Maine Coon Cat

CFA accepted colors / patterns

 

There are only two colors in Maine Coons. Black and red. All other colors come from these two base colors. Those colors include:

Red

Cream (diluted red)

Black

Blue (diluted black)

White- Not a true color but a mask of another color. Cat appears white but could be any color.

 

There are three tabby patterns that are caused by the AGOUTI gene:

Classic Tabby Pattern

Mackerel Tabby Pattern

Ticked Tabby Pattern

      ***Tabby patterns can also come in brown***

​

A “solid” cat lacks the Agouti/Tabby gene and SHOULD lack pattern.  In certain cases, a solid cat will exhibit tabby markings but are considered “ghost” markings and not true markings. This is not desirable but relatively common.

 

Tabby Patterns

Classic Tabby Pattern- Frown marks on forehead form an intricate letter “M”. Unbroken lines run back from the outer corners of the eye. Swirls on cheeks. Vertical lines over the back of the head extend to shoulder markings which are in the shape of a butterfly with both upper and lower wings distinctly outlined and marked with dots inside outline.  Back markings consist of a vertical line down the spine from butterfly to tail with vertical stripe paralleling it on each side, the three stipes well separated by stripes of the ground/base color. Large solid blotch on each side (Bullseye) to be encircled by one or more unbroken rings.  Side markings should be the same on each side. Double vertical rows of buttons on chest and stomach.

 

Ticked Tabby Pattern- Shows pronounced ticking on body and when viewed from above will show darkening at the dorsal crest but will otherwise be free from pattern or any noticeable spots, stripes or blotches. Full tabby markings on the face and legs. Underside is lighter and may show tabby markings.

 

Mackerel Tabby Pattern- Markings are dense, clearly defined, narrow pencillings.  Legs evenly barred with narrow bracelets coming up to meet the body markings.  Tail barred. Necklaces on neck and chest are distinct.  Head barred with an “M” on the forehead. Unbroken lines run back from the eyes. Lines running down the head meet the shoulders.  Spine lines run together to form a narrow saddle. Narrow pencillings run around the body.

 

INHERITANCE OF COLORS & PATTERNS

Male kittens are ALWAYS the color of mom.

Female kittens are always a combination of mom and dad’s color.

 

Dominate genes are represented by a capital letter and recessive genes are represented by a lower-case letter.  Each kitten has a set of two of each gene/trait. 

Tabby (Agouti) = A

Solid (non-agouti) = a

Non dilute = D

Dilute (blue/cream) = d

​

If a kitten is passed a DOMINATE gene/trait from either parent then that will be the gene/trait seen or expressed.  Tabby is dominate over solid.  Non dilute is dominate over dilute. Recessive genes must have two of the recessive genes to be expressed. If a cat “carries” a gene/trait then it will not be expressed but could be passed on to their offspring.

This translates to the following:

​

A/A= Tabby markings

A/a= Tabby markings but carries solid

a/a= Solid color

D/D= Not dilute

D/d= Not dilute but carries dilute gene

d/d= Cat will be dilute (cream or blue)

 

Each parent cat will give one copy of each gene/trait to their kittens and that combination will determine the kittens color and pattern. Here are a couple of examples from two of our pairings.

 

 Meisha = A/A    D/D     

 Loki = A/A    D/d   

 

Inky = a/a    D/D

Octavia = A/a     D/D

​

Can you tell who is tabby vs who is solid? Are any or all of them dilute in color?

 

This is how we can determine kitten color/pattern combinations from different pairings. Meisha and Loki are both A/A so they both can only pass on an “A” to their offspring. This means all their offspring will be tabbies that do not carry solid.  Meisha can only pass on “D” but Loki could pass on either “D” or “d.” This means their kittens will not be dilute but some of the kittens will carry dilute.

 

Octavia can pass “A” or “a” to her offspring and Inky can only pass on “a”. Their offspring will be a combination on A/a (tabby carrying solid) and a/a (solid).  Both parents are only able to pass “D” so all offspring will be D/D meaning no dilute kittens and their kittens will not carry dilute.

 

Now we know that male kittens are the color of mom and female kittens are the color of mom and dad. We understand how tabby vs solid is inherited/passed and how dilute/non-dilute is inherited or passed.

If we paired to following two cats together, what kitten combinations are possible?  I will give you the color and the genes/traits. Please post your answer in the comments.

Female (black) A/a  D/d    &  Male (black) A/a  d/d

 

We will discuss the silver/smoke gene on another thread.  Please feel free to comment any questions you many have. I will do my best to answer them. Remember, I am not an expert and these posts are for fun!