The Maine Coon is commonly considered to be the largest domestic breed of cats in overall size, weight, and average height.
The average weight of female Maine Coons is 4–6 kg (9 13 lb), and the average male weight is 6 8 kg (13 18 lb), with some notable exceptions going up to 9 11 kg (20 25 lb). This size, body structure and muscle composition is what makes the breed to be commonly referred to as the gentle giant of the domestic cat breed.
A number of single Maine Coons, including Stewie and Barivel, have also been held and/or recorded in the records of Guinness World Records regarding length, which further supports the breed in its claim to the status of the largest domestic feline.
What is the Measure of a Largest Cat Breed?
In discussing the largest cat breed, the three major measures that are normally taken into consideration by experts and records include length, height, and weight.
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Length (nose to tail): Guinness World Records measures the length of the longest domestic cat. Lengthiness of cats such as Stewie and Barivel was recorded on nose to tip with the observed lengths reaching up to 1.2 m (approximately 48 inches).
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Height (shoulder or head to ground): This applies to breeds like the Savannah, which is frequently mentioned to be vertical, and not due to a large size of the body.
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Weight: To compare breeds in general, the most common measure of weight among cat-care and breeder resources is the average adult weight.
In common practice, the term largest breed tends to mean size and average weight, not merely one record-buster or a single dimension.
Other Large Domestic Cat Breeds
Although the Maine Coon is considered the largest domestic breed, a number of other breeds are also big and regularly feature in lists of the largest cat breeds.
The largest breeds are some of:
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Savannah: A crossbreed between domestic cats and African servals, which are extremely tall and lanky with some of the first-generation being up to 48 cm (19 in). They are generally a little bit lighter than the heaviest Maine Coons, although they are of impressive height.
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Ragdoll: A large, heavy-boned breed with thick coat and a calm personality; adult Ragdolls can range in weight 4.510 kg (1020 lb) and are one of the heavier domestic cats.
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Norwegian Forest Cat: yet another body-long, muscular breed with a dense waterproofing coat to keep it warm in the cold weather; the Norwegian Forest Cat is often likened to the Maine Coon in size and look.
Turkish Van, Ragamuffin and Chausie: These are also commonly listed among the largest domestic breeds, and their bodies and weights above average when compared to household cats.
Such breeds may compete or even outdo the Maine Coon in certain attributes (such as height or leg length), but the Maine Coon is the general standard of largest domestic cat breed in most reputable publications.
Biggest Domestic Cats (Record-Holders) in the World.
In addition to breed averages, a number of individual cats have been officially documented in size. Guinness World Records or such organizations normally confirm such records.
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Stewie (Maine Coon): Previously in the Guinness World Records as the longest domestic cat; he had a nose-to-tail length of 123 cm (48 in). Stewie too weighed approximately 15.7 kg (34.6 lb) which firmly placed him in the line of heaviest recorded domestic cats.
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Barivel (Maine Coon): Another Maine Coon, Barivel, has been noted to be one of the longest lived Maine Coons, having a length of around 47.2 in (around 1.2 m) recorded.
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Fenrir (Savannah): The tallest domestic cat (as of 2010), standing 47.83 cm (18.85 in) tall on the shoulder to the ground.
These instances underscore the fact that Maine Coons are the heavyweight and length champions, but some Savannahs and other hybrids will have records in height or other niche areas.
The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the heaviest known living species of cat and the largest cat that has been recorded to weigh as much as 317 kg (699 lb) and a total body length of 3.9 m (12.8 ft) (including tail). Even domestic cats are quite small in comparison to lions, jaguars and cougars, hybrids like ligers (lion-tiger crosses) can also be very large, though they are not found in the wild.
Read more: Which State Has the Most Tiger Reserves in India?
