Gorgeous Maine Coon Cat Pictures

If you want to appreciate the magnificence of the Maine Coon Cat, pictures are a great place to start. With their tufted ears, fluffy collars and luxurious tails, it's always easy to identify a Maine Coon from other cats. Just as comfortable prowling a barn as they are living indoors, these felines are highly prized companions.

This breed is very loving toward their human companions, but they are not clingy cats. They enjoy hanging around with you and are willing to play, but they are perfectly able to entertain themselves.

Maines have rather unique vocalizations that sound like a small bird chirping. Perhaps this characteristic evolved in the wild to help them lure birds for prey.

While most Maines have eye color that ranges from green through gold to copper, white or white bi-colored Maines can actually display two different eye colors.

This is one of the larger breeds with some specimens weighing as much as 25 pounds, although most Maines average between 15 and 20 pounds. Unlike most breeds of cats, the Maine Coon isn't finished growing until around age four on average.

In years past, many Maines had six or more toes on their feet. This is rarely seen today since conscientious breeders have strived to produce kittens that conform to the current breed standard.

The Maine Coon's luxurious, water-resistant coat evolved to help these cats survive the harsh, wet New England winters. This distinctive coat gives these cats a rather wild appearance.

The Maine's distinctly bushy tail that often bears a ringed pattern helped give rise to the story that these cats were originally the progeny of wild cats bred with raccoons. Of course, this isn't genetically possible, but it does make a fascinating tale.

Brown tabby is the most common coat color and pattern for this breed, although these cats have a wide range of colors.

These are fairly hardy cats, but there are some common health concerns to be aware of with this breed.