Maine Coons are marketed as a robust, 'naturally healthy' breed, but a lab analysis of thousands of samples found roughly a third of Maine Coons worldwide carry a gene mutation linked to a potentially fatal heart disease, and plenty of kittens are still sold by breeders who have never screened their breeding cats for it.
9.71years, life expectancy at birth
2 years below the all-cat life expectancy at birth of 11.74.
Measured, not estimated: worked out from 7,936 UK cats that died in 2019 under veterinary care. Based on 69 deaths of this breed. 95% confidence interval 8.42 to 11 years. Life expectancy at birth is the average a kitten of this breed could expect; a cat that is already an adult has a longer expected total, because it has got past the risky early years. UK cats, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
Teng et al. 2024, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 26(5) — open access · figures cited with attributionHealth tests to ask the breeder for
There is no CHIC program for cats. These are the DNA and screening tests that the testing laboratories and cat health bodies name for the Maine Coon. A breeder who tests will show the certificates; a DNA result of "clear" for one variant is not a guarantee against the disease.
- Maine Coon HCM (MYBPC3 A31P) DNA test (UC Davis VGL / Langford Vets) screens for the known hypertrophic cardiomyopathy risk variant; VGL notes it 'is not the sole cause of HCM in Maine Coons'
- Echocardiogram by a veterinary cardiologist, repeated regularly for breeding cats HCM screening in addition to the DNA test (GCCF)
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy (LIX1 deletion) DNA test (UC Davis VGL / Langford Vets) screens for hind-limb muscle wasting
- Erythrocyte Pyruvate Kinase (PK) Deficiency DNA test (UC Davis VGL / Langford Vets) screens for inherited haemolytic anaemia
When to spay or neuter: by five months, whatever the breed. That is the one answer the AVMA, the feline practitioners and AAHA all give, and the spay and neuter page has why, and the two weeks after.
Sources: vgl.ucdavis.edu · vgl.ucdavis.edu · vgl.ucdavis.edu · langfordvets.co.uk. Checked September 2026. Check a breeder has the questions.
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Living with a Maine Coon
This is a big, heavy-boned, slow-maturing cat that doesn't reach full size until 3-5 years old and often acts more like a mellow dog than a typical cat — plenty enjoy water, walk on a harness, and chirp instead of meowing. The trade-off is a serious grooming commitment, since the semi-long double coat mats fast if brushing is skipped for more than a few days, and it's worth asking any breeder for current cardiac screening (echocardiogram or DNA test) on both parents rather than taking 'healthy line' on faith.
Health you should know about
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) — a thickening of the heart muscle that can progress to heart failure, blood clots, or sudden death; a specific MYBPC3 gene mutation is linked to the disease in this breed and was found in roughly 34% of Maine Coons in a large retrospective lab analysis, though carrying the mutation does not guarantee a cat will develop clinical disease, and not every case is explained by it. Cornell's feline health center lists Maine Coon among the breeds with elevated HCM prevalence.
- Hip dysplasia — malformed hip joints that are more of a practical concern in a breed this large and heavy-boned; can lead to stiffness and arthritis.
- Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) — an inherited, degenerative loss of motor neurons causing hind-end muscle wasting; it is not painful or life-shortening but does affect mobility, and a DNA test exists for breeders to screen against it.
Read the full Cat Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a cat needs before you choose a breed.
Sources — 5 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 5 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.