Is the Maine Coon Cat
the Right Breed For You?

If you think all cats act the same, you probably haven't seen a Maine Coon cat taking a leisurely dip in a pool!

The Maine Coon is known as a gentle giant, and giants they are. These lovely cats weigh in at anywhere from nine to twenty two pounds.

Along with the Ragdoll, these cats are at the top of the list for largest domestic cat breed.

On my interesting cat facts page, I mention Leo, a 35 pound Maine Coon that is 4 feet long from nose to tail.

The breed has a squarish face, a thick neck, large ears, big, rounded eyes, and a large, muscular body. The tail is long and quite bushy.

This cat breed was first seen in Maine in the late eighteen hundreds. Most likely it developed its thick coat as a way to protect itself from the bitterly cold winters in that area.

When the breed was first established, only the brown tabby color was recognized. This coat color and the Maine Coon's bushy tail gave it the look of a raccoon, and it is probably this appearance that gave these cats their name.

Today, this breed comes in many more recognized colors, including black, blue, cream, red, tortoiseshell, blue tortoiseshell, white, smoke, silver tabby, brown tabby, red tabby, blue tabby, cream tabby, and bicolors. Cats can have green or gold eyes, unless they are white, in which case, eyes can also be blue or mismatched.

The Maine Coon gets along well with other cats, dogs, children, and just about every other type of animal. The exception, of course, would be mice!

This breed is notorious for its excellent hunting abilities. These cats have a wonderful personality and are the perfect cat breed for families. They are also content, however, being the only animal in a quiet household.

If you want an extremely quiet cat, then the Maine Coon may not be the perfect choice for you. These cats are a bit on the vocal side. The meowing sounds these cats make, however, is a pleasant chirping sound that few people find to be annoying. In fact, they sometimes sound more like birds than cats.

With the long coat this breed has, it is no surprise that the Maine Coon needs frequent grooming. The coat is heavy and shaggy, but is also silky in texture. The coat is said by some to be almost "self-maintaining" but in any case, you should be prepared to thoroughly comb out your cat's coat at least twice a week.

If the coat begins to develop knots and snarls, you may need to groom him even more frequently. Most cats love the attention, and a grooming session is a great time to check for any physical problems with your cat.

Being a descendant of hardy farm cats, the Maine Coon cat is, overall, a healthy breed. As you might expect with the long coat, a common health problem with these animals is hairballs.

If your cat seems to be feeling under the weather, it may very well be a hairball problem. Of course, your veterinarian should be consulted to be sure she does not have a more serious health problem.

While you are talking to your veterinarian, you may want to consult him about feeding your cat a cat food with hairball control. This may help to reduce any instance of feline constipation that may occur due to excess fur in the gut.

Some Maine Coon cat fanciers have claimed that this breed is the most popular breed in the world. This title has also been claimed to have been held by the playful and devoted Siamese, possibly due to the Siamese's people oriented nature, or its popularity in movies.

According to Americanhumane.org, however, the most popular breed is another longhair, the Persian cat. This is interesting since Persians are much higher maintenance with respect to grooming than the Maine Coon.

Most popular breed or not, it would be no surprise if you decided that you wanted to own one of these beautiful animals. If you want an intelligent and loving cat, this breed may be the perfect choice for you.

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