THE MAINE COON
The Maine Coon is a natural breed of amiable character that traces its origin to the working cat found on the farms of Northeast America.
General:
- Appearance: The breed is large framed with a square outline of the head, large ears, broad chest, solid bone structure, a long, hard muscled, rectangular body and a long flowing tail. Good muscle tone and density give the cat the appearance of power and robustness.
- Size: Large
Head:
- Shape: Medium in size; square outline. Profile with a gentle concave slope
- Forehead: Gently curved
- Cheeks: Cheekbones high and prominent
- Face-Nose-Muzzle: Face and nose of medium length with a square outline of the muzzle. Distinct transition can be felt between muzzle and cheekbones.
- Chin: Firm, in vertical alignment with nose and upper lip
Ears:
- Shape: Large, wide at the base. Moderately pointed. Lynx-tufts are desireable. Tufts of hair in the ears extend beyond outer edges of ears.
- Placement: Set high on head with a very sligth outward tilt. Ears should be placed one ear’s width apart. The width extends slightly in older cats. Lower base set just slightly further back than upper base.
Eyes:
- Shape: Large and widely set. Slightly oval, but not almond shaped, appear round when wide open. Set slightly slantet towards the outer base of the ear.
- Colour: Any colour is permitted. There is no relationship between eye- and coat colour. Clear eye colour is desireable.
Neck:
- Males have a very strong muscled neck.
Body:
- Structure: The body should be long, substantial bone structure. Hard muscled, powerful, broad chested. Large framed, all parts of the body in proportion to create a rectangular appearance.
Legs:
- Substantial, medium length to form a rectangle with the body.
- Paws: Large, round and well tufted between the toes
Tail:
- At least as long as the body from shoulderblade to base of tail. Wide at the base tapering to the tip, with full, flowing hair. The hair on the tail is long and always remains flowing.
Coat:
- Structure: 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. Silky texture. Coat has distinct body, falling smoothly. The undercoat is soft and fine, covered by the coarse smooth outercoat.
- Colour: All colour varieties are permitted, including all colour varieties with white; except pointed patterns and chocolate, lilac, cinnamon and fawn. Any amount of white is allowed, i.e a white blaze, white locket, white on the belly, white on the paws etc.
Condition:
- The maine coon should always be in good balance, condition and proportion.
Remarks:
- type must always take preference over colour.
- very slow maturing of the breed should be taken into account.
- mature males may have larger and broader heads than females.
- females are proportionally smaller than males. Allowance must be made for this significant difference in size.
- length of coat and density of undercoat vary with the seasons.
Faults:
General:
- unbalanced proportions
- overall small cats
Head:
- round head
- straight or convex profile
Nose:
- nose break
Muzzle:
- pronounced whisker pads
- rounded or pointed muzzle
Chin:
- undershot chin
Ears:
- wide set
- flared ears
Eyes:
- slanted, almond shaped eyes
Body:
- fine, light bone structure
- short cobby body
Legs:
- long stilty legs
Tail:
- short tail
Coat:
- lack of belly shag
- coat of overall even length
- lack of any undercoat
Text: Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe)