I suppose this is a common question. I have a 9 year old male cat whom people have often told me is a maine coon, but an equal number of other people have stated that he is not. How can I tell for certain? He is a shorthaired cat, but weighs in at 19 lbs and stands over a foot tall at the shoulder.

Thanks.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 1999

Answers

Well, often this question requires a long answer, but not this time -- long hair is a characteristic of the breed. There is no such thing as a shorthaired Maine Coon, although your fellow sounds like he might have a good dose of Maine Coon in his background.

(Genetically speaking, short hair is dominant to long hair, so two longhaired cats will reliably produce only longhaired kittens.)

Enjoy your cat!

Ambar [ex-MIT]

-- Anonymous, May 21, 1999