Thread: Can a Tarnished Silver Classic Maine Coon Become "Untarnished"?

Just seen this thread and thought I'd share our experiences of 2 of our 5 coonies. When we got Bran he was registered as a brown tabby (parents are a blue solid and tortie tabby). His breeders thought he was a cold brown tabby. We loved his dark brown colouring and copper eyes and he has indeed turned out to be a very striking cat. We started showing this year, and took Bran along to a show in the SLH section. He was awarded a Premier certificate, but an experienced judge in a side class said he was the wrong colour and took the time to explain to us and the breeders (who were also at the show) why she thought this - she was lovely.

Her opinion was that he's a very heavily tarnished silver tabby and would probably lose out to other brown tabbies in the SLH section. We were really interested as we've always wondered why he didn't have the same cream/beige underparts like other brown tabbies. She recommended we show him in the Pedigree Pets section, which we did this Saturday. He won 2 Best in Colours at the double show!

In the meantime, we've got another silver tabby who is now 6 months old. Wolfie's parents are a red tabby and a blue tortie smoke. He is a very clear silver classic tabby, and when you see the 2 of them together, Bran and Wolfie look very much alike (they are related anyway). The only difference is Bran is MUCH darker and his dark silver is more like a dark brown. Bran definitely did not look like a silver tabby as a baby.

At some point I'll probably apply to have his colour officially changed on his paperwork, but he is such a gorgeous cat that it doesn't matter at all that the colour was wrongly registered initially - we were looking for a brown tabby. Maine Coon kittens go to their new homes at 12 weeks and I think it can be very difficult to get the colour right. I've seen a fair few instances of colour changing - red tabby/red self, blue/blue silver, red silver tabby/red silver shaded. They take so long to develop to maturity that I guess sometimes people get the colour wrong.

Update: Sid has lost all the brown tarnish completely and is now grey/black with a touch of cream on his muzzle and his eyeliner (80's New Romantic).
Meanwhike, Ava has gone from pale strawberry blonde to definitely ginger with white bits.
Who knows what colour they'll end up!

Weasel - your Ava is our Wolfie's sister.

I wonder if she's a red smoke maybe?

That is great! Ava definitely needs her roots "doing", much like Sid, so you may be right. She is listed as "red silver classic tabby & white", but she really is a strawberry blonde with white feet. I like white toes on a cat, it makes it much easier to see what you are doing when cutting their toenails.

We remember meeting your Wolfie - he was quite lively at 12 weeks old! In fact, we came away quite relieved that he was not our kitten - he was into everything and Ava seemed a lot calmer.... she was just on her best behaviour and has now shown her true colours. Lovely temperament, kind and gentle, but my goodness is she strong-willed! If she wants to sit on you, it's easier just to give in. She now thinks all tins contain tuna, Sid is a cushion and the whole world revolves around d her. Which it does, really.

We are currently trying to lead-train her for Pets as Therapy. Sid is brill, can sit on command and is learning "up" but Ava is taking a long time to twig what is required. I don't think she's dim, just not so keen to please me as Sid. We will get there, though. She loves being fussed so is perfect for visiting the elderly - she is already visiting my Mum in her nursing home and is very well behaved, just not yet very well trained!

Do you live near Helen

Chuckling away here at your description of Wolfie. He's turning into a big, heavy lad and yes, he's totally into everything! Jabbers away at us and adores cuddles. Runs round like a lunatic, but our older MCs let him know where he is in the hierarchy. If he gets out of line, our eldest girl Emmy (the Boss) gives him a smack! One of his favourite things is to steal cat food pouches and stash them away. He's a right little character, we love him to pieces!

Ava sounds like a sweetheart. We always thought she was very pretty and got a chance to cuddle her a couple of times when visiting. We live about 40 minutes down the M1 from Helen and Brenda, so not too far at all.

Wolfie and Ava are so similar - she has something to say about everything, has to have cuddles every evening (but from my husband, not me - she is a terrible flirt with any man, but my husband must smell special!). sadly, Sidney is a bit pathetic most of the time and Ava can get away with nearly anything with him, she so bullies him and has from the first day they met! Aside from that, well, and the fact that she has turned into a SAS-style killing machine in the garden (got either a small rat or a big vole the other day, ate it before I could really identify it), she is utterly adorable and the gentlest creature in the world with people. Her fur has got quite dark now, proper ginger with a white undercoat, but everyone who sees her asks if she is the O2 "be more dog" cat!

Do you have any pics of Wolfie? Here is one of Ava after we groomed Sid yesterday, the fur is in the bag, and one of her after she'd been out hunting in the rain. She was soaked, but only the top layer - these cats are pretty waterproof!

Here is Wolfie in Meerkat Mode! Can't believe he's nearly a year old already.

Ava sounds fab and I think she has everyone wrapped around her paw by the sound of it! She looks lovely, and she is really going darker isn't she. We always though she was a sweetheart.

There's a 2nd litter from the same mating at Elmcoon at the moment and we are having the tortie girl - so Wolfie will have a full sister living with him.