Maine Coons come in approximately 84 different colors and patterns, and nearly all of them are accepted by Maine Coon breed standards. So if you have a favorite cat color or pattern, chances are you can get a Maine Coon of that variety!
The Maine Coon Colors and Patterns
The Maine Coon cat is well-known for its luxurious coat. And with such a wide range of coat colors and patterns, there is sure to be a perfect fit for any cat lover. The most common colors for Maine Coons are tabby, calico, and solid.
The tabby coat is the most common pattern. It’s easily recognized by its striped markings and swirled stripes that form a unique pattern. Most tabby Maine Coons have a base coat color of red, blue, brown, or silver, with black or brown stripes and swirls.
Calico Maine Coons have a unique color combination of white, black, and orange. The coat is usually evenly divided between the three colors, and the pattern is usually symmetrical.
Solid Maine Coons have a single color, usually shades of black, white, brown, or red. The fur is usually a glossy, single-color sheen.
Other less common coat colors and patterns for Maine Coons include the tortoiseshell, lynx point, pointed, and smoke pattern.
Below we’ll go into more detail on each color and pattern.
Solid
As the name suggests solid color cats are one color all over. Common solid colors for Maine Coons are black, blue, cream and white.
Parti-Colors
Parti-colored Maine Coons have a mixture of several different colors in their coat. This mix of colors is usually only found in female Maine Coons. This is because they will inherit a color from their mother and a color from their father. Male Maine Coons will only inherit one color. Common parti-colors for a Maine Coon include Tortoiseshell, BlueCream, Calico, Tortie/White and several others.
Bi-Colors
The bi-color pattern is technically a parti-color pattern, but more specifically requires that one of the colors be white. Common bi-color patterns include black/white, blue/white, cream/white and red/white.
Tabbies
To put it simply, tabbies are striped cats, but their stripes come in a variety of patterns, including
- Classic – In this pattern there are swirls on the body and a butterfly pattern on the shoulders.
- Mackerel – This is the most common pattern, where the stripes are narrow and run parallel to each other, like the bones of a fish.
- Spotted – The spotted tabby somewhat resembles the classic or mackerel, except the stripes or swirls are broken into spots of color.
- Ticked – The ticked tabby has multiple bands of color on each hair on the body and head with barring on the legs and tail.
Each of these patterns combined with colors make the tabby category even more diverse. Some examples are: Brown Classic and Mackerel, Blue Classic and Mackerel, Blue Silver Classic and Mackerel, etc.
The ticked pattern is only accepted by some of the cat associations breed standards.
Tabbies with White
Similar to the tabby category, this category requires that the Maine Coon have some white. Some examples include Brown Classic and Mackerel, Blue Classic and Mackerel, ect. Notice that these color combinations are the same as for the tabby class. Remember that the main difference is that the tabbies with white will have some white coloration mixed in there.
Shaded
The shaded coloring is where the roots of the hair are white (silver), but the tips of the hair are the Maine Coon’s primary color (such as black, blue, cream, red, etc). You’ll often see the word “smoked” used in conjunction. This means the cat has heavy amounts of pigmentation, while chinchillas have minor amounts of pigmentation. Colors include Black Smoke, Blue Smoke, Cream Smoke, Red Smoke, Tortie Smoke, Shell Silver, etc.
Shaded with White
Again the shaded with white coloring is similar to shaded, except there are some white patches. Colors will include Black Smoke, Blue Smoke, Cream Smoke, Red Smoke, etc.
For a more complete list of all the different Maine Coon colors and patterns, visit this site.
Why All the Different Categories?
But why is it necessary to have so many different categories of colors and patterns for Maine Coon? After all, a bi-color is technically a parti-color, just with a more specific requirement.
One of the reasons why cat associations like to break colors and patterns down is because these traits are often distinctly controlled by genes. And these genes can be influenced by the breeder. A cattery that desires a tabby Maine Coon will have a different mating selection than one that’s trying to produce a litter of parti-colors.
These categories are important to note because they’re not chosen at random or completely by visual differentiation. They’re distinctly controlled by different genes in the Maine Coon color pool.
Get more information on overall Maine Coon characteristics here.
There are actually several rare Maine Coon colors that you may not know about.
The first is the silver tabby Maine Coon. This variety has a light gray coat with black stripes, and they often have white markings on their chest, paws, and face. Another rare color is the smoke Maine Coon, which has a unique medium gray coat with a slight silver sheen.
The blue tabby Maine Coon is also a rare variety, and they have a muted blue coat with light gray stripes. Similarly, the cream tabby Maine Coon has a light cream coat with light brown stripes.
Finally, there are the rare pointed Maine Coons. These cats have a white or cream coat with darker points on their ears, face, and tail. This variety often has blue or green eyes and a white muzzle.
While some of the more common colors are brown tabby, red tabby, and black, the rarest color is a white Maine Coon.
White Maine Coons have a white coat with no markings or shades of any other color. They may have blue eyes, amber eyes, or sometimes even both. The rarest of these are the cats with one blue eye and one amber eye, known as the “odd-eyed” white Maine Coon. Although the white Maine Coon is the rarest color, it is not necessarily the most expensive.
A white Maine Coon is an incredibly beautiful breed and can make a wonderful pet. They are generally quite friendly and affectionate, and with proper care and grooming, they will live a long and happy life. They are also quite intelligent and can be taught a variety of tricks. If you are looking for a unique cat to add to your family, the white Maine Coon may be the perfect choice.
A Maine Coon color calculator is an online tool that helps Maine Coon cat owners determine their pet’s coat color. This calculator is a great way to help owners determine the potential colors their cats might have as they grow up. It takes into consideration the cat’s current color, the colors of the parents, and the colors of other cats in the litter. With this information, the calculator then predicts the most likely colors of the cats and provides a visual representation of the possible colors. This is an invaluable tool for prospective owners of Maine Coon cats, as it allows them to plan for the future and pick the best colors for their cats. It also helps to eliminate the unknowns and provide owners with a more accurate idea of the colors their cats will have when they reach adulthood.
The Maine Coon also has a variety of color patterns and combinations that can make identifying the breed a difficult task.
The Maine Coon Cat Fancier’s Association (MCFA) has adopted a set of color codes that can help breeders and enthusiasts identify and differentiate the breed. The color codes are based on the physical description of the cat and its coat color. The code is composed of two letters and two numbers, with the first letter indicating the color group and the second letter indicating the pattern. The first number indicates the depth of the color, and the second number represents the shade.
For example, a black solid Maine Coon would be coded Bs-01, while a classic tabby red Maine Coon would be coded Rt-02.
By understanding the Maine Coon color codes, breeders can easily identify the breed and determine its color combinations.
