How can I tell if my cat is a DLH or Maine Coon or just too darn big?

check fanciers.com/breed.com/maine-coon-faq.html

She looks like a muted calico or a totrie. The best way for me a person to identify a Maine Coon is by their ears. Of course those are not seen in the photo. If the whiskers are very long in her ears then it is a good indication that she could have some Maine Coon in her. I had a mixed Maine Coon before and that cat had a huge personality, she was extremely smart also. I was watching the Stanley Cup in the living room when she drooped flat to the floor and laid her ears back, slinked into the kitchen, then I heard the kitchen door close!! When I called the cops because of an intruder they said she was the watch dog and told me some one else was in the house. I had a watch cat!!! That is what the cops said! If yours is part Maine Coon then you have a special kitty! Good luck with her and have fun with her!

Yes a Maine coon has long whiskers usually white growing on the tips of the ears. That is a pure breed cat. Yours most likely has some Maine Coon in her just because of the coloring. I might have been wrong in saying that she might be a muted tortie, they usually have a darker belly. I am sure you can find info on Maine Coon cats in a search engine. Thanks for the other photo!!

Maine Coon Calico

She looks like a DLH to me. Impossible to say whether she has any Maine Coon in her or not, but without papers or knowing her ancestry, she can’t be a pure bred Maine Coon. A lot of long haired cats in the US (esp near Maine!) do have some Maine Coon in them, but most are not purebred.

I once had a Maine Coon …their bone structure and fur growth pattern are pretty noticable. Check out photos of other maine Coon cats on line or check with your veteranarian. They are big, loving and beautiful.

Your cat somewhat reminds me of my cats their vet seems to think they are part maine coon. They are both from the same liter but have different characteristics of coons.

i have a huge but shorthaired dark calico with long whiskers, a fierce mean personality (she doesn’t like strangers, most men, loud noises, or being picked up, and sometimes swipes at those who she loves for no reason), but she’s really smart and REALLY long. she also has lightning-fast reflexes; when we first got her and my bf picked her up to welcome her into the family, she didn’t growl or complain about being picked up or anything, just gave him the magic lightning karate swipes to his face (a good 4-6 swipes before he could react).

if she stretches out, she’s easily 4′ long from paw tips to end of tail. darlin eliza (doolittle, cuz she’s a cat, she does almost nothing!) isn’t that tall height-wise, but very very long and also very hefty, about 24lbs.

i was told when i got her from the shelter that she was part maine coon. but i don’t know.

for comparison, here’s eliza curled up:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1374/728687776_a83f…

and here she is all stretched out on a twin bed set into the corner of the room:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1178/728687008_f460…

opinions welcomed