Re: 12/7 Rusty AMPS 138, +4 86
Probably more than you'd ever want to know about Coons and Wegies
My opinion was based mostly on the shape of his head and ear-set. I cannot, for instance, speak to the squareness of Rusty's rump...
excerpts from Cat Fanciers' Federation breed standards:
MAINE COON CAT
The Maine Coon is a working cat, muscular, solid, medium to large in size. This cat is a result of natural evolution. Males may be larger, females are usually smaller. Females should not be penalized because of this size difference. Allowance should be made for slow maturation, as a Maine Coon does not achieve ultimate type until three to four years of age. Type must not be sacrificed for size, or size for type.
Head: The head is medium in width and slightly longer than wide with a squareness to the muzzle. Allowance should be made for broadening in older males and studs. Cheek bones are high. Chin is firm and in line with the upper lip and nose. The nose is medium long, with a gentle concave curve, with no bump or break.
Ears: Ears are large, tall, tapering to a point, wide at the base, set high, no more than an ear’s width apart. Lynx tipping is desirable. Tufting (hair growing from inside the ear) should extend beyond the ears.
Allowance: A slightly wider ear set is allowed in older, mature males.
Eyes: Eyes are large and wide set with a slight oblique setting. Gold and/or green eyes are desired but not required. White cats may also be blue or odd-eyed (blue with gold or green). Clarity of eye color is desirable.
Body: The cat should be medium to large in size. Females are usually smaller and should not be penalized for size. The body should be long and with all parts proportioned to create a rectangular appearance. The neck is medium to long; it may be thick and muscular in older males. The body should feel solid with firm muscle and no flabbiness. When viewed from the rear, there should be a definite squareness to the rump.
Legs: The legs are well-muscled, medium in length, and in proportion to to body length.)
Feet: Paws are large, round and well-tufted underneath and between the toes.
Tail: The fur on the tail is long and flowing. The tail is wide at the base and gradually tapering.
Coat: The fur on the front shoulders is shorter and should become longer along the back towards the tail, ending in a shaggy heavy coat on the britches. The sides of the cat’s coat should gradually get longer until the stomach is reached, where it should be long and full. A full ruff is not expected; however, there should be a slight frontal ruff beginning at the base of the ears. The coat should have a fine but heavy texture, and should fall smoothly. The coat should have a lustrous sheen but should not be excessively oily or dull. A slight undercoat may be carried. This is the optimum coat and will vary with the climate. Cats should not be penalized for less than a full coat during the warm season nor shall they be penalized for a very full coat.
NORWEGIAN FOREST CAT
Head: Triangular shaped. Leaning toward, but not quite approaching an equilateral triangle (all three sides equal in length) from the outer base of the ear to the tip of the chin. The overall appearance should be as long as it is broad. The frontal skull is flat. The neck is medium to short with heavy musculature, not in proportion to the body. The nose is medium to long, straight from the top of the forehead to the tip of the nose with no break. Females may exhibit a minimal curvature but no break. Preference should be given to females with straight noses. The muzzle appears nearly square; this illusion is heightened by a well-developed chin the profile outline is more square than round, not sharply pointed, and with no evidence of snippiness, foxiness, or whisker pinch. Chin shall be firm with no malocclusions and shall be gently rounded in profile.
Ears: The ears are medium to large, slightly rounded at the tip, set as much on the side of the head as on the top of the head, upright, alert and arched forward as though listening. The ears are heavily tufted. Tip tufts are desirable but absence should not be considered a fault.
Eyes: Large, almond-shaped and expressive, set at a slight angle with the outer corner slightly higher than the inner corner. It should be noted that between the ages of 6 months to a year, the cat goes through a stage of development where the eyes appear almost round; this should change at the time of the first birthday. Green-gold eye color is the preferred color although shades of green and gold are accepted. White cats may be copper-eyed, blue eyed, or odd-eyed, in addition to shades of green and gold.
Body: The body is of moderate length, heavily boned, with a powerful appearance showing a full chest and considerable girth without being fat. Males should be large and imposing; females proportionately smaller than males. It should be noted that this breed is not fully mature until 5 years of age. The flank (fleshy areas) of the side between the ribs and the hips) has great depth causing considerable depth to the body when viewed from the side.
Legs: Legs are medium in length with the hind legs longer than the front legs making the rump higher than the shoulders. The thighs are heavily muscled with substantial lower legs. When viewed from the rear, the back legs are straight. The front feet appear to "toe out". The feet are large, round, firm and well tufted.
Tail: Long and flowing. The desirable length should be equal to the body length from the base of the tail to the shoulders.
Coat: A distinguishing double coat. When pressed down with the fingertips, an impression should be left in the coat. The outer coat is long and smooth, soft and not dry, with oily guard hairs covering the undercoat. The undercoat should be dense and cottony. The ruff consists of 3 separate sections: short back of the ruff, side muttonchops, and a full frontal bib. Allowance shall be made for less ruff and britches in younger cats under 2 years of age. The britches are full on the hind legs and the coat is uneven. Solid colors, tortoiseshells, and bi-colors have a smoother softer coat than tabbies, with a less dense undercoat. It should be noted that it takes about 2 years for the coat to come in completely on colors other than tabbies. The season of the year should be considered when judging these cats as the overall coat is shorter and the mutton chops and breast collar are lacking or are much shorter in the summer; during hot weather, the tail, ear and toe tufts distinguish the cat as a longhair. Maturity (approximately 2 years for judging purposes) must also be considered when judging these cats for coat. Cats living in temperate climates exhibit coats, which are softer and shorter than those spending time in cooler climates.
