What are the visual characteristics of a Maine Coon?

This is actually quite an easy, yet difficult question to answer. There is a technical definition as to what the ideal Maine Coon should look like. The definition is actually fairly loose, with a lot of wriggle room for interpretation.

FIFe Maine Coon Standard (as of 2017) : MCO Standard by Fife

Here is a generalization of the document

  • In general the Maine Coon has to have a square muzzle. In Europe this muzzle (or box) is preferably longer.
  • There should be no bump in the nose.
  • The eyes need to be large and slightly oval with gold and yellow, with tinges of green towards the pupil.
  • The nose and chin should line up. This is also known as the stop.
  • There should be a transition from the nose the the forehead. The forehead should be lightly curved.
  • Ears need to be wide and equidistant, tall and with tufts and inner hair that grows beyond the furthest edge.
  • The body should be rectangle in shape. The physic of the cat needs to be muscular and look strong in the forearms, finished with nicely rounded paws.
  • The paws need to have protective tufts also.
  • The tail needs to be long and arrive to the shoulder blades of the cat.
  • The hair needs to be long and shaggy on the tail and underbelly. Thinner down the upperside.
  • In general, the cat needs to look wild. You need to be able to look at the cat at 10 meters an instantly recognise it as a Maine Coon.

What this means to you

The reality is that there is so little difference between a breeding cat and a cat for companionship that the untrained eye could not tell the difference.

Italy has a strong heritage in breeding Main Coons and has a consistently high standard and presence in cat shows. I myself have had my humble successes too. Ruffians Big Boy was nominated at the 2016 World Cat Show in Vienna.

So what does this mean for you? It means you will probably be going home with a finely bred, competitive Maine Coon