Main-Coon Cat Breed Standard

 

General Statement:
The Maine Coon is a solid, rugged cat and is America's oldest natural longhaired breed. Type must not be sacrificed for size, nor size for type, the optimum being a large, typey cat. Females are somewhat smaller than males, and allowance should be made for the slow maturation of the breed.

Head:
Medium in length and width, with a squareness to the muzzle. Allowance should be made for broadening in males. Cheek bones high. Nose medium in length with a gentle, concave curve and no break or bump. Chin firm and in line with upper lip and nose.

Eyes:
Large, wide set, slightly oblique setting. Eye color can be shades of green, gold, or copper, though white cats may be blue or odd-eyed. There is no relationship between eye color and coat color. Clarity of eye color is desirable.

Ears:
Large, wide at base, moderately pointed and well tufted. Set high on head approximately an ear's width apart. Lynx-like tipping is desirable.

Body:
Muscular, medium to large in size, broad chested. Body is long, with all parts in proportion, creating a rectangular appearance. When viewed from the rear, there is a definite squareness to the rump. Neck medium-long.

Legs and Paws:
Legs substantial, wide set, medium in length, contributing to a rectangular appearance. Paws large, round, well-tufted (five toes in front, four toes in back).

Tail:
Long, equal to body in length (distance from end of rump to shoulders), wide at base and tapering. Fur full, long, and flowing.

Coat:
Fur on shoulders is short, gradually increasing in length along back and sides, ending in full britches and long, shaggy belly fur. Fur is soft but has body, falls smoothly, and lies close to the body. A slight undercoat is carried. A full ruff is not expected; however, there should be a frontal ruff beginning at the base of the ears.

Coat Colors:
All recognized colors. White trim around the chin and lip permitted except in solid color cats.

Disqualifications:
Buttons, lockets, spots, overall even coat, short cobby body, crossed eyes, kinked tail, incorrect number of toes.

Penalties:
Delicate bone structures, untufted paws, poor condition, nose break or bump, undershot chin, short rounded muzzle.

Colors:
The following colors are among those recognized by most registering associations:

White, black, blue, red, cream.

Silver (chinchilla & shaded), blue-silver (chinchilla & shaded), cameo (shell, shaded, & smoke), cream cameo (shell, shaded, & smoke), black smoke, blue smoke, shaded tortoiseshell, shaded blue tortie, shaded torbie, shaded blue torbie.

Silver tabby (all patterns), blue-silver tabby (all patterns), cameo tabby (all patterns), cream cameo tabby (all patterns).

Shaded brown or golden tabby (all patterns), red tabby (all patterns), cream tabby (all patterns), brown tabby (all patterns), blue tabby (all patterns).

Bi-colors (solids with white), Parti-colors - tortoiseshell, torbie (patched tabby), calico, blue cream, tabby with white and other colors with white.

There is an international code to describe all cats (pattern, colours, race...). This code is indicated on cat's pedigree.

You will find below this international code, Maine-Coon's recognized codes are italic bolded.


Breed codes :


ABY = Abyssinian
ACL = American Curl Longhair
ACS = American Curl Shorthair
BAL = Balinese
BEN = Bengal
BML = Burmilla
BRI = British Shorthair
BUR = Burmese
CHA = Chartreuse
CRX = Cornish Rex
DRX = Devon Rex
DSP = Don Sphynx
EUR = European Shorthair
EXO = Exotic Shorthair
GRX = German Rex
JBT = Japanese Bobtail
KOR = Korat
MAN = Manx
MAU = Egyptian Mau
MCO = Maine Coon

NFO = Norwegian Forest Cat
OCI = Ocicat
OLH = Oriental Longhair
OSH = Oriental Shorthair
PEB = Peterbald
PER = Persian
RAG = Ragdoll
SBI = Birman
SIA = Siamese
SIB = Siberian
SNO = Snowshoe
SOK = Sokoke
SOM = Somali
SPH = Sphynx
TUA = Turkish Angora
TUV = Turkish Van


Colours :


a = Blue
b = Chocolate
c = Lilac
d = Red
e = Crea
f = Black tortie
g = Blue tortie
h = Chocolate tortie
j = Lilac tortie
m = Dilute modifier, caramel
n = Black
o = Cinnamon (sorrel in Abyssinians)
p = Fawn
q = Cinnamon (sorrel) tortie
r = Fawn tortie
s = Silver, smoke
t = Amber, light amber
w = White
x = Indicates an unrecognized colour
y = Golden


Patterns :


01 = Van
02 = Harlequin
03 = Bicolour
04 = Mitted
09 = Unspecified amount of white
11 = Shaded
12 = Shell, chinchilla
21 = Unspecified tabby pattern
22 = Blotched tabby
23 = Mackerel tabby
24 = Spotted tabby
25 = Ticked tabby
31 = Burmese pointed
32 = Tonkinese pointed
33 = Siamese pointed (Himalayan)


Eye colours :


61 = Blue eyed
62 = Orange eyed
63 = Odd eyed
64 = Green eyed
65 = Burmese eye colour
66 = Tonkinese eye colour
67 = Siamese eye colour