Maine coons are beautiful cats of large sizes, very hardy, with strongly developed musculature. These animals are massive enough, the weight of adult cats is usually about 6 - 12 kg. Cats are more elegant, their average weight is 4 - 9 kg. There are cases when the adult Maine Coon has reached the weight of 18 kg! Despite such impressive sizes, the cats of this breed are proportionally stacked and extremely dexterous and graceful. This combination of strength and a very gentle and affectionate character willy-nilly attracts attention.

Features of the external appearance of maine coons are closely related to the conditions in which this magnificent breed was bred.
Maine coons developed like cats, which were perfectly adapted to surviving in nature, in the forest. Only the most durable large animals with well-developed muscles could participate in the breeding. All this and determined the appearance, which is not lost for many years of breeding.

Maine Coon is perfectly adapted to the conditions of the cold winter of North America with changeable weather, to summer with hurricanes and torrential rains. Its thick wool is impermeable to water and reliably protects from cold. An important feature of the external appearance of the maine coon is a long and fluffy tail. It is perfectly suited to warm the animal when it sleeps, turning its tail around the body. In this case, the tail perfectly protects the muzzle and belly of the cat from the cold. To protect from cold at Maine Coon there are also bundles of wool in the ears. Long and dense coat on the paws not only protects against frost, but also allows the cat to walk on the snow, makes the paws wide and stable.

The entire appearance of Maine Coon indicates the nature of the predator. Thanks to the large ear shells and large eyes, he perfectly sees and hears. The long muzzle is adapted to extracting in the nature of extraction from holes and water.
A characteristic feature of Maine Coons is the slow achievement of the appearance of an adult animal. Ultimately the maine coons (and cats and cats) are formed by the age of 3 to 5 years, and before that they continue to grow and develop. The main distinguishing features of the external appearance of maine coons are the shape of the body, the head, and also the texture of the wool.

The body of the maine coons is strong and long, proportionally folded. The general shape of the body is rectangular, close to the square. The musculature is well developed, the chest is wide, powerful. The back is rectangular, almost horizontal. Legs of medium length, very powerful and strong, are set fairly wide. Paws are large, round in shape. The tail is another important feature of these cats. The length of the tail is equal to the length of the trunk, so it is well "balanced", with a quick run plays the role of a kind of helm. The base of the tail is wide, the end is blunted. Tail without kinks, long, thick, powerful. It is covered with a thick, very long and abundant coat. In addition, the tail is well developed water repellent undercoat, which protects from sticking snow.

The neck of the maine coon is of medium length. The head is small compared with the body. In length it is stretched more than wide. The length of the muzzle is medium, the chin is strong and powerful, this gives the muzzle of the animal a square shape. The maine coon profile is slightly curved, the transition from forehead to muzzle is smooth.

The chin forms a straight line with the nose and upper lip. The nose is of medium length, the cheekbones are high. Eyes rounded, large, set broadly and slightly obliquely. Eye color can be very different, most often there are yellow-green eyes. Maine coon's ears are large, long, wide at base and pointed at end. Highly planted. At the tips of the ears there are brushes that look very much like trotters. Large ears were important for the survival of Maine Coons in wildlife. They allow the animal to perfectly perceive the sounds of the external environment, with a very characteristic feature being their very high mobility. For a fraction of a second the auricle of this cat can turn on an angle of 90. Maine coon ears are perfectly protected from frostbite: the skin on them is thick, thick, and the ear cartilage is elastic and thickened, they are covered with thick and dense hair not only from the outside, but also from the inside.

The coat is dense, it fits the animal's body well, falling soft waves along the entire body. It can perfectly protect a cat not only from colds and water, but also from mechanical damages. All this makes the maine coon perfectly suited for movement in dense brushwood thickets or hard grass. In wool there are hard and smooth outer hair, which are especially well expressed on the back of the animal. Undercoat is soft, light, has water-repellent abilities. It is interesting that the undercoat hairs have a slightly convoluted shape. This creates an air layer in the undercoat that keeps heat close to the skin of the animal. The texture of the wool is soft, at the same time it is quite dense and elastic. The texture of the coat is affected by the color of the animal. So, it is noted that in cats with white coloring the wool is softer to the touch than in cats of "wild" color. In appearance, the coat is shiny, silky. The length of Maine Coon's coat is not the same on different parts of the animal's body. On the shoulders the fur is the shortest, towards the stomach begins to lengthen. Short hair on the shoulders is of functional importance. She does not fetter the movements of the animal during rapid running, allows him to actively move around. On the abdomen, the fur is the longest, and on the hind legs it forms lush "pants". 

Around the neck there is a magnificent collar, resembling a mane. It is considered a good sign if the collar starts almost immediately from the ears. On the back of the Maine Coon, the wool is hard, lush, and has many thick protective coarse hairs. Abdomen and sides predominate downy undercoat. In the lower part of the body it is especially important, since it prevents the wool from getting wet from snow and water. Between the pads of the fingers there are dense bundles of wool. They protect their paws while walking, and also make the main skin gait absolutely silent, which allows it to successfully track prey in nature.

At present, the differences in the appearance of Maine Coons from different nurseries, especially in different countries, are quite large. This is largely due to the fact that the nurseries often base on different animal breeding lines. Breeders have already reached stable large sizes of their animals, as well as lush wool cover.

The article is prepared
on the materials of the book
L.V. Zhuglya "Maine Coon"