The Maine Coon, with its black coat, stands out among its relatives. This is determined by its spectacular and mystical appearance, which fascinates animal lovers. The price category of such babies is higher than that of other colors. However, it pays off, since the nature of the pets is gentle and friendly. The cat requires attentive attention from the owner, for which he pays with boundless love and loyalty.
Description and features of an exotic feline
Maine Coon varieties depending on patterns
The classic version of the animal has a uniform black shade of fur without additional colors. However, there are often representatives of the breed that have a variety of patterns, clearly visible on the face and neck. According to the type of these inclusions, there are the following Maine Coons:
- Brindle. Vertical stripes run along the surface of the animal's entire body, as well as its tail and paws.
- Marble. Dark stains are located on the sides of the pet, which resembles a marble structure.
- Spotted. Stripes are clearly visible on the cat's fur.
Black and white Maine Coon
Animals are classified according to the location of inclusions of a different color. In accordance with this factor, the following are distinguished:
Maine Coons are usually classified according to the factor of inclusions in the color of a different color, for example, Van - only the head and tail are black.
- Medallion. The spot is located on the animal's chest, like a precious decoration.
- Gloves. The pigmentation affected only the paws.
- Bicolor. Uniform ratio of two colors throughout the pet's body.
- The tuxedo. A light-colored “shirt front”, usually located on the sternum, protrudes in combination with gloves.
- Harlequin. The initial undertone of the fur is white, on which there are splashes of black.
- Wang. The entire skin is white, except for the head and tail.
- Black smoke. The base of the hairs is white and the end is black. There are no stripes or stains on the Maine Coon's body.
Black Maine Coons often suffer from polydactyly, so their paws can have 6 toes.
Himalayan cat
Looking at the Himalayan cat, one immediately remembers the Siamese cat - such bottomless blue eyes could only be “borrowed” from her, only the hair of the “Himalaya” is much longer. In fact, this breed is nothing more than the result of crossing the Persian and Siamese breeds, which differ from their parents in their luxurious thick hair, as well as a more “hard”, pronounced mask on the head. Perfectly white Himalayans are extremely rare. These cats inherited curiosity from the Siamese, and leisurely and sedate calm from the Persians. They are very loving, never mind playing, they become quite attached to the owner and the house in which they live, but they will react quite calmly to short-term loneliness or a change of scenery.
Character and behavior of a four-legged pet
Because of its size, the black Maine Coon is often mistaken for a dangerous animal, but first impressions are deceiving. This pet has a peaceful disposition and is suitable for couples with children. The cat has a playful character and often gets into funny situations due to its size. The pet requires attention from the owner, so it is not recommended for constantly busy people to have a Maine Coon. Lack of care can lead to animal apathy and poor health. Treats all family members with love, but may be wary of guests and not show attention to them.
Foreign white
This breed is the result of the painstaking work of its creators, whose goal was to obtain a Siamese cat of a snow-white color, without the presence of additional shades. Translated from English, the name of the cat sounds like “white foreigner.” She was officially registered as a representative of an independent breed in the second half of the last century. Another name for foreign white sounds like Chinese white. The main feature of the breed is that, despite its impeccable whiteness, all its representatives always have excellent hearing. Foreign White is a breed endowed with a strong mind. She loves to be the center of attention, gets along well with children and pets, but is also quite independent. Loves walks - this cat can easily be trained to walk on a leash.
What are the conditions for keeping the animal?
When deciding to adopt a large pet into the family, you should take care of creating a suitable corner in the house. It is best to consult with breeders which hygiene and interior items are ideal for the needs of a black Maine Coon. The cat will feel better if the owner takes care of the following things:
| Adaptations | Recommendations |
| Bed | Selected taking into account the active growth of the animal or specialized models are purchased |
| scratching post | Must support the weight of the pet and correspond to its dimensions |
| Toys | Models must be safe and do not contain beaded or button embellishments. |
| Soft balls and mice will be a winning option | |
| Tray | It is recommended to give preference to wide ones without high sides |
| Completely closed ones are not suitable, as the animal will not fit in it. | |
| Filler | It is better to choose a brand of litter that the cat is accustomed to in the nursery. |
| A bowl | Animals are better served by bowls made of glass, ceramic or steel rather than plastic. |
EMS color code
To simplify the names when entering data into documents, the EMS (Easy Mind System) coding system was adopted.
Maine Coon (MC) cats are classified as semi-longhair (SLH – Semilonghair, group 2).
There are two genetic colors in Maine Coon cats: black and red. The rest of the variety of colors are shades or lightening of the main ones. In fact, the favorite white shades are not a color - it is simply the absence of a color pigment.
When determining color, three factors are taken into account:
- Coat color
- White spot
- Type of drawing
Coat color is indicated in Latin letters:
- n – black
- a – blue
- d – red
- e – cream
- f – black tortoiseshell
- g – blue-cream tortoiseshell
- w – white
- s – silver or smoke (with a pattern – silver, without a pattern – smoky)
- y – not officially recognized in the breed – gold
White spotting is designated by the following code:
01 – van (almost white individual with several spots) 02 – harlequin (larger colored spots are located on the main white background) 03 – bicolor or two-color 09 – white spots on the legs and/or chest
Other codes do not apply to the Maine Coon breed.
The pattern of a cat is called tabby. Its type is indicated by numbers:
11 – shaded (only 1/4 of the hair is dyed) 12 – chinchilla (only 1/8 of the hair is dyed) 21 – agouti (the coding is assigned if it is clear that the pattern will be, but it is not yet clear which one) 22 – marbled or classic pattern 23 – brindle pattern 24 – spotted pattern 25 – ticked pattern
Maine Coons are allowed to have any eye color that matches the following colors:
61 – blue* 62 – all shades of yellow 63 – eyes of different colors 64 – green
*only white cats have blue eyes
How to care for a black Maine Coon?
Caring for your pet's coat includes weekly combing, and during the shedding period, the procedure is carried out every day.
Cats require not only a specialized place and equipment for a comfortable life, but also additional care:
- Wool. Owners of a thick and luxurious mane need regular combing (2 times a week); during the period of active molting, the procedure is carried out daily. Cats are water friendly and enjoy playing in the bathtub. However, you should bathe your pet only 4 times a year or if necessary.
- Walks. Adult animals kept in the private sector love to walk around the yard and do not run outside its boundaries. Therefore, a cat living in an apartment must be taken out for walks; this requires a leash and a collar.
- Nutrition. Experts recommend using extra-class food, developed taking into account the needs of the cat.
- Vet. Animals require regular examination by a doctor and all routine vaccinations.
The black Maine Coon stands out for the beauty of its color among other representatives of the breed. However, when choosing a kitten, the buyer learns that this is not the only shade that nature has endowed the playful, friendly animal with. The size of the pet requires certain conditions of maintenance and care that will provide it with a comfortable life. Otherwise, he may develop apathy, which will lead to various health problems.
Top 4 breeds of white cats with different colored eyes
Turkish Angora
Kitten breeding experts claim that this species is the most common. This breed of cat first saw the light of day in Byzantium. Namely in the city of Angora, so part of the name comes from this. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Turkish Angora was brought to Europe.
The angora's coat is long, silky, but thin; its muzzle has a more elongated shape. Males are small in size. They have a very peaceful, kind, playful and affectionate character (see full description of the character of the Turkish Angora).
Scientists say that this breed often has blue eyes, but there are individuals with different colors. The immune system is very well developed, however, what confuses some owners is that they are partially deaf.
Turkish Van
This cat is not very famous, so it is not particularly popular. The name comes from a Turkish district called Van, hence the name of this white cat.
He also has different eye colors. Often one eye is blue and the other is yellow or orange. Such pets can rightfully be called fluffy, because their fur is soft, silky, although not long. Turkish cats are quite smart and can easily be taught some training techniques.
Van cats are very active and love to play pranks. In your house they will always find a high point where they will definitely need to jump. In nature, these are hunting cats, so they are not afraid of bodies of water. As a result, if the owners need to wash the cat at home, it will not be difficult.
Khao Mani
“Diamond eye” or “white pearl” is exactly how they speak about this type of kitten. And this is not surprising, since the appearance of such a cat resembles a queen. This conclusion cannot be easily made, because in Thailand, khao mani was bred specifically for royal families.
For these reasons, such a breed is not easy to acquire, since it knows its worth. Thais believe that having this animal brings them prosperity, good luck and peace.
Their fur is short and their body size is small. However, such a kitten does not like to be left alone, because it is very sociable and friendly. The cat is truly royally clean, so it is very easy to care for her.
Persian cat
Persians are considered the most common cats in the world. Since they come in different colors, the white ones with different colored eyes are a really great find. However, for such a find you need to pay twice as much.
Of course, it also happens that heterochromia occurs in other breeds, but this is more often explained by the fact that this has occurred to some extent as a gene mutation. Therefore, if you want to buy a white cat with different eyes, we advise you to choose one of the breeds listed in this article, or you can see what kind of white cat with blue eyes there is from several breeds.
