Colors of Maine Coon cats with table, codes and pictures

The appearance of these domestic animals is closely related to the natural conditions of cold North America. In the article we will get acquainted with the colors of Maine Coons and take a detailed look at colors such as smoke, solid, tortoiseshell, white, red, marble and many others. No person who cares about animals can resist the beauty of these pets.

In our article about the description of the Maine Coon breed, we have already touched on the colors of these cats, today we will look at them in more detail.

Raccoon cat color classes

The color of Maine Coons is distinguished depending on:

• coat color;
• the presence of patterns or their absence;
• the presence of various spots or their absence.

In order to make it easier to distinguish the appearance of a cat of different breeds, taking into account the color of its coat, as well as a number of other characteristics, about 20 years ago the fife Assembly created the first EMS code system. This system was gradually improved, and now it is considered traditional for judging cats in all felinological systems.

Maine Coons are designated by the first letters of the Latin name of the breed – MC (Maine Coon). Since their hair is considered semi-long, coons were included in the II category of purebred cats, and designated with the letters SLH - from the Latin language Semi Long Hair.

Regarding the fur of all mustachioed pets, felinological systems agreed that male cats can only be of two colors - red and black. Other colors are the result of lightening or oxidation of these primary colors. White wool is considered to be a lack of color. Felinologists have noticed that Maine Coon kittens born with a white coat have one or more dark spots on their heads, which subsequently disappear.

The designations used in EMS coding are the first letters of colors or even color genetics in various languages, mainly English and French. White shades and spots on Maine Coon fur, as well as various patterns, are usually designated with a special number.

Maine Coon color chart with codes

So, for example, a Maine Coon with black smoke coloring will be designated as ns. Next, the number of the drawing will be added, if there is one.

Most often in Maine Coons you can find such combinations as n 22, ds 22, d 22, n 23.

Maine Coon d 22

Maine Coon n 22

Maine Coon ns 22

Maine Coon ds 22

Rare and expensive Mei Coon colors

If we consider rare and expensive colors in a broader sense, then we can say with certainty that such colors do not exist. The most expensive and rare color can be considered any color of an animal, which is included in the standards of both American and European systems. But a rather rare occurrence could be, for example, the birth of a kitten that is completely the same color, despite the fact that its parents have fur with some kind of pattern.

Tabby

Various stripes on the coat of cats are combined into one name - tabby. In addition, tabbies are identified by expressive rims on the animals’ faces, which very often form the letter “M”. This color is called wild because it resembles real wild cats that live in forest areas.

Maine Coons can have different coat colors and one of three basic tabby patterns:

1. Classic (Mackerel tabby);
2. Spotted tabby;
3. Brindle (Mackerel tabby).

The ticked tabby pattern is also quite common, but unfortunately, it is not recognized for Maine Coon cats. All other tabby patterns can be of any color recognized by the systems.

Classic (marble)

The classic tabby pattern, or marbled as it is also called, consists of wide curls and various continuous lines on the animal’s body.

Maine Coon black marble on silver

Maine Coon black marble with white

Spotted

Spotted Tabby has intermittent stripes on the animal's fur that give the appearance of patterns of spots. The spot can be of any size and any degree of clarity.

Brindle (striped)

The brindle tabby is quite easily recognized due to the vertical stripes that run parallel. Maine Coons, which have brindle coat patterns, often resemble small tigers, which is not at all surprising, because domestic animals are genetically close to large predators.

Maine Coon brindle (Mackerel tabby)

Maine Coon classic (Mackerel tabby)

Maine Coon Spotted tabby

ticked

In this case, there are no spots or stripes. Ticked coloring can be recognized by the characteristic pattern on the cat's face and agouti throughout the body.

If you look closely at each hair of a cat with a ticked tabby, you can see two smoothly transitioning colors. This hair color is called agouti.

Ticked coloring may occur in Maine Coons, but such a pattern has not yet been officially approved as part of the breed standard. Black and gold ticked patterns are often found in Abyssinian cats.

Nutrition - what and how to feed?

Proper feeding of Maine Coons is an important part of a cat’s healthy life.

It is important to choose the right food and water dishes for your pet.

It is necessary to take into account the fact that in the wild, the ancestors of cats, before drinking, try to clear the surface of the water from debris, fallen leaves, and twigs. At the same time, water is sprayed in different directions. Pets have retained this reflex. The Maine Coon may even knock over a bowl of water or move it along the floor. Therefore, the drinking container should be moderately heavy or fixed to the floor so that it does not move and cannot tip over.

The food bowl should be kept away from the water container. Otherwise, splashes that get into the food bowl can ruin the food. If the cat stays at home without its owners for a long time, it is better to purchase a water bottle. Water should always be fresh and clean.

Feeding Maine Coons has its own rules:

• You only need to feed your cat dry food of premium quality. It contains the necessary vitamins and various nutritional supplements that are important for the health and normal development of Maine Coons. Can be combined with canned food;
• if you feed with natural food, then the basis of the diet (at least 80%) should be meat and dairy products, vegetables and grains;
• If the cat's diet consists exclusively of natural products, it is necessary to regularly give vitamins;
• with a mixed diet, dry food should be the basis, and natural food should be additional.

What natural products can you feed your Maine Coon:

• meat: poultry, beef (raw and cooked), rabbit, lean lamb, chicken livers and hearts.
• vegetables: carrots, beets, cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, tomatoes;
• hard cheese;
• eggs: yolk once or twice a week, boiled or raw;
• boiled sea fish, seaweed and other seafood;
• cereals, bran;
• fermented milk products: cottage cheese, yogurt, kefir, fermented baked milk (milk can only be given to kittens under 3 months of age);
• cereals: three to four times a week as an addition to boiled meat;
• sprouted grains: wheat and oats.

Important! It is prohibited to add salt, sugar, or spices to cat food. It is strictly forbidden to give your pet beef and chicken bones, fatty pork, duck, goose, smoked meat products, sausages, sugar, potatoes, legumes, chocolate.

It is strictly forbidden to give your pet beef and chicken bones, fatty pork, duck, goose, smoked meat products, sausages, sugar, potatoes, legumes, and chocolate.

Cats need to eat fresh greens periodically. To prevent your pet from being drawn to dusty, dirty grass during a walk, you need to sow grass seeds (wheat, oats) in a low, wide container (box) at home and allow the cat to eat the young sprouts.

If a cat is allergic to any of the food or products, the allergen should be removed from the diet.

Cat food should not be hot or cold. It should be at room temperature. Kittens need to grind their food. The kitten should eat at least 5 times a day. This principle must be maintained for up to 2 months. From six months onwards, the frequency of feedings is reduced to three times a day, and eight-month-old cats should be switched to two meals a day.

White marks

Many Maine Coon fans try to breed kittens with touching white spots. This is explained not only by the fact that the markings on raccoon cats look spectacular, but also by the fact that some felinologists consider the absence of white in the color to be a real defect.

White spots on the Maine Coon's coat can be located on any color and be of completely different sizes, but they are always clearly visible, unlike Siamese cats, whose spots are shaded and do not have clear boundaries.

Maine Coons color tuxedo

Maine Coon kitten, harlequin color

Maine Coon with white socks

Maine Coon black and white To scientifically describe the color with a white spot, simply add “with white” to the main coat color, for example, black and white or red and white. People often call this color of a cat simply black and white or white with spots.

Color classification of Maine Coon with white spots

Features and health

In kittens with white fur, deafness can be suspected from the first days of life. This statement is not always true, but a Coon with white spots in the area or on the ears is highly likely to have hearing problems. There is a rule that should be followed to avoid unpleasant results. It is not recommended to cover white cats with white cats. It's better to choose another partner. By the way, in white kittens, one of the parents must have the same color or both.

Since the Maine Coon is a generally healthy breed, the color of the coat does not determine other characteristics of the body. Kittens with bleached or white coats have thinner hair. An adult coon with a similar coloration will have a similar coat structure.

Smoky colors

The smoky color is considered a solid variety of silver tabby. The color is also called smoky if each coat of a Maine Coon is white at the base, but black or blue at the tip. Only a cat with distinctly white roots can be called smoky - gray roots are characteristic of monochromatic animals.

Maine Coon black smoke

Maine Coon peach smoke

Maine Coon blue smoke
Maine Coon smoke is divided into several types depending on the length of the colored hair:

1. Chinchilla - the predominant color on the coat is white, only the tips of the hairs are colored.
2. Shaded smoke - only a quarter of the tip of the hair is colored.
3. True smoke - the wool is half colored.
4. Black smoke – black coat color and white roots.
5. Blue smoke – blue coat color and white roots.
6. Silver – light coat with white roots. You can distinguish such a cat from a white one by its eyes - in a silver cat they are always green.
7. Cream (cameo) - kittens with this color are mostly born white, the topping becomes noticeable only over time.

Maine Coon black shaded smoke

Maine Coon Chinchilla It is quite difficult to accurately determine the type of smoky color, but in any case, this coloring of the whiskers always produces an impressive effect, especially when the cat plays or moves gracefully, shimmering light smoky colors on its fur.

Solid colors

The name “solid” was given to cats whose fur is completely the same color.

The monochromatic color is the result of the painstaking work of breeders, and it is quite difficult to find it. Often, upon careful examination of the cat, you will notice a subtle tabby pattern.

The Maine Coon is especially impressive because it is white in color with different or bright yellow eyes. Agree, the impressive size of the cat with white fur, which in addition makes him look fat, will not leave any fan of this breed indifferent.

The Maine Coon Solid black color is in no way inferior to white cats. Many lovers of this breed wait for many years to acquire such great happiness.

Maine Coon blue solid

Maine Coon black solid

Maine Coons white solid

Maine Coon red solid But completely red and red Maine Coons are acquired not only due to their bright appearance. Most animal psychologists, observing the behavior and intelligence of raccoon cats, have come to the conclusion that it is these pets that are the most intelligent among their fellows.

How much do black Maine Coons cost?

It is believed that the most popular color of a fluffy fur coat is black, and black silver and smoky cats are especially held in high esteem. The price of such beauties in nurseries depends on many factors:

• Age of the animal
  – kittens from 2 to 5 months are the most expensive (they quickly get used to a new home and new owner’s hands). Adult cats taken out of breeding can be sold for a symbolic sum of several thousand rubles;
• Typically, a black Maine Coon cat costs more than a cat
  of the same color. It is boys who are in greater demand due to their luxurious and impressive appearance and playful character;
• Belonging to a certain class.
  Without claiming awards and titles, you can also purchase a pet cat that has minor flaws in appearance (small ears, light bones, etc.). If you want your pet to take part in exhibitions and possibly be allowed to breed, you will have to spend money on a breed cat (for example, with slight flaws in color). Well, the most expensive Maine Coon is a show-class animal, whose data is as close as possible to those indicated in the breed Standard.

So, the cost of a pet kitten in nurseries starts from 10 thousand rubles. For a breed-class baby you will have to say goodbye to an amount of 20-25 thousand rubles or more. A show-class animal will cost 50-70 thousand rubles or more.

By the way, you can buy a black Maine Coon both through the Internet and at the poultry market very cheaply - for 5 thousand rubles or less. However, there is no certainty that a purebred and healthy kitten will be sold there. Unfortunately, there are cases when, under the guise of a Maine Coon, a half-breed cat or even a mongrel furry baby was given to gullible buyers for a lot of money. So you will still have to go to a breeding nursery to get a black Maine Coon, especially if you want to purchase an animal for breeding work or to participate in competitions.

Tortoiseshell colors

The tortoiseshell color of the Maine Coon is associated with the history and origin of the breed. Since ancient times, these giant cats have had to adapt to survive in North America, where winters are often frosty and long. It was the tortoiseshell colors of the “fur coat” that served as a real salvation for cats, because with its help they could hide unnoticed in snowy thickets. The tortoiseshell color on the coat of Maine Coons remains quite popular to this day.

Unrecognized colors

Maine Coons of chocolate, gold, lilac, Siamese or any combination thereof are often not allowed to show.

There are also restrictions on the nature of coloring: colors and patterns that are found in Asian breeds are not recognized in raccoon cats. These include fawn, sorrel, cinnamon, point color, as well as any acromelanic colors. It is believed that oriental blood spoils the massive and powerful backbone of the Maine Coon. Ticked tabbies are also prohibited from showing.

Ticked Maine Coon

Maine Coon ticked color Breeders are diligently developing more and more new colors. Whether it's black markings on silver or blue markings next to white and tan spots, the famous wild colors will turn the Maine Coon into a real star of the show catwalk.

The Maine Coon breed truly delights with its variety of colors. Don't forget to help your pet properly care for its coat so that it always looks truly regal!

Color Russet (from the English russet - dark brown with a reddish tint)

The Russet first appeared in New Zealand in 2007 in the offspring of brown European Burmese who were carriers of the lightening and chocolate genes. Like Amber, kittens with "strange" colors changed as they grew older, becoming red. DNA testing showed that the kittens have the standard brown or chocolate gene. It was suggested that this is a manifestation of a certain recessive gene as a result of a spontaneous mutation, which causes eumelanin to gradually disappear and the red pigment to appear. Perhaps this is the influence of an expansion gene.