Maybe Maine Coon? I'm not sure

jacichilds

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
2
Purraise
0
Location
Dallas, TX
I figured a breeder might be able to tell me what kind of cat I own, because our vets have no idea. My kitty, Gremlin, has the "m" between his eyes and he is around 10 lbs (maybe more). He isn't long haired like most maine coon cats, but he is HUGE! He is about the size of a pug.
Can someone who has a trained eye tell me what breed he is, please?

Gremlin is the Orange Cat:

 

missymotus

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
9,234
Purraise
254
I don't see any Maine Coon or other breed in him, he's a domestic short hair.

The 'M' is something all Tabby cats have, tabby is a pattern not a breed.

Both your kitties are gorgeous
 

jcat

Mo(w)gli's can opener
Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
73,213
Purraise
9,851
Location
Mo(w)gli Monster's Lair
He looks like a domestic shorthair to me, too. Ten lbs. isn't really that big. Our cat and the cat we share with a neighbor both top 7 kg. (almost 15.5 lbs.). Maine Coons can get much bigger than that.
 

carolina

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
14,759
Purraise
215
Location
Corinth, TX
Sounds like he might have seen Cats 101 when they said the "M" thing...
Yes, the "M" is about being a tabby...
IMO He is a Domestic short hair, average size. A Maine Coon gets much bigger than that... like 18-20... My male ragdoll is 18lbs my female is 12, and my Domestic long hair is close to 10...
They are both gorgeous!
 

nekochan

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 5, 2006
Messages
2,760
Purraise
22
Location
Chicago, IL
There was a tv show on recently where they did a feature on Maine Coons (Cats 101) and one of the things they said was that a way to tell if you had a Maine Coon was if it had the "M" on the forehead!

That really bothered me that they said that, because it is very misleading since most tabbies, no matter what breed, have the tabby "M" and not all Maine Coons have it! My Maine Coon is solid black for example... She is also not exceptionally large, she weighs 10 pounds although she is very long and with a large-ish head and big boning.
A friend of my father's who has a DLH now is convinced he has a Maine Coon thanks to that program.
 

ferriscat

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Messages
777
Purraise
3
Location
Washington, DC
Originally Posted by missymotus

The 'M' is something all Tabby cats have, tabby is a pattern not a breed.
The very first thing I noticed when I saw my first silver (tabby) Egyptian Mau was that there was NO 'M' on her forehead. The lines in the M had broken up, creating what Mau breeders call the scarab pattern. I have seen some with a definite 'M' but they have had spotted pattens with more stripes in the transition zones of the legs, shoulders, and spine. When the spots on are small and very broken up throughout the patten, the M will be broken up into spots as well.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

jacichilds

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
2
Purraise
0
Location
Dallas, TX
Okay thank you guys! I figured he was a typical tabby cat but I just wanted to be sure. You guys are great!
 

missymotus

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
9,234
Purraise
254
Originally Posted by FerrisCat

The very first thing I noticed when I saw my first silver (tabby) Egyptian Mau was that there was NO 'M' on her forehead. The lines in the M had broken up, creating what Mau breeders call the scarab pattern.
We call scarabing the pattern on top of head. Have you got a photo of the no M cat?
 

krazy kat2

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 14, 2001
Messages
8,085
Purraise
41
Location
Somewhere in Georgia
He is a cutie. He reminds me of a DSH I once had. He was orange tabby, and weighed in at a whopping 22lbs. His paws covered my palms and his head was about the size of a softball.
 

ferriscat

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Messages
777
Purraise
3
Location
Washington, DC
Originally Posted by missymotus

We call scarabing the pattern on top of head. Have you got a photo of the no M cat?
Only published photo is a profile shot. . . not much help, but I'll pm you some links to photos of other examples once I track them down.
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
He's a normal red mackeral (or classis if the markings on the sides of him are circles/bullseye looking) tabby domestic shorthair.

ALL tabby cats (except the ticked one with no stripes but still a tabby pattern) have the "M" markings. M doesn't stand for Maine Coon. Its part of the tabby pattern on a cat.

Interesting Ferris about the Mau, because Ocicats are spotted tabbies and you can see that both Charlie and Jack have the M on their foreheads.
 

ferriscat

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Messages
777
Purraise
3
Location
Washington, DC
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Interesting Ferris about the Mau, because Ocicats are spotted tabbies and you can see that both Charlie and Jack have the M on their foreheads.
I wonder if it something to do with the way Mau and Oci breeders will breed for pattern. I understand that Oci patterns are very precise as far as size, shape, and placement go. A Mau's pattern is completely random--a spot is a spot, no matter the size or the shape. I have seen some with butterflies and swirls down through their shoulders and spines, others with solid dorsal stripes, and some with clean spots everywhere you look--even down to their toes! All are correct, but some are definitely more striking than others.

I have frequently wondered what causes the pattern to break up in so many different ways--perhaps it is a combination of whatever tabby patterns are carried along with the spotting.
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
Aren't genetics wonderful
And then you wind up with the "surprise" that no one can explain.

Just like the mystery of where in the heck the Oci spots came from in the first place considering the original cross only involved Siamese and Abys!
 
Top