Maine Coon cats are native to the state of Maine, and they’re one of the most sought-after breeds out there. Mild-tempered, affectionate, and appreciative, Maine Coon cats are deemed “gentle giants of the cat world” and we couldn’t agree more. What about red smoke Maine Coon cats?
Rugged, shaggy, and solidly built, Maine Coon cats turn heads, raise eyebrows, and attract attention everywhere they go. With muscular, rectangular bodies, scruffy furs, a ruff on their chest, structured cheekbones, and perked-up, tufted ears, they’re what every pet parent’s dreams are made of.
Combined with a myriad of color combinations and patterns, there’s no question that Maine Coon cats are everyone’s cup of tea. Whether you’re on the hunt for a black and white Dapper Dan or a signature brown, shaggy tabby roaming the halls of Hogwarts, you can’t go wrong with a Maine Coon cat.
We’re pretty sure you’ve heard of red Maine Coons considering they’re pretty popular, but what about red smoke Maine Coons? Smoke Maine Coons are rare, and they’re a result of banding on a cat’s fur – the tips of the cat’s fur are darker, but the undercoat’s lighter. What’s a red smoke Maine Coon, though?
What’s a red smoke Maine Coon?
Now, “smoke” refers to the specific pattern of a cat’s coat where the tips of the fur are darker and the undercoat’s lighter. When you glance at a smoke cat, you might think that the color of the coat is solid, but upon closer examination, you’re going to notice specs of light coming through the darkness.
We’d argue that most pet parents are familiar with black or blue smoke cats, which are the ones that appear the darkest. Black smoke Maine Coon cats are actually the most popular, prominent smoke cats out there, but they’re not the only ones. Maine Coon cats come with a bunch of smoke variants, from black smoke and blue smoke to red smoke, cream smoke, tortie smoke, and blue tortie smoke.
Starting with the one you’re most excited about, red smoke Maine Coons are cream with orange or red-tipped fur. Because of these features, red smoke Maine Coons don’t appear red when you observe them from afar – but you can certainly see the pale orange tips when you take a closer look.
Black smoke Maine Coons, as we mentioned beforehand, are the most common ones. More often than not, they’re equipped with a white or cream undercoat and black-tipped fur.
Blue smoke Maine Coons are dilute which means they’re a lighter version of black smoke Maine Coons – that happens thanks to the dilute gene. Moreover, cream smoke Maine Coons are a dilute version of the red smoke.
Tortie smoke Maine Coons are rare because most smoke cats are solid rather than tabby or tortie. Tortie smoke Coons are white or cream with patches of red and/or black-tipped fur. Blue tortie smoke Coons are a little lighter, but they’re pretty much the same white or cream with red and black patches.
What to keep an eye on before getting a red smoke Maine Coon?
1. Red smoke Maine Coons aren’t red
What do we mean by that? Maine Coon cats are curious creatures, which means that you might not be surprised by the fact that the red smoke Maine Coon you wanted to get your hands on might not even be red.
First things first, red cats are typically orange rather than red, and that’s something that you might want to keep an eye on. Furthermore, red smoke cats aren’t even orange – sort of.
Red smoke cats are cream with orange-tipped fur that appears lighter than that of an orange tabby or an orange tortie. Rather than getting frustrated with that, know that red smoke Maine Coons are rare and that you’re in for a treat if you get your hands on one.
2. Red smoke Maine Coons are super, super big
Maine Coon cats, red smoke or otherwise, are bigger than you might think. Coons are popular because they’re gentle giants and because everyone’s obsessed with the thought of owning a wild cat – they’re pretty close to that considering their measurements.
An average Maine Coon cat weighs between 15 and 25 pounds and measures about 20 to 40 inches long and 10 to 16 inches tall. A regular cat, for the sake of comparison, weighs between 5 and 10 pounds and measures about 20 to 28 inches long and 9 to 10 inches tall.
At the end of the day, Maine Coon cats are one of the biggest breeds out there and they’re oftentimes record holders for the biggest or longest cats of all time – Stewie, Barivel, and Ludo attest to that fact.
3. Red Maine Coons are almost always tabby, but smoke Maine Coons are almost always solid
OK, things are about to get a little confusing. Red Maine Coon cats are almost always tabby meaning that you’re never going to come by a red Maine Coon with a solid-colored coat.
Red cats typically sport a striped pattern with four different types of tripes – mackerel (tiger stripes), ticked (alternating light and dark stripes), spotted, and classic (swirled). Smoke Maine Coons, on the other hand, are almost always solid.
When you groom or brush a smoke cat’s coke, you’re going to notice the lighter undercoat peeking through the dark tips, but the tips are almost always solid. What’s the tea with red smoke Maine Coon cats sporting a solid-colored coat? We don’t know!
4. Red smoke Maine Coons can come with freckles
We’ve seen the World Wide Web go cuckoo for faux-freckles and an array of TikTok girlies attempting to recreate the no-makeup, golden-hour, sun-kissed look. We’d argue that we’ve stolen quite a few looks from our feline friends (a.k.a. the cat eye) and that we might need to steal the freckles, too.
Freckles in cats are called Lentigo or Lentigines and, apparently, red cats can have them. Red smoke Maine Coons are red, sort of, which means they’re one of the breeds that can sport the cute dark dots on the nose and a couple of other spots. Freckles in cats are completely safe, too.
5. Red smoke Coons are family-friendly
Now, the color of the coat doesn’t correlate with the cat’s personality, but the Internet wouldn’t agree with that. TikTok is filled with videos of red cats sitting in strange positions, imitating humans, and even having full-blown conversations. That being said, though, red cats are adored for that exact reason.
Red smoke Coons are affectionate and appreciative, and they’re attached to humans which means they’re likely to follow you to the bathroom, play with you when you’re trying to work, and spend every moment of the waking hour with you.
6. Red smoke Maine Coon cats are predominantly male
Red coloration in cats is caused by a pigment called pheomelanin, and that same pigment is linked to gender, too. “The ginger gene,” or the gene responsible for the red coloration, occurs on the X chromosome.
Because they have two X chromosomes, female cats need the gene to occur twice. But males have only one X chromosome which means that they only need one gene to create a pretty red kitty.
So, when you’re trying to get your hands on a red smoke Maine Coon cat, you’re probably going to end up with a male – males account for a whopping 80% of red cats.
7. Red smoke Coons are more than happy to walk on a leash
Maine Coon cats make for the purrfect pets, whether you’re trying to get your hands on a specific breed or planning on getting the first kitty that pulls on your heartstrings.
We do, however, need to underline that Coons are great for pet parents that own a dog or want to adopt a dog but can’t for whatever reason – Maine Coons are actually deemed “dogs of the cat world.”
Coons are more than happy to play fetch, walk on a leash, and learn tricks because they’re incredibly intelligent, highly trainable, and loyal to humans.
8. Red smoke Coons are the opposite of high-maintenance
When you take a peep at a red smoke Maine Coon cat, you might get scared of the sheer volume of fur or the whooping measurements. Maine Coons are big cats with even bigger purrsonalities, but they’re the opposite of high-maintenance.
Sure, you do need to groom them on a regular. Sure, you need to feed them high-quality cat food and exercise them every day. But, they’re the happiest and healthiest when they’re spending time with friends and family.
9. Red smoke Coons are expressive
Maine Coon cats, red smoke or otherwise, are rumored to be expressive and to communicate with humans much more than average cats.
An average cat might meow or purr from time to time, but Maine Coons produce a myriad of strange sounds to get your attention. Chirping, trilling, and growling are a favorite, but there’s nothing that a Maine Coon wouldn’t do to get what she wants.
10. Red smoke Maine Coons can have a myriad of super sweet nicknames
Finally, we can’t forget about the fact that red smoke Maine Coon cats are the easiest to name. Whether you’re a Ron Weasly enthusiast or a Pumpkin Spice Latte devotee, you’re going to have the time of your life trying to think of appropriate monikers for your Little Red Riding Hood.
