Are you waiting for a MANE Event?

Are you wondering when your Mighty Kitty Maine Coon will get his/her mane? Some of our kittens leave with the beginnings of an obvious mane and others definitely look very ‘skimpy’ around the neck area. In fact you might wonder whether they are ever going to develop a mane at all!
The truth is that all Maine Coons develop their beautiful manes at different rates and some have manes that are much longer and fluffier than others. Some Maine Coons are slower to mature than others and it may take several years before their mane develops, some may not develop one until adulthood at around 4 yrs old.

Take a look at Calcifer (Legolas Mighty Kitty). When he was small he had no sign of a mane at all. He started to develop his mane at around 7 months old. The picture on the right is him at 8 months.

Now his mane really starts to come through! The first picture on the left is him at 11 months. The last image is of him at at 2yrs, 3 months, his mane has really come through now.

In comparison, his brother, Gandalf Mighty Kitty, even at a young age he has obvious signs of a mane. Most Maine Coon kittens begin to develop their adult coat around seven months of age, the mane will begin to develop a few months later at around 9 months old. The time it takes to develop will vary for each kitten, at first it may be quite short, you will have to wait for it to develop into a full Maine Coon ruff. though I am sure it will be worth the wait!

Here is Leonis (Beech Mighty Kitty). His ruff was small as a kitten, but in October at around 7 months it starts coming through. The last image is of him in January this year, his mane and adult coat is really starting to develop now.

You may think you can guess from the parents what type of mane your kitten may inherit, however this is not always the case and some kittens develop longer or shorter manes.

Maine Coons can also blow their coats at different times of year which can make it harder to see how their manes are growing. Bizarrely, some Maine Coons shed their coats for summer and others get their winter coat in summer. So remember, all Maine Coons develop at a different rate, you may have to wait for your mane event.