Whether you spell it grey or gray, this sought-after Maine Coon coat color encompasses a variety of shades, from sparkling silver to deepest slate.
The grey Maine Coon is technically a dilute black Maine Coon. In official circles, an all-grey Maine Coon is referred to as blue and has a solid coat, meaning every hair is the same shade of grey. If a grey Maine Coon has any variations of grey, it falls into one of the 29 grey cat classes described below.
To truly qualify as a solid grey Maine Coon, a cat’s fur must also be the same shade of grey from the roots to the tips.
Grey is one of five Maine Coon colors, the others being white, black, red, and cream. The ultimate grey Maine Coon has a deep grey coat with a blue tinge, and nose leather and paw pads to match.
We’ve established that grey Maine Coons exist, but strictly speaking, are known as blue Maine Coons. However, we are not strict here and will refer to this color as grey throughout our article because, after all, grey is the color we see.
Why is a Grey Maine Coon actually called a Blue Maine Coon?
There are many suggestions as to why grey is called blue in the Maine Coon world.
A particular dark shade of grey does have a definite blue hue. All grey is really dilute black and the darker the grey the easier it is to see a hint of blue.
It is most likely that grey became termed blue because it best described the shade of grey favored by judges at cat shows.
The Grey Maine Coon Kitten
Grey Maine Coon Kittens are just as cute as any other color. A solid grey Maine Coon kitten has a particularly innocent look because of the absence of markings on its face. Rest assured, it’s as mischievous as any other kitten.
Solid grey or dark grey Maine Coon kittens are quite rare but grey tabbies are popular and widely available.
Grey Maine Coon Color Classes
There are a total of 30 color classes that a grey Maine Coon can fall into. These are solid grey and 29 variations.
It is likely that grey cats are referred to as blue because their coats can have a blue tinge. This is due to the fact that grey is genetically a dilute version of a black coat.
As you are about to discover, there are many different classes of Maine Coons with grey in their coats.
The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) officially recognizes the following colors though where I’ve mentioned grey they use blue. As it’s a pale shade of grey, all classes with silver are included here too.
Where tabby is mentioned below, it occurs in one of three possible patterns:
- Classic (blotched) – This pattern is often referred to as a blotched tabby because of the elaborate swirls on the sides of the body and butterfly-like patterns over the shoulders.
- Mackerel (striped) – This is the most common cat coat pattern. It has narrow stripes that begin at a dark stripe along the cat’s backbone and run vertically down towards its belly. The lines are parallel, evenly spaced, and resemble the skeleton of a fish (hence the name).
- Ticked (agouti) – This coat has multiple bands of color on each hair over the body and head and the usual tabby rings on its legs and tail. It’s sometimes referred to as the agouti or Abyssinian tabby pattern.
Solid Grey
The solid grey Maine Coon is exactly that. The shade of grey may vary from lighter to darker but each individual hair from root to tip is the same color and every hair on the cat is the same color.
Silver Tabby
The silver tabby Maine Coon has a base color of pale silver and its markings are dense black. A silver tabby could be referred to as a black and grey Maine Coon.
Silver Patched Tabby
The silver patched tabby Maine Coon has a pale silver base color and dense black markings with patches of red and/or cream.
Grey Silver Tabby
The grey silver patched tabby Maine Coon has a pale silver base color and deep grey contrasting markings.
Grey Silver Patched Tabby
The grey silver patched tabby Maine Coon has a pale silver base with deep grey markings and patches of cream. It also has a white undercoat.
Grey Tabby
The grey tabby Maine Coon has a pale greyish ivory base color. Its tabby markings are very deep grey. The whole coat has a fine layer of warm fawn overtones.
Grey Patched Tabby
The grey patched tabby Maine Coon can have a classic, mackerel or ticked pattern. The base color is pale greyish ivory and the markings are very deep grey with patches of cream. The whole coat has a fine layer of warm fawn overtones.
Silver Tabby and White
The silver tabby and white Maine Coon has a pale silver base color and markings of deep grey. It also has a white bib, belly, and feet.
Silver Patched Tabby and White
The silver patched tabby and white Maine Coon has a pale silver base and its markings are deep grey with patches of cream. It also has a white undercoat and white bib, belly, and feet.
Grey Tabby and White
The grey tabby and white Maine Coon has a base color of pale greyish ivory with tabby markings in very deep grey. The whole coat has a fine layer of warm fawn overtones. It also has white on its bib, belly, and paws.
Grey Patched Tabby and White
The grey patched tabby and white Maine Coon has a base color of pale greyish ivory and its markings are very deep grey with patches of cream.
The whole coat has a fine layer of warm fawn overtones. It also has white on its bib, belly, and paws.
Grey and White
The grey and white Maine Coon is in the bi-color class and has a combination of grey and white fur. It also has a white bib, belly, and paws.
Grey Cream
The grey cream Maine Coon is in the parti-color class. It has grey fur with patches of cream or soft areas of cream over its body and extremities.
Grey Cream and White
The grey cream and white Maine Coon has grey fur with patches of cream or soft areas of cream over its body and extremities. It also has a white bib, belly, and paws.
Chinchilla Silver
The chinchilla silver Maine Coon has a pure white undercoat. Its back, sides, head, and tail fur are tipped with black to give a sparkling silver appearance.
Its legs may be slightly shaded with tipping. Its chin, ear tufts, stomach, and chest are pure white.
Shaded Silver
The shaded silver Maine Coon has a white undercoat with black tipping shading down its sides, face, and tail varying from dark on the ridge to white on the chin, chest, stomach, and under the tail. The general effect is darker than a silver chinchilla.
Chinchilla Grey Silver
The chinchilla grey silver Maine Coon has a white undercoat. The fur on its back, sides, head, and tail are tipped with grey to give a sparkling silver appearance. Its legs may be slightly shaded with tipping. Its chin, ear tufts, stomach, and chest are pure white.
Shaded Grey Silver
The shaded grey silver Maine Coon has a white undercoat with grey tipping shading on its sides, face, and tail varying from dark on the ridge to white on the chin, chest, stomach, and under the tail. The general effect is much darker than a silver chinchilla.
Shell Grey Cream
The shell grey cream Maine Coon has a white undercoat. The fur on its back, sides, and tail is lightly tipped with grey and shades of cream.
Its face and legs can be lightly shaded with tipping. Its chin, ear furnishings, stomach, and ruff can be white or very lightly tipped with shading.
Shaded Grey Cream
The shaded grey cream Maine Coon has a white undercoat. It has grey and cream shading down its sides, face and tail. The face and legs can be a deeper shade than the rest of the body.
Its chin, ear furnishings, stomach, and ruff can be white or lightly tipped. The general effect is much darker than the shell grey cream.
Grey Smoke
The grey smoke Maine Coon has a white undercoat, deeply tipped with grey. When motionless this cast looks solid grey. As it moves the white undercoat shows through to give the smoke appearance.
It has grey points and a grey mask on its face. It also has a white ruff and ear tufts.
Grey Cream Smoke
The grey cream smoke Maine Coon has a white undercoat with deep tips of grey and clearly defined patches of cream. When it is motionless, this cat appears grey-cream.
As soon as it moves, the white undercoat becomes visible. Its face and ears have a grey-cream pattern with a narrow band of white at the base of the hairs close to the skin. It also has a white ruff and ear tufts.
Chinchilla Silver and White
The chinchilla silver and white Maine Coon has a pure white undercoat. Its back, sides, head, and tail fur are tipped with black to give a sparkling silver appearance.
Its legs may be slightly shaded with tipping. Its chin, ear tufts, stomach, and chest are pure white. It also has white on its bib, belly, and paws.
Shaded Silver and White
The shaded silver and white Maine Coon has a white undercoat with black tipping shading down its sides, face, and tail varying from dark on the ridge to white on the chin, chest, stomach, and under the tail.
The general effect is darker than a chinchilla. It also has white on its bib, belly, and paws.
Chinchilla Grey Silver and White
The chinchilla grey silver and white Maine Coon has a white undercoat. The fur on its back, sides, head, and tail are tipped with grey to give a sparkling silver appearance. Its legs may be slightly shaded with tipping.
Its chin, ear tufts, stomach, and chest are pure white. It also has white on its bib, belly, and paws.
Shaded Grey Silver and White
The shaded grey silver and white Maine Coon has a white undercoat with grey tipping shading on its sides, face, and tail varying from dark on the ridge to white on the chin, chest, stomach, and under the tail.
The general effect is much darker than a silver chinchilla. It also has white on its bib, belly, and paws.
Shell Grey Cream and White
The shell grey cream and white Maine Coon has a white undercoat. The fur on its back, sides, and tail is lightly tipped with grey and shades of cream. Its face and legs can be lightly shaded with tipping.
Its chin, ear furnishings, stomach, and ruff can be white or very lightly tipped with shading. It also has a white bib, belly, and paws.
Shaded Grey Cream and White
The shaded grey cream and white Maine Coon has a white undercoat. It has grey and cream shading down its sides, face and tail. The face and legs can be a deeper shade than the rest of the body.
Its chin, ear furnishings, stomach, and ruff can be white or lightly tipped. The general effect is much darker than the shell grey cream. It also has a white bib, belly, and paws.
Grey Smoke and White
The Grey smoke and white Maine Coon has a white undercoat, deeply tipped with grey. When motionless this cast looks solid grey. As it moves the white undercoat shows through to give the smoke appearance.
It has grey points and a grey mask on its face. It also has a white ruff and ear tufts. It also has a white bib, belly, and paws.
Grey Cream Smoke and White
The grey cream smoke Maine Coon has a white undercoat with deep tips of grey and clearly defined patches of cream. When it is motionless, this cat appears grey-cream.
As soon as it moves, the white undercoat becomes visible. Its face and ears have a grey-cream pattern with a narrow band of white at the base of the hairs close to the skin.
It also has a white ruff and ear tufts. It also has white on its bib, belly, and paws.
How much is a grey Maine Coon?
A grey Maine Coon should cost the same as any other color and the price will vary depending on where you buy from. Most people begin their search online and find a variety of sellers.
The main sources of Maine Coon cats and kittens are:
- Registered breeders
- Other breeders
- Pet shops
- Rescue centers or shelters
Whereever you purchase your grey Maine Coon cat or kitten, make sure you do thorough background checks.
The average grey Maine Coon cat price from a top breeder is $2000. If you go down the rescue route you’ll pay as little as $100.
All reputable Maine Coon breeders will be able to prove their kittens are from healthy parents and have had a health check and first vaccinations
Occasionally you might see a grey cat for sale via social media. If you choose to buy one try to establish the cat’s full history including origins, medical history, and vaccination records.
You might be lucky and find a grey Maine Coon cat for adoption at a local shelter. You may or may not be able to establish a rescue cat’s history depending on how it came to be at the center.
This is a chance you take but it is a wonderful thing to rehome a cat that deserves the chance of a better life.
What else is Grey on a Grey Maine Coon?
Nose
When we talk about the color of a Maine Coon’s nose we refer to it as nose leather. The color of a solid grey cat’s nose leather is always a beautiful matching grey.
Paws pads
It’s easy to imagine all paw pads on Maine Coons are the same color but this isn’t true. The color varies with their coat color. A solid grey Maine Coon cat has – you’ve probably guessed already – grey paw pads.
Eyes – no!
To buck the trend set by paw pads and nose leather, a grey Maine Coon does not have grey eyes (sorry to disappoint!) They can have any of the usual Maine Coon eye colors which include all shades of amber, copper, orange, gold, and green
A purebred solid grey Maine Coon cannot have blue eyes. However, if it has some white fur in its coat it can have blue eyes and even odd eyes, where one is blue and the other is one of the other Maine Coon eye colors.
Grey Maine Coon Size
There’s nothing different about the size of grey Maine Coon cats when compared to a Maine Coon of any other color. They can vary immensely. The smallest grey adult will be approximately 8 lbs.
The top end of the weight range for Maine Coons seems to be going up by the day. Once the average was 18 lbs but now it’s becoming increasingly different to put a number to it.
All I can say is if you look at a Maine Coon and think it is overweight, it probably is and you should adjust its diet accordingly, taking advice from your vet.
As per any other color, grey Maine Coon females tend to be smaller than the males. Again, it’s not an exact science but females tend to range between 8 and 13 lbs and males between 11 and 18 lbs. But you can really only take these figures as a rough idea.
Grey Maine Coon Coat Care
As with any other color, grey Maine Coons benefit from regular grooming to keep their coats free of knots. It’s best to start a grooming regime as soon as you get a kitten even if there’s not a knot in sight!
Of course, if you adopt an adult cat, how well it lets you brush it will depend on whether it has ever been groomed – good luck!
The best type of brush is a slicker brush (this link leads to reviews and the latest price on Amazon). We use this on our Maine Coon because it’s firm enough to get through to the undercoat and is very easy to clean.
It isn’t necessary to bath Maine Coons but if you ever have to for any reason Earthbath Oatmeal and Aloe Shampoo is my favorite as its 100% biodegradable, soap-free and cruelty-free.
Grey Maine Coon Dietary Requirements
You can feed a Grey Maine Coon cat the same food as any other Maine Coon. I recommend mainly wet food as this is how a cat tends to intake most of its moisture.
Dry food is fine in small portions but you must be careful as it is calorie-dense and easy to overfeed with.
The Best Names for Grey Maine Coon Cats
Grey cats can be given wonderful names that really suit their coat color. Here are a few naming ideas for grey Maine Coon kittens or adults:
- Smokey
- Shadow
- Blue
- Storm
- Cinders
- Sylvie
- Dusty
- Ash
- Bluebell
- Earl Grey
- Sapphire
- Shadow
- Wolf
- Smudge
- Lavender
Grey Maine Coon Mix
The grey coat color is a dilute form of black and only occurs if two copies of the dilution gene are present. Therefore, a grey Maine Coon carries two dilution genes.
It is just as possible to breed a purebred grey Maine Coon with another breed as it is any other Maine Coon color.
The color of any grey Maine Coon mix kittens will depend on the color of the other cat and coat color genetics.
Color genetics are complicated and, therefore, coat colors are difficult to predict.
Grey Things for Grey Maine Coons
Just for fun, here are a few excellent grey things to buy your grey Maine Coon kitten or cat.
1. A grey indoor cat tree
If you plan to keep your Maine Coon indoors, as most people do, you will need a way to give it plenty of exercise. This sturdy grey cat tree on Amazon is just perfect to give a Maine Coon cat somewhere to climb, jump, scratch, perch, and play.
2. A grey cave bed
I know cats sleep where they like but who can resist this lovely cave bed? It’s ideal because all cats like to snuggle away now and then where they feel safe and warm. It’s eco-friendly 100% merino wool.
3. Grey and white food dishes
Did you know cats prefer raised food dishes, especially larger breeds like Maine Coons? Here’s a perfect pair to please your grey kittie! See more on this subject and many other tips in 18 Easy Ways to Make Your Cat’s Life Amazing.
4. A grey fleece blanket
To protect you and your furniture from getting covered in cat hair, buy your Maine Coon a grey fleece blanket. This one is cozy, super soft, and easy to care for.
The Grey Maine Coon: Conclusion
The grey Maine Coon is a sensational-looking cat without a doubt. There are many variations from palest silver to deepest slate grey and a whole raft of patterns and color combinations.
Solid grey Maine Coons are comparatively rare so if you own one, feel lucky. Do grey Maine Coons exit? Of course they do!
My Ultimate Guide to Buying and Raising a Maine Coon will help you choose and care for your grey Maine Coon.