Maine Coon cats are also known as the American Long Hair. They are the original American breed of cat. Their heritage is somewhat mysterious, which kind of adds to their appeal. There are a lot of fables associated with the Coon cat.
There is a common belief that they are either part raccoon (which is genetically impossible) or that they are part bobcat and part domestic cat (which is also genetically impossible). The truth is no one really knows which cat mated with which cat to create this much-loved breed. There are a few things that we do know about this cat. They are the largest breed of cats. They grow longer than any other breed. Most breeds reach their full physical maturation at about 2 years of age. The coon cat can grow until they are about 4 years old!
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Average Size of Maine Coons
The male Maine Coon is larger than the female usually. The size of a full-grown male Coon cat is typically 15-25 pounds, while the female averages between 10-5 pounds. The height of the male cat is 10-16 inches and be about 40 inches long. The female can stand at about 8-14 inches tall and be the same length as the male (these averages vary greatly).
The Larger End of the Spectrum
At the larger end of the spectrum, a coon cat can easily measure 45 inches plus long and 30 lbs. The most recent record for the biggest cat is for Stewie the Maine Coon (48 inches long and 33 lbs)! His tail alone measured 16 inches.
Stewie's owner maintains that there were no unusual steps that were taken in his breeding, he just grew and grew without any special diet.
What Makes Them Big?
Since so little is known about their lineage there is no way to truly understand why it is that these cats get as big as they do. All that is known for sure is that they do get plenty big and there is a genetic link to their size.
Can You Predict The Maine Coon's Size?
There is no way to accurately predict the future size of your coon cat. Genetics play a role but just like humans, there are recessive traits that can crop up that were not planned for.
In other words, even if the parents are of a certain size it does not mean that the kitten will become that size or that the kitten won't exceed that size. You can guarantee that you will have a larger-than-average cat!
FAQs
Maine Coon cats can vary in size, especially in the first year and first four years of their lives, but an average 7-month-old Main Coon cat can be 4.1 kg - 6.5 kg or 9 lb - 14 lb for males and 3.3 kg – 4.6 kg or 7 lb – 10 lb for females.
If your Maine Coon is well below that weight range, then it may not be a true Maine Coon cat, or it's been mixed with a standard cat, and you will likely not have a big Maine Coon cat.
Another tell-tailer sign for a true Maine Coon cat will be a fluffy tail starting to appear as they get to be 4 - 6 months old. So if your cat is small and doesn’t have a fluffy tail by seven months old, then you may have been duped by the seller.
Maine Coon Cats don’t stop growing until around 4-5 years old, so technically, they’re giant kittens for many years with the same maturity levels but just very big.
Maine Coon cats will start meeting you at the door to greet you by around nine months old, which indicates a significant change in their mentality; they recognize you as someone they like, or that feeds them, so they want to see you and show affection or ask for some food.
From 7 months to 1 ½ year, they would be considered standoff teenagers who don’t want to cuddle as much and want their independence. But luckily, this phase passes.
Most other cats are considered kittens until they reach one year old and have fully grown, but because the Maine Coon cat takes much longer, their kitten status can stick around longer.
A small Maine Coon cat would be strange and not a very common situation for a true Maine Coon cat; in most cases where your cat is much smaller than you would be expected, there would be something wrong, or you don’t really have a Maine Coon cat.
The seller may have sold a mixed cat, and in most cases, when you mix a Maine Coon with a standard cat, you lose many of the features, including their size.
If you’re confident that you have a real Maine Coon cat, you can take them to the vet to see if there are any issues with them that are causing slow or stunted growth.
You should also be ensuring that your cat is eating enough food; otherwise, without the required food to grow, they will stay small and could experience other issues related to malnutrition.
All Maine Coon cats have the potential to be on the larger end or could be on the smaller size; many factors go into this, including how big the parents are, how much quality food you’re feeding them, and how old they are.
In all cases, it’s going to take 4-5 years until you see the full size of your Maine Coon cat; as long as you feed them enough high-quality food, they should grow to their full potential. If you feel your cat has stunted growth or doesn’t eat enough food, then take them to the vet to get checked out.
Also, remember that males and females vary in size, and there is a varying size of all Maine Coon cats just like there is a varying size of humans.
There are no specific or advanced techniques to make your Maine Coon cat grow bigger.
Maine Coon cats can vary in size, and there are a number of cats that are close to them and have the potential to be bigger depending on genetic factors. However, the only consistently bigger cat than a Maine Coon is the Savannah which holds the record for being the biggest domestic cat.
Savannahs can reach 17.1 inches in height and weigh up to 28 lbs, but the size depends on how close their connection is to their wild ancestors. If a Savannah has a wild parent or grandparent, they can be huge, but once they get past that, the size can quickly drop down to a typical domestic cat.
Another domestic cat that could compete with a Maine Coon cat in size on the lower end is the Ragdoll cat, which can grow to be 19 lbs, while a small Maine Coon female weighs only 8 lbs.
There are a number of reasons that Maine Coon cats are so large; most believe that they are descended from the Norwegian Forest Cat, which is another huge cat that may have been brought to North America by Vikings.
It’s also believed that Maine Coons have been able to grow even bigger due to the cold weather that has allowed them to adapt and use natural selection to be big enough to survive in the harsh temperatures outside during the North Eastern winters.
Their slow growth also allows their muscles to develop at a more optimal pace, so they have more time to consume food, get exercise, and grow huge.
At the upper end of height and weight, the Maine Coon cat is bigger than the Norwegian Forest cat; however, their sizes are similar, and there is crossover in size. Some Norwegian Forest cats can be bigger than many Maine Coon cats.
Maine Coon cats can be up to 16 inches and weigh 25 lbs; Norwegian Forest cats can grow to 18 inches and weigh 18 lbs.
Because of the large size, many wonder if Maine Coon cats make good indoor pets, and due to their laid-back and cuddly nature, they make excellent indoor cats, though they may be a little rowdy when they’re kittens.
It’s also better to keep your Maine Coon indoors as many people would be happy to take them for themselves, and this can happen quite often due to how coveted true Maine Coon cats are.
