White Maine Coon Cat
Maine Coon cats have always looked majestic and regal, and the White Maine Coon Cat certainly doesn’t disappoint in this matter.
White Maine Coon cats have crisp white fur coats that glisten in the light. They have an increased genetic risk of being deaf, particularly those with blue eyes. Many people wrongly assume that all white Maine Coons are deaf, which is incorrect. In order to have a white Maine Coon kitten, one of the parents must be white too.
With fur as white as snow, this stunning cat has a truly magical appearance that you cannot help but admire.
But white is a non-color, keep reading to find out why.
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Can Maine Coons Be White?
Yes, the Maine Coon cat can be white.
Though it is important to note that white is not actually a color, instead, these stunning cats have a masking gene that covers up their true underlying coloring.
The female’s hidden’ coloring is only evident when they have a litter of kittens since the kittens will either be white, or the ‘hidden’ coloring, depending upon whether the dominant masking gene has been genetically transferred to the kitten, or not.
White Maine Coon cats are often referred to as a ‘non-color’.
They are extremely popular and will set you back an average of $1000 (£811). Many people think their fur glistens in the light.
The Cat Fanciers Association accepts ‘white’ as a solid Maine Coon color, as long as the cat has pink paw pads and pink nose leather. For more on their color classifications, click here.
Learn about the key Maine Coon characteristics, in this Maine Coon personality traits guide.
How Common Are White Maine Coon Cats?
Only 5% of the entire cat world population is white. This makes it pretty hard to find a pure white cat to buy in general terms, let alone find a white Maine Coon for sale!
Although there is no specific information available on how common White Maine Coon cats are, cat specialists do state that 15-40% of pure white cats (of any cat breed) have either one or two blue eyes.
A staggering 60-80% of these one or two blue-eyed white cats are thought to be deaf, compared to 20-40% who have normal hearing.
It is thought that pure white cats with one or two blue eyes account for 0.25 – 1.5% of the total cat population (source 1).
Other specialists think that white cats (without blue eyes) only have a 10-20% likelihood of being deaf.
Are White Maine Coons Deaf?
Maine Coons are known for being extremely talkative, and chatty with their family.
In fact, sometimes it feels like your cat is having a full-blown conversation with you! Take a look at the following video if you don’t believe me!
After watching the video, read on to find out what might be going on, if your Maine Coon seems to be ignoring you…
Sadly, the White Maine Coon is more prone to being deaf than other Maine Coon colorings, particularly if they have a set of stunning blue eyes.
This is because white cats, particularly the Maine Coon and Ragdoll breeds, are more likely to be born with congenital deafness.
Congenital deafness is thought to be pigment-related and causes cats to be born deaf, or partially deaf in either one or two ears.
Cats with this condition have melanocytes (melanin-producing cells) that are absent, or abnormal.
How To Tell If Your White Maine Coon Cat Is Deaf
Have you ever had problems with your ears?
I hope not, since it is not a pleasant experience at all, and you really do lose your sense of balance. You also feel dumb, because you have to repeatedly ask people to repeat themselves.
The situation is similar for the white Maine Coon cat. So, if you feel your Maine Coon is ignoring your calls (or you have to repeatedly call them), they may have an issue with their hearing.
Additionally, you might notice that your cat appears to lose their balance from time to time.
In situations such as this, get a veterinary professional to look in their ears.
In cases where the vet confirms that your white cat is deaf, make sure to take extra precautions to keep your pet safe.
Examples of this would be keeping your Maine Coon indoors, or only letting them roam outside within a cat-proofed garden, or on a leash.
This may sound rather cruel, however, your cat might not be able to hear nearby traffic or other dangers around them.
White Maine Coon Genetics
The genetics of a white Maine Coon cat is both fascinating and complicated.
Breeding white Maine Coon kittens is definitely more challenging than you might first think.
Here are a few genetic facts to consider:
1. Breeding
A white Maine Coon kitten can only be bred if one of the breeding parents is solid white in color.
2. Masking Gene
Breeders are unable to influence whether their white Maine Coon breeding cat passes on their ‘masking gene’ to the kitten.
The masking gene is necessary to produce a white Maine Coon cat since it acts as a blocker preventing the cats from other colorings showing.
3. Dominant Color
White is a dominant color that cannot skip a generation.
This particular characteristic is unable to be “transmitted from one generation to the next without showing that characteristic in each generation”.
4. Cat Litter Color
White Maine Coon cats produce cat litters that are either white in color, or the cat’s hidden masked coloring/pattern.
Breeders try to determine the white Maine Coons masked color/pattern by researching the breeding cats’ pedigree, and the offspring they have already produced in a controlled breeding environment.
5. Tiny Marking
Many white Maine Coon kittens have a tiny mark of color on top of their heads when they are born.
This disappears after a few months though, so breeders make note of this colored spot asap because it is the cat’s masked coloring.
Should the white kitten breed when they become an adult, it is possible that the kittens will either be white or the color which briefly showed as a mark on the top of the kitten’s head.
White Maine Coons And Sunburn
According to the RSPCA, white cats, in general, are more prone to getting sunburnt, than other cat colorings.
Owners should pay particular attention to protecting their White Maine Coon cat from the discomfort and potentially life-threatening damage of sunburn (source 1).
Here are a few useful tips to prevent your white Maine Coon’s skin from being burned by the sun:
- Keep white Maine Coon indoors.
- Do not let White Maine Coon lay in the sunshine.
- Use sunscreen on their nose, belly, groin, tips of ears, and any area of skin where there is no hair or thin patches of hair. I recommend using these pet-approved sunscreen wipes to apply sunscreen to your cat.
Are White Maine Coons Prone To Cancer?
The beautiful white Maine Coon really isn’t so lucky, because they are also prone to skin cancer too, due to their pale skin color.
According to the RSPCA, pure white cats are more likely to experience skin cancer around their ears, eyelids, and nose, where cat hair is either extremely thin or not present at all.
They identify ‘squamous cell carcinoma’ as the most likely cancer for white cats to develop, and owners should do everything they can to avoid this because this cancer causes pain and disfiguration (source 1).
Are White Maine Coon Cats Hard To Keep Clean?
Many people assume that owning a white cat is hard work, and they wouldn’t be wrong!
The white-colored Maine Coon isn’t any more prone to getting dirty than other Maine Coon colorings.
However, their fabulous pure white fur is such a crisp and solid color, that any piece of dirt that they touch will make their coat ‘look’ far dirtier than other cat colorings.
A white Maine Coons fur is easily stained by the foods they eat. Feces and urine will also taint fur color (nice!). If this happens, wipe your cat gently with a lukewarm cloth, to remove the dirt.
Finally, if you own a white Maine Coon cat, introduce them to the concept of bathing whilst they are still kittens.
Bathing will be a key way for owners to keep their treasured Maine Coons clean and dirt-free. It is important that you do not wait until they are adults, to do this.
You should also groom your cat daily, to remove tangled hair, dirt, and dander from their thick fur coat.
Are White Maine Coons Albino Cats?
It’s easy to see why many people assume the white Maine Coon cat is an albino cat, however, this assumption is completely incorrect.
If we take a closer look at the white-colored coat of the albino, we can see that it is the result of a genetic defect, which leaves cats with a lack of pigmentation, or color.
An albino cat’s parents both carry the genetic marker for albinism (source 1).
Visible skin around their eyes and mouth area is always pink. They also have pink noses, and their eyes may appear pinkish due to the lack of pigmentation in their iris.
If they are only part albino, however, these cats may have very pale blue eyes.
By comparison, the white Maine Coon is simply white because they have inherited the dominant marker gene, which covers up its underlying colorings.
This gene is so dominant that it always trumps any other genetic coloring present within the cat.
They have green, orange, blue, amber, copper, or gold eyes, in a range of different shades.
White Maine Coon Kitten Videos
If you’ve already fallen in love with the white Maine Coon already, fall a little bit further by taking a look at this adorable video of a white Maine Coon kitten growing up.
Credit for the Youtube video goes to Jose Entrena.
Naming Your White Maine Coon
I love naming pets. You can call them anything that you like.
So, if you are like me, and didn’t have the guts to name your kid with a super trendy celebrity kid-sounding name, why not name your cat like a star instead?!
Just remember, always do the ‘shout out‘ test first, before settling on your white Maine Coons name.
What is this?
Well, basically, if you don’t feel comfortable shouting out your cat’s proposed name in public, then pick a different name! Remember, the neighbors are always listening?!! haha
Here are a few really great names for your white cat:
- Snowdrop
- Casper
- Frosty
- Duchess
- Misty
- Luna
- Cloud
- Dove
- Chalky
- Ghost
So, I will just give a high-level description of the particular colorings my readers wanted to know more about. These include:
1. White And Black Maine Coon
There are two white and black Maine Coon colorings:
- Black Smoke And White
- Black And White
The former comes under the ‘Shaded/Smoke and White Color Class (Including Vans)’, as identified by the Cat Fanciers Association.
This Maine Coon cat will have the same color as defined for ‘black smoke’, with or without white on its face.
It is important that all four of their paws, belly, and bib are white.
The latter is included within the ‘Bi-Color Color Class (Including Vans)’, as identified by the Cat Fanciers Association.
These Maine Coon cats may or may not have white on their face, and are a combination of both black and white.
It is also important that all four of their paws have white on them, and that their belly and bib are white.
2. White And Grey Maine Coon Cat
There is no such thing as a ‘grey’ Maine Coon cat! Instead, ‘grey Maine Coons’ are actually included under the color category of ‘blue’.
The following are the only ‘white and grey’ Maine Coon cat color classifications available:
- Blue and White
- Blue-Cream and White
- Chinchilla Blue Silver and White
- Shaded Blue Silver and White
- Shell Blue-Cream and White
- Shaded Blue-Cream and White
- Blue Smoke and White
- Blue-Cream Smoke and White
According to the Cat Fanciers Association, the ‘blue and white’ Maine Coon is included within the Bi-Color Colour Class (Including Vans).
These Maine Coons may, or may not have white on their faces. They are also a combination of blue and white. It is imperative that they have white on the belly, bib, and all four of their paws.
The ‘blue-cream and white’ coloring fall under the ‘Parti-Color Color Class’.
Maine Coons included within this category have the coloring as defined for blue-cream, with or without white on their faces.
It is important that they have white on their belly, bib, and all four paws.
The following colorings are all part of the ‘Shaded/Smoke and White Color Class (Including Vans)’:
The ‘Chinchilla Blue Silver and White’ category.
Their color is as detailed as the ‘Chinchilla Blue Silver’, with or without white on their faces. It is important that they have a white belly, bib, and four paws with white on them.
The ‘Shaded Blue-Silver and White’ color category is the same as the ‘Shaded Blue Silver’, but they may or may not have white on their face.
They too must have a white belly and bib. All of their four paws must contain white.
The ‘Shell Blue-Cream and White’ coloring is as defined the ‘shell blue cream, with or without white on their little faces. It is imperative they have a white belly and bib.
The cat must also have white on all four of its paws.
If you are after a ‘Shaded Blue-Cream and White’ Maine Coon, they are the same coloring as the shaded blue-cream, but they may or may not have white on their face.
The ‘blue smoke and white’ is the same as detailed for blue smoke, but may or may not have white on their face. They have white on all four paws, bib, and belly.
Finally, ‘blue-cream smoke and white’ cats are the same as ‘blue cream smoke’ cats, with or without white on the face. They have white on all four paws, bib, and belly.
White Tiger Maine Coon
If you are looking for more information on the White Tiger Maine Coon cat, take a look at their Facebook page.
‘Maine Coon Central’ is not affiliated with this Facebook Page in any way, however, they do post some lovely pictures of the white tiger Maine Coon cat that you may appreciate.
Maine Coon Colors
If you are interested in learning more about the different Maine Coon colors available, take a look at my articles below:
1. Grey Maine Coon
Blue and grey are components of the same color. The Cat Fanciers Association does not include the ‘grey Maine Coon’ as an official color class though.
2. Black Maine Coon
With fur as dark as night, click here to find out some fascinating facts about the black Maine Coon cat.
3. Blue Maine Coon
Possibly the most fascinating Maine Coon color to exist.
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