In the ranking compiled by international felinological organizations, the Maine Coon ranks second in size and weight among all breeds of domestic cats. The body weight of record holders reaches 13-15 kg, and the title of winner periodically passes from paw to paw. Let's find out which Maine Coons received the title of the largest cat in the world.
The largest cats in the world
Disputes regularly flare up among coon breeders about what is more important: a really large size or compliance with breed standards. The battles are fueled by the fact that there are many gaps in the history of Maine Coons. The North American Semi-Longhair was developed in Maine in the early 19th century and is considered a natural breed. After moving to Europe, the Maine Coon breed was divided into two sub-branches: classic American and European.
European Coons are much smaller, but they have the characteristic features of the breed - tufted ears, a large bridge of the nose. Such changes can be explained by the fact that only at the beginning of the 21st century the WCF limited interbreed matings of Maine Coons.
In L. Zhugl's popular book about North American Semi-Longhairs, it is mentioned that due to the small number of representatives of the breed, matings of sires with carriers of a similar phenotype were widespread in Latvia in the 1990s.
The average weight of Maine Coon cats ranges from 7 to 11 kg; cats are usually smaller and do not exceed 6.8 kg. Most Russian Maine Coons weigh less than 10 kg, although larger specimens are also found. It is important to consider that the title of “largest Maine Coon” is given for length, not weight.
Character and socialization
The breed is peaceful. Maine Coons are kind and do not harm owners, children, or kittens. They quickly get used to the owner, understand his mood and do not get bored. They like to monitor people's actions and adapt to their activity.
House guests are usually avoided or ignored as members of some other breeds, such as exotic cats. They approach and show interest only after observing.
Maine Coons are as social as Scottish Fold cats. They prefer the company of their owner to loneliness. They can choose one family member as their main friend, and play less with the rest. They are not overly intrusive. They can just sit next to you.
They have an easy-going character, do not hold a grudge and do not take revenge in any way. Not conflicting. Even if they are offended, for example, by a child, they simply leave and do not scratch.
Top 10 largest cat breeds
The Maine Coon takes a worthy second place among the largest cats in the world. Representatives of the breed are the most popular and beloved giant cats, and it’s not for nothing that one of them became the face of the Purina brand. The North American Longhair is surpassed in size only by the Savannah, which is considered the most expensive cat breed - the price of a kitten starts at 4 thousand dollars.
The hot ten largest domestic cat breeds are as follows:
| Breed | Cats | Cats | Size | |
| 1 | Savannah | up to 20 kg | up to 7 kg | height - up to 60 cm. |
| 2 | Maine Coon | up to 15 kg | up to 7 kg | up to 123 cm in length |
| 3 | Ragdoll | 7-9 kg | 4.5-6.8 kg | |
| 4 | British cat | 5-10 kg | 5-7 kg | |
| 5 | Siberian cat | 6-9 kg | 4.5-6 kg | |
| 6 | Turkish van | 6-9 kg | 4.5-6 kg | length - up to 120 cm |
| 7 | Norwegian Forest Cat | 5-9.5 kg kg | 3.6-7 kg | |
| 8 | Pixiebob | 5.4-7.7 kg | 3.6-7 kg | |
| 9 | Chartreuse | 6-7 kg | 4-5 kg | |
| 10 | Kurilian Bobtail | up to 6.8 kg | 3.6-5 kg |
Health
Characteristic diseases
Observation statistics for the breed have revealed genetic problems characteristic of it.
The most common Maine Coon ailments include:
- heart problems (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy),
- muscle weakness (spinal muscle atrophy),
- polycystic kidney disease,
- hip dysplasia.
The large ears of Maine Coons allow them to clearly hear the slightest sounds: be it the rustling of a rodent under the foliage or the voice of the owner calling for food
Every third male raccoon cat kitten from birth may be predisposed to one of the listed ailments.
Advice to owners: when purchasing a Maine Coon kitten, find a veterinarian who will constantly monitor it.
Vaccinations
Vaccination of cats of this breed is similar to the vaccination schedule for dogs.
The first vaccination is given at 2 months, the second at 3 months, then at 1 year, then annually.
Before vaccination, the cat must also be given antihelminthic medications 10 days before vaccination.
Cases in which vaccination is simply necessary are the following: transporting a cat, mating, cat exhibition, placing a cat in a pet hotel.
Maine Coons have absolutely no aggressiveness towards other animals; they easily get along with any pets.
The largest Maine Coon in the world
The title of “biggest cat” regularly passes from paw to paw. In 2013, the longest Maine Coon at that time, named Stewie, died in the United States at the age of eight. He lived in Oregon with Robin Hendrickson.
According to control measurements carried out for the Guinness Book of Records, its length from nose to tip of tail was 123 cm. The cat was sociable, and his page on social networks was very popular.
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In 2013, the largest cat in the world was the Maine Coon Rupert from Australia. He was first noticed by experts at an Australian cat show. Surprisingly, the giant cat in 2013, at the age of 3 years, weighed only about 9 kg.
His owner Kira Foster affectionately called her pet a “monster cat” in an interview. Photos of Rupert posing next to a small kitten have gained enormous popularity online. Daily edition
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In 2022, a new record holder among cats was found - the cat Omar from Melbourne. According to The Telegraph, the cat’s weight is 14 kg with a height of 120 cm. Omar has his own account on Instagram, which has more than 14 thousand subscribers. According to the owner, the secret to the large size of the pet is proper nutrition, the basis of which is kangaroo meat.
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Our advice
Before bringing a cat of this breed into your home, you need to determine whether there is enough space in the apartment for such a large cat and whether there are enough opportunities to keep it. You should not buy such an elite cat from unknown breeders or secondhand. It is better to contact well-established Maine Coon kennels.
When choosing a kitten, pay attention to its contents (cleanliness of the enclosure and feeding area, feeding diet, toys to play with). Self-respecting breeders will show you everything without hiding, give advice not only when purchasing, but also in the future, and offer their services for medical supervision.
When choosing a kitten, start your inspection with the ears. The tassels on them should be long, and the longer the better, the legs should be powerful and strong, the chin should be large and massive. Decide what kind of character your pet will have and talk about it with the nursery staff. Kittens are taken from the nursery at the age of three months with a full record of required vaccinations.
Based on materials: zoodrug.ua, murkote.com, likeme365.com, dogcatfan.com, okotikah.ru, zooinform.ru
The largest Maine Coon in Ukraine
The largest cat in Ukraine lives in the Dnieper. The record was officially registered in December 2022 in the Wildlife category. The largest cat in Ukraine is named Kex, and he is 5 years old. According to preliminary estimates, the length of the record holder was 115 cm, but after careful measurements at the International Cat Show “Winter's Tale” it turned out that his real length was a record 121 cm! The cat's fluffy tail alone is 37 cm long, and its thickness can be compared to the wrist of an adult man.
The owners claim that the cat has a Don Juan character and a love of raw meat, although his main food is balanced ready-made cat food.
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The giant cat was a gift to the owner from her husband on the occasion of the birth of a child. Since the family professionally breeds cats, a kitten with a very good pedigree was chosen: the father is a champion of numerous exhibitions, the mother matches him. The owners began to suspect about the unusual characteristics of their baby only after he began to transform from a clumsy teenage cat into a charming beauty.
The liger is the king of the cat family
When talking about the largest and most impressive representatives of the cat family, one cannot ignore such a unique animal as the liger. It’s hard to call him a pet, but he’s not a wild animal either. This is an artificially bred hybrid - the child of a tigress and a lion. As a result of crossing two predators, a huge animal was born with a large lion's body and tiger stripes on its skin. The officially registered mass record for this beast is 798 kilograms.
Unique Features of Ligers
Powerful and beautiful ligers reach three meters in length and can weigh more than 300 kilograms. These animals exist only in captivity; the birth of such a hybrid is impossible in the wild. In the enclosure, the tigress and the lion live together, but the appearance of a cub is possible only in two cases out of a hundred. A significant drawback of such a genetic experiment is the inability of male individuals to reproduce.
The liger's skin is light in color. The stripes are not as clear as those of tigers, but they are clearly visible and appear slightly blurred. The luxurious lion's mane is not inherited by ligers. Even males are deprived of this luxury. You can see a live animal at the Miami Zoo. There the liger lives in a comfortable enclosure, swims and plays with pleasure.
The largest living representative of this breed is a liger named Hercules. He is 4 meters tall and weighs 400 kilograms. Hercules was born in 2002 and was raised by Professor Bhagavan Antle. The world-famous scientist devoted his entire life to working with endangered species of animals and enjoyed raising Hercules.
The giant cat's appetite is consistent with its size. Even following a strict diet, a liger consumes 9 kilograms of meat daily. Nature did not deprive the beast of health and strength. If necessary, Hercules reaches a speed of 80 km/h, although with his lifestyle this is not at all necessary.
How to raise the biggest Maine Coon
The title of “biggest cat” is an additional “bow” to the exhibition medals. Owning such a cat is prestigious and profitable, because all the cat brides in the country dream of meeting a real feline macho. When purchasing a kitten, it is difficult to predict exactly the future size of the adult animal. They are largely determined by pedigree - most likely, if your cat's parents were small cats, then your pet is unlikely to grow up to be a giant.
For all owners of record holders for height, the news about the most outstanding size of their pet was unexpected. You should not try to grow an outstanding giant using special techniques, exercises and nutrition, since in most cases these attempts are doomed to failure.
The only solution a loving owner can take is to constantly take care of the health of his Maine Coon: creating conditions for the pet’s physical activity and taking care of proper nutrition. You can try the experience of other owners of large cats, who paid great attention to the cat’s nutrition and prepared food for it themselves, without relying on ready-made food. This approach allows us to better take into account the needs of the animal and satisfy them.
A pet should not be fed from a shared pot with a person. Food that is too fatty and too salty can lead to obesity and other health problems.
The optimal diet for a future growth champion should be varied: contain raw and boiled meat, fish, chicken, milk, eggs, and cereals. If you don’t have time to cook yourself, then ready-made factory-made food is a good solution. You should always make sure that your pet has access to water.
Giant cats exist. You can dream about having a giant settle in your house, but it is better to love and appreciate the pet that lives next to you: for its devotion, a little hare-like gaze, intelligence, and just like that. You should not join the race for outstanding dimensions.
Character
The character and habits of graceful giants touch and delight their owners. Despite its size, the cat is not at all evil, he is the sweetest creature, very kind and gentle. The character of Maine Coon cats is characterized by friendliness and complete calmness.
The giant easily gets along with other cats and does not show any aggression with strangers. The cat loves his owners very much, becomes attached to children and plays with them with pleasure.
Many owners note that raising a Maine Coon does not require much effort. Big cats are smart and learn rules quite easily. It is enough to show them the places of toilet, games, rest once and the pets will immediately learn the information. Raising cats should begin from the first days of kittens' lives.
The Maine Coon's personality is that he has great dignity and does not like to climb the curtains or hide in the closet, beg for food and brazenly wake you up in the middle of the night.
The cat meows in a gentle voice unusual for cats, never angry, with various intonations and modulations. Will be an excellent conversationalist and companion. The giants of the cat world love to sit comfortably in the arms of their owner and watch everything that happens around them.
Many pets simply adore water; they need to catch all the spoons in the sink and keep company with their owner in the bath.
They like to sit on top and it is important that the support has a fairly strong structure
Kitties are known gourmands; at any age, their diet should consist of high-calorie and tasty food, then their gratitude and tenderness will know no bounds.
Why does the Maine Coon bite?
The large Maine Coon, despite its size, is a friendly and loyal creature to its owner. However, no one has canceled the wild cat nature. Maine Coon cats, like others, defend their territory, react to aggression, and can become frightened or irritated.
They bite on special occasions. They may also bite during play or for pleasure while stroking. The owners of the fluffies assure that they are the kindest and sweetest creatures, they have the calmness of a boa constrictor and treat any person or animal like their own.
