I recently purchased a Red-silver male Maine Coon and he is rather pale right now I was wondering if he would darken up as he gets older. Also, I am confused a little about the color (red-silver). Is that also called a Cameo? I looked at the breed standard and I did not see a Red - silver listed. I have one more question. He is now 5 mos. old and he weighs approx. 6 ir 7 pounds. Is that average for a maine coon that age and how can you tell if he is going to be a large cat. Does heredity play a large factor? I think that will do it for the questions. Thank you for your time. HOLLIE

-- Anonymous, August 30, 1999

Answers

1. Heredity does have an impact on the size of the offspring. Have you seen both parents? If they are both large, chances are your kitty will also be big. 2. What size paws does he have now as a kitten? I have found that kittens with large paws tend to "grow into" the paws and it can give you an indication that your cat will eventually be large! 3. Regarding the color issue, I believe red silver is the name given to this color by The International Cat Association (TICA) whereas the Cat Fanciers Association (CGA) seems to call it cameo. If you looked at the breed standard for CFA MCs, then you would see it referred to as cameo. If you check out TICA, you should see a different name there. 4. It is hard to say whether he will get darker or not as he ages. There is no REAL way of knowing. If he is really red silver/cameo, then his hair shafts should be two different colors.....each hair shaft will be silver close to the body and red at the tip. If the hair shaft is all the same color then chances are he is actually a cream.

-- Anonymous, September 16, 1999