Cross Breeds

are maine coon cats the only cats with an "M" on thier forehead?

Im trying to figure out if maine coon cats are the only cats that have an "M" on thier forehead. I have a cat with an "M" on his head but I he's not a maine coon. Or at least I dont think that he is. He was a stray when I found him as a kitten. Please help or tell me when to go to get the answer.

Public Comments

1. Yes. This is what makes them + their breed unique. Any other markings are coincidence.
2. He's probably a mix of Maine coon and something else.
3. No. There are plenty of other breeds (Including mixed breeds) with M stripes on their forehead. These markings are known as tabby stripes and are common in most striped breeds. My cat is a European Shorthair with an M on her forehead. Most shorthair and tabby breeds have Ms on their forehead.
4. No, all tabby cats have an M on their forehead.
5. The "M" on the forehead is part of the tabby coat pattern - it has absolutely nothing to do with being a Maine Coon. Maine Coon cats come in tabby (they have the "M"), solids, bicolors, and calico (and these do NOT have the "M"). Any tabby cat - be it domestic short/long hair, Bengals, or even a lynx point Oriental Shorthair, will have an "M".
6. No, the "M" is a trademark of the tabby cat, it's a coloring of the fur, the tiger like strips that gives cats the trademark "M" that's how you know it's a tabby colored cat. There are plenty of domestic short hairs and domestic long hair cats that are tabbies and have this trademark "M." My cat, who is a domestic long hair has the "M" on his forehead because he is a tabby cat with the stripes all over his body.
7. Yes, but if it is a mixed breed cat some times they will have that same mark.
8. LOL at everyone saying "Yes"! The M on a cat's forehead is simply part of TABBY MARKINGS and has NOTHING to do with the breed of a cat. My Exotic Shorthair has an M on her forehead http://www.ferretocious.com/penelope/penny-ta1.jpg So does this domestic shorthair http://www.kittenspics.com/images/tabby-kitten.jpg And this Persian http://www.iams.com.au/systems/staticpages/templates/imghtml/images/persian__brntab_lg.jpg And another domestic - this time a longhair http://www.sqrescue.net/sites/default/files/stormy.jpg And this cat - no M http://ticama.org/2007/images/cat01.jpg And guess what? HE'S A MAINE COON! Cats 101 has handed out LOTS of bad information. They said you can easily recognize the Maine Coon by the M on its forehead - that the Norwegian is prone to PKD (it isn't - the Persian, Exotic and Himalayan are). They're also showed LOTS of cats that were domestics and said they were Manx, Havana Brown and Bombay - the list goes on. When that show first started they were getting their cats to represent the breeds they were portraying by perusing profiles on catster.com - where a cat can be whatever breed the owner says it is! Only recently have they started actually contacting breeders and/or owners of registered cats. Now back to your cat. Only 3% of cats are a particular breed and kittens of particular breeds don't just "happen". They only come from the mating of pedigreed cat to pedigreed cat of the same breed. They're sold at breeders starting at $600 and up - they're not out roaming the streets as strays. Your cat is simply a "domestic" just like 97% of call cats.
9. No. The "M" on the forehead is a common tabby trait. Not exclusive to Maine Coons at all. In fact it is also a common marking on our domestic cats' wild ancestors, the African Wild Cat. Here is an image of one with the "M". http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/animal/a4/Felis_silvestris_libyca-African_Wildcat-TR-by_Trudie_Waltman.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/view.php%3Ftid%3D1%26did%3D7944&usg=__CL24geiqm0cZclExrqyxjbnk4uE=&h=480&w=667&sz=42&hl=en&start=98&zoom=1&tbnid=25zwW_51RK2QHM:&tbnh=116&tbnw=164&ei=JMbuTfC2KuTn0QHY-PTaAw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dfelis%2Blybica%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D995%26bih%3D554%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=605&vpy=273&dur=3739&hovh=190&hovw=265&tx=172&ty=128&page=7&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:98 You cat is a tabby. Tabby refers not to a breed but a type of coat pattern with stripes or swirls (that might not be the correct term) though some breeds of cats may also have tabby patterned coats.
10. OHHH please let this die! Cats 101 should be shot! The "M" is the markings of ANY tabby cat - purebred or mixed. Its not an indication of a Maine Coon. MC's come in many different colors that are not tabbies.
11. No, my Bengal has a M on his head.