Maine Coons can be orange but this color is rare for this breed. However, classifying a Maine Coon’s color can be problematic in terms of their coat. To be truly orange their coloring should be solid with little to no trace of white.
It’s far more common to find orange Maine Coon’s with white patterning. Usually, they are referred to as “ginger”. Due to their popularity, you’ll also find this breed in many different colors and shades in between, too.
Here we take a look at this feline favorite and answer some key questions relating to their features and suitability as a pet.
How Can You Tell If You Have a Maine Coon Cat?
You can tell a Maine Coon by several key features:
- Paws: round and large covered in tufts of hair, sometimes with extra toes
- Eyes: wide and spaced out with a distinct oval shape
- Coat: thick around the neck and medium to long in length
- Ears: sharp tufted tips similar to a lynx
- Body: large and rectangular
First bred in Maine, USA, these cats have developed a reputation as one of the warmest and friendliest of cat breeds.
One reason for their distinct appearance – and their thick, silky coats – are the harsh northeast winters they evolved to brave.
A Maine Coon (called Stewie) also holds the distinction, according to The Guinness Book of Records, of being the world’s longest cat too.
Telling your cat apart from a Maine Coon can be done by observing its common features. If your cat is smaller than average as a fully grown adult it’s unlikely to be part of the species.
Compare your cat to a Persian, another popular breed, instead. Perhaps it more closely resembles one of these if it has a more rounded head and smaller ears.
It might also be possible that your cat is part Maine Coon and borrows some features, but not all. That’s because of their popularity as a domestic house cat and a lengthy history of cross-breeding.
Related – Here are some cat trees designed for Maine Coons.
What Colors Can Maine Coons Be?
Maine Coons’ are synonymous with the color brown but can be found in many other colors.
The actual number of colors you can find the species in is unknown. The Cat Fanciers Association suggests there are over seventy, however.
Colors are usually divided into distinct sub-groups. These are:
- Solid: a single color block with little to no patterning. Popular colors here include black, blue, white, red, and cream. The nose and paw pads of solid colored Maine Coons’ are usually leather and pink respectively.
- Tabby: patterned or marked coats that incorporate several colors. Oftentimes tabby’s have darkened chests or other areas of the coat and bands of ringed coloring “bracelets” around their limbs.
- Bi-color: combinations of color. The most common include black and white, blue and white, red and white, and blue-cream and white. You can also find the species in what breeders refer to as “parti-colors”. These are usually two or more color variants.
- Smoked/shaded: these cats usually have a white or different colored underbelly or tipping of the tail. The shade of their color usually alters throughout their coat.
Some coloring of Maine Coons’ falls into the “other” subcategory too. Such as tortoiseshell and mackerel colored cats.
What’s So Special About Maine Coons?
The Maine Coon is a popular favorite primarily for its size and build. Their unique features as well as its placid nature are further reasons for earning this breed the moniker “gentle giant”.
They’re also well known for their intelligence, playful nature, and bonding tendencies. I’m sure anyone reading this with one of these fluffy giants will be nodding their heads right now!
Something unique about them, compared to other cats, is that they are known by many owners to be “dog-like” personality-wise.
You’ll often find Maine Coons’ following at your side as you move around the house. They’re also known to love to watch and observe movement through the windows of residences too.
Many owners also comment on the breed’s tendency to “talk” or make noises too. Especially in response to their owner’s behavior. Perhaps that’s why a Maine Coone was chosen to star as Mrs. Norris, Argus Filch’s cat in the Harry Potter films!
Are Maine Coons Good Family Pets?
Maine Coons, given their temperament, are excellent family pets. One thing to consider however is their size. As adult cats can be anything up to 16-18 pounds in weight, they might not be ideal if space is an issue.
Known to get on well with other family pets, especially dogs, this breed has a lot of advantages over other breeds of cats. They’re also good with children too and are independent enough not to warrant constant attention.
They’re not aggressive like Bengal can be, either.
Related – Here’s a list of Maine Coon breeders to help you find one!
In Summary
Maine Coons’ are a popular and diverse breed of cat. Hopefully, this article has helped to show they can be orange and a whole host of other colors.
I also happen to know that a lot of Maine Coons end up in shelters and adoption centers due to growing up to be more than their owners were expecting.
Please don’t end up having to rehome your Maine Coon due to poor planning. Plus, if you could check out your local shelters to see if you could give a MC in need of a loving home first, that would be awesome.
Resources
Image credits – Photos by Amber Kipp and Bee Felten-Leidel on Unsplash
Longest Domestic Cat Ever – Guinness World Records
