Mestizos are kittens obtained by crossing animals of the same species, but of different breeds. Quite often, unscrupulous owners interbreed animals that already had some kind of marriage in the breed. Mestizo cats can usually have a defect in appearance or character that does not correspond to purebred individuals. Every year, the demand for exotic cat breeds is growing, while the Maine Coon mestizo was no exception.
Officially breeding mestizos of this breed is strictly prohibited. But in reality, it is not possible to control crosses, so amateur breeders often cross Maine Coon with different types of cats. Half-breeds are much cheaper in price relative to purebred individuals, which only increases their demand in the market. Before making a purchasing decision, it is worthwhile to carefully study all the pros and cons of different types of mestizos, because the result of such a cross can turn out completely unpredictable.
Description
In specialized nurseries it is forbidden to buy rejected individuals for breeding, but they can be purchased as a pet. The main condition for the purchase of such a baby is mandatory castration or sterilization of the kitten in the future. A mixed breed and a purebred cat are completely different.
Not a single mestizo will fully comply with the requirements of the behavior of a purebred thoroughbred individual.
The appearance of the half-breed can be the most diverse, it all depends on what genes were transmitted from the parents.
Purebred breed has such qualities as:
- goodwill;
- ease of communication with people and other cats;
- devotion;
- lack of aggression;
- loyalty;
- judiciousness.
When mating with an ordinary cat, the listed traits change, and sometimes even completely disappear. It is quite simple to distinguish a purebred Maine Coon: the representatives of this breed have slanting eyes, wide cheekbones, an elongated shape of the head, tassels on the ears, an unusually fluffy and long tail, massive legs. Babies weigh at least 2.5 kg at 3 months (an ordinary cat at this age weighs no more than 1 kg.). Adult males reach a length of about 1 meter and a weight of about 11 kg, height at the withers up to 40 cm (females are slightly smaller).
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage of half-breeds is their moderate cost. And mestizos are very accommodating and friendly. Despite its origin, such pets will be loyal and faithful friends. Another positive quality is the loving and sociable seals.
They can be compared with young children, because they love affection and attention very much, they are happy to reciprocate with their master.
Developed intelligence allows you to execute various commands, and a light susceptibility to information will help to quickly accustom a kitten to the tray. Mestizo - possessors of strong immunity, they are less sick. According to external data, they are not inferior to purebred cats. Their unusual color and fluffy tail can captivate anyone. To avoid surprises, before buying such a pet, you should carefully study the information about its parents.
The disadvantages include the lack of a pedigree and the inability to participate in exhibitions.
Mestizo breeding is undesirable, as there is a huge risk of death of a cat during childbirth due to the large size of the kittens.
Kinds
Throughout the existence of the Maine Coon breed, scientists have made many attempts to get mestizos. All this was done in order to add some qualities from other breeds to purebred individuals.
So, to get a large cat of unusual color, a full Maine Coon was crossed with a male of Siamese breed, but such an experiment was a failure due to the too different sizes of these cats.
When crossing with representatives of the Persian breed very often large red kittens with rather fluffy hair are obtained - no hint of resemblance to Maine Coons, gigantic Persian sizes. An attempt to cross a purebred individual with a bengal to increase the size of animals also failed.
The Maine Coon and Siberian cat kitten looks the most like a thoroughbred, but it will never grow to such a large size as that of a thoroughbred individual. Usually such kids are given out as noble, but they are offered at a discount, which lures unsuspecting customers. A cross between the Maine Coon breed and a domestic cat was completely random. The kitten has lost some positive character traits, but the coloring has been preserved.
Most often, Maine Coon mestizos are obtained by mating with an ordinary cat, and they are also bred with the British, Siberians, Neva Masquerade, Persian and other breeds.
As a result of interspecific crossing, kittens with an unpredictable length of hair can be obtained: it all depends on what kind of hair a partner has.
Breeding Features
It is strictly forbidden to breed mestizo Maine Coon, the seller must inform the buyer that the animal is a half-breed. However, buyers themselves should also not be vigilant and not buy kittens at a discount.
Upon reaching the appropriate age, the individual will have to be castrated or sterilized, otherwise offspring with genetic deformities may appear, which will manifest immediately or in the next generation.
If you cross a Maine Coon male with a female of smaller cat breeds, the mother is likely to die during childbirth due to too large kittens.
In terms of friendliness and sociability, mestizos are categorical in nature: a kitten can be either too friendly and even somewhat annoying or aggressive. Unscrupulous breeders, as well as inexperienced lovers, for example, seeing that the kitten turned out to be like a bengal, and not the Maine Coon, who are dissatisfied with the appearance, can simply throw the animal out into the street, condemning it to hunger and wandering. Therefore, kittens are often tried to sell as early as possible, while it is difficult to distinguish from purebred.
It is often better to buy a purebred Siberian cat than a mestizo. Purebred feline much better in health and character traits than a mixture.
Important! Demand creates supply, and while such individuals are willingly bought up by people, breeding of half-breeds will not stop.
Care Tips
If you bought a mestizo, the first thing you need to do is show it to a professional veterinarian, determine the vaccination schedule and date of sterilization, as well as identify defects in the individual.
Based on the doctor’s opinion, care will be determined.
If everything is relatively in order with the kitten, then the recommendations for care are practically no different from the content of purebred cats, namely:
- daily combing by the furminator during active molting;
- the use of shampoo with conditioner for long-haired cats while swimming;
- diet of raw beef, boiled chicken and rabbit than purchased food;
- milk is prohibited;
- useful sour cream, kefir and cottage cheese;
- jelly food of a premium class is allowed, but there is a chance that then the cat will refuse natural food;
- it is recommended to rinse the eyes daily with a special composition in order to avoid infection;
- necessarily, the animal must have special toys for plaque removal;
- weekly ear cleaning with cotton swabs dipped in a special lotion;
- weekly manicure (the first procedure is recommended to be carried out by a specialist who will at the same time show how to do it correctly without touching the blood vessels);
- if the mestizo is large, a large tray is needed.
It is necessary to buy any thoroughbred purebred cat or cat upon reaching the age of 3.5 months - It is at this age that almost all defects are found, and in the Maine Coon thoroughbreds, tassels on the ears grow. The pedigree of a real Maine Coon should indicate 4 generations of its ancestors and their exhibition achievements, and also remember that thoroughbred cats are never sold at a discount (a culled individual is usually only one in a litter and costs 2-3 times cheaper, not 10%).
To find out how to determine the thoroughbredness of Maine Coon, see the video below.
