[cooncatbob]

I was watching "Too Cute" on Animal Planet last night because one of the set of kittens were Maine **** Cats and I can't believe all the misinformation the narrator spewed.
He went on and on about how they would grow to be 25-30 lb cats, everything I've read and my personnel experience is female about 15 lbs and males 18-20.
Then they show a cat that they said was the father and said he was only 9 months old, would a reputable breeder stud a 9 month old cat?
Then they said he was 25 lbs when he could not have been more then 15 lbs.
Is there any cat that has more myths and misinformation then the MCC?
In 1995 before I got Samantha I'd heard the stories of the giant cats but I went to Petsmart and bought the book "This is the Maine **** Cat" and that book set me straight, also made me want one even more.
The MCC is the 2nd most popular Purebred Cat in the US, why can't these show that are suppose to inform us separate fact form fiction?

 

[Cats&Plants]

Media is full of mis-information. I don't believe a thing I hear on TV or in newspapers. I take their information and do my own research and then use that information to judge who is right.

Even when a so-called "professional" is spewing their information I take it with a really big grain of salt and do the due diligence in research before I take their word for it. Take vets for example, most of them will push their dry kibble premium foods on our cats and dogs and because they have Dr. in front of their names the vast majority of the population take their word as truth. I know not all vets are bad - but we've all seen and heard the horror stories on this very forum.

Now that I have been told I am diabetic and I am changing my lifestyle accordingly, I am discovering that it's rampant everywhere, and a lot of it boils down to the all mighty dollar. That's the sad truth of our world. Many people have forgotten how to think for themselves and believe everything in the media is accurate. Education is key to this - and I'm not talking university etc - just using the grey matter between your ears and reading. Too bad so many people don't have time or inclination to do that.

 

[jusjim]

The MCC is the 2nd most popular Purebred Cat in the US, why can't these show that are suppose to inform us separate fact form fiction?

Fact is often not as dramatic as fiction and doesn't attract such large audiences. Lots of viewers means lots of advertising. Phony fact, though, pulls big.

 

[cooncatbob]

Fact is often not as dramatic as fiction and doesn't attract such large audiences. Lots of viewers means lots of advertising. Phony fact, though, pulls big.

But there's a big difference between a 15 lb cat and a 25 lb cat.
He's trying to pass of a 15 lb cat as 25lb, a 15 lb cat is just a good sized cat, a 25 lb cat is a gigantic cat and the cat they were show wasn't even that big for a MCC, he might have even been close to 12 then to 15.

 

[KittehLuv'n]

I watched that episode too. I was very surprised they had a nine month old breeding. And, no, he definitely was NOT full grown from his looks.

The episode with Ragdolls had some misinformation also.

The show is still "too cute" tho'

 

[cooncatbob]

I love the Kittens too, but someone interested in a Maine **** might be scared off at the thought of a 25-30 cat.

 

[Dave_ph]

Animal Planet is where I learned that an M on the forhead is how you spot a Maine ****.

I was soundly corrected by my peeps on catforum when I repeated that.

 

[RascalDog]

Our Vet is a big fan of Maine Coons, only has cat patients. He takes pictures of all his patients and has a number of very large MC's. His largest is 44 lbs and I actually got a chance to meet this giant cat, who was boarded at the time of my visit. Our Vet said I could pick him up, so I did. I can vouch for his weight, no doubt a very heavy MC. What a purr machine and very friendly. I wouldn't say he was fat either, just a much larger version of my MC's.

Maine Coons larger than 25-30 lbs are fairly rare though. The breeder of our MC's has a couple of males that are between 25 and 30 lbs but she has a hard time believing there is a 44 lb MC.

 

[cooncatbob]

Our Vet is a big fan of Maine Coons, only has cat patients. He takes pictures of all his patients and has a number of very large MC's. His largest is 44 lbs and I actually got a chance to meet this giant cat, who was boarded at the time of my visit. Our Vet said I could pick him up, so I did. I can vouch for his weight, no doubt a very heavy MC. What a purr machine and very friendly. I wouldn't say he was fat either, just a much larger version of my MC's.

Maine Coons larger than 25-30 lbs are fairly rare though. The breeder of our MC's has a couple of males that are between 25 and 30 lbs but she has a hard time believing there is a 44 lb MC.

True, I belong to a MCC forum in the UK and 20-25 lb males are kinda common, my Samantha was quite large for a female coonie at 17 lbs, when I brought her to the vet for the 1st time they though she was a boy until they saw the Torbie Colors.
Samantha Dad was 18-20 lbs, the shaggy coat makes them look 5-10 lbs more then they actually are.

 

[doodlebug]

Misinformation on TV? Nah...get out? Seriously? :lol:

 

[Mhelmandollar]

They had a few things wrong with the Savannah's

 

[spotty cats]

would a reputable breeder stud a 9 month old cat?

Sure, in many breeds boys work at or before 6 months.

 

[Mimosa]

Sure, in many breeds boys work at or before 6 months.

Probably the kind of breeds where they don't do a lot of health tests ? Where I'm from only backyard breeders would let a male breed that early. Breeders want to see how a male develops first, under one year of age the cat is still growing a lot and a lot of defects can still come to light.
Tests like the HCM ultrasound are routinely done in several breeds here and are a lot less reliable before one year of age.

A friend of mine has a cat that bred at seven months, he was meant as a pet but since he was imported and very goodlooking she had breeders clamoring for stud service. He started fighting with her neutered male so she wanted to neuter him too but someone convinced her to let him breed her queen beforehand. He got checked by the vet who gave him a clean bill of health. A couple of months after the breeding it turned out he had luxating patellas, probably hereditary according to the orthopedic specialist. Oops.

 

[Huge2]

Something on a tv show was wrong? Well I never!

 

[GhostTown]

Is there any cat that has more myths and misinformation then the MCC?

YES!

They do the same thing for Ragdolls. Maybe even worse.

 

[Dave_ph]

If I tried to pick Fay up upside down she'd spened the next week hiding.

Unless she heard the treats bag really soon after.

 

[Huge2]

If I tried to pick up Peggy upside down, I would lose a couple of limbs...

 

[GhostTown]

Truman goes limp as a noodle when you pick him up, and in fact his over all flexibility astounds me. He fits that description in every way.

But based off of my polling of Ragdoll owners elsewhere, the average male ragdoll is not between 15 to 20 pounds, but more like 12 to 15.

As well, the many statements made about lack of shedding. Again, individual cats vary, but over all it seems that most Raggies leave a trail of hair behind them where ever they go, especially in the spring months. Not just a little bit of hair. A lot of hair.

There are more things, but those are the two biggies.

 

[RascalDog]

Truman goes limp as a noodle when you pick him up, and in fact his over all flexibility astounds me. He fits that description in every way.

Dixie is the same way. She goes completely limp when I reach down to pick her up. She doesn't mind being held upside down, she never did. Wile E on the other hand wouldn't let me hold him upside down but I kept trying until he finally got used to it. Now he doesn't mind either.

 

[Dave_ph]

As well, the many statements made about lack of shedding. Again, individual cats vary, but over all it seems that most Raggies leave a trail of hair behind them where ever they go, especially in the spring months. Not just a little bit of hair. A lot of hair.

Fay leaves a fair amount of hair behind but you have to consider the ratio of hair left behind to apparent fluffiness. The hair on her favorite comforter, the one she stole before it made it to my bed, isn't that bad considering how fluffy she looks.

I find a fair amount of hair on the Colorpoint Shorthair's favorite backrest study pillow...that..she...stole from me. Theres a pattern here somewhere.