Maine Coons are one of the oldest cat breeds that originated in North America. The breed has been a part of United States history for some time. Maine Coon is one of the largely cat breeds found in the homes of America.
One out of every 4 houses in America has or used to have a Maine Coon cat. Americans love to have a national cat breed and make them a part of their house.
However, Maine Coons comes in various colors and pattern. Every breed of animal has its own unique visual characteristics, so does Maine Coons. You should know and understand the color codes of Maine Coons so it could be easier for you to distinguish them from other cats.
Before talking about Maine Coon color codes, it would be better to know more about Maine Coons so it would get easier for you to understand each color code.
Jump to:
- Maine Coon Breed
- What Is EMS Code?
- How A Maine Coon EMS Color Code Is Made?
- Breed
- Color
- Pattern
- Factors That Affect Maine Coon Color From Birth
- Top Maine Color Codes
- Black Maine Coon (MCO n xx)
- White Maine Coon (MCO w xx)
- Red Maine Coon (MCO d xx)
- Cream Maine Coon (MCO e xx)
- Blue Maine Coon (MCO a xx)
- Final Words
Maine Coon Breed
Maine Coons are only of the largely domesticated breed of cats found in North America. Maine Coon is a breed found in 85 various colors. The breed originated in America and is one of the oldest breeds found. The Maine Coon breed is plain in appearance, and their basicness is their distinctive feature from other breeds.
The Maine coon breed cannot be associated with one color or pattern as the breed is found in various color schemes. Therefore, each color and pattern has been given an Ems Code.
What Is EMS Code?
Every cat breed has distinctive features in terms of appearance from other species. However, keeping track of various features of color and pattern of a single breed was a bit difficult, so Fife came up with a solution to quickly identify the characteristics of a cat just by looking at its EMS code.
The EMS code is a combination of letters and numbers that is used as a system to help identify cats. More like a social security number of cats but of breeds and colors, not of every single cat. For that, there are other formalities.
The EMS color codes are registered in the Fife pedigree. Therefore, when entering a new Maine Coon in their system, they use EMS color codes to record its color and breed.
How A Maine Coon EMS Color Code Is Made?
Creating an EMS color code has now become easy. Producing the EMS code of your Maine Coon is not difficult at all. It follows a format, and all you need to do is fill in the blanks to get the EMS code of your Maine Coon.
The EMS code includes the information of the breed, color, and pattern of a cat. Looking at an EMS code of any cat would give the knowledge of their appearance. Want to know how an EMS is made up? Let us elaborate on that.
Knowing how an EMS code is made would make your life easier. Using this information, you can not only create the code of your Maine coon by yourself but also identify other cats' codes.
Breed
An EMS code starts with identifying the breed of the cat. The breed is written in abbreviations but in capital letters. For example, the acronym used for Maine Coon is MCO.
The breed is always written at the start and then follows the color and pattern.
Color
The color is an EMS code is the actual task. The colors are given an identification of small letters. Using the wrong letter would make it difficult for others to identify the correct color of your Maine Coon.
For example, n = black, a = blue, d = red, e = crème, f = blacktortie, g = bluetortie, s = silver, w = white and g = golden. These are some of the most common colors and how they are differentiated according to Fife guideline for EMS coding.
Pattern
Numbers are used in an EMS code after the color to identify the pattern. There are 85 different colors of the Maine Coon breed. However, there are a limited number of patterns that a Maine Coon can have. So numbering is easier than identifying the color in an EMS code.
The different patterns and their numbers are:
- 1 = Van
- 2 = Harlequin
- 3 = Bicolor
- 9 = Unspecified amount of white
- 11 = shaded
- 12 = shell
- 21 = Agouti
- 22 = blotched tabby
- 23 = Macharel tabby
- 24 = spotted tabby
- 25 = ticked tabby
Taking the help from this guideline, you can easily create the EMS color code of your Maine Coon by yourself. Next time, when there is a registration form for your cat, you wouldn't have to ask for anyone's help to fill the EMS code section.
Factors That Affect Maine Coon Color From Birth
Maine Coon is a breed found in 85 various colors. However, 85 is just a minimum number there could be more than that. This is why Fife introduced the EMS color code solution.
Due to around 85 colors and patterns, if you think of getting a Maine Coon the massive variety of colors would confuse you. On the other hand, if your Maine Coon is pregnant, guessing the kitten's color and pattern has not gotten easier.
- A male kitten would end up in a mixture of its parent’s color genes.
- A male kitten would have the same color scheme as its mother or carry a bit shade of her pattern.
- Female kittens have a mixture of both parents' patterns in their coat color.
Many other conditions in Maine coon genetics could change the color and pattern of the kitten. Therefore, it could just be possible to be correct but on a higher side of the scale.
Top Maine Color Codes
Maine Coon is found in 85 different colors and patterns, so mentioning each would be not possible. However, we have gathered some of the most popular, widely loved colors of Maine Coon by Americans. Let us share that with you as well.
It would help you learn more about Maine Coon colors and their codes. Mentioned below are some of the most popular colors found in Maine Coon. We have mentioned the EMS code of it to make it easier for you to understand but have left the pattern section empty as it differs from cat to cat.
Black Maine Coon (MCO n xx)
Black is one of the most common colors found in cats, not just Maine Coon. Americans love a fluffy Maine Coon to be a part of their household and family. Maine Coons look adorable in black, which gives their personality a classy look.
The black comes with a solid coat, and everything, including nose and paws, is also black. Not only entirely black, but a touch of smoky shade in their black color is just phenomenal.
White Maine Coon (MCO w xx)
Maine coons are found in plain white colors as well. They just look so beautiful in plain white with fluffy hair. So we agree Maine Coons are often found in different colors but in patterns.
However, white Maine Coons are more popular than you may think.
Red Maine Coon (MCO d xx)
Red is a color commonly found in male Maine coon cats. Many assume that the red color in cats is similar to the color of blood. However, this is where they go wrong and don’t consider getting a red Maine Coon.
Red Maine Coon looks more like an orange cat and is a very attractive color. Red Maine coon with a white undercoat is just a cat worth keeping.
Cream Maine Coon (MCO e xx)
Hearing about the cream would make you think of a shade of white or a light beige color. However, a cream color looks more like light red color. Therefore, differentiating the color may be a bit difficult for you at the start.
Crème is a color found in every pattern, and kittens look so cute in this color. Trust us, you would fall in love with a crème color Maine Coon kitten walking around and looking you in the eyes.
Blue Maine Coon (MCO a xx)
Blue Main Coons are just adorable and pretty-looking creatures. You would want to adopt them right away, right after looking at them. However, blue here represents grey, that's how color schemes work in cats.
Final Words
This is all you need to know about the Maine Coon color codes. We hope this article has provided you with new information about the color codes and things you didn't know. Now creating an EMS of your Maine Coon has become easier for you.
Not only that, the more you know about your Maine Coon, the more your attachment will grow towards it. If you are a proud pet parent, knowing everything about your pet should be essential. It helps you grow closer to all the animals, and trust us, spending time and playing with cats is a break we all need.
