6 week old tabby and Maine coon mix?

[Savannahgenevieve]

I am wondering if anyone can recognize this breed of kitten? He is only 6 weeks old so I’m not sure if that would make it difficult to identify but I am told his mother is a domestic short hair tabby (black and white) and father is a main coon.

 

[Savannahgenevieve]

Also looking for any tips: I have an 8 yr old Pomeranian and the kitten bites and claws her when he tries to play. Should I allow the kitten to do this or how should I handle this situation? My dog plays sometimes but is on the calmer side and mostly just looks at me when this happens.

 

[lutece]

Your kitten is very cute! What's his name?

From these pictures, I would describe your kitten as a brown mackerel tabby and white domestic shorthair. Most cats are not any particular breed. If your cat's father is a pedigreed Maine Coon, you could describe your kitten as a Maine Coon mix. It's also possible that your cat's father is a brown tabby domestic longhair without specific breed ancestry, and its owner might have labeled him as a Maine Coon from his appearance.

As far as your behavior question, you have a very young kitten. At 6 weeks, kittens are like toddlers that haven't learned proper social behavior yet, and it's common for a kitten to be uninhibited in its use of teeth and claws until it learns better manners. Kittens normally learn to be gentle by interacting with mom and littermates, so ideally, kittens should stay with their mom and littermates until the age of 12-14 weeks. Since you have already adopted your kitten, you and your dog are now taking on the role of "Mom" in teaching this kitten how to behave. Is the kitten actually hurting the dog with its teeth and claws, or is it just using teeth and claws in play?

 

[Savannahgenevieve]

Your kitten is very cute! What's his name?

From these pictures, I would describe your kitten as a brown mackerel tabby and white domestic shorthair. Most cats are not any particular breed. If your cat's father is a pedigreed Maine Coon, you could describe your kitten as a Maine Coon mix. It's also possible that your cat's father is a brown tabby domestic longhair without specific breed ancestry, and its owner might have labeled him as a Maine Coon from his appearance.

As far as your behavior question, you have a very young kitten. At 6 weeks, kittens are like toddlers that haven't learned proper social behavior yet, and it's common for a kitten to be uninhibited in its use of teeth and claws until it learns better manners. Kittens normally learn to be gentle by interacting with mom and littermates, so ideally, kittens should stay with their mom and littermates until the age of 12-14 weeks. Since you have already adopted your kitten, you and your dog are now taking on the role of "Mom" in teaching this kitten how to behave. Is the kitten actually hurting the dog with its teeth and claws, or is it just using teeth and claws in play?

His name in Tito! Thanks for the info! The kitten is just playing but I’m not sure if the dog knows that because she’s never been around a kitten before, they get along and play at times but my dog isn’t the playful type in general.

 

[lutece]

Keep Tito's claws clipped so that he won't injure the dog accidentally (those baby kitten claws can be sharp!) and I suggest that you supervise their interactions, but it sounds like your dog is tolerant and calm, which is a good thing

Make sure not to allow Tito to use teeth and claws on human skin in play... always use a toy when you play with him, not your hands. Playing with your hands can be cute when kittens are small, but it won't be cute when he is an adult. If he ever uses teeth or claws on any human body part, even if it doesn't hurt, tell him "No," put him down and stop interacting with him for a short time. If he scratches or bites, it can also help to make a high-pitched yelp or squeak to communicate to him that "teeth and claws can hurt!"

 

[Savannahgenevieve]

Keep Tito's claws clipped so that he won't injure the dog accidentally (those baby kitten claws can be sharp!) and I suggest that you supervise their interactions, but it sounds like your dog is tolerant and calm, which is a good thing

Make sure not to allow Tito to use teeth and claws on human skin in play... always use a toy when you play with him, not your hands. Playing with your hands can be cute when kittens are small, but it won't be cute when he is an adult. If he ever uses teeth or claws on any human body part, even if it doesn't hurt, tell him "No," put him down and stop interacting with him for a short time. If he scratches or bites, it can also help to make a high-pitched yelp or squeak to communicate to him that "teeth and claws can hurt!"

Thank you so much!

 

[cataholic07]

Yah I would say the kitten is just a domestic short hair, I don't really see any maine coone type traits to be honest. He really is way too young to be away from mom and litter mates, if possible I would recommend getting a second kitten to help teach your kitten all things cats and cat manners if you can. Kittens that young taken away from mom and siblings can have major behavioral issues when they are older such as biting, scratching and major aggression as well as anxiety. He's super cute though.

 

[Savannahgenevieve]

Yah I would say the kitten is just a domestic short hair, I don't really see any maine coone type traits to be honest. He really is way too young to be away from mom and litter mates, if possible I would recommend getting a second kitten to help teach your kitten all things cats and cat manners if you can. Kittens that young taken away from mom and siblings can have major behavioral issues when they are older such as biting, scratching and major aggression as well as anxiety. He's super cute though.

We were lied to and told that he was 8 weeks when we got him but we did a lot of research because he seemed so behind and talked with our vet and determined he’s only 6

 

[cataholic07]

Wow.. what a horrible owner, I hate people who do that, and unfortunately it happens alot. And the worst part of it is that many of them dont even fix their cats so it just happens time and time again.

 

[ChiarinaL]

Even though this is an old post, I want to add info here because I had cats that had a maincoon father and a DSH tabby mother. My cats did not look like mainecoons but definitely had those genes. The female cat had the maincoon facial expression, like a lioness. The male grew to be rather huge, loved playing with water, learned to fetch (naturally), learned to open patio doors (naturally), and had a dog-like personality. So please don't dismiss the mainecoon genes just because the kitten does not look like a mainecoon. And since the original post dates back to 2020, I'd love to know the size of this kitten now in 2023.