How Big do Maine Coons Get

The Truth Behind the Size of a Maine Coon

The extraordinary Maine Coon. How Big do Maine Coons get? They are the largest domesticated cat breed. However, some photos online get angles of a Maine Coons that make them look larger than the true size.

I certainly don’t know everything about Maine Coons, but I know a lot! I have had upwards of 75 Maine Coon cats and kittens come through my life and cattery. I always like to share my experience with readers. When we added Maine Coons to our life, we were not sure what to expect on true size. You can see the photo below of my 7-year-old holding my 2 year old Maine Coon male cat Marlin. I would like to add that Marlin is now 3.5 years of age, and his biggest growth spurt happened this year.

Yes, he is big in the photo, but has increased in length and weight by 27% since this photo was taken. He is a very big cat. But the size of a Maine Coon includes their tail. According to the genuine Maine Coon characteristics recognized by The International Cat Association, the tail when pulled toward the cats head, should come to the shoulder blades of the cat.

Therefore, the tail is 3/4 the length of the cat’s body. Yes, they are huge but a lot of length is in the tail. In the photo below Marlin measures, from nose to end of tail, 38″ long. He weighed about 25 lbs. So, yes, the male Maine Coons are quiet large compared to other domesticated cats, but they are not the size of a lion like I have heard reference. The females, on the other hand, while they are still bigger than the average cat, they are significantly smaller than the males. My females are roughly 33″ long and weigh about 18 lbs. Below is a standard chart of comparison: