Who would win in the cuteness battle of Norwegian Forest cat vs. Maine Coon? Which one would take the title of the fluffiest and most charming feline?
Well, you can’t go wrong with either of them. This battle of big cats is the fluffiest encounter you may have.
It’s quite easy to confuse these two breeds. They’re the largest domesticated cats, with long hair and bushy tails. They’re extremely similar when it comes to grooming as well as their overall household needs.
But there are some distinctive traits you can look at in order to tell them apart. So, don’t worry about not being able to differentiate them.
In this article, we’ll go through all the things that you need to know about each of these breeds. If you want to make sure that you’re getting the right cat for yourself, you need to know some of the basics. Otherwise, you may end up feeling underqualified to raise one of these gentle giants.
This showdown between the Norwegian Forest cat and Maine Coon will show you just a couple of differences that you need to be aware of before deciding which one to get.
So, what is there to know? Let’s find out.
Norwegian Forest cat vs. Maine Coon: 6 traits that differentiate these big cats
1. Energy levels
To start off, let’s talk about the differences between these two giants’ physical energy. These cat breeds have rather different energy levels.
For example, the Norwegian Forest cat is on the lazy side. She won’t go out of her way to run after toys or jump at anything that’s interesting to her. She’s the type of kitto that simply enjoys lazing around.
On the other hand, a Coon adores being active. He has surprisingly high energy levels for his size, with the strength to run a lot and play around with children and other animals.
Those energy levels are also why a Maine Coon is much more curious than a Norwegian Forest cat. He’ll want to explore his surroundings, suss out the situation, and so on, while the Norwegian Forest cat would much rather take extended naps.
2. Origins
The place of origin of a breed is quite important if you want to understand their personality.
For starters, you can probably guess where the Norwegian Forest cat comes from – Northern Europe. She’s used to the colder weather, the snow, and the wind.
This means that she’d be the perfect candidate for a family who lives somewhere where there are colder days.
However, the Maine Coon originates in New England. People believe that this breed made its way to the US with a Viking ship.
The farmers in the 19th century who lived in the state of Maine were extremely proud of their beautiful cats. This is also the period when this breed became extremely popular, and since then everyone has been mesmerized by their appearance.
3. Facial shape
Both the Norwegian Forest cat and Maine Coon have some very distinctive physical features. The most obvious is the shape of their faces.
Coons have a boxy head, with a big snout that extends forward – starting from in between their eyes. Their eyes have an oval shape, which makes them look serious and even a little scary at times.
On the other end, a Wegie has a flat snout that extends from the top of her head. Her head has a rounder shape to it, which makes this breed appear more welcoming and cute. Her eyes are also round, which gives her an innocent and adorable look.
4. Body differences
When you first look at the bodies of these two gentle giants, you won’t see too much difference. However, upon closer inspection, you notice that they have many unique features.
For instance, the Norwegian Forest cat has longer legs in the back than the front. And while both breeds have bushy tails and long fur, considering that Wegies come from a colder part of the world, their fur is much longer and their tail is bushier.
Maine Coons’ front and back legs are of similar length. They have longer fur on the belly, neck, and hind end. Also, a Coon is the largest domesticated cat that can grow over 40 inches (1 meter) in length.
5. Life expectancy
Let’s now look at the average lifespan of Norwegian Forest Cats and Maine Coon kitties.
The average Coon can expect to live between 14 and 16 years. However, the lifespan of a Norwegian Forest cat is around 13 years. That said, in the right environment, either can live up to 20 years in a loving and caring household.
This may not be a big difference, but it’s something to take into consideration before choosing one as your pet.
6. Interaction with other animals
If you already have other pets in your home, you may want to consider getting a Maine Coon. He’ll be very friendly with his furry siblings – he won’t attack them, be aggressive, or anything along those lines.
If anything, he’ll be extremely loyal. Coons are very patient, which means that they’ll be able to handle a little bit of rough play with other animals without scratching or biting them.
On the other hand, a Norwegian Forest cat is much more reserved. She’ll be loyal once she has spent a lot of time with you and become attached. Otherwise, she couldn’t care less.
Also, she’s not the friendliest of felines if you have other pets. Most Wegies are aloof and low-key introverted. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t exceptions, it just means that the majority of them act like this.
3 shared traits of the Norwegian Forest Cat and Maine Coon
1. Great pets for families
When comparing the Norwegian Forest Cat and Maine Coon, the main thing that they have in common is that they’re both excellent pets. They are good for families because they’re patient with children.
Their size gives them the opportunity to play with them, and even if your kids play a bit rough, these breeds can handle it. You generally don’t have to worry about them attacking your children or harming them with their claws or teeth.
Both are also very loyal if you spend a lot of time with them. But that doesn’t mean that they’re dependent. If anything, these are the most independent cat breeds out there.
They can play by themselves, they learn easily how to use their litter box, and they won’t bother you if you don’t want to spend time with them.
I mean, this obviously doesn’t apply to kittens. Kittens need to be cuddled almost all the time. If you already own a cat, then you know what I mean.
2. Highly intelligent
Another trait the Norwegian Forest cat and the Maine Coon share is that they’re both extremely intelligent creatures. They’re among the easiest cat breeds to train! You can even take them for walks on a leash, and they won’t fight it.
You can even train them to do many different tricks and to be more compliant than nature wants them to be.
Some bad behaviors can be rather annoying, but it won’t take you long to train these cat breeds to become the purrfect pets. Their intelligence will help them understand what is and isn’t acceptable.
Also, if you use the right training methods, you won’t have to overfeed them with treats just to get them to do something for you. After a while, they’ll learn that your approval is the most important thing.
3. Both need a lot of attention
I know that I’ve just talked about how independent both of these breeds are. Nonetheless, there is one thing that doesn’t differentiate them.
If your mental battle between the Norwegian Forest Cat and Maine Coon has led you to anything, it’s the fact that you’re aware of just how much grooming both of them will need.
The long fur can become extremely matted if you’re not attentive. Matted fur is very painful to cats and it can cause serious skin issues.
Pay attention to this, groom your cat regularly, do a sanitary trim, and give them a good wash. The plus side is they both adore water!
If you’re not ready for this responsibility, then you shouldn’t consider getting either of these cats. They won’t be able to groom themselves enough to keep their fur in tip-top shape, which means that you’ll have to do that for them.
At the end of the day, you won’t be disappointed with either of these breeds. Both the Norwegian Forest cat and Maine Coon will show you how much love you can feel for a giant fluffball.