What is the difference between a Maine Coon and an ordinary cat. How to choose a Maine Coon kitten Maine Coon kitten selection

“Kittens for free”, “Kittens without a pedigree”, “Cheap kittens” - such ads attract the eye, and you involuntarily start to think ... What if a good kitten comes across?

Unfortunately, not all breeders have decency. In this article, you will learn what can be hidden behind such ads and how not to make a mistake and identify the signs of the breed in a kitten.

The first thing to understand is that thoroughbred kittens simply cannot be sold without a pedigree.

If the pedigree is not yet ready, or for some reason you yourself do not want to receive it (for example, to get a small discount), then at least there should be animal passport issued by the club (it is also called "metric" or "kitty"). The purity of the breed is closely monitored by clubs and experts.

Usually, kittens are sold without a pedigree and cheaply, if there are a lot of them and you need to quickly “fuse” the kids, if the cat is knitted 2 times a year, not sparing her health and not providing her with proper care and nutrition. People often come to visit us to choose kittens, they are surprised that we are clean, “for some reason it doesn’t smell” and they say that when choosing kittens, they visited several places where the maintenance of animals left much to be desired! Either the kittens and their mother lived under the bathroom, or in the attic of a village house!

Do you think the conditions in which the children grew up will affect their character in the future?! If they not socialized rarely saw people and were afraid of them?

Speaking of free kittens- then it can be a "rejection" when crossing. There are 1-2 such cases in several thousand, but it happens ... Some kind of disease has manifested itself. Or random, uncontrolled mating. Or it’s even mating not with a Maine Coon, but with a Siberian (for example).

If you do not want to be disappointed, worry about the health of your pet, if you do not want your loved ones to be upset, remember the basic rules:

1. The kitten must be with a pedigree, with a veterinary passport, where the dates of vaccinations are indicated, dewormed, and the purchase of a kitten must be only with a contract of sale.
2. Most often, kittens are sold immediately sterilized.
3. Before buying, you can call the club and find out more about the reputation of the breeders.

If you have decided to buy a Maine Coon kitten in Yekaterinburg, study the literature about this breed, talk to Maine Coon breeders, visit cat shows, go to local cat clubs - in a word, take this step very responsibly.

Study carefully pedigrees of kittens and their parents, including information about the nursery. Yekaterinburg now has a really huge selection of nurseries and breeders. A serious cattery will not give suspiciously low prices for kittens or sell them too early, or without vaccinations or pedigrees. You should also understand not only the Maine Coon kittens, but also the personalities of the breeders and their decency. It is unlikely that you will be pleased when the breeders’ phones are not answered, unavailable, or you hear in response: “You bought a kitten - and then your problems ...”

When we made a decision about which cattery to buy our cat Marilyn, we ourselves consulted for a very long time and chose a cattery. And we did not regret for a minute that we chose Twin Peaks and now we are its members. ( Note: cattery renamed to Marry Murr Pride).

And now, continuing good traditions, we help the new parents of our kittens with care tips, nutritional recommendations and all the issues that arise in the process of keeping Maine Coon kittens.

Prices for Maine Coon kittens depend on their class.

Pet- positioned only as pets,
Breed– kittens can be both pets and for breeding. This class carries a good gene pool.
show- the highest class, it implies good external data of a kitten, a suitable character for exposure at an exhibition, the Show class has a great chance to win champion titles. The show class is perfect for breeding.

Classes are determined by activating a kitten and obtaining a pedigree in the club. The commission checks the external signs of the breed, compliance with breed qualities and various nuances that are visible only to professionals.

However, it would be wrong to think that if the class "Pet" is in the kitten's metric, then it is no good. This is just a classification given by a club that sets certain goals for breeders (for example, pay attention to the fact that the lower jaw is more prominent, or the forehead, or the transition of the nose, or the tip of the tail, etc.). Of course, for you, as for the owners of a kitten, it doesn’t matter at all how good the angle of transition of the nose of your pet is 🙂

But it will be wise to ask what class your future baby is from the point of view of buying a kitten.

It is the fact that we carefully monitor the pedigree qualities of each kitten, invest heavily in disease prevention, invest in participation in exhibitions and receive expert assessments - this is Maine Coon kitten quality assurance.

Therefore, if you come across an ad on the Internet for the sale of kittens with a pedigree for a strangely low price, there is reason to think.

Maine Coons are becoming more and more popular among cat lovers. So, it is important to know how to choose the right Maine Coon kitten, how to raise it and care for the baby.

In the photo: Maine Coon kitten at the age of 5 weeks. Photo: flickr.com

How to choose a Maine Coon kitten?

The demand for Maine Coon kittens is quite high, and you can see many ads for the sale of babies. But, unfortunately, not all sellers are conscientious and responsible breeders, which means that there is a great risk of buying a not too healthy kitten or mestizo. How to choose a Maine Coon kitten so as not to regret later?

Before you go to choose a Maine Coon kitten, learn as much information about the breed as possible, visit exhibitions, talk with breeders and owners who have already taken place. This way you will understand if this breed is right for you, and more likely to determine if a purebred kitten is offered to you.

Rules for choosing a Maine Coon kitten:

1. Check out the breed standard.
2. Do not take a kitten at the first advertisement that comes across, even if the price is attractive. Contact an experienced breeder with a proven track record.
3. If the breeder does not agree that you visit the cattery and meet the kitten's parents, this is a reason to think about whether to trust such a seller.
4. Pay attention to whether the Maine Coon kitten has signs that indicate belonging to this breed: a long tail, tassels on the ears, a characteristic shape of the muzzle.
5. Be sure to conclude a contract of sale with the breeder.
6. Answer honestly the breeder's questions - this will give him the opportunity to help you choose a Maine Coon kitten that is right for you. And don't be afraid to ask questions yourself.
7. Specify whether the cattery has registration in the felinological system, and if the answer is positive, find out in which one.
8. Pay attention to the appearance of the kitten, activity, grooming, playfulness. These are important indicators of health.
9. It is better to choose a Maine Coon kitten who is 3 - 3.5 months old. At this age, the kitten already has the necessary vaccinations, he has been fed mother's milk for a long time and is adapted to the outside world. At the same time, the baby is already ready to part with his mother, sisters and brothers.

In the photo: Maine Coon kitten. Photo: flickr.com

How to distinguish a Maine Coon kitten from other cats?

Unfortunately, under the guise of a Maine Coon kitten, they may try to sell you a kitten of a different breed or a cross. How to distinguish a Maine Coon kitten from other cats?

At 3 months, a Maine Coon kitten should already have characteristic tassels on their ears. If they are not there, then it is not a Maine Coon in front of you.

Another distinguishing feature of a Maine Coon kitten from kittens of other breeds is the tail, which is long and powerful.

Maine Coon kittens have hairy and massive paws.

The Maine Coon's coat, even in childhood, is already semi-long and thick, and between the fingers there are tufts of hairs.

Study the pedigree - it must be issued by the felinological club.

If you are not sure that you can distinguish a Maine Coon kitten from a kitten of another breed or mestizo, it is better to seek the advice of an expert.

What to do before the appearance of a Maine Coon kitten in the house

Before bringing the baby into the family, you need to prepare everything you need for the appearance of a Maine Coon kitten in the house.

1. Arrange a secluded place to relax and play.
2. Take a rag with the smell of your home from the breeder - so the baby quickly and easily adapts to your home.
3. Give your Maine Coon kitten a place to eat. Prepare 3 bowls: for wet food, dry food and water. It is better if the bowls are not plastic, but ceramic or steel.
4. Make sure the apartment is safe for a curious and playful creature like a Maine Coon kitten. Hide unprotected wires, as well as objects that the baby can break and injure or swallow.
5. Buy safe and varied toys for your kitten.
6. Close the windows with a special cat net.
7. Get a carrier. For Maine Coons, it is better to take a large plastic carrier.
8. Prepare a tray of sufficient size.
9. Buy a scratching post, or rather several different ones, to give your Maine Coon kitten a choice.

Maine Coon kitten care

In order for a Maine Coon kitten to be healthy and cheerful, it is important to properly care for him. Pay special attention to the care of the coat, ears, eyes and teeth of the Maine Coon.

Caring for a Maine Coon kitten will require effort from you. The pet must be brushed regularly (at least twice a week). During the molting period, Maine Coons are combed three times a week. First, the tail is combed, then the back and sides, after which the chest, and finally the stomach is usually left. Bathing a Maine Coon unless absolutely necessary is not worth it.

It is enough to clean the ears once a week. However, if you notice that your Maine Coon kitten is shaking his head, scratching his ears, or is worried, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Feed your Maine Coon kitten special food that strengthens teeth and removes tartar.

Prepare in advance everything you need to care for a Maine Coon kitten: lotions for cleaning the ears and eyes, combs, cotton swabs, nail cutter.

Maine Coon kitten care procedures must be taught from an early age and gradually.

Raising a Maine Coon kitten

In order for life with a pet to be pleasant and cloudless, it is necessary to make efforts to raise a Maine Coon kitten.

Determine the rules for living in the house: where the cat can be, where it can not, because there are places that are dangerous for the pet.

If a Maine Coon kitten does something wrong, you can make a sharp sound. It is absolutely impossible to beat a Maine Coon kitten!

In principle, raising a Maine Coon kitten is not too difficult, because these cats are very affectionate and friendly, they are well trained. In raising a Maine Coon kitten, it is important to be patient and encourage the right behavior in time.

In the photo: Maine Coon kittens. Photo: pixabay.com

Potty training a Maine Coon kitten

As a rule, a Maine Coon kitten understands without any problems what purpose the tray is for. If the baby missed, do not yell at him, just blot the puddle with a napkin and put the smelling napkin in the tray. So the baby will find the right place by smell.

It is important that the tray for the Maine Coon kitten is spacious enough. The size of the tray for the Maine Coon is determined as follows: the pet must be able to calmly turn around there.

The tray for the Maine Coon kitten should be washed regularly and the filler should be changed in a timely manner.

If there are problems with accustoming a Maine Coon kitten to a tray, the baby is probably not satisfied with the place where the toilet is located, the smell of the tray or the filler. You can experiment to find the one that works for your pet.

Vaccinations (vaccinations) for a Maine Coon kitten

Do not forget about vaccination (vaccinations) for a Maine Coon kitten! This is very important, as it serves as a guarantee of the health of the pet.

Many believe that if the Maine Coon does not walk on the street, it is not necessary to vaccinate it. It's a delusion. You can bring the infection home on your clothes or shoes.

Before vaccination (vaccinations) of a Maine Coon kitten, it is necessary to treat fleas and give an anthelmintic. This is done at least 14 days before vaccination.

Since the Maine Coon is native to Northwest America, their coat is quite long and thick. In this way, this species adapted to the harsh climate. The incredibly fluffy tail is also meant to be wrapped up during cold weather.

By the way, perhaps its length is also related to this factor. Because it is longer than usual. The length of the cat's tail is measured when the cat is lying on its stomach, the hind legs are extended back, the tail is parallel to the legs. So, if the tail is longer than the legs, this is one of the first signs that you have a Maine Coon.

High cheekbones, according to one of the legends, is the result of crossing an ordinary cat with a lynx, as a result of which Maine Coons appeared. This is also confirmed by the presence of brushes on the ears, like a lynx.

The color of the eyes always harmonizes with the color of the coat. Wool can be of different colors.

The overall body size is quite large. This is the result of the fact that cats of this breed are excellent hunters, fast and strong. This includes weight, which ranges from 12 to 15 kg. If you are offered to buy an adult cat weighing 9-10 kg, you can safely leave such a seller, without explanation and with the understanding that they want to slip a cat on you, not even in a bag, but not purebred.

How to choose a Maine Coon kitten.

If you look closely at the animal at the seller's house, immediately after stepping over the threshold, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

Analyze the order in the home, although, of course, in rare cases, general disorder can adversely affect the health of a small animal. But if the bowl or toilet of the beast does not shine with cleanliness - a reason to think about whether it is worth making a choice in favor of this seller.

You must show the documents, information about the vaccinations carried out without fail. If individuals of a cat family of a different breed live in an apartment, it’s a reason to think about whether the animal you want is a mulatto, even if you see all the signs of the breed on your face.

The kitten or kittens must be active. If they are too shy, perhaps the owner brought them up too strictly by inflicting corporal punishment. See if your pet is limping.

Take your favorite kitten in 10 minutes, play with it. Take a close look at it in its entirety. Let nitrous on the eyes not scare you much, unless the discharge is purulent.

Look down the tail of the beast. There should be no remnants of feces, especially liquid ones. Diarrhea, as we know, is a symptom of many diseases. Ask how he went to the toilet in recent days. If you feel bad breath, ask the owner what the baby eats. This may be a sign of angina, stomatitis.

The age of the kitten should be from 1.5 months, while if he sucks his mother, and you want to pick him up, it is better to wait a bit. This is a child, not only is he taken away from his home, but also deprived of his usual and, most importantly, favorite food.

By this age, with proper training, a kitten is already walking on the tray. Try to get a tray similar to the one the previous owners had.

Take a look at the kitten's parents. On adult pets, the breed is more visible, this is a skull stretched forward, which is not very noticeable in kittens, and pointed ears, a long tail.

Differences between mulatto and maine coon.

First, despite the physiological differences, behavioral differences are immediately evident. Maine Coon cats know their worth. They are proud and very smart. At the same time, they have incredible patience and affection.

Even ordinary cats have tassels on their ears, but in this breed they are more pronounced, while the ears are vertical and located on top, not on the sides of the skull. Small kittens may not have brushes, but over time they must appear.

Pricing policy can clarify the breed of a cat. Look on the Internet for the price of a Maine Coon today in your city. Significant downward differences indicate that either a pet with a defect is being sold, or even an ordinary domestic cat.

Before you buy a kitten, you need to buy or build a place for him to live and rest. It can be an old box with a soft bed, just a pillow or a special house that is sold in specialized stores. The main thing is that the baby is comfortable and safe there. It is even possible that the pet will prefer to sleep on the floor or in bed with you. It's up to you to decide whether to drive his bed or not.

Food is better to buy on the way home. It is better to feed him with his usual food for now, then gradually accustom him to the food that you consider useful and best. It also does not hurt to purchase a bowl in advance.

Very convenient double, when you can pour liquid into one compartment, food into the other. Do not forget that the kitten may start scratching furniture, wallpaper. To do this, purchase or make a scratch yourself - from wood or durable fabric. Do not forget to show your baby how and where to sharpen your claws. You need to wait a little with cutting the nails for the first time, by all means you need to reduce stress after the child moves.

Important: For the first two weeks, try not to violate the regime and rules under which the pet grew up. So he will quickly get used to it and get used to it. And yes, it will be easier for you.

Bathing is a very important moment for everyone. It may depend on your behavior and patience whether the kitten will be happy to take water procedures or squeal and scratch everything around. Of course, much depends on the nature of the Maine Coon. You can bathe no earlier than 4 months of age.

Put an empty bowl, pre-prepare water with a temperature of 38 degrees in another bowl. Put the kitten in there and water it gently. Let the first time you do without detergents. Adaptation should be less painful. In the future, you will be rewarded for your patience.

Prepare a first aid kit for your pet so that you always have on hand the means to restore digestion, lower the temperature, potassium permanganate, eye wash.

If you want to choose the right Maine Coon kitten, you must follow certain rules.
It does not matter where you saw a small (or no longer small) miracle that won your heart. Maybe it happened at a cat show, or on a cattery website, or even on Avito or another bulletin board, or on a thematic site or forum. This will not affect the correct choice of Maine Coon in any way, if you back up your desire to buy a Maine Coon kitten with some knowledge.

First, decide on your capabilities and calculate the budget. Maybe it will seem to you a bit from another "opera", which you can read more about here.But this is also important.
Maine Coon kittens are not cheap in principle, in Russia now you can buy a kitten at an average price of 10,000 rubles to 120,000 rubles (this is the maximum that I myself saw), the run is large and the maximum price does not always guarantee quality ... In our cattery you can buy a Maine Coon kitten inexpensively, prices start at 10,000 rubles.
However, buying a kitten should not be done with the last money. It is best to determine the amount that you can painlessly withdraw from the family budget and divide it by two. Within the amount received, you can start searching for a Maine Coon. I will answer the legitimate question "Why divide by two?". Because buying a kitten is always an additional cost, that is, you may have to go after him, pay for the delivery, as well as equip your pet with a house and life, which also requires certain costs.

The second step is to determine what exactly you want. This is the kitten class. PET, SHOW, BRID.
If your budget allows, this question will definitely arise. If you are 100% sure that you need a pet and nothing more, you are 100% morally convinced that you will sterilize a cat or a cat when it reaches the appropriate age, the answer is simple - you need a "PET-class" kitten.
If you're not sure about this, things get more complicated. Believe me, most breeders, when buying their first cat in their home, did not plan to become breeders - appetite comes with eating, and when you come to the exhibition with your kitten, you begin to like the process, you understand that you like everything except for expert reviews about Your kitten - You will not be completely comfortable ...
If you are not 100% sure that you will not like it, then you need to approach the choice of a kitten even more soberly and seriously. Because, if you can always sterilize a kitten with good exterior data and make it just a pet, then on the contrary, you will never succeed in making a producer and a show star out of a frank PET .... Therefore, if there are such doubts and the budget allows, it is better to look for promising pedigreed kitten, strong BRID. It is always better to have an opportunity than not to have it - to realize it or not - it's up to you, but later, when you finally understand whether you just need a pet or are you ready to keep a breeding cat or a cat doing everything necessary for this. Here we can say that it is worth thinking about profit as a last resort, but this is again from another article.

Thirdly, take it as an axiom, the price is not a guarantee of quality. You can buy a good Maine Coon kitten inexpensively.

Fourthly, the main thing is health.
Pay attention to the conditions of keeping animals. Kittens and producers should not be kept in cages, there should not be dirty trays, floors, walls, etc. Only the smell of the manufacturer's cat's marks can be considered normal in the cattery, which is also not necessary at all.
Animals should have a good fur coat, clean ears and eyes. It does not matter to look (of course, without signs of imminent death) only a nursing cat has the right. The stud cat may have a greasy tail - this is normal.
Pay attention not to the situation in the house or apartment, but to the conditions in which the kittens are kept. The most important thing is the cleanliness in which kittens and cats are kept, how their cat life is equipped, whether there is overcrowding in 6 tails per 1 m2, where and what cats and kittens are fed. Ask the breeder to show you their cat litter box, because you need to know how to arrange it in your home. Of course, they can wash it clean for your arrival and fill it with fresh filler, but they may not do this, and if there are traces of liquid stool on the cat litter, this is not good.
Believe me, it is impossible to bring perfect order to your parish where it does not exist in principle. If you have a pleasant impression from visiting the breeder's house, it's good - if you saw unkempt animals and you got the feeling that you visited a cat farm - this is the first call that you went to the wrong place. And it's not about the number of cats and kittens - it's about the breeder's attitude towards them - and the impression that you have left after visiting this house.

Wool and its appearance is one of the first indicators of a cat's health. If the cat's metabolism is all right and she is healthy, then her coat is really silky and shiny, no matter when this cat was last groomed. The same is true for kittens.
If the coat is dull and matted or too greasy, this is a wake-up call that needs to be heeded.

The kitten sneezes - this may be a simple reaction to the fact that he buried his nose in a dusty corner, but if there is discharge from the nose along with sneezing, then this may well turn out to be rhinotracheitis.

The kitten has discharge from the eye. This may be a banal dust ingress, a reaction to a flash or something else, or it may be a sign of a herpes virus infection.

The kitten has increased salivation and a sore in the mouth. Of course, he could just get hurt by chewing, something not edible, but it may well be that this is the beginning of calcevirosis.

The kitten is limping. This may be due to the fact that he lay down his foot, jumped unsuccessfully, etc. Or there may be a compression fracture caused by a violation of calcium metabolism and incipient nutritional hyperparateriosis or, again, calcevirosis.

The kitten shakes its ears and there is plaque in the ears - these are signs of malocesia, which of course is easy to cure - but if you start it, it can also cause a lot of trouble.

You can list all the signs of unhealthy kittens for a long time - but remember the main thing, the kitten you came to look at should look healthy and cheerful, be clean and well-groomed, and it should smell like a cat's baby!

Fifth. Age at which kittens should leave their home.
It is rare for a breeder to release a kitten before 3.5 months. Of course, this is possible after the first vaccination, at 2.5 months, extremely rarely.
Usually Maine Coon kittens leave the house after 3.5 months, this is due to vaccination.
At 2 months (8 weeks) - deworming, +10 days
9-10 weeks - vaccination (first vaccination), + 21-28 days quarantine
12-13 weeks - revaccination (second vaccination), + 10-14 days quarantine
There is another vaccination scheme that starts at 6 weeks of age. I will not judge how justified it is, I have not tried it myself.

Do not be afraid to take a kitten older than 3.5 months into your house - he is a Maine Coon and will come to your house as a kitten and by nature he will remain one for a long time! Especially cats enter new homes very easily, at almost any age - the main thing is your attitude towards the kitten - they feel your love and respond in kind!
But a kitten of 4, 5 months, first of all, is already more formed in type and, most importantly, has already passed one of the most dangerous age stages in terms of health!

I hope that the tips and information in this article will help you not to make mistakes that have already been made before you repeatedly and by far more than one person!

Breeding Maine Coon cats is a mixture of art and science, to which you undoubtedly need to add a little luck, a little more genius, and of course, inexhaustible optimism in such a difficult matter.

Few beginner breeders realize when starting a business that there is much more to breeding Maine Coon cats than just mating any cat with any Meikun cat, getting kittens and selling them.

Maine Coon cat genetics

Let's start with the fact that the genetics of Maine Coon cats plays an important role in breeding work. Genetics is an extremely difficult science. It has many exceptions to the rules and much more that is unknown and unexplored.

As a rule, Maine Coon breeders have neither the time nor the inclination to seriously study the literature and materials on genetics. However, there are a number of books that are unique and excellent in nature, by foreign scientists, which would be extremely useful reading for many breeders. Trying to learn to understand long and difficult genetic terms and even relatively simple words takes the average Macon breeder a lot of time.

All Maine Coon breeders should try to understand the simplest thing in Mendel's genetic theory, the "dominant" and "recessive" gene or trait. In principle, this is easy to understand and can be applied in breeding work with the Mei Coon, because most of the serious shortcomings of the breed are due precisely to recessive genes. Breeders who are guided by common sense and their personal observations can get very good and worthy Maine Coons, as good as breeders and geneticists. Undoubtedly, time and experience are needed to achieve high results, although this experience will never come to someone ...

What cats and Maine Coon cats are there?

There are Maine Coon cats that have left an unforgettable mark on the history of the Maine Coon breed, and even after many years, and maybe even several generations, Maine Coon breeders are trying to repeat these outstanding individuals. It is these meikun cats that are called legendary, and their owners-breeders are magicians! Other Mei Coon cats, and their “unfortunate breeders” ... can also leave their mark on the history of the breed, which then will have to be “disentangled” by the owners of the Maine Coon kittens received from them and subsequent breeders, but alas, this is very much the case. Most often, such a legacy remains from a Maine Coon cat, which comes from a quite popular eminent cattery, has an active owner, attends exhibitions, earns titles for this individual, while not “seeing” the cat and not caring about the future of the Maine Coon breed, it’s very regrettable ...

Every self-respecting and thinking Maine Coon breeder tries to get rid of unwanted traits and fix valuable ones, using certain combinations when mating. Well, the result depends on his knowledge, experience, talent, honesty, and last but not least, luck.

Choosing a Maine Coon cat, pedigree

When a person decides to tie his Maine Coon cat for the first time, he should have as much information about her as possible. A significant part of this information can be obtained from her pedigree, even before the time of mating comes, or even before her birth, if she is planned as a future breeder, having experience and knowing the Maine Coon breed, the future breeder, having studied the pedigrees of her parents, perhaps not at all refuse this kitten.
For those who are not familiar or poorly familiar with the Maine Coon breed, the pedigree does not say anything, but the more experience, the more each nickname will tell about the specific cat behind it, about its intrabreed type, about character, about advantages and disadvantages .

Knowing each ancestor “by sight”, having photos of the Maine Coon, the breeder can imagine what kind of offspring this Meikun cat will give with one or another cat. If a specific cat is not behind the nickname in front of the breeder, then the pedigree is an absolutely useless piece of paper that does not mean anything for breeding.

How Maine Coons are selected for breeding by pedigree (practice from life)

Choosing a Maine Coon kitten for breeding, Case one:

Unfortunately, the owner of a Maine Coon cat often has little (or no) idea about the cats recorded in the pedigrees, focusing only on the names known only by hearsay or on the titles that precede the nickname. At the same time, having bred cats that have the same ancestor in the Maine Coon pedigrees, about which the breeder has a very vague idea, he believes that he acted very wisely. They did inbreeding. I personally encountered such characters at the beginning of my path as a breeder, so I can only say one thing ... Nocomments!
It is necessary to know the pedigree of your Maine Coon cat, because. exactly half - 50% of the genes future kittens receive from the mother cat, and the other half, the same 50% - from the father-cat of the Maine Coon. And the fact that it happens that Maine Coon kittens are more like one of the parents does not mean at all that this parent passed on more genes to their children than the other. This only means that he has more dominant genes, which had a great influence on kuno offspring.

Choosing a Maine Coon kitten for breeding, Case two:

There is another picture, when a Maine Coon breeder "fixes" only on pedigrees, such breeders are called "theorists" and in fact such a breeder of Maine Coons knits pedigrees, and not cats at all. He intensively studies all cats found in the four tribes of the Maine Coon pedigree and even further, “getting” the pedigree of grandparents, and when mating, he takes into account distant ancestors. However, this almost does not make any sense, because. kittens, as we have already said, receive 50% of genes from father and mother, 25% from each grandfather and grandmother, 12.5% ​​from great-grandfathers, etc. (Francis Galton's law - genetics). Thus, the further an ancestor stands in the pedigree, the less influence it has on kittens. Even if it is repeated several times in 5-7 tribes, then the chances that the kitten will inherit exactly its virtues are practically small.
Anyone who mates expecting to get offspring similar to an outstanding but distant ancestor, ignoring the phenotypes of the father and mother, can hardly count on the desired result. The miracle doesn't happen. From two cats with, for example, short legs, kittens with long legs will not be born, even if their famous grandfather-great-grandfather had everything in order with the location and length of the legs.

Conclusion: How does the pedigree affect when choosing a Maine Coon cat for breeding.

It is necessary to understand once and for all that the Maine Coon pedigree is just a guide to action in the hands of an experienced specialist. Everyone knows many examples when nothing good was born from cats with a “brilliant” pedigree, and vice versa, one can meet high-class phenotypic individuals with mediocre ancestors in the pedigree, and one can only wonder “where does it come from”. But this is still an exception, which only confirms the breeding rule - THE BEST WITH THE BEST GIVES THE BEST.

I consider breeding my cats with cats that have the pedigree I need, and not with a wonderful representative with "no" pedigree, who "split", although I understand that this is not always true. You can get excellent meikun kittens from a “rogue” by mating it with a suitable individual. Just like you can (and most often do) get good Maine Coon kittens from just a "typical representative of the breed" with an excellent pedigree.

Evaluate your cat, Maine Coon cat objectively

Even having studied the pedigree of your cat well, but without knowing its features, it is impossible to get high-quality offspring. A Maine Coon breeder should have a thorough knowledge of cat anatomy and the Maine Coon breed standard. If he does not “see” his cat: how pronounced her pedigree data is, what her set of ears, elongation of her body, etc., then it is better for such a person to breed flowers. Among breeders there is such a term "pigs' eye" - when an expert or breeder cannot determine how good this or that cat is. Seeing a Maine Coon cat, to some extent, can only come with experience. More often it is given to a person "from God" - it either exists or it does not exist.

Only having studied your cat well and knowing exactly what needs to be corrected and what, on the contrary, to fix, you can proceed to action. But the main thing, in my opinion, is to imagine the cat that you want to get in the end.

Turn on the imagination when breeding Maine Coons

This imaginary cat or Maine Coon cat is the perfect representative of the breed. This is the goal to strive for. It will not be achieved in this litter, which is planned now, and not in the next one, but maybe never (if the breeder is critical of his breeding). But, for sure, the moment will come when a meikun kitten will be born, which has become such a cat or a cat that one can say, for example, about a cat - “he is almost the same as I dreamed of.” To get cool Maine Coons you need to know what you want. Only by creating the ideal representative of your favorite breed in your imagination, you can strive to get it in reality.

Distinguish "grain from the chaff" when breeding Maine Coons

It is possible that others do not agree with my ideal and they do not like those cats that I like. These others can even be judges at exhibitions, and well-known experts, and just spectators behind the ring, but for me it doesn’t matter, because I already understood which Maine Coon is ideal for me, I think most foreign breeders will agree with me. My opinion is that a good Maine Coon breeder should not give priority to what is being played out in the ring, unfortunately even the experts are not always right.

As judged by experts at Maine Coon cat shows

On the example of the Mei Coon breed, which I am engaged in, we can say that many deviations from the standard have become practically the norm, and the Maine Coon cat with the shortcomings described in the standard wins not only the breed, but also receives the high title of the Best in Show ring. At one of the exhibitions that I attended, Best won a Maine Coon cat with absolutely collapsed short ears, far from being stretched by a short body, although the standard says: “Maine Coon ears should be large, wide at the base ...”, “for this breed of cats , the correct ears “stand” well on the head (like hare ears) ”or about the length of the body“ the Maine Coon breed has a well-stretched muscular body (the key word is stretched, it means long). Each breeder has the right to decide for himself which Maine Coon cats and cats he will breed - those that are liked by little-knowledge experts or those that he himself likes and meet the standard.