I think my cat is Maine Coon???

margueriteann

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The vet told me he was a tabby cat... But after doing some research I think he is a Maine coon mix. I have attached one picture I found online of a Maine coon mix, a side by side of him & a Maine coon mix. Along with numerous of my cat.. He will be a year old on the 31st of this month. Any opinions??
 

nimo

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]I think it's a Maincoon as well. By the looks of the fur under his neck and bushy long tail. Hair looks very dull though. Look into a quality cat food to restore shine/quality of his fur.
 
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StefanZ

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Difficult to say anything as I dont understand which is yours and which is the reference mixed cat.

Anyway, tabby is a pattern, not a breed.  Very many Maine Coons are tabbies, so the one doesnt exclude the other.

He may still be a maine coon look alike, although he was labelled as tabby.   :)
 
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margueriteann

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@StefanZ the 4th and 5th pictures are from the Internet. The side by side picture my cat is the one on the right. Sorry!!!
 

StefanZ

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@StefanZ the 4th and 5th pictures are from the Internet. The side by side picture my cat is the one on the right. Sorry!!!
OK, tx!   So he is this somewhat prolonged, with longish neck?

What comes to me mind, is, as alternative to a Maine Coon look alike (is he biggish??)

he may be an Turkish Angora look alike, if he isnt very big, but seems long in body and has a longish neck...

Turkish Angora are renown to be white, but since a number of years, others colors and patterns are allowed too.
 
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margueriteann

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OK, tx!   So he is this somewhat prolonged, with longish neck?

What comes to me mind, is, as alternative to a Maine Coon look alike (is he biggish??)

he may be an Turkish Angora look alike, if he isnt very big, but seems long in body and has a longish neck...
Turkish Angora are renown to be white, but since a number of years, others colors and patterns are allowed too.
He isn't very long & he doesn't have a longish neck either. I don't know what the momma cat mated with. But a good amount of the litter was bigger & he was one of the biggest of them all. This is his mother. She is itty bitty he is twice the size of her.
 

conikat

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A bit hard to tell which cat you were referring to, but if that's him on the floor, I would have to agree that it's likely. They are kind of hard to miss as they tend to be outgoing and chatty. But a few questions???: does he have large feet with fur between the toes? Does he have white " eyeliner" around his eyes? Is he huge ( or getting that way, lol? If that's him with the big ruff around the neck I would make that a definite yes!
I'm not sure why but there seem to be more of them in the shelters every year. Sad, because they are among the most loyal, loving and wonderful cats around. Very sweet and loving. All of mine have become Alphas, but then, they were all male. I now have a mixture of Siamese/ Maine Coon who is absolutely huge. He surprised me since he started out very small. This is Button for those of you who heard of him last year and late 2014.
Good luck to you as he is in my mind and heart a prize beyond measure!
Hugs to you both....[emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]128522[/emoji][emoji]10084[/emoji]️
 
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margueriteann

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A bit hard to tell which cat you were referring to, but if that's him on the floor, I would have to agree that it's likely. They are kind of hard to miss as they tend to be outgoing and chatty. But a few questions???: does he have large feet with fur between the toes? Does he have white " eyeliner" around his eyes? Is he huge ( or getting that way, lol? If that's him with the big ruff around the neck I would make that a definite yes!
I'm not sure why but there seem to be more of them in the shelters every year. Sad, because they are among the most loyal, loving and wonderful cats around. Very sweet and loving. All of mine have become Alphas, but then, they were all male. I now have a mixture of Siamese/ Maine Coon who is absolutely huge. He surprised me since he started out very small. This is Button for those of you who heard of him last year and late 2014.
Good luck to you as he is in my mind and heart a prize beyond measure!
Hugs to you both....[emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]128522[/emoji][emoji]10084[/emoji]️
The 4th and 5th picture are from the Internet the rest are of him. The side by side picture he is on the right. Yes he is chatty & does have white around his eyes. His paws are very big & he does have fur around them. I'm always playing with the fur around his toes because it tickles him. He can be very loving, but has his mothers temper which is very playful. He is still young too, so I expect him to be a little crazy right now. Lol. But I absolutely adore him. I have a chronic illness and he can tell when I'm having a bad day & will just love on me the whole day.
 

fyllis

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I agree that your baby definitely has some Maine Coon in his lineage. The reason your Vet has him marked as a Tabby (and if you look at his recoreds, most likely a domestic medium hair Tabby) is because without a DNA test, they cannot mark them a specific breed. As StefanZ said, Tabby is a color/pattern and not a breed. He looks very much like my boy, Kricket. 

Maine Coons have specific traits and one of the most prominent is that they have 3 layers to their coat. 

Their 3rd  protective layer develops when they are about a year old and it is longer and more coarse than the soft downy layers underneath. Until then, they will have two layers of 'fluff'. Kricket's fur is exceptionally soft and silky and he feels almost like a chinchilla. They get a seasonal growth of undercoat, especially the mane, abdomen and pants (hind-quarters). While they require minimal care regarding their coat, I recommend a good combing (use a fine-toothed comb and not a brush. A brush glosses over the top coat but never gets down to the under-layers) at least 2 to 3 times a week. It gets all the loose fur out and stimulates circulation and oil production which enhances the quality of their coat. I also give Kricket a monthly 'man-scape' (clipping his hind-quarters) to prevent litter and 'other' debris from collecting in his fur. 

Other traits of a Maine Coon are:

A rectangular, boxy body
Large head with very expressive eyes
A broad, strong chest
Fairly long whiskers
Ear tufts 
A full ruff - like a lions mane
A long, full flowing tail
Tufts between the toes
They have a unique chirp or 'trill' when communicating


Maine Coons have a gentle and laid-back temperament and are very affectionate. They are slow growers and don't reach full maturity for 3 to 5 years. You'll read a lot about them becoming 'enormous' and weighing 25+ pounds. I don't really believe this is the 'norm'. More typical weight for a full grown male is an average of 18 to 20 pounds. Anything more than that would, in my opinion, have a negative affect on their health. Right now, at 20 months, Kricket weighs 14.2 pounds and I am happy with that. 

Enjoy your boy. He is gorgeous! 
 
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margueriteann

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I agree that your baby definitely has some Maine Coon in his lineage. The reason your Vet has him marked as a Tabby (and if you look at his recoreds, most likely a domestic medium hair Tabby) is because without a DNA test, they cannot mark them a specific breed. As StefanZ said, Tabby is a color/pattern and not a breed. He looks very much like my boy, Kricket. 

Maine Coons have specific traits and one of the most prominent is that they have 3 layers to their coat. 
Their 3rd  protective layer develops when they are about a year old and it is longer and more coarse than the soft downy layers underneath. Until then, they will have two layers of 'fluff'. Kricket's fur is exceptionally soft and silky and he feels almost like a chinchilla. They get a seasonal growth of undercoat, especially the mane, abdomen and pants (hind-quarters). While they require minimal care regarding their coat, I recommend a good combing (use a fine-toothed comb and not a brush. A brush glosses over the top coat but never gets down to the under-layers) at least 2 to 3 times a week. It gets all the loose fur out and stimulates circulation and oil production which enhances the quality of their coat. I also give Kricket a monthly 'man-scape' (clipping his hind-quarters) to prevent litter and 'other' debris from collecting in his fur. 

Other traits of a Maine Coon are:

A rectangular, boxy body

Large head with very expressive eyes

A broad, strong chest

Fairly long whiskers

Ear tufts 

A full ruff - like a lions mane

A long, full flowing tail

Tufts between the toes

They have a unique chirp or 'trill' when communicating


Maine Coons have a gentle and laid-back temperament and are very affectionate. They are slow growers and don't reach full maturity for 3 to 5 years. You'll read a lot about them becoming 'enormous' and weighing 25+ pounds. I don't really believe this is the 'norm'. More typical weight for a full grown male is an average of 18 to 20 pounds. Anything more than that would, in my opinion, have a negative affect on their health. Right now, at 20 months, Kricket weighs 14.2 pounds and I am happy with that. 

Enjoy your boy. He is gorgeous! 
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the info!!! The description definitely matches my Baboo!! He is very playful, I'm not sure if it's because he is still young, or if he got the temperament that his momma has. (She is very energetic). I love the chirp when he talks, yells at me, plays... It's always there and it cracks me up. The more I am finding out about the breed the more I am convinced that is what my baby is!
& yours is absolutely gorgeous!!! I love the fluffiness!!!
 
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conikat

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IMHO, I think he is too you lucky girl. I lost my Paxi-baby in 2014, and I still miss him horribly. They are truly wonderful kitties and will take very good care of you. Give him a hug for me too.
 
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margueriteann

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IMHO, I think he is too you lucky girl. I lost my Paxi-baby in 2014, and I still miss him horribly. They are truly wonderful kitties and will take very good care of you. Give him a hug for me too.
I am so sorry for your loss. Losing an animal is like losing a member of the family, and your best friend. I'm glad you have another to keep you in good company though!
I am so excited to have some kind of idea of his breed, his mom was a pet of mine & my roommates. And we have no idea what her breed might be. So I'm glad to get at least one half of him down. I will definitely give him lots of love for you!!
 

fyllis

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His Momma looks like a domestic short hair Calico/Tabby with White mix, but somewhere in his ancestry is some Maine Coon and that is his prominent feature. Lucky you!  You'll never be able to determine his true genetics without a DNA, but you have a good idea. What's most important is that you have a wonderfully beautiful cat that will give you as much (if not more) more as you give him! 
 

conikat

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Thank you for sharing him. I too have a chronic illness, so I know some of what you must deal with. I think my cats keep me sane. I looked at your photo of the Mom-cat, and ( for what it's worth) she reminds me of my Kisa who is a Bengal mix. There are pictures of them in my photo gallery if you'd like to see. Paxi is unmistakable, and Kisa should be recognizable too just for her markings. She is built rather like a small cheetah, long neck, small head, lanky build. She has lovely slanted almond eyes and acts like a total wild thing periodically. Anyway, hope that helps.I always try to determine what my kitties' background is if I can. But one ( Sarah) was a complete surprise. I got a message with what looked like her picture attached, but it wasn't her. This cat belonged to the message sender who has her twin! They are called either Chantilly or ( ? On the second name, but it's a jeweler). Her photo is there too and they are both unique and very rare. I so love that kind of surprise.
I'm sure you'll figure it out, at least to your satisfaction, and don't forget the behavior...it's almost as important as the way they look.
ConiKat[emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]128522[/emoji][emoji]128062[/emoji]
 

blisssara1

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I also do believe you have a Maine Coon or a Maine Coon mix. A really good way to tell is by the the way everyone is yelling you, but the best way is they are born with a M on there forehead. I hope that helps as you can see in my purebreed, Simba he was 8 week when we got him and 5 months now. He was the runt of the litter.

 
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fyllis

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I also do believe you have a Maine Coon or a Maine Coon mix. A really good way to tell is by the the way everyone is yelling you, but the best way is they are born with a M on there forehead. I hope that helps as you can see in my purebreed, Simba he was 8 week when we got him and 5 months now. He was the runt of the litter.
That is NOT a sure way to determine a cat is a Maine Coon. The "M" is a marking of Tabby, which is a color pattern, not a breed. 

There are many, many cat breeds that carry the Tabby pattern. Not all Maine Coons are Tabby - they come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, including solids. 

What 'purebreed' is your cat? He looks very much like a domestic short or (possibly?) medium hair, ginger Tabby. Did the breeder sell him as a Maine Coon and is that what is on his papers?
 

blisssara1

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He is a breeder of Maine Coon's. My cat is a red Tabby Maine Coon and if your read up on Maine Coon's it will tell you that the M on the forehead is there for that. @5 months old he is bigger than my 2 Calico cats that are 9 and 8.
 

fyllis

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He is a breeder of Maine Coon's. My cat is a red Tabby Maine Coon and if your read up on Maine Coon's it will tell you that the M on the forehead is there for that. @5 months old he is bigger than my 2 Calico cats that are 9 and 8.
I don't know where you got your information, but the "M" is definitely a trait of the Tabby color/pattern and has absolutely nothing to do with (any) breed and does not, never has, and never will indicate the Maine Coon breed. If your breeder told you that, I would certainly check his credentials, as well as get a DNA on your cat. I am sure everyone here will agree with me on that point. 

If you read this information somewhere, I'd like to have the link because it is incorrect information. 
 
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