This Maine Coon Mama-And-Kitten Duo Is Kryptonite For Tortie Lovers
Sometimes, a kitten looks nothing like its mother. Other times, the mama and baby look so similar that there's no doubt whatsoever about parentage. In a TikTok video that's been viewed more than 10,000 times, a tortoiseshell Maine coon mother and her lookalike kitten are cuddled together, and the kitten's head pops up in the cutest way to gaze at the camera.
@mossycottagemainecoons A little piece of her momma. Same soul, new chapter. 🖤🧡🩵 #mainecoonkitten #tortoiseshellcat #mainecoonsoftiktok #mainecoon #mossycottagemainecoons
Fans can't get enough of the adorable duo. "OMG! This is truly beautiful. What an adorable mommy with her lil mini me baby!" one viewer of the video wrote. Another added, "Omg!!! Looks like mama!! That little head popping up!! So ADORABLE!!!" Commenters gushed about the kitten, describing the tiny fuzzball as gorgeous, cute, and beautiful, and several people asked if the sweet creature was available for adoption.
The TikTok account that shared the video, @mossycottagemainecoons, raises Maine coons in Ohio, and their TikTok feed is filled with videos of the stunning cats — both fluffy little kittens and impressively large adults — proving, once again, that the Maine coon cat breed truly is the most majestic one of them all.
Why are most tortoiseshell cats female?
People often confuse tortoiseshells and calico cats. Both have orange and black fur blended together, but a calico cat also has white fur added to the mix. More than 99% of all tortoiseshell cats are female. Why male tortoiseshell cats are so rare — which is related to why 80% of orange cats are male — all comes down to the Arhgap36 genetic mutation.
Like all mammals, female cats have two X chromosomes (XX), while males have an X chromosome and a Y chromosome (XY). When a male cat inherits the Arhgap36 genetic mutation on one X chromosome, the cat is a ginger. A female cat must inherit the mutation on both X chromosomes in order to be a ginger, and if she has the mutation on just one of her two X chromosomes, then she will be either a tortoiseshell or a calico.
Only about one in every 3,000 tortoiseshell cats is male. For a male cat to be a tortoiseshell or a calico, he must inherit the Arhgap36 genetic mutation on two X chromosomes, meaning he must have a genetic anomaly such as Klinefelter syndrome, which results in an extra X chromosome: XXY instead of the usual XY. Because of the genetic anomaly, almost all tortoiseshell and calico male cats are sterile.