Understanding Maine Coon Cat Colours: A Beginner’s Guide to Colour Genetics

Maine Coons are famous not only for their size and personality but also for their stunning variety of coat colours and patterns. If you’ve ever wondered how these colours are inherited or what colour your Maine Coon kitten might be, this guide will help you understand the basics of Maine Coon colour genetics.

The Basics of Cat Colour Genetics

Cat coat colour is controlled by genes that come in pairs — one from each parent. Different combinations create different colours and patterns.

For Maine Coons, the main genes affecting coat colour include:

• B (Black) gene series: Determines whether a cat’s base colour is black, chocolate, or cinnamon.

• D (Dilution) gene: Controls whether the base colour is full intensity (black) or diluted (blue/grey).

• O (Orange) gene: Controls whether a cat is orange/red or non-orange.

• Tabby gene: Produces classic tabby patterns like classic, mackerel, spotted, or ticked.

• White spotting gene: Causes patches of white fur.

• Other pattern modifiers: Affect things like smoke, shaded, or tortoiseshell patterns.

Common Maine Coon Colours and Patterns

• Brown/Black Tabby: The most common. The cat has black stripes or spots over a brown background.

• Blue (Dilute Black): A greyish-blue colour, diluted from black.

• Red (Orange): Vivid red or orange fur.

• Cream (Dilute Red): Pale, diluted red/orange.

• Silver: White or pale undercoat with black or blue ticking.

• White spotting: Can range from small patches to almost all white.

• Tortoiseshell (Tortie): Mixed patches of red and black.

• Calico: White, black, and red patches (usually female cats).

How the Genes Work Together

1. Base Colour (B and D genes):

2. B (Black) is dominant. bb means chocolate. b1b1 means cinnamon.

3. D (Dense) is dominant; dd dilutes the colour.

4. Orange Gene (O):

5. Located on the X chromosome; males have one X, females have two. This is why males are usually either orange or non-orange, and females can be tortoiseshell (patches of both).

6. Tabby Patterns:

7. Tabby gene controls whether your Maine Coon is classic, mackerel, spotted, or ticked.

8. White spotting:

9. Determines the amount of white on the cat’s coat.

Predicting Kitten Colours

By knowing the parents’ colours and patterns, breeders can predict possible kitten colours. However, colour inheritance can be complex, especially with multiple genes interacting.

Why a Colour Calculator Helps

A Maine Coon Colour Calculator lets you input the colours of the sire and dam and predicts the most likely colours and patterns for their kittens, helping you understand potential outcomes.

Example: What if you breed a Brown Tabby Maine Coon with a Blue Tabby?

• The kittens could be brown, blue, or dilute colours depending on the parents’ genes.

• Some might be tabby, some could carry the white spotting gene.

• Male kittens’ orange genes depend on the X chromosome from the mother.

Summary

Understanding Maine Coon colour genetics is fascinating but complicated. If you want to experiment or predict kitten colours, a colour calculator is a handy tool for breeders and enthusiasts alike.