Grey Maine Coons are adorable, affectionate cats known for their fluffy grey fur. However, they are not officially called grey.
As a matter of fact, grey Coons officially belong to blue Coons, as confirmed by the Cat Fanciers’ Association.
What does that even mean?! Here’s the thing, when we’re talking about different colors and patterns of a cat’s coat we’re going off of what different cat associations and cat shows determine as right.
Therefore, we refer to grey and silver cats as blue because of the blue hue that appears under certain angles or lights. But, Maine Coons can generally assume an array of colors and patterns.
As a matter of fact, Maine Coons can be white, black, red, ebony, grey, blue, cream, orange, beige, tan, chocolate, brown, and sable (hope we didn’t forget one!) And, as for the patterns, Maine Coons can be solid, bi-color, tri-color or calico, color point, tabby, and tortoiseshell.
But, what makes grey Maine Coons… grey? Turns out that grey, silver, lilac, and blue (every odd shade out of the bunch) come from a gene that’s known as the dilute gene. And, you might have guessed, the dilute genes are responsible for the creation of diluted shades of different colors, such as black.
However, there’s a catch! Both parents of a Maine Coon cat would have to possess the dilute gene for her to have a diluted color coat. And, the dilute gene’s pretty rare (making grey Maine Coons pretty rare, too).
So, when you cross paths with a grey Maine Coon you’re actually crossing paths with a black Maine Coon whose parents share the dilute gene. But, we can’t brush over other diluted shades you might encounter!
1. Grey Coons
As a matter of fact, cats that don’t possess the dilute gene almost always have normal pigmentation. But, cats that possess the dilute gene sometimes have spots and patches without pigmentation (rather than having a uniform diluted color coat).
And, grey Coons are one of the types that have that uniform dilute color around the entire body. Now, they can be a lighter or a darker shade of grey depending on the dilute gene. But, as long as that grey color stretches from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail, they’re considered grey Coons.
2. Grey and cream Coons
Grey and cream Coons, as the name suggests, possess more than one color throughout the body. More times than not, these frisky felines are predominantly grey with cream patches scattered around the body. And, these cream patches are typically scattered around the chest, back, and stomach area.
3. Grey and white Coons
“Argh, what’s the difference between white and cream!?”
Other than the shades not being the same, there’s another prominent factor playing a role here. When we’re talking about grey and cream Coons, we’re expecting the cream patches to be scattered around the body without a pattern.
But, when we’re talking about grey and white Coons, white patches are almost always scattered around the stomach and face, stomach, and socks (of course, we’re referring to paws). But, they’re predominantly grey regardless of the patches.
4. Grey, cream, and white Coons
Oh, now we’re getting somewhere! Grey Maine Coons are some of the most stunning breeds out of the bunch. And, the fact that they possess such versatile coats has to be one of the reasons why. Grey, cream, and white Coons, as the name suggests, possess three colors.
But, they’re not predominantly grey. More times than not, they are white with grey and cream areas neatly arranged around the body. How adorable does that sound?!
5. Grey tabby Coons
Gray tabby Coons happen to be one of the most common types! And, they’re absolutely astonishing with the cream undercoat, predominantly light gray coat, and dark grey markings around the body.
Now, the pattern can consist of different markings such as lines, spots, stripes, and swirls. But, most tabby Coons have that little “m” mark on the forehead that sets them apart from other cats.
And, grey tabby Coons typically possess rose noses and rose paw pads. Now, that doesn’t help with the whole “we want to cuddle them forever” problem.
6. Grey and silver tabby Coon
Grey and silver tabbies are pretty similar to the ones we discussed beforehand. But, the undercoat’s predominantly light grey with a silver coat on top and light gray markings. And, the pattern’s typically that of a tabby with a bunch of stripes, swirls, or other markings.
Oh and, grey and silver tabby Maine Coons possess rose noses and paw pads, too. Now, we’re not saying you should get a grey and silver tabby Coon… But, we’re saying you should get a grey and silver tabby Coon!
7. Grey, tabby, and white Coons
Oh, you have no clue how many greys, creams, and other neutral colors a Maine Coon can sport. Like a true trendsetter, right!? Grey, tabby, and white Coons typically have a light grey undercoat with dark grey stripes and swirls and white patches scattered around the body.
Some might suggest that a grey, tabby, and white Coon should have white patches on the face, stomach, and paws. But, there’s no evidence to back that up.
8. Chinchilla grey silver Coon
“Wait, what? Are we even on the same page or maybe you’re talking about a completely different animal?!” We understand the confusion. But, there are times when colors and patterns are described with a little help from other animals. A fawn color’s a warm cream, for example. So, a chinchilla color’s cold, light grey with a sparkling silver appearance.
And, that’s exactly what the grey Maine Coon we’re talking about looks like! A chinchilla grey silver Coon should have a white undercoat with grey fluff neatly arranged around the entire body. As a matter of fact, the tips of the fluff should be grey giving off that sparkling silver appearance.
9. Shaded grey silver Coon
Now, a shaded grey silver Coon looks pretty much exactly like a chinchilla grey silver Coon. But, without the sparkling silver thing.
Actually, a shaded grey silver Coon typically appears lighter because of the predominantly white undercoat with only a little bit of light grey shading down the sides of the body, face, and tail. And, they have white patches on the face, chest, and paws!
10. Grey smoke Coon
You’ve heard of the black smoke Maine Coon, right!? Here comes the diluted version, otherwise known as the grey-smoke Maine Coon! They are some of the most mysterious-looking breeds out there with a white undercoat sprinkled with dark grey hairs.
They look dark grey while they’re sleeping or lounging on the sofa. But, the moment they move, they reveal the white undercoat which goes purrfectly with white ear tufts and frills. Who wouldn’t want to show off one of these beautiful babies on Instagram or Tiktok?!