TheCatSite.com › Forums › Breeding › Breeders Corner › question about a maine coon..
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

question about a maine coon..

post #1 of 14
6/25/09 at 10:06am
Thread Starter 
ok for the first 4 yrs of my cats life i thought he was a normal house cat, im unfamiliar with cats breeds dont know much about them. well i watched a show on animal planet called cats 101. they had a profile on the maine coon. my cat seemed to fit the profile. they say if the cat has a "M" marking on the forehead then its a coon.

i looked and he had it. then i started to research the breed and he started to match the profile for the cat. he weighs in at 17 lbs. hes about the size of a small medium dog. i dont know much of his background and where he came from.

i got him for free from an abusive owner and i walked out the door with him. and i was wondering if theres any way to tell if hes a pure bred? i didnt get no papers or anything i no that some backyards breeders dont give papers. the owner couldve thrown them away if he had papers. thank you
Reply
post #2 of 14
6/25/09 at 10:15am
Hi,


and WELCOME to the forum.

no, there's no way of knowing if he's a maine coon or not- most likely he isn't, not with that history

The classic tabby M can be found with many cats and is one of the more common fur patterns, have a look at what wikipedia has to say about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabby_cat

You haven't mentioned your cats fur- is it short or long?

For the fun of it you could browse the web sites of MC breeders and see how closely your cat resembles a coonie but without papers there's just now way to know.


regards,

Christine
Reply
post #3 of 14
6/25/09 at 10:26am
... by the way- if you could post a few fotos of your cat here we could try to guess which breed he resembles most

Also have a look at Norwegian Forrest cats:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Forest_Cat


But all we'll be able to say for certain is that your cat is unique

regards,

Christine
Reply
post #4 of 14
6/25/09 at 10:29am
When a tv show says a Maine Coon is a MC because it has the markings of an "M" on the forehead, then I would not put much confidence in anything the program said!

While the majority of MC's tend to be tabby cats, the "M" is a sign of a tabby cat - NOT a breed of cat. MC's come in all colors except chocolate/lilac and the pointed patterns. So if you have a solid black MC or a black/white MC you will not have an "M" on the forehead!

I do not go by personality when judging if a cat might have purebred in the background. You go by the looks, bone structure, etc.

There are many "look a like" MC's in the shelters and the chances that they are really purebred are very very small.

Just enjoy your cat for who he is. BTW - all cats have pedigrees; some we know, some we don't
Reply
post #5 of 14
6/25/09 at 10:56am
Thread Starter 
this is cartman laying in the chair
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...5/100_1080.jpg

this is him again sitting
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...5/100_1085.jpg

i already love who he is i was just curious. he my big baby lol.
Reply
post #6 of 14
6/25/09 at 11:10am
Oooh- he really does have a lovely M on his head

For me he doesn't look that much like a coonie- but he's still purrfect

regards,

Christine
Reply
post #7 of 14
6/25/09 at 11:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by scoobydoo2345 View Post
they say if the cat has a "M" marking on the forehead then its a coon.
Sometimes people confuse pattern with breed, as you seem to have read.

Your cat is beautiful, but doesn't look like a MC to me.
Reply
post #8 of 14
6/25/09 at 1:52pm
He could be a mix! Two of my cats have many of the personality, looks, attributes of Maine Coons but because they were strays I'll never know for sure. Most people who see them go "Oh what lovely Maine Coons" (happened last night in fact) but I'm quick to say "uhhh, maybe."

No matter what, Cartman looks like a charmer and if you think he might have a little Maine Coon in him, then why not. I think that way about my older two and don't give a toot if they really are or not. Because I love them either way.
Reply
post #9 of 14
6/25/09 at 2:35pm
Thread Starter 
i love him. i take him for bike rides all the time and he enjoys them. i took him to the pet store to get him a new harness b/c i lost his other one. we got another one for him. we went to check out and the cashier said hes wear a medium dog harness? i told him yup he is. the cashier got a kick out of that one lol.
Reply
post #10 of 14
6/25/09 at 3:12pm
He doesn't look like a Maine Coon to me but he is very handsome!
He doesn't seem to have the type of fur (length) of a Maine Coon.


Many cats have the "M" -- it means they are a tabby, not a Maine Coon. For example my feral rescues all they have the "M" because they are tabbies:



Church





And my cat Roxy is solid black so she doesn't have an "M" but she is a purebred Maine Coon (from a breeder):

Reply
post #11 of 14
6/25/09 at 5:09pm
Thread Starter 
thanks for the pics.
Reply
post #12 of 14
8/10/11 at 5:09pm
I am the proud owner of a very friendly, large black cat with long hair, and all the right physical & temperment traits to be a Maine Coon. I have no idea of his background, as I didn't get him from a breeder. I'll upload pics when I can.
Reply
post #13 of 14
8/10/11 at 7:17pm
I was told that the "M" stood for mackerel,which is supposed to be the type of "ticking" in their fur.I don't know if that is right or not,but he's a BIG boy and very handsome,whatever he is!
Reply
post #14 of 14
8/11/11 at 8:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lizzie View Post
I was told that the "M" stood for mackerel,which is supposed to be the type of "ticking" in their fur.
Mackerel is the striped tabby pattern. The 'M' can be (should be) found in every tabby patterned cat's forehead.
Ticked tabbies are the ones who seem to have no pattern, like Nekochan's kitties in the pic she posted in this thread.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Breeders Corner
TheCatSite.com › Forums › Breeding › Breeders Corner › question about a maine coon..