Maine Coon Cat Breed Standard: A Comprehensive Guide to Appearance and Colors

The Maine Coon, a breed originally developed as a working cat, is renowned for its robust build, resilient coat, and adaptable nature, allowing it to thrive in various climates and environments. Known for its amiable disposition, this breed embodies a harmonious balance of physical attributes, with no single feature being overly exaggerated. This guide details the breed standard, focusing on the distinctive characteristics that define the Maine Coon, from its overall structure to its diverse and captivating coat colors.

General Appearance

The Maine Coon is characterized by its solid, rugged physique, designed to withstand harsh climates. A key feature is its smooth, shaggy coat, which provides excellent insulation. The breed standard emphasizes a well-proportioned and balanced appearance, avoiding exaggeration in any one feature. Quality should always take precedence over sheer size, and their amiable nature has made them adaptable companions in many households.

Head and Facial Features

The head is medium in width and slightly longer than it is wide, with a distinct squareness to the muzzle. Older male cats may exhibit broader cheekbones.

• Muzzle and Chin: The muzzle is visibly square, with a medium length and a blunt end when viewed in profile. It should not appear tapering or pointed. The chin is strong, firm, and aligned with the upper lip and nose, presenting a clear, 90-degree angle when viewed from the side. A chin lacking depth is considered undesirable.
• Profile: The profile is proportionate to the overall head size and exhibits a slight concavity. It should be smooth, without pronounced bumps or humps, and must not be straight from the brow to the nose tip, nor show signs of a “break” or “stop.”

Ears and Eyes

• Ears: The ears are large, well-tufted, wide at the base, and taper to a pointed appearance. They are set approximately one ear’s width apart at the base and should not be flared.
• Eyes: Large and expressive, the eyes are wide-set with an open oval shape. They are set slightly obliquely, slanting towards the outer base of the ear.

Body and Limbs

• Neck: The neck is of medium length.
• Body Shape: The Maine Coon possesses a muscular, broad-chested body, typically medium to large in size. Females are generally smaller than males. The body should be long, with all parts proportionally balanced to create a rectangular appearance without any exaggerated features that might suggest weakness. The breed matures slowly, so allowances should be made for this.
• Legs and Feet: The legs are substantial, wide-set, and of medium length, proportionate to the body. The forelegs should be straight, as should the hind legs when viewed from behind. Paws are large, round, and well-tufted, with five toes in front and four in the rear.
• Tail: The tail is long, wide at the base, and tapers to a point. The fur on the tail is long and flowing.

Coat

The coat is heavy and shaggy, being shorter on the shoulders and longer on the stomach and hindquarters. A frontal ruff is desirable, and the texture should be silky, with the coat falling smoothly.

• Penalize: A coat that is too short or uniformly even in length. All colors and patterns with white that do not meet the specific requirements for white markings (bib, belly, four white paws).
• Disqualify: Delicate bone structure. An undershot chin (where the lower incisors overlap or project beyond the upper incisors when the mouth is closed). Crossed eyes. A kinked or abnormal tail. An incorrect number of toes. White buttons, lockets, or spots. Cats exhibiting hybridization leading to chocolate, lavender, or Himalayan patterns.

Maine Coon Cat Colors and Patterns

The Maine Coon breed is recognized in a vast array of colors and patterns, each with specific standards for eye and nose/paw pad coloration.

Eye Color

Eye color can range through shades of green, gold, green-gold, or copper. White cats and those with white markings may also have blue or odd eyes.

Solid Color Class

• White: Pure, glistening white. Nose leather and paw pads should be pink.
• Black: Dense, coal black from root to tip, free from rust or smoke undercoat. Nose leather should be black, and paw pads black or brown.
• Blue: A solid, even tone from nose to tail tip, sound to the roots. Nose leather and paw pads should be blue.
• Red: Deep, rich, clear, and brilliant red, without shading or markings. Lips and chin should match the coat color. Nose leather and paw pads should be brick red.
• Cream: A solid, even shade of buff cream, free from markings and sound to the roots. Nose leather and paw pads should be pink.

Tabby Patterns

Maine Coons come in Classic, Mackerel, and Ticked tabby patterns, each with distinct markings and colorations.

• Classic Tabby: Characterized by dense, clearly defined, and broad markings. Legs have distinct barring, and the tail is ringed. Necklaces adorn the neck and chest, with an intricate “M” on the forehead and swirls on the cheeks. Butterfly-shaped markings are present on the shoulders, and the back features three vertical stripes.
• Mackerel Tabby: Features dense, clearly defined, and narrow pencillings. Markings are similar to the classic but are more linear.
• Ticked Tabby: Exhibits pronounced ticking on the body, with tabby markings primarily on the face and legs. The underside may also show tabby markings.

Color Classes within Tabby Patterns:

• Brown Tabby: Brilliant coppery brown ground color with dense black markings.
• Brown Patched Tabby: Coppery brown ground color with dense black markings and patches of red.
• Silver Tabby: Pale, clear silver ground color with dense black markings.
• Silver Patched Tabby: Pale, clear silver ground color with dense black markings and patches of red and/or cream.
• Red Tabby: Red ground color with deep, rich red markings.
• All Other Tabby Colors: Includes Blue, Blue Patched, Blue-Silver, Blue-Silver Patched, Cream, Cameo, and Cream-Silver tabbies, each with specific ground and marking colorations.

Tabby & White Color Classes

These classes combine tabby patterns with white markings, including variations like “Vans.” White is required on the bib, belly, and all four paws. Specific color combinations include Brown Tabby & White, Brown Patched Tabby & White, Silver Tabby & White, Silver Patched Tabby & White, Red Tabby & White, and All Other Tabby & White combinations.

Bi-Color Class

This class includes cats with distinct combinations of two colors, predominantly black and white, blue and white, red and white, or cream and white, with required white markings.

Parti-Color Class

• Tortoiseshell: A combination of black with patches of red or softly intermingled red areas.
• Blue-Cream: Blue with patches of cream or softly intermingled cream areas.
• Calico: White with unbrindled patches of black and red.
• Dilute Calico: White with unbrindled patches of blue and cream.
• These patterns can also appear with white markings (e.g., Tortoiseshell & White).

Shaded & Smoke Color Class

• Chinchilla Silver: Pure white undercoat with black tipping, creating a sparkling silver appearance.
• Shaded Silver: White undercoat with a mantle of black tipping, appearing darker than chinchilla.
• Chinchilla Blue Silver & Shaded Blue Silver: Similar to their silver counterparts but with blue tipping.
• Cameo Colors (Shell and Shaded): Feature red or cream tipping over a white undercoat.
• Smoke Colors (Black, Blue, Cameo, Cream, Tortie, Blue-Cream): Feature a white undercoat that is deeply tipped with the respective color, appearing solid when at rest but revealing the white undercoat when in motion.

Shaded/Smoke & White Color Class

These classes combine the Shaded and Smoke patterns with specific white markings, including variations like Calico and Dilute Calico patterns with shaded or tipped coats.

Other Maine Coon Cat Colors (OMCCC)

This category includes any other color or pattern not specifically listed, provided it does not show signs of hybridization (e.g., chocolate, lavender, Himalayan patterns).

Maine Coon Cat Class Numbers

The following table provides reference numbers for various Maine Coon color classes, used for registration and showing purposes.

This comprehensive overview provides a detailed understanding of the Maine Coon breed standard, covering its physical characteristics and the extensive range of accepted colors and patterns.