Maine Coon: Nutrition and Characteristics
The Maine Coon is a large cat breed from the USA. It’s sometimes called the American Forest Cat and was officially named state cat of the state of Maine in 1985.
The Maine Coon is appreciated by cat lovers around the world for its affectionate nature. The Maine Coon is often called a dog cat because of their learning abilities and affectionateness.
History of the Maine Coon
There are many legends about the exact origins of the Maine Coon. It has been claimed time and again that the long-haired four-legged creatures are the result of crossbreeding between raccoons and cats.
Nevertheless, one can assume that the name Maine Coon is composed of the name of the state of Maine and the English word "coon" for raccoon, because the appearance of the cats reminded people strongly of a raccoon in former times.
It’s likely that the ancestors of the Maine Coon were probably brought to America by sailors who needed cats to hunt mice and rats in their ships.
Appearance of the Maine Coon
The Maine Coon belongs to the semi-longhair cats. They can reach a length of up to 120 cm. Females usually weigh up to 6.5 kilograms, while males can reach a weight of up to 9 kilograms. In individual cases, male Maine Coons even weigh around 12 kilograms. This makes the Maine Coon one of the heaviest and largest cats.
The Maine Coon has an elongated, muscular body with a broad chest. It has a rather narrow head with a broad snout and eyes that are set wide apart. Its large ears are covered with dense tufts of hair as protection against the cold. Ideally they should also have small hair tufts like a lynx at their tips. However, this is not mandatory.
There is no generally valid breed standard for the Maine Coon. The appearance of the animals can therefore vary depending on the club the breeder belongs to. However, the differences between the individual standards are relatively small.
The coat of the Maine Coon
The Maine Coon has a long and dense coat that reliably protects it from wetness and cold. Between its paw pads grow tufts of hair, which are called snowshoes. Except for gold, the coat of the Maine Coon may in principle show all colours. However, the coat colour should match the colour of the eyes.
Character of the Maine Coon
The Maine Coon is a very sociable cat that loves to play. It is considered to be exceptionally intelligent. The Maine Coon also likes water, unlike other cats.
They are very communicative and regularly communicate with their owners by meowing. They tend to build a close relationship with their owner.
Taking care of the Maine Coon
Maine Coons are very affectionate cats. Nevertheless, it’s essential that they have a place to retreat. Because of their size and weight, it’s important that accessories such as scratching posts or playhouses are sufficiently large and stable.
The Maine Coon normally gets along very well with other pets such as dogs or cats. Provided that the Maine Coon receives enough attention and that there are enough activities, they can be completely satisfied even without going outdoors.
The coat of the Maine Coon isn’t hard to look after because of the thin undercoat. Normally it is sufficient to brush the cat once a week. Brushing the cat more is only necessary during shedding.
Maine Coon diseases
Inzucht ist bei der Maine Coon leider ein weit verbreitetes Problem, das sich zwangsläufig auch durch ein allgemein geschwächtes Immunsystem sowie eine Reihe von häufig auftretenden Katzenkrankheiten bemerkbar machen kann.
Inbreeding is a widespread problem in Maine Coon, which inevitably leads to a generally weakened immune system and a number of common cat diseases.
Among other things, Maine Coon is known to have an increased risk of the following diseases:
- Joint diseases such as arthrosis
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
- PKD (polycystic kidney disease)
- Spinal muscular atrophy
The life expectancy of the Maine Coon
The average life expectancy of the Maine Coon is 12-15 years. Whether it actually reaches this age naturally depends on various factors, such as its diet.
The right food for the Maine Coon
Our grain free wet and dry cat foods can provide your Maine Coon with an optimal supply of animal proteins. We also have hypoallergenic foods available.
We also recommend the following products from our range for your Maine Coon:
- Joint & Bone Capsules for strong joints
- Kidney Power Powder as support for the kidneys
- Shiimun Immune to strengthen the immune system
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