Introduction
Though not quite as rare as a smoke, silver, or gold Maine Coon, the black and white Maine Coon is less well known than an all-too-common black or brown tabby.
Colors described for Maine Coons include black with a white spotting gene overcoat superimposed on a base of solid black pigmentation. Thus, the Maine Coons can range in appearance from all black through mostly white, and every combination in between, with white spotty appearances. The tuxedo pattern is common where the coat is predominantly black with white at the belly, paws, chest, and chin.
However, in reality, even black and white Maine Coon cats are singular in nature, and the coloring black and white is quite intrigue-inspiring.
As such, a black and white Maine Coon cat may seem particularly special and beautiful, but most people just have a tendency to overlook that coloration’s beauty and consider it normal. Below are some of the coolest facts about Maine Coon cats, including just why the black and white coloration is such a showstopper on this breed of feline.
The Maine Coon in Black and White
The Maine Coon breed of domestic cat is gigantic in build and hails from natural Maine. They are a long-haired breed, having an extremely thick undercoat, coming in over 75 color and pattern combinations-most of them very popular today in the modern world. But sometimes, the more unusual colors such as gold smoke or silver shell Maine Coon cats are thought of as superior to this black and white Maine Coon, which is truly a sad thing. When this variety reaches full growth, it is just as dramatic and imposing as any other Maine Coon.
But what is a black and white Maine Coon, exactly?
Of course, it is a bi-colour Maine Coon. A bi-colour cat is a one-colour base of coat cat with patches of white mixed in which can be solid or patterned. The base colour of Maine Coons is pure black with white spots, bi-colour in black and white. But since each cat has a different proportion of black and white, no two black-and-white Maine Coons will look alike.
The degree of white spotting can vary in itself and, instead of occurring in a haphazard patchy pattern on the body, generally starts to show on the paws, abdomen, and chest and then enlarges. For instance, a cat with very minimal white spotting would have only the tail, forehead, and ears black, while one with a lot of white spotting would have a white patch on the chest and paws white.
The tuxedo pattern of the bicolor Maine coon may be either a black or white cat with white patching on the chin, chest, paws, and belly. The bicolor cats are sometimes a little more complicated to breed, since it’s practically impossible to predict just exactly how their white spotting will appear. Breeders can make an accurate estimation based on a cat’s parents. A cat’s white spotting may be as much or less than its parents.
What that means is, breeding two tuxedo Maine Coons together would result in a similarly patterned cat with reduced white spotting over their bodies. This, therefore, is good information for the breeders of Maine Coons.
Is a Black and White Maine Coon Cat Possible?
Maine Coons can express black or white but only if they have the gene for white spotting. The pointed cat, such as a Ragdoll or Siamese cat is not a Maine Coon. Of course if a cat has the white spotting gene on a black base it then becomes a black and white Maine Coon. There are usually only two main colours of cat coats:
- Black, because of eumelanin
- Red, because of pheomelanin
These colours may be modified and/or modulated through dilution. A diluted black cat, for example, might also be blue, chocolate, or fawn. Contrary to black and red, however, white is not a colour in the context of pigmentation of a cat’s coat. It is rather the absence of colour. The general body background of a cat is overlaid with white. There are multiple ways in which it might appear in the cat, including
- Albinism
- The color-point gene responsible for patterns in Ragdolls or Siamese cats
- Rare mutations in DNA
The KIT gene causes both dominant white and white spotting. The introduction of the KIT gene into the W locus with partiality results in a chief or entirely white cat. However, there occurs white spotting once the gene has been fully trained.
Summary
Adorable black and white Maine Coons can vary that ratio of the two colors a great deal from extreme to extreme. You might have a Maine Coon that is almost all black, just with a tiny smidgen of white, vice versa, or anything in between. Even though black and white Maine Coons are quite common, they surely are beautiful and often much less expensive than more rare hues and patterns.
