The Brown Tabby Maine Coon Cat Color
Classic and Beautiful
by Carrie Profenno: Author, lifelong Mainer & veteran Maine Coon owner
Brown tabby Maine Coon cats are so classic! My two Coonies were Classic Cameo Tabby (a light red, or cream color) and Black Smoke.
I'd really like a classic Brown Tabby for my next little one!
Over the years, some absolutely stunning Brown Tabby Maine Coons have been sent in to our monthly photo galleries.
Here are some beautiful cats and some fun facts for you to enjoy!
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Fun Fact:
As you probably know, this popular breed can come in a wide variety of colors!
This page is part of our color series, so be sure to visit some of our others.
Solid Black Maine Coons are very striking. Blue Smoke is unusual, solid red is quite rare, and don't forget the beautiful pure white cats with their fascinating masking gene!
I'm partial to the red tabby color, of course, so we also have a page dedicated to the vibrant red color.
Next up will be a page dedicated to silver Coonies.
There are so many different color combinations, but I don't think any of them are quite as classic as the traditional brown tabby.
I think it's impossible to pick a favorite coat color!
McGregor:
Marvelous McGregor, a brown tabby Maine Coon from Latvia, really has that handsome classic look!
Evita in Riga, Latvia shares: "Thanks to this handsome guy I absolutely LOVE Maine Coons now, starting from the wild looks and their personality, oh, and they are so smart! :)"
Oh, yes, they really are!
Raeiya - Queen of Beds:
I simply cannot get over those emerald green eyes! Raeiya is royalty, indeed.
Ken in Merrimac, MA, USA shares: "When Raeiya is laying on it, every bed is queen-size."
Meet Josie from Colossal Cats in Florida!
Taylor in Tampa, Fl shares, "Josie is the most easy going of all our cats, she just hangs out on the high shelves watching everyone.
Her mane gets huge, and she has the cutest hairy toes!! Her lynx ears are impressive as well. We love this gentle giant, and she is a wonderful mother."
What a beautiful brown tabby Maine Coon Cat!
All About The Brown Tabby Maine Coon: Different Patterns:
Did you know there are multiple tabby patterns?
According to breed standards, a Brown Tabby Maine Coon (or other tabby colors including a Red or Silver Tabby) may be Classic Tabby, Mackerel Tabby, or Ticked Tabby.
The classic tabby pattern has wider markings and a swirl shape on the side, whereas the mackerel pattern is described as having more narrow pencil-like markings.
Both are clearly defined and both have the M on the forehead.
A ticked tabby Maine Coon has the full tabby markings on it's head and legs.
The body will not have a noticeable pattern, but the hairs will be "ticked," meaning if you look closely at each individual hair, it will be marked with bands of alternating colors.
These are also called agouti hairs. The Abyssinian cat breed has these agouti hairs.
Of course, with the shaggy coats and bushy tails of a Maine Coon, it can sometimes be difficult for the average cat lover to tell which tabby pattern they are looking at!
Thornplum Marley:
I don't think it gets any more classic than this photo of Marley!
Sharon in Brooklin, Maine shares: "Marley is 4. He is the sweetest most loving cat; my constant companion.
He is very vocal and still has a kitten voice and very much a kitten personality. He loves the outdoors and is forever asking to go out in his pen, even in the winter!"
Little Luigi:
Luigi from our Winter 2016 Album is a great example of the Brown Tabby Maine Coon with the Classic Tabby pattern.
Joel in New Jersey says: "In late January we added a new member to our family.
"Little" Luigi is our first Maine Coon. We already have two Oriental Shorthairs who have welcomed our precious newcomer."
Montgomery:
Patrick in Ontario, Canada shares his sweet boy: "Montgomery is a purebred Maine Coon from the Lilicoon breeders in Quebec, Canada.
He has been a little adorable fur ball from day one. He sometimes crawls into bed, sleeps on his back with his head on the pillow. This never fails to elicit a giggle from us.
He's definitely a clown. He can get a little overly rambunctious when he's playing/hunting, but that generally involves him rolling off the couch or some other bit of silliness.
He was named after the famous WWII allied general."
"What color eyes will a brown tabby Maine Coon have?"
These beauties can have a variety of eye colors! Blue eyes are only allowed in a solid white cat or a cat with white.
So a brown tabby Maine Coon Cat will have green, gold, or green-gold eyes.
But, a brown tabby with white, like Luke below, may have one or two blue eyes! How special!
"What does it mean to have a cat With White?"
A cat that is brown tabby with white will be a brown tabby, with white chest (bib), belly, and all paws.
Cats with Van coloring are mainly white, with coloring limited to the head and tail, and sometimes a small part on the body.
Van cats can have any most color presenting in their colored areas, including black, red, or brown tabby.
Even within the Brown Tabby Maine Coon Cat Color, a number of patterns and different looks are possible!
Luscious Luke:
Luke looks like he may be a Van!
He is just over a year old in this photo, where Pat in Freeville NY shares: "He has one blue eye and one golden eye. I caught him snuggling up to a duck figurine on my mother's porch and he looks so sweet and beautiful! He has gorgeous ear tufts too.
He also has a "wonky" tail. We had him x-rayed and the tail bone comes out from his body and does a complete loop, like a pigtail. This means he cannot raise his tail. Instead it just hangs down. But even so, he is the most beautiful boy!"
Big Beautiful Ben Cartwright:
This gorgeous boy knows how to show off in his brown tabby coat!
Pamela in San Diego shares: "Ben Cartwright is such is big love. He has been in lots of cat shows. People love to take his photo. He is very funny and snuggles all the time.
I named him after the memory of watching Bonanza with my dad many years ago. I feel very lucky to have such an amazing Maine Coon."
"What color paw pads will a Brown Tabby Maine Coon Have?"
According to the Cat Fanciers’ Association breed standard, paw pads and nose color (called leather) in these brown tabby cats of black or brown is desirable.
In brown patched tabby color, which has patches of red, brick red is also considered desirable. [1]
Sir Arthur Brandybuck of Addison Downs:
Arthur is the handsome brown tabby Maine Coon brother of Marley, above! What a family!
Sharon tells us: "Arthur is 13 and weighs 20 Lbs.
He is a big boned boy but is missing the 'I'm full' gene so keeping him at 20 Lbs is a challenge! He loves playtime on the lawn and leash walks through the woods."
"What is the difference between a brown tabby cat and a Maine Coon?"
Brown Tabby is a coloring. It's a color pattern that any domestic house cat such as domestic shorthair, domestic medium hair or domestic long hair (DSH, DMH, DLH) can have.
These cats (and the vast majority of house cats) are a mixture of many breeds.
In contrast, a Maine Coon is not a style of cat, but a breed, like Ragdolls, or Bengals, or Persian cats or other breeds.
So although a Maine Coon Cat comes in many different colors and is a natural breed, it is a purebred cat, found through Maine Coon breeders.
Classic Enzo:
Amy in SC shares: "This is Enzo. He is 2 years old. He is such a sweet boy.
He is my talkative one. He is always trilling. His most favorite thing to do is fetch the cat spring toys. He is obsessed with those."
Awesome Augustine:
Joanna Lambe in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom shares her special boy Augustine:
"He weighs in at 22lbs and is a gentle giant. A very pampered kitty, who loves his heated throw, now that it’s getting colder. We live in Northern Ireland.
I got my first two Maine Coon brown tabby brothers back in 1996, one of which lived till he was eighteen.
Took me a while after he passed away to come around to getting another, but Augustine, who usually answers to Buddy, is a very special boy!"
These Brown Tabby Maine Coon cats are so amazing and beautiful inside and out! I can't imagine a more purr-fect furry family member.
Top of Brown Tabby Maine Coon Color
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[1] Maine Coon Cat Breed Standard - The Cat Fanciers’ Association, Inc. (n.d.). The Cat Fanciers’ Association. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://cfa.org/maine-coon-cat/maine-coon-cat-breed-standard/
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