Bobcat Vs Maine Coon: Two Distinctive Feline Breeds

Bobcat and Maine coon are giant members of the feline family. These cats might look the same from their appearance but there are many differences between these cats. If you are going to breed these cats to keep them as a pet or domestic or exotic cats then you must be fully aware of the behavior of these cats as well as the differences and similarities between these cats.

At a first glance, you can easily observe bobcats are slightly larger than Maine coon due to their long legs, larger paws, and tuft ears. Maine coon has short plus stocky legs. There is a very visible difference in terms of their tails. Generally, Maine coon are considered loyal, social, and affectionate cats while bobcats tend to have wild instincts even if these cats are raised as domestic cats. There is also a very well rumor that the Maine coons are the descendent of Bobcats.

In this article, we are going to compare Bobcat vs Maine coon in detail and clear all your confusion about them. We are going to explain all the similarities and differences between these cats. We are also going to answer all the prevailing rumors about the origin of the Maine coon breed. Stay tuned.

Origin of Maine coon

Maine coon is a native of Maine State the USA. The name of the cat also originated from the name of the state. There are many stories and conspiracy theories about the origin of these cats. Some of these stories are reasonable but most of them seem like fake stories. However, the most popular belief and widely accepted claim is that the Maine coon is actually Viking’s ship’s cat. These cats were mainly utilized to keep the mice at bay. The population of the Maine coon is not just concentrated in the USA but it is very much prevalent throughout the world.

Origin of bobcat

It is believed that the bobcats first appeared almost 1.8 million years ago. These cats gradually evolved into Eurasian lynxes and come into the North American continent from the Bering land bridge. First, these cats were settled in the Southern part of North America due to the separation between North and South by the glaciers. Gradually, these cats evolved into their final shape in the form of bobcats and moved upward toward the North.

Are Maine coons descendants of the bobcats?

In simple words, Maine coons are not the descendants of the bobcats. Maine coons and bobcats are completely different species. It has also been said that these two cats could mate and produce some hybrid-type breed. However, this rumor or theory has also been quashed by the experts by proving that breeding these cats in this way is genetically impossible. Thus, you must be clear about your confusion Maine coons are completely different cat species and have not originated from bobcats.

Maine coon’s overview

Maine coons are very well-known domestic or house cats. They have been specially bred due to their intelligence, cuddliness, and capability to tolerate extreme coldness. Maine coons are very lovely, social, affectionate, loyal, and playful cats and you can easily integrate these cats into your household pets.

They easily get along with human beings, especially children. Due to their ever-loving personality and friendly nature, these cats have also been nick-named gentle giants. Maine coon comes with a long and fluffy coat that could easily hide their bodies. The luscious shaggy fur of the cat gives it a wild look. These cats also show a lot of resemblance with lion cubs due to the tuff around their neck. Some people also like to give them a lion cut.

Generally, Maine coon cats have pointed but tuft ears, oblique-shaped very expressive eyes, long but bushy tails, and coats having a mixture of colors and a variety of patterns. The most common color you can find on the body of a Maine coon is black, white, red, and blue.

Bobcat’s overview

Bobcat is a medium-sized wild cat that is extremely difficult to breed as a domestic cat. These cats have also been named red lynx, bay lynx, or lynx Rufus. These cats are nocturnal, territorial, and solitary by nature. First of all, it is extremely difficult to tame these cats as pets. It is only possible if you hand-raised these cats from kittenhood. They could exhibit their wild instincts at any time which could only be handled or toned down by rigorous training and a lot of mental stimulation.

These are very aggressive cats and very much likely to attack human beings if they are suffering from rabies. Bobcats are apex predators and usually prefer to prey on small mammals but they could also target large animals if they are facing food scarcity.

Comparing bobcat vs Maine coon 

Let’s compare these cats on the basis of their size, senses, behavior, color, fur, intelligence, friendliness, healthy, lifespan, etc.

Features	Bobcat	Maine coon
Origin	North America	USA
Weight	15-35 pounds	10-25 pounds
Height	21 inches	8-16 inches
Length	40 inches	40 inches
Domesticated	No	Yes
Life span	7-10 years	12-15 years
Temperament	Aggressive, independent, reserved.	Friendly, loyal, social, and intelligent.
Trainability	Extremely difficult to tame	Quite easy to tame.
Grooming needs	Difficult	Moderate
Food	Meat	Cat food
Habitat	Forests, deserts, swamps,	Forests, garage, house
Nocturnal	Yes	No
Predatory behavior	Very high	Low

Size: Bobcat vs Maine coon

Maine coon has been declared the largest non-hybrid and domestic cat. The fluffy coat of the Maine coon makes them look larger than their actual size. On average, the weight of the Maine coon cat lies between 8 to 18 pounds and it could also reach a maximum of 25 pounds. When it comes to height, the Maine coon height lies in the range of 10 to 16 inches. However, these cats have a very impressive length of 40 inches from the nose to the end of the tail.

These are typical cats and some very large size Maine coon cats were also witnessed somewhere. One of these very big size cats was found in Wakefield Yorkshire named Ludo. The weight of this cat was around 34 pounds and its length of almost 50 inches. That’s why these cats have been declared the biggest cats among pets.

If we compare the Maine coon with the size of a bobcat, then we can find these cats are almost the same size cats. The maximum weight of the bobcat can be around 40 pounds and the maximum height could be 21 inches. However, like Maine coon bobcats could also reach extraordinary size sometime but it is a very rare case.

Body shape: Maine coon vs bobcat

At a first glance, you might mistake a bobcat for a Maine coon as they show some similarities in terms of their body shape. Both feline members are from separate cat breeds but both cats come with large rectangular-shaped and muscular bodies.

If we compare their overall body shape then we can say bobcats come with long legs, large paws, pointed but tuft ears with white spots on the back side, short but black-tipped tails, and long hairs ruff around the ear. Bobcats are nocturnal animals having large eyes with yellow shine which are adaptable to work perfectly in the dark.

On the other hand, the Maine coon comes with large pointed as well as tuft ears, a wedge-shaped body, a medium-sized curvy nose, and a square-angled chin. Maine coons have short but thick legs as compared to bobcats. Maine coon also comes with a long bushy tail as compared to the short and bobbed tail of the bobcat.

Fur: Bobcat vs Maine coon

These cats also vary in terms of their fur. Bobcats come with a short but reddish-brown soft coat while Maine coon has shaggy, long, and silky legs which makes them larger than their original size. Maine coon can easily pass through snowy and wet areas due to its thick and water-resistant fur.

The fur also makes them eligible to face harsh climate conditions as the coat of the Maine coon has two layers, an inner short plus silky layer, and an outside long layer. The fur is not evenly spread over their body as they have minor fur on the shoulders but longer on the stomach.

On the other hand, bobcats come with short tuft ears and flares of fur at the cheeks and necks. However, both cats come with extra but thick fur on their pads to protect their paws from any injury.

Growth rate: Bobcat vs Maine coon

These cats differ very much in terms of their growth rate as the bobcat grew very speedily as compared to the Maine coon. On average, Maine coon takes almost 3 to 4 years to reach the age of maturity. On the other hand, a bobcat takes just 2 years to reach the age of maturity.

Coat color

These cats are altogether different from each other in terms of their coat color. Usually, bobcats come with reddish-brown color coats and white underbelly color while Maine coons have a variety of colors like solid white, black, red, and blue colors. Other prominent colors for the Maine coon are tortoiseshell, tabby, calico, bi-color, and shaded colors. But the most prominent among these are tabby color cats.

Behavior

Maine coons are considered family pets and very well known for their friendly and affectionate nature. These cats have a very moderate temperament and rarely use their claws against their owners, and other pets. These cats are also very loyal to their owners same as dogs. The cats have very less aggressive tendencies and only act aggressively if they feel threatened.

On the other hand, bobcats are the least domesticated cats and are known for their aggressive and ferocious nature. Indeed, these cats are shy in nature but occasionally apply their wild instincts in their daily routine life. These cats are very stealthy by nature and avoid contact with human beings as much as possible.

Bobcats are very fierce hunters and target small mammals like fish, squirrels, rabbits, birds, and reptiles. These cats could also hunt larger animals like deer, sheep, and goats.

Intelligence

Mammals are considered the most intelligent creatures among animals. Maine coon are very intelligent cats. That’s why it is extremely easy to train these cats for various purposes. Bobcats are also extremely curious about their daily routine life. They act very intelligently when these cats are hungry. Bobcats are also extremely good in terms of their hearing, sighting, and smelling senses.

Sounds and noises

Maine coons use a lot of ways to communicate with their fellow beings as well as human beings. These cats don’t like to meow and do a lot of chattering with their owners. For this purpose, they could also use the medium of trills and chirps for clear communication.

However, these cats don’t make very loud noises and only make loud noises if they are very hungry or want to grab the attention of their owners. Bobcats are very well-known for their sounds. These cats make a variety of sounds under various circumstances. These cats can growl, hiss, chirp, trill, spit, etc.

During the mating season, these cats make special noises like hissing, spitting, and yowling. These cats also make very loud growls if they feel threatened.

Lifespan

On average, Maine coon enjoys a life span of 12 to 15 years. Some of these cats have also reached the age of 20 years. On the other hand, bobcats can rarely live up to 7 years. The life span of these cats also depends upon their diet, general lifestyle, and genes.

Habitat

Being domestic pets, the habitat of the Maine coon is the house or garage of human beings. These cats become part of the human family and most of the time are seen while curling or sleeping with other pet animals or children. On the other hand, bobcats are wild cats and are mainly found in the wilderness. Sometimes these cats are captured and brought to the zoo in the early stage of their life.

In the wilderness, they like to mark a territory of at least 25 miles. They also like to make multiple dens in their territory range. These cats are very stealthy by nature and can easily hide if they find any danger in the surrounding. Generally, these cats are found in forests, mountains, deserts, swamps, etc. 

Shedding

It has been observed that Maine coon like to shed their fur throughout the year at any time. These cats are also known for their fluffy body. That’s why they need a lot of shedding. You may be very lucky if you have a Maine coon who doesn’t shed. These cats maintain this shedding activity throughout their grooming period.

On the other hand, bobcats don’t shed throughout the year. These cats only shed in the spring season. Sometimes people also do shedding off bobcats if they are raising them privately.

Health and care

Maine coons need a lot of care during their grooming period. These cats need to give a bath regularly especially if their coat has become greasy. These cats also like to remain in the water. During bathing, you must gently apply pet shampoo to clean and protect their coat and skin from over-drying.

Generally, the Maine coon is a very healthy breed of cat. Sometimes, they may have joint pain issues in the later stage of their life in the form of hip dysplasia, and arthritis. Sometimes, these cats also suffer from very rare diseases like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. You must regularly check these cats by taking an appointment with doctors.

Bobcats also need a very measured diet for the proper functioning of their body parts and resultantly getting proper growth. For this purpose, you should maintain constant contact with a veterinarian to consult about the nutritional needs of the bobcat.

These cats don’t need extra care for grooming as these cats can easily take bath and they just need a large tub full of water. Bobcats could also suffer from diseases like rabies, bobcat fever, toxoplasmosis, and Bordetellosis.

Similarities between bobcats and Maine coon

Indeed, there are many differences between these cats but there are also some similarities exist between them. Some of these similarities are given:

• Both are large cats having muscular bodies.
• Both have good hunting skills.
• Both have a good quantity of fur on their bodies.
• Both cats have tuft ears.
• Both cats have pointed ears.
• Both cats belong to the feline family.

Are Maine coons related to bobcats?

As you know there are a lot of physical similarities between these cats. Many people think there is some relationship between these cats. There is also a very well-known rumor that the Maine coons are the descendants of the bobcats. However, scientists have established the genetic differences between them. It has also proved historically that there is no direct relationship between these cats.

Does the Bobcat Maine coon hybrid exist?

There are also many conspiracy theories about the hybrid of bobcat and Maine coon. There is no such breed that actually exists in the real world. However, some experts are working on it to produce such which has the habits of both aggressive bobcats and friendly Maine coon.

These hybrid cats could be more friendly towards human beings than bobcats. The size of the hybrid could also be anywhere between the size of a bobcat and a Maine coon. Overall, it is said that hybrids could be a good option for many exotic pet owners.

Maine coon interaction with human beings

During the early era, these cats were utilized for controlling pests. These cats were utilized as barn cats. Maine coons were highly helpful in keeping pesky rodents away from human houses as well as crops. Nowadays, these cats are the most famous cats among the pest cat breeds. In a few instances, these cats were also deployed as therapy cats due to their extremely friendly nature and ever-loving personality. Maine coon has also become a famous show cat. It has won many cat shows held throughout the world.

Bobcats interact with human beings

Bobcats also interact with human beings mainly due to commercial reasons. Human beings trap and hunt these cats to get their pelts of these cats. In the 19^th century, these cats were hunted down in very huge quantities and had become nearly extinct from the region. After that, some conservation programs were introduced for the rehabilitation of these cats and now these cats are listed among the least concerned animals on the list of IUCN.

Nowadays, the natural habitat of the bobcats has also been destroyed due to excessive human settlements. That’s why bobcats’ interaction with human beings has also increased. These cats occasionally visited human houses and destroyed their things and sometimes also target their pets and defenseless children.

All things aside, bobcats play a very crucial role in maintaining the eco-system which is also highly beneficial for human beings. With the help of bobcats, we can eliminate small mammals like rodents and mice which are dangerous for crops, and tease human beings by entering their houses.  

Bobcat vs Maine coon: who would be the ultimate winner?

In simple words, I would say the bobcat would be the ultimate winner. Bobcats have much better hunting, killing, and fighting skills as compared to Maine coon. Bobcats have also extremely powerful and sharp claws. On the other hand, Maine coon usually prefer to target small animals like rodents as they could not deal with powerful and large animals. Although there are very rare chances if a fight happens between these cats then the Bobcats would be the ultimate winner.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

We have done our best to give you the best comparison possible between these cats to clear all your confusion about them. Generally speaking, Maine coon are domestic pet cats while bobcats are wild cats. It is possible to tame the bobcats and convert them into domestic pets but we still need to be extra conscious about them as they could reveal their natural instincts at any time. Overall, there is no direct genetic relation between the bobcats and Maine coon.