Saltar al contenido

About the Maine Coon

Origin: United States
Maine Coon cat
Photo by Unknown, CC BY-SA 4.0
View Maine Coon breedersSee Maine Coon kittens

66 criadores están en el registro aquí.

Typical life span
12-15 years
Size
Large — from its typical weight
Weight
6.8-11.3 kg
Height
38-64 cm
Registry status
Reconocida por la TICA
Breed group
Long-haired
Origin
United States

About

What is a Maine Coon?

Large to very large, muscular cat with long shaggy coat, tufted ears, and bushy tail. One of the largest domestic cat breeds.

Maine Coon history and origins

One of the oldest natural breeds in North America, developed in Maine. Legend says descended from Marie Antoinette's cats. Adapted to harsh New England winters with thick waterproof coat. State cat of Maine.

Maine Coon appearance and size

Typically 6.8-11.3 kg and 38-64 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.

Maine Coon temperament and personality

Generally described as adaptable, intelligent, loving, gentle, independent, playful and friendly.

That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.

Referencia de la raza de The Cat API.

Características

Tamaño
Large
Necesidad de ejercicio
Facilidad de adiestramiento
Caída de pelo
5 of 5
Cuidados del pelo
4 of 5
Convivencia con niños
Coste de mantenimiento
Tolera quedarse solo
Inteligencia
Salud de la raza
4 conditions documented

Pros & cons

Pros y contras de la raza Maine Coon

Lo que obtienes con la raza Maine Coon

  • Descrito habitualmente como: «Adaptable, Intelligent, Loving, Gentle»

Lo que asumes

  • Están documentadas 2 enfermedades hereditarias graves, sobre todo en corazón y circulación y cerebro y nervios. La pestaña de la guía de salud tiene la prueba que hay que pedir en cada una.
  • Exige muchos cuidados del pelo — la descripción del propio estándar es «A frill is expected. Texture silky. Coat has distinct body, falling smoothly.»
  • Cuenta con mucha caída de pelo — «Length of coat and density of undercoat vary with seasons.»
  • Vive menos que un gato sin raza definida — mediana de 9.76 años en 69 muertes registradas, frente a 13.01

Extraído de fuentes y no escrito como opinión — investigación de salud citada, el estándar del propio registro, y estudios de longevidad revisados por pares. The Cat API; UC Davis VGL — Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) in Maine Coons; Estándar de la raza, FIFe; Teng et al. 2024, median age at death. Los animales de un criador pueden diferir de todo esto, y una columna vacía significa que no tenemos nada de ese lado, no que no haya nada que decir.

Characteristics

Estándar de la FIFe · Maine Coon

Pelo y color

Tal como lo establece el estándar de la FIFe. Cada línea de abajo está en las palabras del propio estándar, etiquetada con permissible.

Coat

All weather coat.

Dense.

Short on head, shoulders and legs, becoming gradually longer down the back and sides, with long, full shaggy baggy trousers on the hind legs and belly fur.

A frill is expected.

Texture silky.

Coat has distinct body, falling smoothly.

The undercoat is soft and fine, covered by the firm smooth outercoat.

Length of coat and density of undercoat vary with seasons.

Color

  • Preferred
  • Permissible
  • Undesirable
  • Disqualifying

«Preferred», «permissible», «undesirable» y «disqualifying» — preferido, admisible, indeseable y descalificante — son las palabras de la propia FIFe sobre la raza, y quedan en inglés porque así constan en el estándar. Describen lo que el estándar pide — no son una valoración de ningún perro concreto, ni nuestra.

  • Permissible: All colour varieties, including all colour varieties with white
  • except pointed patterns and chocolate and lilac, cinnamon and fawn.
  • Permissible: Any amount of white, i.e. a white blaze, white locket, white chest, white on the belly, white on the paws, etc

Resumido de FIFe standard MCO — cada etiqueta está en las palabras del propio estándar, con el veredicto pasado a la etiqueta de al lado. Lee la cláusula completa en la fuente.

TICA divisions

TICA lists the Maine Coon in these divisions. They are the registry's own groupings — usually hair length — not a list of colours: no registry we hold publishes one. Ask a breeder what colours their line produces.

  • Polydactyl

Temperamento

AdaptableIntelligentLovingGentleIndependentPlayfulFriendly

Información a nivel de raza, de The Cat API. Describe la raza Maine Coon en general; cualquier animal concreto puede ser distinto.

Health guide

Health & screening guide for the Maine Coon

Riesgos hereditarios conocidos en la raza Maine Coon, y la documentación concreta que hay que pedir a cualquier criador antes de pagar una señal. Un criador responsable tiene esta documentación a mano; esquivar la pregunta es mala señal.

4 enfermedades documentadas

Health checklist (PDF)

Heart & circulation

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) — MYBPC3 A31P variant

Serious

A mutation in the MYBPC3 gene thickens the heart muscle and can cause sudden cardiac death. It is found only in Maine Coons (not in other pedigree breeds), at roughly 30-40% carrier prevalence in some populations. Penetrance depends heavily on genotype: cats with two copies have high penetrance — almost all develop HCM by 5 years old — while cats with a single copy carry a much lower and later risk, so the two results are not equivalent.

Qué pedir

UC Davis VGL Maine Coon HCM DNA test (MYBPC3 A31P) on both parents. The mutation does not explain all HCM in the breed, so a clear DNA result does not replace periodic cardiac ultrasound (echocardiogram) of the breeding cats.

2 sources

Bones & joints

Hip dysplasia

Monitor

Malformation of the hip joint causing laxity, pain and early osteoarthritis. Documented at roughly 25-37% prevalence in OFA-screened Maine Coons, worsening with age and body mass. There is no single-gene DNA test — it is polygenic and diagnosed by radiograph.

Qué pedir

Hip radiographs scored by OFA (a grade) or PennHIP (a laxity measurement) on both parents — not a DNA test.

2 sources

Brain & nerves

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)

Serious

A recessive loss of motor neurons in the lower spinal cord. Affected kittens are normal at birth and develop unsteady gait and hind-limb muscle wasting from around 3-4 months old. It does not shorten life, but it is a permanent, disabling condition.

Qué pedir

UC Davis VGL Maine Coon SMA DNA test on both parents.

1 source

Blood

Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency

Monitor

A recessive enzyme defect causing intermittent haemolytic anaemia, with highly variable age of onset and severity. Maine Coon is one of the breeds UC Davis names as appropriate for this test.

Qué pedir

UC Davis VGL PK deficiency DNA test on both parents.

1 source

Cuánto vive la raza Maine Coon, en los registros

Edad mediana al morir de 9,8 años

Mitad central de las muertes entre los 5,1 y los 14,1 años, a partir de 69 muertes registradas. El 10,1% de ellas ocurrió antes de los dos años.

Calculado a partir de registros veterinarios del Reino Unido que cubren 7936 muertes. Esto es una edad al morir y no una esperanza de vida: la mitad de los gatos de esta raza en los registros murió más joven.

Dataset: O'Neill, D. & Teng, K.T. (2024), Figshare, doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.25006802, CC BY 4.0. Teng, K.T., Brodbelt, D.C., Church, D.B. & O'Neill, D.G. (2024) Life tables of annual life expectancy and risk factors for mortality in cats in the United Kingdom. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 26(5).

Kittens

No kittens listed right now

That is not the same as none existing. Publishing a litter is part of a breeder's subscription here, so a Maine Coon breeder can have a litter and no listing — ask them directly.

See Maine Coon breeders
Secciones