The breed gallery
Maine Coon
The Maine Coon is the largest of the well-known breeds and carries that size with the ease of old landed gentry. The breed arose not on a drawing board but on the farmyards of the American state of Maine, where only the strongest winter coats endured.
For a portraitist the Maine Coon is a leading role in search of a frame: the ruff, the ear tufts and the plumed tail fill a canvas effortlessly.
- Origin
- Maine, United States — a natural breed, 19th century
- Coat
- semi-long and water-repellent, with ruff, breeches and a full plumed tail
- Weight
- males often 6 to 9 kilos; females lighter
- Life expectancy
- roughly 12 to 15 years
- Character
- gentle, sociable, tolerant — the “gentle giant”
Character
Anyone who keeps a Maine Coon learns that size and gentleness go perfectly together. The breed is sociable and tolerant, even towards children and dogs, and follows its people through the house — not pushy, but present.
Striking is the voice: instead of the expected heavy meow, a Maine Coon chirps and trills, a high question mark of a sound that suits the stature poorly and endears all the more for it.
Appearance and coat
Everything about the Maine Coon is built for winters: the semi-long, water-repellent coat with its thick ruff, the broad paws with tufts between the toes, the ear tufts that recall a lynx, and the tail that can wrap around the body like a scarf.
A Maine Coon need not pose; it need only sit down.
The head is substantial with a high cheekbone line and large, slightly oval eyes. The breed is fully grown only after three to four years — a male in full maturity is an apparition.
Care
The coat is surprisingly low-maintenance for its length: two brushings a week keep tangles at bay, with extra attention during the moult. With this breed, watch the weight and the joints; a large body carries heavily.
History
Tall tales circulate about its origins — ships’ cats of European seafarers, even the cats of Marie Antoinette. What is certain is that the breed took shape on the farmyards of Maine in the 19th century and was already winning cat shows there in 1895, long before modern breeding existed.
The portrait
Your Maine Coon as an art portrait
Few cats carry a classical, stately style as convincingly as the Maine Coon: the ruff is a jabot, the gaze worthy of a family portrait. Choose a photograph in which the head and ruff show well — the size tells its own story.
old money and a winter coat — no breed wears the manor drawing room better
the full ruff was born for a Renaissance portrait