With their lengthy coats cascading and sizable forms gracefully advancing, the regal Maine Coon cats stand as one of America’s ancient natural breeds, tracing their origins to the 1850s. Despite their somewhat imposing physique, these felines rank among the most mild-mannered in our acquaintance.
Of course, this meant that the Maine Coon breed quickly rose to popularity when it was discovered, leading to some stunning color and pattern variation.
One of these colors is a gorgeous rusty brown, which is what we’ll be discussing in the following post. Where did brown Maine Coons come from? Are they popular? What kind of variations are there? If you’re a Maine Coon fanatic or new to the breed, read on to find the answers and know more about the stunning brown Maine Coon.
Contents
The History of Cocoa Maine
Brown Maine Coons played a crucial role in the breed’s history and evolution. The inaugural record of a brown Maine Coon traces back to 1895, spotlighting Cosie, a brown tabby that triumphed in a cat show.
Following this milestone, the popularity of the Maine Coon breed waned, resulting in a historical gap of around 40-50 years where details are scarce. However, dedicated enthusiasts persisted in breeding these affable giants, safeguarding the breed from potential extinction.
In 1969, the owner of the Heidi Ho cattery – Connie – in Washington DC undertook a stray cat, who gave birth to four kittens, one of which was a brown and white tabby named Andy. Connie wasn’t a breeder at that time, but her friend persuaded her to mate Andy with another cat.
Andy was also taken to cat shows, which he unsurprisingly won, and where Connie discovered that Andy was a Maine Coon. This marked the beginning of her cattery, which would soon contribute greatly to the popularity of the Maine Coon breed. In fact, most pedigrees today can be linked back to Sonkey Bill – the brown tabby who was Andy’s Grandson.
Meanwhile, in the UK, the first-ever shipment of Maine Coons from overseas arrived at Mrs Brownsell’s cattery named Patriarca. The first litter of the initial breeding group had five cats, one of which was a brown tabby with white named Nephrani Dexter.
Most of the Maine Coons present in Britain during the 1980s could be linked back to this litter or the one from the Koonluv cattery, which also imported Maine Coons from the US.
The breed was now competing in cat shows across the UK, where many Maine Coons, including brown tabbies, won. However, due to tough competition, the brown tabby Maine Coon was awarded its own separate category within the Maine Coon Open class in 1999 by the GCCF.
Since then, many brown Maine Coons have won the ‘Supreme’ title as well, which is a very prestigious award offered at one of the world’s largest cat shows held by the GCCF.
Types of Rusty Cats
It’s no wonder that the first big cat show was won by a brown tabby Maine Coon. It’s such a classic and rich color that makes the gorgeous breed look even more majestic.
However, brown serves as a broad term encompassing various shades and patterns. Some may erroneously associate this color with chocolate, yet it’s an entirely distinct hue absent in Maine Coons.
As per the Cat Fanciers Association and the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, brown Maine Coons fall into the category of tabbies.
Tabby, not being a color but rather a pattern, is a characteristic present in all brown Maine Coons. Tabbies exhibit distinctive and dark lines forming an M shape on the forehead, resembling a frown, along with markings along the body.
In between the dark markings, the fur is made up of agouti hairs – a kind of hair composed of alternating brown, black, and yellow bands. All of this together creates the unique tabby pattern brown Maine Coons have.
Here are the kinds of brown tabbies you’ll find within this breed:
1. Brown Classic Tabby
The classic brown tabby has a beautiful rusty/coppery brown base color adorned with distinct black markings. With the M pattern on the forehead and bracelets around the legs, neck, and chest, these black markings set apart the tabbies to give their coat an intricate pattern.
These kinds of Maine Coons also have black lines on the top of the head that go on to form a butterfly-shaped pattern at the back – another distinctive feature of the classic tabby. The sides of these cats have well-defined dark patches and swirls, surrounded by a warm coppery brown fur.
This captivating pattern is further enhanced by the beautiful blend of black and warm browns in the coat.
2. Brown Mackerel Tabby
The Mackerel tabby gets its name from the black vertical stripes that run down the body of Maine Coons, resembling a fish skeleton. These stripes are close together and narrow, emerging from one big stripe that runs down from the head all the way along the spine. It often looks like tiger stripes, especially with the brilliant copper base color.
3. Brown Ticked Tabby
While the GCCF doesn’t acknowledge the ticked pattern for this breed, the Cat Fanciers Association and The International Cat Association do. These Maine Coons exhibit agouti hair across their bodies, characterized by bands of black, brown, and yellow.
The defined black markings and stripes are absent, so the coat looks like an even brown with only a few, undefined dark patches on the sides. The M markings and rings on the legs are still visible, though.
4. Brown Patched Tabby
A brown patched tabby Maine Coon can have either a classic, ticked, or mackerel pattern. The only difference is that there will be bright patches of red in the coat as well, which looks more like an orange rather than red. The base color will still be a rich, rusty brown.
You’ll also be able to see red patches on the Maine Coon’s face.
5. Brown Tabby and White
A brown tabby Maine Coon with white colors is recognized as a separate color class by CFA and GCCF, both.
They can have any of the three tabby patterns prevalent within Maine Coons, with brown and dark brown/black patches and designs on the body. The distinguishing feature is the pure white area that goes along the chest and the belly. And although the legs are brown with dark markings, all four paws on such Maine Coons are white.
It’s an eye-catching mix of colors with distinct white and brown areas that make this color class so unique.
6. Brown Patched Tabby and White
The brown patched tabby Maine Coon with white can also have any of three patterns alongside white on all the areas as the regular tabby would have. There’s an addition of beautiful, brilliant red patches on their coats though, making it a striking blend of four different colors with the base color as brown.
How Common are Brown Maine Coons?
Brown Maine Coons are pretty common. In fact, it’s a variation of one of the most basic and common colors in cats, i.e. black, so brown is pretty prevalent in many breeds, including the Maine Coon.
It’s important to note, though, that when I say brown, I’m specifically referring to brown tabbies. A solid brown is very, very rare – one of the most uncommon colors in cats. The only cat breeds that are commonly found in solid brown shades are the Havannah Brown, the Oriental Shorthair, and the Burmese.
To really understand why solid brown is such a rarity, it’s important to understand the genetics behind this color.
Where Do Maine Coons Get Their Brown Color From?
The pigment influencing a cat’s fur hue is melanin, with one element named eumelanin responsible for black pigment. The gene responsible for eumelanin production is denoted as ‘B.’
Conversely, brown cats possess a gene diminishing or diluting eumelanin, transforming it into a brown hue. Essentially, brown cats are akin to black cats but harbor a mutated gene, lightening eumelanin in their fur. This gene is identified as ‘b.’
Why are Solid Brown Maine Coons Rare?
I don’t think anyone has ever bred a solid brown Maine Coon – they are always tabby or a ticked tabby that looks evenly brown for the most part.
This is because locus ‘b’ is a recessive allele of the B gene (for black). You need two copies of the b gene in order to achieve a solid brown coat. Meanwhile, B is a dominant gene, so it needs only one copy to show its effect, which is why black is common.
Here’s an example from the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Lab that can help explain this better:
- A cat that carries the B/B genes will be black for sure.
- A cat that has the B/b genes will still be black because B is dominant. It will be a carrier of the brown color gene, though.
- A cat that carries the b/b gene set will definitely be solid brown since it has two copies of the recessive gene b.
So for the offspring to be brown, two cats with either the B/b or b/b gene set must mate. It’s also important to note that unless both parents are b/b, only a small percentage of offspring will turn out to be brown.
For instance, if two cats with B/b genes mate, only 25% of their offspring will be solid brown. If a cat with the B/b gene set and another with b/b mate, 50% of their offspring will be brown.
The solid brown is also affected by many other genes, such as the recessive a/a gene and the S gene that determines white spots. All of these factors combined make the solid brown especially rare, except in a few breeds.
Is My Maine Coon Brown or Black?
Sometimes black Maine Coons can look brown, even though they’re not. You may even think that you’ve found the rare solid brown cat when in reality, it’ll just be a solid black coat that is turning brown.
This can often happen when your cat spends too much time sunbathing, which in turn can lighten the black pigment in fur and make it reddish brown.
If your Maine Coon’s undercoat is evenly black while the outer layer is slightly brown-copper, chances are, it’s been exposed to too much sun. The color change can also happen in patches, causing only some parts of the body to look brown.
Another reason this could happen is due to a deficiency of tyrosine – a non essential amino acid that’s part of a cat’s diet. Decreased protein intake can often cause this, resulting in black hair slowly turning brown.
Do Brown Cats Have Special Grooming Needs?
In contrast to white coats, maintaining brown fur doesn’t necessitate any unique measures; you can adhere to your usual grooming routine for Maine Coons.
Brush regularly, a few times per week, to avert tangles. Engage in routine baths using a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner to maintain a smooth, sleek coat. Including an omega-3 fatty acid-rich diet will further amplify the shine.
Final Thoughts
Brown tabby Maine Coons have been a part of this breed ever since humans started keeping them as pets. Their gorgeous patterns and fluffy ringed tails make them one of the most eye-catching coats to exist. And the best part? They’re easily available through any cattery and sometimes even shelters.
To find a breeder, visit the list on The International Cat Association’s webpage where you can find reputable catteries from across the globe.
