How old can maine coon cats live?
The average lifespan of a Maine Coon is 12-15 years.
According to most feline experts, the Maine Coon's lifespan on average lasts for 12.5 years or up to 15 years with proper care. However, many long-time owners of this breed find this statistic baffling, reporting that the Maine Coons sharing their lives often live past 20 years of age!
What is the life expectancy of a Maine Coon cat? According to vets and feline experts, most gentle giants live about 13–15 years. Many Maine Coon cat parents question the validity of this data since their Maine Coons live past 20 years of age.
What's the lifespan of a Maine Coon cat? Maine Coon cats usually live to around 13 or 14 years, but there have been some who have lived for much longer.
Common Health Issues
They include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hip dysplasia and spinal muscular atrophy. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common form of heart disease in cats, and it has been diagnosed in Maine Coons. It causes enlargement (hypertrophy) of the heart muscle.
A Maine Coon that is in good health (and stays indoors) can typically live for 12 to 15 years.
The breed was popular in cat shows in the late 19th century, but its existence became threatened when long-haired breeds from overseas were introduced in the early 20th century. The Maine Coon has since made a comeback, in 2020 becoming the third most popular pedigree cat breed in the world.
She lived to be a staggering 27 years old! While this is an impressive record, it's not the oldest cat who ever lived. The Guinness Book of World grants that honor to a Maine Coon named Creme Puff. She was born in 1967 and died in 2005, surviving to the ripe old age of 38.
Once your feline is nine months old, their growth will slow down, but it won't stop. Maine Coons grow longer than other breeds and reach their full size when they're four or five years old.
Burmese. The official record of the oldest living cat holder is a 35-year-old Burmese cat. Of course, most Burmese cats don't live that long. The average lifespan of Burmese cats is 18 to 25 years and that is certainly much longer than most cats.
Are Maine Coons expensive?
Decide beforehand how much you are willing to spend on your Maine Coon and which color coat you may be interested in before speaking with a responsible breeder. Purebred Maine Coon kittens will cost anywhere between $1,000 – $2,000. The high price makes choosing the right breeder essential.
A Maine Coon's bone structure is also heavier than that of most cats. Genetics play a role in the Maine Coon's size and the cat's northern heritage may also be a factor.
The Maine coon is the largest domestic cat breed, and largeness is certainly one of its defining physical characteristics. The size of a typical Maine coon comes in at 10–16 inches tall and up to an impressive 40 inches in length.
Often they wish they'd known what problems the breed was prone to have. The potential health problems that Maine Coons are prone to include: Hip dysplasia – an abnormality of the hip joints causing lameness in the hind legs which can make walking difficult.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Not a shedder | Plenty of grooming required |
| Very affectionate | Needy |
| Family friendly | Expensive to buy/maintain |
| Healthy | Needs expensive food |
Cats will often pee outside of their litter box if they are suffering from a bladder infection or severe bladder inflammation. It is also common for cats to pee somewhere else if they are experiencing high levels of anxiety or stress which results in chemical imbalances in the body.
Maine Coon cats can adapt to being left alone, especially when provided with proper care, environmental enrichment, and a well-prepared living space. While they thrive on social interaction and companionship, their intelligent and adaptable nature enables them to handle periods of solitude.
Life expectancy depends on many things, including one important factor – whether your cat is an indoor-only cat or an outdoor cat. Indoor cats generally live from 12-18 years of age. Many may live to be in their early 20s. The oldest reported cat, Creme Puff lived to be an amazing 38 years old.
Like with most cat breeds, a Maine Coon's average lifespan is somewhere between 10 and 13 years. Some Maine Coons have been known to live beyond that, with a few reaching up to 15 years of age. Of course, that depends on many factors including the cat's lifestyle, diet, and even genes.
Typical Maine Coon colours are brown tabby, black, white, blue, and cream. The two rarest Maine Coon colours are gold and silver. They're brought about by a rare inhibitor gene that causes the loss of pigmentation in the undercoat.
How smart is a Maine Coon?
Maine coons are a playful breed
They love to play with people, so be prepared for lots of interaction. Maine coons are also highly intelligent pets, and they can be trained to perform simple tricks on command. They like to play fetch, making them ideal for the more active pet owner.
Genetic testing suggests the Maine Coon is a descendant of both the Norwegian Forest cat and a mysterious extinct domestic breed, so it's likely the Vikings are responsible. As for how Maine Coons got their names, one theory involves Captain Charles Coon, a British sea captain who kept long-haired cats aboard his ship.
Cats and raccoons do not have similar enough DNA to interbreed. The reference to raccoons comes from the fluffy, stripy tails of Maine Coon Cats. Maine Coons are natural crossbreed of early ships' cats and wild (not feral) North American cats, possibly the bobcat. Maine Coons are large, very large, with ear tufts.
Not all breeders charge the same prices for their Maine coons. They determine their pricing by location and all the expenses they put into their litter. Some breeders will only feed their cats top-quality foods and ensure they get the best medical care. Therefore, they will factor those extra efforts into their cost.
There are two cats that hold the record for longest and heaviest, and each could be considered the “biggest” depending on how you look at it! Stewie is the longest Maine Coon cat on record at 48.5 inches (123.19 cm). The heaviest Maine Coon cat on record is Ludo, weighing 34 pounds (15.42 kg).
References
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