A Detailed Guide To The Maine Coon Color Chart

The Maine Coon cat is affectionate, loyal, sweet, and intelligent. She makes a wonderful companion for people of all ages, and it adapts well to different life situations.

Together with an amazing personality, a Maine Coon has remarkable looks, primarily recognized by its large body and a silky, heavy coat that can be seen in more than 75 different colors and patterns.

If you look up a certain Maine Coon’s coat color, you might notice an EMS code coming with it. While the letter in this combination specifies the color, the number serves to identify the pattern.

The following Maine Coon color chart might be helpful for all potential owners that are currently considering the fur color they would like to see in their future pets.

Since there are so many choices available, we’ll go through some of the most popular ones.

Maine Coon Color Chart Overview

Black Maine Coon (MCO n)

There is something truly special about black cats, and even more about the popular Maine Coon breed with this coloring.

Black Maine Coons are relatively common and not too challenging to find. A solid black-colored Maine Coon should have a totally black coat from root to tip, a black nose, and black or brown paws.

There is also a black smoke Maine Coon, which, at a first glance, might look almost similar to the solid black-colored one, but they aren’t entirely the same.

The black smoke Maine Coon usually has silver neck ruff and ear tuff, and its undercoat is white or pale.

Black And White Maine Coon (MCO n 09)

If you’re a fan of bicolor coat patterns in felines, then you’ll love the black and white Maine Coon!
A cat with this coat coloring has a black base and white spots over her body. Every white and black Maine Coon has a specific spotting on its body, but white spots are mostly seen on these cats’ chest, paws, and stomachs.

This isn’t a super rare coat pattern, but isn’t among the most common ones, either.

Black Tabby Maine Coon (MCO n 22)

According to the Cat Fanciers Association, tabby Maine Coon can have the following patterns:

• Classic tabby pattern: This cat’s markings are clearly defined, broad and dense. It features vertical lines extending from the back of the head to the shoulders, forming butterfly-shaped shoulder markings.

• Mackerel tabby pattern: A Maine Coon with this coat pattern has a head barred with an “M” on her forehead. Spine lines run together through the cat’s coat, forming a narrow saddle.

• Ticked tabby pattern: This pattern is characterized by pronounced ticking on a cat’s body, and shows no visible blotches, spots, or stripes. 

You can see a beautiful tabby black Maine Coon in the video below.

Blue Maine Coon (MCO a)

Many people mistake the blue coat color with the grey one, since these cats have a deep blue in their fur which isn’t always easily visible.

Besides solid blue, Maine Coons can also have some other blue color variants, such as blue tabby and blue smoke.

You might jump to the conclusion that this coat coloring is rather rare in the breed, but, actually, blue Maine Coons aren’t so uncommon.

Cream Maine Coon (MCO e)

Cream is another wonderful color that can be seen in Maine Coons’ coats. 

According to the US Davis Veterinary Medicine, cream coats in felines are actually a diluted red coat color.

Since the dilute gene is recessive, a Maine Coon needs to receive two copies of this gene to gain a cream coat.

Solid cream isn’t the only option with the Maine Coon breed. These large cats can also have cream tabby, cream silver tabby, and cream smoke pattern. Furthermore, they can be bi-colored, such as having blue and cream in their fur.

Additionally, cream Maine Coons can even be tri colored, for instance, besides cream, they can have blue and white patches on their coats.

Check out the video below showing an adorable cream Maine Coon.

Red Maine Coon (MCO d)

For anyone seeking a striking, vibrant, and distinctive coat color in their Maine Coon, the red coloring is a delightful choice!

Besides solid red, these cats might also have a red tabby pattern, or can be bicolored, combined with white.

Furthermore, if a Maine Coon has a white undercoat, this isn’t a solid red coat coloring, but smoke red.

Just like all other Maine Coons, these red beauties, besides their amazing looks, also feature an amazing temperament that make them one of the best choices for family pets.

Tortie Maine Coon (MCO f)

Tortoiseshell cats have bi-colored cats that look like the shell of a tortoise and are a result of genetic mutation, as explained by the Spruce Pets.

This isn't a specific breed, but rather just a description of a cat’s coat, meaning that, together with Maine Coons, other breeds might also have the tortie coat pattern.

Tortie Maine Coons usually have a mix of black, brown, red, and orange colors in their coats. 

Tortoiseshell cats are almost always females. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette points out that this is because, for a cat to have both black and orange fur, it must possess two X chromosomes. 

Females have two X chromosomes, and this is why they can have both orange and black coloring on their furs. On the other hand, males have one X and one Y chromosome, meaning that they can only have these two coloring if they have a chromosomal abnormality.

This is very rare to see – about 1 in 3,000 tortie cats will be male, and male torties are sterile and might also have some additional health problems.

Summary

Maine Coon cats can come in so many different coat colors, patterns, and combinations that it almost feels impossible to recognize and remember each of them!

If you like classic coloring, you might want to welcome a stunning black Maine Coon in your home. Cat fanciers that prefer unusual fur colors might opt to choose red or tortie Maine Coons.

It might seem to be a hard task to choose among over 75 possible coat colors, since we mentioned only a small part of them.

But, the most important thing, after all, is that each of these cats share amazing personality traits – they only differ in the color of their furs.

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