Maine coon colors: types and description

We love our pets for many traits of character, habits, but hardly anyone will challenge the charm of the special colors. All fans of cats love beautiful fur from animals, its transfusion, play and shine of colors at the slightest movement. The colors of maine coons are very diverse, and this is inherent in them genetically. It should be understood that this breed is distinguished by three basic types of colors: stains, marbles and streaks.

Maine Coon Character

Before describing the color of cats of this breed, we will tell a little about the nature of Maine Coons. These animals have a talent for communicating with others. They are friends with all household members: cats of other breeds, dogs and even rodents and birds. They are sociable and completely uninvolved. Cats breeders claim that Maine Coons have the highest intelligence among all other feline breeds. Externally, the animal is like an impregnable icy cliff, but inside it is a fire of love for the owner. Maine Coon always considers it his duty to take care of the owner and always be his devoted friend. However, its appearance is not as severe as that of other native breeds. Kids, on the contrary, seem to be angelic creatures. The color of Maine Coon kittens is pronounced, often white and makes them look like soft toys.

Cats of this breed are very large, gaining weight up to ten kilograms. They can "greet" the clawed foot of an aggressive careless dog, but in most cases the animal is benevolent and does not attack anyone. Many people are very surprised by Maine Coon's voice. Those who hear it for the first time are amazed at how this giant can so softly and softly hum. Cats of this breed are very smart, quickly adapt to the conditions of life in a large cottage and in a small apartment. Although, of course, the house with a site where you can walk freely, like Maine Coon much more, like, however, and any cat.

Color of Maine Coon cats in the pedigree

Beginning breeders can not immediately understand the signs that are indicated in the catalogs of exhibitions, pedigrees, descriptions of rocks. Abbreviations are denoted by letters and numbers. For example, MCO w22. What does it mean? The breed is denoted by three capital letters. In this case, MCO is a maine coon. Next, the lowercase letter denotes the color of the coat.

There are a lot of colors in this breed, which means that the letters can be different:

• W is white.
• N is black (black).
• A is blue.
• D is red.
• E - cream.
• F - tortoiseshell.
• G - blue-cream (bluetortie).

If the lowercase letter is only one, then the color is solid, that is, the wool is dyed evenly along the entire length. Nearby can stand and another letter, for example, ns. This means uneven hair color.

Designation of figures

Maine Coon colors in the catalogs are divided not only by colors, but also by drawing. After the lowercase letter, which means the color, you can see the numbers. They will denote the pattern on the wool. In our example, the figure 22 will indicate the marble color: light eye stroke, the letter "M" on the face, circular wide streaks on the sides, stains on the abdomen, along the ridge of the strip, on the paws and tail, ring-shaped divorces.

If the figure is 23, it is a brindle color. The pattern in this case will be represented by continuous vertical stripes, as in mackerel or tiger (hence the name). 24 - color of spotted tabby. It differs in discontinuous bands, small spots. The color code may contain additional symbols, for example 09 - white spotting. MSO n 22 09 - Maine Coon breed, black marble color and white inserts.

Tabby

If your pet has wool strips, such Maine Coon colors are called tiger, or tabby. All representatives of this color on the muzzle have thin strips. They outline the eye sockets, and on the forehead form a semblance of the letter "M". With a close examination of wool, you can note the alternation of light and dark bands, called agouti. Breeders consider the tabby to be the original color of this breed. There are four main figures:

• Tiger - vertical parallel strips.
• Classic - on the sides spiral wide stripes that resemble marble stains. In England, this drawing is called a blotched tabby.
• Spotted - the entire body of the cat in intermittent strips in the form of spots.
• Ticked - otherwise called agouti, or Abyssinian. There are no streaks and spots on the body, but on the muzzle there is a pattern and agouti on the body. More often this color in Abyssinian cats, sometimes found in other breeds. The Maine Coon breed does not recognize the ticked color.

Tabby can be a variety of colors, color stripes and the tip of the tail are important. Color agouti can vary from rich red to pale blue.

Single Color

Monochrome colors of maine coons are called solid. They are removed by suppressing recessive tabby genes. In cases where it is not possible to completely suppress the pattern, a shadowy fuzzy tabby (shadow) appears. Considering the black leopard, it is possible to detect the contours of the picture, since there are also depressed genes here. Red or cream colors are not able to suppress the tabby as efficiently as possible, these figures are always present to a greater or lesser extent in the figure. To get a white monochrome color, they affect a variety of genes that can completely suppress color. Many white kittens initially have some vague shades of stripes on the head due to incomplete depressed color, but with age it usually passes.

Smoke

If the Maine Coon is black or blue, but the white roots of the hairs are distinct, then it refers to smoke (smoky). In monophonic cats, hair roots are grayish, in true smoky cats - only pure white. Smoky - this is one of the one-color versions of silver tabby. This is a very impressive and mysterious color. It is especially pleasant to observe such an animal during movement, when the wool is amazingly poured.

Maine coons of blue color, as well as black (smoke) on the color of the hair are divided into the types:

• Chinchilla - colored 1/8 of the hair.
• Shaded - 1 / 4th part of hair is colored.
• Smoky - 1/2 part of the hair is colored.
• Black smoke is black with white roots.
• Blue smoke - color blue with white roots.
• Silvery (chinchilla, or shaded). The born kittens seem white, but when they grow up they change color, becoming silvery. White color can be genetically obtained only from white parents. On the tip of the silvery there is sometimes a tabby pattern that disappears in the second month. A sure sign of a silvery kitten is green eyes.
• Cream, red smoky or shaded color. Here, white kittens are also born, in which tipping manifests itself over time.

With white marks

White marks are outlined very clearly in the breed, not at all, like the stained spots of the Siamese. They can show up in any drawing of the Maine Coon cat. Color from the photo is confirmed. You can add "with white" to the description of any kind. For example, cream with white or black and white. White spots by location and size are different, hence the more accurate names of colors.

• White patch on the chest - "with a white medallion."
• On the paws are white spots - "with white gloves".
• The presence of several white spots - "with white buttons."
• Half white - "bicolor."
• White color with color spots of large size - "harlequin".
• All white, color on the tail and head - "van".
• White breasts and paws are a "tuxedo". This is an informal definition.

Maine Coon, tortoise color. Tabby with a picture

If the Maine Coon has the most random variety of color combinations, it is entirely possible that it belongs to one of the following colors.

If the color is not white:

• Tortoise - on the entire body of the animal scattered spots of a variety of colors, except white (black, cream, red). All of them have different clarity, size.
• Tabbi spotted brown resembles a leaf fall in autumn - a lot of areas of brown and red. This color is often called torbie.

• Color blue-cream. Throughout the body, occasional patches of pastel soft tones, cream, blue shades. This color was also called blue turtle.
• Tabby spotty blue. Soft, soft color, having sections of blue, cream tabby.

Calico

Colors with different white marks, the name depends on the amount of white:

• Chintz, calico - a lot of white, the more, the more pronounced black or red spots. As a rule, black - solid, and red - with tabby.
• Tortie with white, blue and cream with white. The body has small white spots. It looks like the colors of simple tortoiseshells or blue-cream.
• Dilute calico - cream and blue spots throughout the body of the animal. Cream inserts - with tabby, blue - homogeneous.
• Spotted tabby with white spots. Many white spots on the tabby sites, color spots - clear, large.