog, great companions for anyone kids and adults alike. |
| HEALTH RELIABILITY | healthy breed with a rare chance of heredity diseases like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. |
| LIFE EXPECTANCY | 10- 15 years. |
health reliabilty and life expectancy
The Maine Coon is a quite sturdy breed with very few health problems. most of the health problems related to this breed are hereditry such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or and spinal muscular atrophy. or given their size some might experience hip dysplasia. other than that they are a quite healthy breed with not many issues reported.
the maine coon cat breed has a life expectancy or around 10 to 15 years somew might even reach17 or 18. Allsaid and done one mustkeep in mind that health and life expectancy depends on a lot of factors including diet andlifestyle or propler care given to the animals.
