We have Maine Coon rescue cats and we don't plan to breed any cats (preferring to adopt orphans--there's a glut of cats out there.) But if you were planning to breed Maine Coons, you surely would need a more comprehensive book than this slim volume.

However, if you just want some general background about the history, pictures of coat colors and information about the general qualities of this breed, this book is just fine. The most valuable page is actually in the back, describing various illnesses, with a black and white drawing and description of a cat "not doin' right", which is how a cat subtly tells you it is feeling sick. We caught our cat "not doin' right" and she was actually on the point of being seriously ill. We caught it in time--thanks to that helpful description --cats are sometimes not terribly expressive, purring even in pain and perking up if their beloved owners are around.

2 of 3 found this review helpful:
Maine Coon cats is a pretty good book, 2002-03-29
I liked the book. It's a good book for people who don't know a lot about the maine coon cat breed. I found out several things I didn't know. Yes the end is a little generic, but it is only talking about how to take care of a cat, which would be generic. I think it's a good book for first time Maine Coon cat owners, such as myself.

53 of 55 found this review helpful:
Personalized Greeting Card of a Cat Book, 2001-02-08
"Maine Coon Cats" is one of a series of cat books published by Barron's. It has been 'personalized' by inserting the breed name 'Maine Coon' into the title and various other places in the text. Most of text is about cats in general, but all of the book's photographs display big, fuzzy Maine Coons. And there are some specifics about this very special breed - the cost of a show kitten vs. 'just a pet', a short history of the breed, etc. We own a small Maine Coon cattery ('JustThisOnce' Cattery) with five current residents (if you don't count the humans). For a more specific book on this native American breed, I'd recommend "This is the Maine Coon Cat" by Sharyn P. Bass. The photographs are mainly black and white (and grainy), but the text is much more specific to Coonies, especially if you plan to show. I learned from Bass's book that our Maine Coons aren't unique in the way they scoop water out of their dish with a big, hairy paw and then drink it. Evidently, this is one of the breed traits that got Maine Coons mistaken for raccoons in the first place!