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Maine Coon Cat Body
By Maine Coon Cat Poly
How outcrossing to a poly Maine Coon impoves body type
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| GP RW Furkats winifre, blue eyed white Maine Coon Cat |
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Body By Poly A version of this article was published in Maine Attraction magazine, December 2003 davesworld@mweb.co.za
It should be noted that Furkats Winifred goes back to both the Tarbox line and the Dirigo line.
Why not use a Polydactyl in Your Breeding Program?
Give your top show cats that added body density by putting a polydactyl Maine Coon in your lines.
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| Wini on the judging bench |
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Historically Polydactyl Maine Coons have been a significant part of this breed. According to some sources the poly represented 40 percent of the original Maine Coon population. These cats are the sturdy and rugged examples of the breed. They were treasured for their hunting ability and helped to define the breed as a working breed. The polydactyl cat will have extra toes on their front feet and sometimes on their back feet. For each toe there are supporting muscles, tendons and ligaments that cause the legs and chest to be larger than in the smaller footed cat. When the cat is lifted this extra body density is immediately evident in the polydactyl. The gene for polydactyl is a dominant gene, which dominates about 50% of the time. Dominant genes are stronger than recessive genes. We are fortunate that we are breeding for a solid rugged cat that could survive in harsh climates. This is in contrast to some breeds that select for delicate bone structure or petite animals. We want to enhance body density so that the cat has the appearance of strength and power. The trait of polydactyl seems to be similar to the other traits in that there is a cumulative affect over generation. For example when breeding for the color silver, it takes many generations to develop a good silver color. When breeding for body density it can take many generations to cultivate the trait. When the decedents of polydactyls are used in a breeding program in combination with top show cats it will produce even more competitive off spring. GP, RW Furkats Winifred is now 2 years old. She has been competing in CFA shows in the Premiership (alter) class and has been very competitive even against the larger males. So competitive that she achieved a Midwest Regional Award for the 2004/2005 CFA show season as 11th Best Cat in the Midwest in addition to being the 11th Best Maine Coon in the nation. She was the highest scoring female Maine Coon in Premiership for that show year. The comments of many of the judges are that "you should feel this girl's body". Other comments have been as follows:
continues on Maine Coon Cat Body part 2
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