Hi everyone! On the 20th of December my cat gave birth to a kitten (a little girl). I thought she was quite big even then, but I figured that since she was an only kitten, she'd just developed really well in the womb (she already filled almost my whole hand when she was born). She's just over a month old now and I'm starting to wonder about her parentage... there are a few stray cats that often come into my garden but none of them look like her, and she’s a far cry from her mum! (who's a Siamese cross). I know one of my neighbours has a Maine Coon, but I only saw him once ages ago and I don't remember exactly what his coat or colour was like... looking up photos of Maine Coon kittens, I was struck by the resemblance to my kitten Lilo!
Here are a few photos of Lilo; I could ask my neighbour directly, but I'm worried about making a fool of myself if she doesn't look like one at all...
So, I'm turning to you lot, if there are any experts around...
Thanks!
Translated from French
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Hi there,
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to determine a kitten's origins or breed for certain based on appearance alone, especially when they are only just over a month old. Many kittens can show traits that resemble certain breeds without actually being descended from them. The fact that she was an only kitten could indeed have helped her development and explain her larger size at birth. As for any potential Maine Coon heritage, it remains a possibility among many others, but it is impossible to confirm based solely on photos. You will need to wait until she has grown more to get a better idea of her build, although only a known lineage or a pedigree can truly confirm a specific breed.
Kind regards,
Romane
Hi, my cat is a 5-generation Maine Coon and she’s just had four kittens. I’ve no idea who the father is! Since she’s over five years old, I was told ‘don’t worry, she’s far too old, she won’t have any kittens’, so it was a bit of a surprise. But out of the four, I’ve got one that looks just like yours.
I strongly disagree with the person who's so adamant that it’s not a Maine Coon. For a start, yes, some people do let their Maine Coons go outside. Secondly, as a Maine Coon breeder, I can tell you there are definitely similarities. It’s perfectly possible that the cat that got to yours had some Maine Coon genes. As for the people criticising you for letting your cat out before she was spayed, just ignore them. There’s always some busybody who thinks they know more than everyone else. I’ve rescued plenty of cats myself, out of my own pocket. There was one time I had no choice but to let a cat out before her op, because we’d only just found her as a stray; she was far too used to being outdoors and couldn't handle being shut in. She was yowling so intensely and scratching at everything that no one in the house could get any sleep; the kids were absolutely shattered at school after three days. We had to pick our battles as everyone’s sleep was being seriously affected. We got lucky—she wasn't in heat, so we managed to get her fixed when her appointment came round and she hadn't fallen pregnant. Anyway, the point is that sometimes you just can’t be perfect. And by the way, to the lady talking about breed standards: some Maine Coons don't have lynx tips and they’re still purebred. A Maine Coon might not have them, and for beauty standards and shows, it isn't always taken into consideration—I know what I’m talking about. I have 14 of them to be exact, two of which don't have tips, and one called Oslo who has won several titles. Get your facts straight before acting like an expert and misleading people. Having an opinion is fine, but making a firm assertion when it’s not accurate is just wrong!
Hi. In an ideal world, it would have been best to get her spayed before letting her out.
Anyway, having had a kitten that was the spitting image of her, I don't think she's a Maine Coon cross, but rather a moggy (mine grew up to be a large moggy, but still nothing like a Maine Coon). Both kitties are absolutely adorable! :)
Thanks!! Yes, I think she’ll be big, but luckily for me, not a Maine Coon cross! Her mum is very small, so it’s quite striking when she’s next to her, but compared to my other larger cat, she just looks like a normal kitten! :) But then, my upstairs neighbour’s Maine Coon often escapes via the tree in my garden, so I did wonder if he’d paid a visit!
Let’s just say that getting her spayed before letting her out is a bit tricky... I live in Reunion Island and with the heat here, we can't keep the whole house shut up, so the cats inevitably get outside ^^. I’m a student and can’t afford to pay for the spaying myself, but there are charities on the island that help people who can't afford to have their pets neutered during certain times of the year. I was waiting for their next campaign, but she went into heat before then – I'd only had her for two months and she was very young (it was her very first season), so it was hard to predict when it would happen ^^
No Maine Coon here, simply because anyone who owns an MC would never let their cat wander off :)
Plus, she doesn’t have the ear tufts, the muzzle, the lynx tips, or the ruff – nothing that even remotely looks like an MC or an MC-type :)
Thanks for the reply! I really haven’t got a clue x) but she looked massive when she was three weeks old! Now that she’s finished weaning, her growth seems to have slowed down and she’s a much more normal size :) I was actually worried about how big she’d get as an adult because I’m flying with her and her mum soon, and I was scared that by the time we came back, I’d have a cat the size of a dog x)
I’ve actually seen my neighbours' Maine Coon, Charlie, escape a few times! (I know his name because I hear them calling him whenever he bolts!) They usually walk him on a lead, but sometimes he manages to slip away by jumping off the balcony – they’re only on the first floor and he can easily reach the tree in my garden. He’s a grey tabby, so he looked a lot like my kitten in terms of colour. Mind you, I’ve never seen his face; I only ever see his back as he’s dashing off, which is why I wasn't sure! Obviously, he wasn't necessarily the father, but our flats are very close (they live above me and I’ve seen him tear through my garden when he manages to get out), so that’s why I wondered ^^! Anyway, now that my Lilo has grown up, there’s no doubt about it – she’s definitely not a Maine Coon type!
Thanks everyone for your replies! I live on Reunion Island and my job sometimes means I have to head over to mainland France for various lengths of time. I usually take the kitten’s mum with me (my other older cat stays with family, especially since he loves the outdoors…), but now I’ll have two cats to take and I couldn't really see myself lugging a cat weighing at least 15 lbs once fully grown on planes, trains, and so on!
The mum’s getting spayed soon and then I’m off to France for seven months for work. So I can take them both with me without having to worry about her weight on the way back!
Definitely not a Maine Coon. For a start, anyone who owns a Maine Coon would never let them just roam about outside :)
Plus, there’s no bushy tail, no boxy muzzle, no lynx tips, no ruff... nothing about him looks even remotely like a Maine Coon or even a Maine Coon cross :)
Hi there,
As @Howtocat mentioned, the smaller the litter, the bigger the kittens tend to be. When it comes to looks, genetics are so complicated that it’s hard to say for sure with moggies. Sometimes you have to look quite far back to see where a coat pattern comes from—it doesn’t always come straight from the parents...
A few years ago, I had a litter where the mum was a tiny, very dark tortie (just like her own mother) and the dad was a very large tuxedo cat (black and white, like the 'Felix' cat if you like, just like his mother). In that litter, we had: two ginger tabbies (one male who stayed small like his mum, and the other didn't survive so I'm not sure, though ginger females are very rare); one black kitten (who might have turned out to be a tortie, but it was stillborn so it's impossible to say); a tiny black and white one; a really chunky black and grey one; and a very small grey tabby. There was definitely only one father for the whole litter, and yet there was so much variety.
My point is, just because none of the cats in the neighbourhood look like the kitten doesn't mean one of them isn't the father. It could be one of them, it could be the Maine Coon (the long-hair gene is recessive, so if your girl has short hair, the kittens won't necessarily have long hair), or it could even be a tom passing through that you’ve never seen, who was drawn to her while she was in season.
Anyway, she is absolutely adorable!
Hi there. Ideally, it would have been best to get her spayed before letting her go outside.
Anyway, having had a kitten who was the spitting image of her, I don’t think she’s a Maine Coon cross; she looks more like a moggy to me (mine grew up to be quite a big moggy, but still nothing like a Maine Coon). Both your kitties are absolutely adorable! :)
