Not quite sure where my cat gets her looks from

[tamtaur]

Hello!

I was hoping you'll be able to help me out...

I have a black long-haired tabby, but I've been trying for years now to figure out what breed she could possibly be. She has an M-marking on her forehead. I had read or heard somewhere that it meant she could be part Maine Coon. However, I find that hard to believe that because my cat is no behemoth. My uncle has a Maine Coon and she is about a third of the size (she weighs about 8lbs). She has a good deal of chest fur that is slightly lighter than her fur. She also has a grey underbelly. Her tail is long as well, it's the length of her body, if not slightly longer. Her legs are also on the shorter side. She has long, white whiskers. She has bright green eyes and a pink nose. She also has. A light grey patch under her chin.


If there's a way to post a picture, please tell me how to do so. I'm sure that would make all this speculating much easier. If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask!

 

[tamtaur]

My cat is my profile pic, so hopefully it can serve as a visual aid. And to clarify, my cat, the one pictured, is about a third of the size of my uncle's Maine Coon.

 

[Willowy]

The vast majority of cats are no breed. We call them domestic shorthairs/longhairs. Purebred cats, or even purebred mixes, are actually pretty rare, relative to the rest of the general cat population. All tabby cats have Ms on their foreheads, it's just the way the tabby stripes converge on that part of their body.

 

[StefanZ]

M = Maine Coon is a myth, popularized by an inferior but popular TV show.  But very many Maine Coons  are tabbies...   That is why many of them carry the M.

She is a domestic long hair, so I agree with you, she is no Maine Coon.

Re the pattern - I suspect she is really a tortie, that is why she is black in some places, and reddish in some other...  Her being a tabby too makes her into a Torbie.