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What is the most popular color of Maine Coon cat?

1/18/2025

When I started my search for a Maine Coon kitten, I looked at so many different colors and patterns of kittens. I wondered what the most popular color of Maine Coon cat was. I didn't know if there was a rare color of Maine Coon cat or if one color was desired or more common over another.

As a breeder, health was the most important issue when it came to choosing a kitten. Second, it had to be something I desired in color and appearance. I wasn't sure about show quality as I was still learning, and still learning yet today! Funny thing was, I had a yellow cat growing up and never wanted another one that color. Yellow is actually called red in Maine Coon cat colors and some people will call them orange or ginger. Guess what cat caught my eye first when searching for my first Maine Coon cat? A gorgeous red polydactyl boy was my first pick in getting a new cat. Of course, that was our first Pawzilla too. The next color that I saw that I loved was a tortie. I thought it was so unique and I called it a calico although it really wasn't because there was no white markings on it. Then I saw some gorgeous smokey colored kittens. I just loved them all!

How do you know what the most popular color of Maine coon cats is? You don't, and here is why... it is all opinion based. Some are bias due to their "first cat", some have a preference because of their favorite cat being that color, and others can just gravitate to a gorgeous cat that is easy on the eyes. I have noticed that most people like the look of a smoke colored kitten. This is actually silver in color terms. Our Yeti is a a silver tabby and he is stunning! After we started seeing shaded colors, we had to start searching for one of our own. That lead us to the purchase of our Stetson. Stetson takes it up a notch from shaded though. He is actually even lighter and is a shell rather than shaded in color. His color is also referred to as chinchilla. There has never been a single person who saw Stetson that didn't tell me they wanted a cat that looks like him. Stetson is unique though, he is not only gorgeous cat eye candy, his personality is the most amazing ever! As for color, sometimes it is a look and not color. It just jumps out at you and screams silently, pick me!

To all the breeders reading this to see what the most popular color of Maine Coon cat is, the answer lies within yourself. Your favorite color is the most popular because it is all an opinion and everyone has a different opinion. They ALL sell. Someone comes along and falls in love with each and every kitten we produce here. We have produced red, black, cream, blue, tortie, tabby, calico, silver tabby, smoke tortie, and smoke/silver in every solid color so far. They really are all just gorgeous.

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Feline Herpesvirus & Diarrhea

1/12/2025

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Before treatment

What are the most common symptoms of stress in kittens?
As simple as it should seem, cats should just be healthy. They come and go and seem to be fine when you are talking about taking in a free barn kitten or stray cat. However, when it comes to spending money and investing in an expensive pedigreed cat...this can all change in the blink of an eye!

When I decided I wanted to raise Maine Coon cats, my thoughts were seriously "how difficult could it be?". Considering I have raised Toy Poodles since the late nineties, I really didn't think there would be a big difference but boy was I wrong!

Here are a couple of stress symptoms to watch out for so you are prepared...
Cats are susceptible to reacting so oddly to stress. They can carry dormant viruses that are set off and activated by simple things like moving from one environment to a new one, giving birth, introducing a new pet, or even a routine visit to the vet office. An example of this is feline herpesvirus (FHV). This is also known as feline viral rhinotracheitis (FVR). One minute your kitty is fine and happy, the next it sneezes or has a crusty eye that won't open. Of course I had to learn this the hard way! I once had a momma cat start sneezing and passed on these symptoms to her litter soon after giving birth. The environment was clean, they were all well taken care of and my vet said "oh Cyndi, all animals sneeze, don't worry so much" (it was a more lengthy conversation but I remember his statement). This was before any eye infections presented themselves. Then the next time I spoke to him was to tell him I was bringing them in for check ups because we had a kitten pass away. There were more symptoms showing up by this time, but my vet did not question the issue ever again. I will state that we did not do a necropsy on the kitten that passed away and momma could have laid on it in the night but I was not about to play guessing games with the rest of the litter. He diagnosed the adult and kittens with feline herpesvirus. This was dealt with quickly and they all retuned to a healthy state pretty fast once treatment began. Talk about a scary situation!

I have had a couple of kittens go to the vet, pass their exams with flying colors, go to their new homes healthy and seem perfectly fine. Then they sneeze for a day! So far, a few sneezes were all that were ever reported to me and they went away by the next day with no nasal discharge or eye infections. A clear bill of health was given from their veterinarians as soon as they were checked out as well.

Eye infections in kittens are nothing to procrastinate about. They can turn into an ulcer on the eye and damage them permanently. However, it is so simple to treat. It has only happened a couple of times that we have had kittens sneeze or get an infected eye but it was treated immediately and the infection never returned. FVR is the major cause of most upper respiratory disease in felines and can lead to the eye infection (pictured here) that is commonly called conjunctivitis. These issues are highly contagious and once it has infected a cat, they are carriers for life. They good news is, it lies dormant and is only going to typically become symptomatic if their immune system is compromised (stress or other illness). The virus particles can also be passed through contaminated objects or contact with an infected cat within the incubation period of the disease (2 - 5 days). I will say that the worst case we have seen is the eye infection and sneezing. I have not seen anything other than clear nasal discharge but I am certain it can become much worse if left untreated. From what I have been told, researched, and learned from our veterinarians, feline herpesvirus is carried by pretty well all felines but asymptomatic.

Home treatment for feline herpesvirus for us was very simple but it was done after a vet visit and prescriptions filled (by our vet). We gave all kittens clavamox oral drops for ten days, twice a day. However, I did not think it was working quickly enough so my vet gave me gentamicin and albuterol for my nebulizer and I did fifteen minute nebulizer treatments once to twice a day until sneezing stopped. We went through three different eye antibiotic ointments until we figured out which one worked the best. Turns out terramycin was the best and those meds were all purchased through our veterinarian office. However, you can still buy terramycin over the counter in some stores like Tractor Supply.

Diarrhea in kittens
Lets talk about the other big issue that comes hand in hand with stress in cats. Diarrhea! Yuck! Nothing is quite as gross and stinky as cat feces. Protozoans are normally the culprit of runny poo in cats and they can lie dormant in the intestines just waiting for that first opportunity to attack. I have seen both Giardia and Coccidiosis in kittens and as much of a pain it is to deal with, it is so simple to treat. Knowing that it is possible to come about when kittens are being weaned, we have PCR fecals done by our vet at their first exam. Normally our fecal tests come back negative/clear of any findings (protozoan and parasites) but please understand that this can change in a matter of hours! Even deworming a young animal can activate these irritants. This is why we never give wormer medication to any of our kittens unless the fecal results find it necessary. It has been years since we have ever had any kind of parasite/worms found in our cats. We keep our cats indoors in a clean environment so contamination is rarely a problem in our home.

If diarrhea persists for more than 24 hours, you must take a fecal sample to your vet immediately. I mention 24 hours because there are many things that can bring on a loose stool (change in food is one) and it could correct itself quickly on its own. Although your cat might act normal, you want to get this under control quickly. Diarrhea can lead to dehydration and they may stop eating and become lethargic. You want to nip this in the bud quickly but know it is 100% curable if caught in time. These are just part of the possible stress symptoms that come with acclimating a new kitten into your new home. I will say that 99% of our kittens go home with simple transitions but you need to be aware that it is always possible for things to not go as planned.

After treatment

Treating stress in kittens
I am not a veterinarian and do not pretend to be when it comes to my animals. I will not supply the dosage here but will tell you what it took to treat the following issues. These were diagnosed through our licensed veterinarian and medications were prescribed/purchased through them as well.

Coccidiosis (coccidia): Albon, Ponazuril, or Toltrazuril
Giardia: Fenbendazole & Metronidazole
Tritrichanomis: Ronidazole
Conjunctivitis: Terramycin, Neo-Poly-Bac
Feline Herpesvirus: oral Clavamox, & nebulizer solution of Gentamycin (& Albuterol if necessary)

1/12/2025
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What is the most popular color of Maine Coon cat?

Feline Herpesvirus & Diarrhea

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