Okay so while I maintain all my previous points of it being a bad idea idea AND that there likely isn't one out there to have photos of (because it's a bad idea) IF I was going to do so anyways, I would envision them perhaps looking like this:
I'd imagine a bengal/maine coon cross would be medium-large, larger if male. Both breed standards emphasize a sturdy build and a lack of delicacy, so I would expect to see that in offspring.
Maine coons have a very different coat than bengals, not sure how that would work out. You could get something like a cashmere bengal, preserving the texture of the bengal coat but a length/shagginess closer to a maine coon. You could get maine coon texture/length. You could get bengal texture/length and maine coon colours. I'd have to explore the genetics of what makes various coat textures/colours and such. In my experience, with bengal/DSH crosses, they spotted pattern is quickly lost so I would expect maine coon coat colours to be preserved in kittens.
I'd expect to potentially see the muscled shoulders and downward sloped shoulders of the bengal, perhaps with a greater emphasis on a broad chest from the maine coon. Tail would probably be a bit longer than in a bengal, feet a bit bigger.
Bengals and maine coons both have fairly big eyes, though bengals tend towards a round shape and maine coons an oval.
Ears - bengals are smallish, maine coons are large, so probably somewhere in the middle with the wide base common to both. Bengals should have a rounded ear, and maine coon pointed, but as the ears are pretty emphasized in maine coon breeding compared to bengals I'd say the pointed and tufted ears are more likely to carry to offspring.
Putting it all together, you might get something like: A tabby coat that is very soft but somewhat patchy, with large sloped shoulders and a broad chest. Big feet, tufted ears, but big round bengal eyes.
I have a purebred rough collie. He was recently bred to a collie/Aussie cross who looks more Aussie than collie.
The puppies look either like full collies or like their more Aussie looking mom. Maybe half look all collie including coloring and the others look Aussie. The puppies are 80% collie but you wouldn’t know it by looking at some of them.
Genetics can be complicated, what genes get selected add dominant or recessive factors…
It’s not worth a serious breeders time to randomly mix two distinct breeds just for shits and giggles.
Breeding is expensive and time consuming.
Most breeders frown upon crossbreeding. Both bengals and maine coons are prone to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), so breeding them together would be a bad idea for heart health. Especially as we still know so little about HCM and have no genetics tests for it.
Outcrossing is a serious business. [Elysian Bengals wrote about their outcross project here](https://www.elysianbengals.com/post/the-16-year-opus-magnum-how-we-are-changing-the-bengal-breed), and it's a fascinating read. To do it responsibly, an enormous amount of care needs to be taken to ensure the offspring are healthy and you are breeding to further the breed, not just for kicks.
It's likely that it doesn't exist. There actually aren't that many maine coon breeders out there. And the odds that someone is breeding more than one breed (rare) and they happen to be maine coons and bengals, and they decide to (or accidentally) crossbreed them?
Or someone who breeds either bengals or maine coons convinces a breeder of the other to give them a breeding cat for a pretty unsuitable pairing for no clear gain?
In all likelihood, what you're asking for doesn't exist at all. I was giving you reasons why. It can be fun to imagine though, let me think a bit...
I mean, I know a Bengal breeder, I would just need a female Maine coon. It's absolutely doable, I just figured it probably has happened somewhere, and if so, it would probably be super pretty.
No ethical breeder would allow you to do such a cross. It doesn't benefit the breed, and the baby is more likely to suffer terminal heart issues. Ethical breeders spend thousands and thousands trying to screen HCM out of their lines, they're not going to cross to another breed that's known for it. I suppose if you were determined, you could find two dont-give-a-shit backyard breeders... but why would you want to?
My cat is a bengal cross from a shitty backyard breeder and suffers every day because of it. When you see the results of bad breeding, it makes you passionate about doing it right.
However, if we're just imagining for funsies, I did post a breakdown of the two breed standards and what a cross would look like. I suspect they would heavily favour the Maine coon parent
This would be quite similar to a [Cashmere Bengal](https://bengalcats.co/long-haired-bengal-cat-cashmere/). Cashmere Bengals possesses all the qualities of a Bengal cat, but has a longer hair coat. This difference is due to a recessive gene that both parents must carry in order for it to surface in a litter.
Ooh I’d love a Cashmere bengal. Tried to get one in UK. but there were only 2 breeders, one in very north Scotland and the other just a few hours away but after I reserved two babies, her whole family of cars became very ill and died from an unknown but nasty illness. It was during severe covid lockdown and she believed the cats got some version of covid when her own family had it.
Would still love a cashmere one day. Maybe I’ll make the long trip to Scotland!
A breeder that health tests? They’re not allowed to be registered as sbt bengals with an outcross anyway :/ I’m all for rescuing a mixed kitten from someone who had an accidental mating, but if they continually let them mate then that’s just irresponsible on their part :(
This is the Bengal subreddit, if there’s anywhere to make a difference and educate people about Bengal breeding it’s here haha. No one is saying anything about you, they’re talking about the breeder. I’m sure you have a lovely cat, no one is judging you. We’re judging the breeder lol
Not judging your baby at all, I’m glad you rescued her!! 💕 The person breeding them exemplifies why other bengal breeders should be spaying/neutering their cats before selling them though :(
https://preview.redd.it/zj4aamsbohqc1.png?width=1758&format=png&auto=webp&s=65034e635a2af2f144b71070b0ccb911c37acc69
Here’s my mix! He’s about 8 months old and soooo big already, he’s so kind and curious!! He sleeps on my face every night and won’t ever leave my side. He’s a half and half mix of Maine coon & bengal. I had a 13 year old Maine coon pass away and he is VERY similar in personality. Only big difference is- he is flopppppppy! When he trusts you, he doesn’t think about his legs anymore lol. When he’s extra happy I have to gently lay him on the floor or he’ll just.. flop. Grim is my angel 🖤😌
I'm late to this post but I adopted a Bengal X Maine Coon a few weeks ago. He is from a litter that was a mistake from a breeder who was breeding both Bengal and Maine Coon. He got most of his features from his Bengal side. The most interesting is its coat being Midnight Charcoal, a Bengal color, but with a Ticked Tabby pattern that is more common with the MC ... He is a wonderful cat!
https://preview.redd.it/5r7tr90ggptc1.jpeg?width=3103&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=932399529311a48d890297668ae0d17ed16be54e
https://preview.redd.it/emqzyh6jnd0d1.jpeg?width=954&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08c4f4d344899e847bcfa7426168788ab0d97b46
Here is Dola, Bengal Maine Coon x
https://preview.redd.it/43m74wk85a2d1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b6432e93a2b762847561a7f5dfeec1398d7d00d
Mr. Fluffy. Bengal x Maine Coon. He has a medium length, very low-shed coat, with a full fluff tail. Very silky coat in summer, but fluffier and woolier in winter. This is an old picture, but at three years, he's still growing. Larger than most Bengals, but not quite giant Maine Coon size. Big boned, and BIG paws, but very slender, and long. All that said... I would say this mix is a bad idea. He's gentle and sweet as they come, but HYPER as a bengal. Mixing the most energetic cat with the largest cat, is hard to deal with (you can't have anything breakable within his reach, which is anywhere less than 9 feet off the floor). I think hip-dysplasia will be his end. His frame is not built for his energy level. But for me personally... he's the best cat I've ever met.
I know I am late but I adopted a bengal Mainecoon mix. She looks like a grey tabby, but her coat glitters in the sunlight like a bengal. She has a Mainecoon length fur, but has the softer bengal texture. She is very stocky and athletic and playful. She is HUGE and is more of a dog than a cat. She likes playing fetch, guarding by the windows, and cuddling. She has long pointy ears with tufts of fur. She is my dream cat, but I do see the value I’m not intentionally breeding this mix.
Okay so while I maintain all my previous points of it being a bad idea idea AND that there likely isn't one out there to have photos of (because it's a bad idea) IF I was going to do so anyways, I would envision them perhaps looking like this: I'd imagine a bengal/maine coon cross would be medium-large, larger if male. Both breed standards emphasize a sturdy build and a lack of delicacy, so I would expect to see that in offspring. Maine coons have a very different coat than bengals, not sure how that would work out. You could get something like a cashmere bengal, preserving the texture of the bengal coat but a length/shagginess closer to a maine coon. You could get maine coon texture/length. You could get bengal texture/length and maine coon colours. I'd have to explore the genetics of what makes various coat textures/colours and such. In my experience, with bengal/DSH crosses, they spotted pattern is quickly lost so I would expect maine coon coat colours to be preserved in kittens. I'd expect to potentially see the muscled shoulders and downward sloped shoulders of the bengal, perhaps with a greater emphasis on a broad chest from the maine coon. Tail would probably be a bit longer than in a bengal, feet a bit bigger. Bengals and maine coons both have fairly big eyes, though bengals tend towards a round shape and maine coons an oval. Ears - bengals are smallish, maine coons are large, so probably somewhere in the middle with the wide base common to both. Bengals should have a rounded ear, and maine coon pointed, but as the ears are pretty emphasized in maine coon breeding compared to bengals I'd say the pointed and tufted ears are more likely to carry to offspring. Putting it all together, you might get something like: A tabby coat that is very soft but somewhat patchy, with large sloped shoulders and a broad chest. Big feet, tufted ears, but big round bengal eyes.
https://preview.redd.it/p7r8a5rvmd0d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=69b0b3fa917df96ceb3ab5a33acf1898a658559f Here’s one.
I have a purebred rough collie. He was recently bred to a collie/Aussie cross who looks more Aussie than collie. The puppies look either like full collies or like their more Aussie looking mom. Maybe half look all collie including coloring and the others look Aussie. The puppies are 80% collie but you wouldn’t know it by looking at some of them. Genetics can be complicated, what genes get selected add dominant or recessive factors… It’s not worth a serious breeders time to randomly mix two distinct breeds just for shits and giggles. Breeding is expensive and time consuming.
Yep. I talked extensively in this thread about why I think it's a bad idea. Breeding should only be done to improve the breed.
Most breeders frown upon crossbreeding. Both bengals and maine coons are prone to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), so breeding them together would be a bad idea for heart health. Especially as we still know so little about HCM and have no genetics tests for it. Outcrossing is a serious business. [Elysian Bengals wrote about their outcross project here](https://www.elysianbengals.com/post/the-16-year-opus-magnum-how-we-are-changing-the-bengal-breed), and it's a fascinating read. To do it responsibly, an enormous amount of care needs to be taken to ensure the offspring are healthy and you are breeding to further the breed, not just for kicks.
Which is why I am asking for photos and not buying a Bengal and a Maine coon and making my own.
It's likely that it doesn't exist. There actually aren't that many maine coon breeders out there. And the odds that someone is breeding more than one breed (rare) and they happen to be maine coons and bengals, and they decide to (or accidentally) crossbreed them? Or someone who breeds either bengals or maine coons convinces a breeder of the other to give them a breeding cat for a pretty unsuitable pairing for no clear gain? In all likelihood, what you're asking for doesn't exist at all. I was giving you reasons why. It can be fun to imagine though, let me think a bit...
I mean, I know a Bengal breeder, I would just need a female Maine coon. It's absolutely doable, I just figured it probably has happened somewhere, and if so, it would probably be super pretty.
No ethical breeder would allow you to do such a cross. It doesn't benefit the breed, and the baby is more likely to suffer terminal heart issues. Ethical breeders spend thousands and thousands trying to screen HCM out of their lines, they're not going to cross to another breed that's known for it. I suppose if you were determined, you could find two dont-give-a-shit backyard breeders... but why would you want to? My cat is a bengal cross from a shitty backyard breeder and suffers every day because of it. When you see the results of bad breeding, it makes you passionate about doing it right. However, if we're just imagining for funsies, I did post a breakdown of the two breed standards and what a cross would look like. I suspect they would heavily favour the Maine coon parent
This would be quite similar to a [Cashmere Bengal](https://bengalcats.co/long-haired-bengal-cat-cashmere/). Cashmere Bengals possesses all the qualities of a Bengal cat, but has a longer hair coat. This difference is due to a recessive gene that both parents must carry in order for it to surface in a litter.
Ooh I’d love a Cashmere bengal. Tried to get one in UK. but there were only 2 breeders, one in very north Scotland and the other just a few hours away but after I reserved two babies, her whole family of cars became very ill and died from an unknown but nasty illness. It was during severe covid lockdown and she believed the cats got some version of covid when her own family had it. Would still love a cashmere one day. Maybe I’ll make the long trip to Scotland!
Hiya I have a Bengal MaineCoon Mix. Her Bengal features have taken over but she looked more like a mix as a kitten.
Actually 1/2 purebred bengal and 1/2 purebred mainecoon? Or just a mix with both in its ancestry somewhere?
3/4 pure Bengal and 1/4 Maine Coon. Her dad is a proper 1/2 and 1/2 and is a cute medium hair looking Bengal
Ahh, I guess that makes sense why she’d take more bengal qualities!! A bit weird that anyone would mix breeds not only once, but twice though!
I think the Mix dad and the Bengal mom are an “item” so they’re always making cute new babies.
The owner could just spay them and still let them be a bonded pair :(
Where would we get our Bengal kitties from? :)
A breeder that health tests? They’re not allowed to be registered as sbt bengals with an outcross anyway :/ I’m all for rescuing a mixed kitten from someone who had an accidental mating, but if they continually let them mate then that’s just irresponsible on their part :(
Please take your frustrations up somewhere you can make a difference. You’re coming off as very judgmental about a kitty you know nothing about.
This is the Bengal subreddit, if there’s anywhere to make a difference and educate people about Bengal breeding it’s here haha. No one is saying anything about you, they’re talking about the breeder. I’m sure you have a lovely cat, no one is judging you. We’re judging the breeder lol
Not judging your baby at all, I’m glad you rescued her!! 💕 The person breeding them exemplifies why other bengal breeders should be spaying/neutering their cats before selling them though :(
https://preview.redd.it/zj4aamsbohqc1.png?width=1758&format=png&auto=webp&s=65034e635a2af2f144b71070b0ccb911c37acc69 Here’s my mix! He’s about 8 months old and soooo big already, he’s so kind and curious!! He sleeps on my face every night and won’t ever leave my side. He’s a half and half mix of Maine coon & bengal. I had a 13 year old Maine coon pass away and he is VERY similar in personality. Only big difference is- he is flopppppppy! When he trusts you, he doesn’t think about his legs anymore lol. When he’s extra happy I have to gently lay him on the floor or he’ll just.. flop. Grim is my angel 🖤😌
I'm late to this post but I adopted a Bengal X Maine Coon a few weeks ago. He is from a litter that was a mistake from a breeder who was breeding both Bengal and Maine Coon. He got most of his features from his Bengal side. The most interesting is its coat being Midnight Charcoal, a Bengal color, but with a Ticked Tabby pattern that is more common with the MC ... He is a wonderful cat! https://preview.redd.it/5r7tr90ggptc1.jpeg?width=3103&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=932399529311a48d890297668ae0d17ed16be54e
https://preview.redd.it/emqzyh6jnd0d1.jpeg?width=954&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08c4f4d344899e847bcfa7426168788ab0d97b46 Here is Dola, Bengal Maine Coon x
https://preview.redd.it/43m74wk85a2d1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b6432e93a2b762847561a7f5dfeec1398d7d00d Mr. Fluffy. Bengal x Maine Coon. He has a medium length, very low-shed coat, with a full fluff tail. Very silky coat in summer, but fluffier and woolier in winter. This is an old picture, but at three years, he's still growing. Larger than most Bengals, but not quite giant Maine Coon size. Big boned, and BIG paws, but very slender, and long. All that said... I would say this mix is a bad idea. He's gentle and sweet as they come, but HYPER as a bengal. Mixing the most energetic cat with the largest cat, is hard to deal with (you can't have anything breakable within his reach, which is anywhere less than 9 feet off the floor). I think hip-dysplasia will be his end. His frame is not built for his energy level. But for me personally... he's the best cat I've ever met.
* She's only a couple month old but she's lovely and has a brilliant personality
https://preview.redd.it/1gydww8k2g2d1.jpeg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8b3570071493b303f488cbfe2c68ab10f25cc48
https://preview.redd.it/jce5hbio2g2d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3db67f5cae31273ac3ad7693f477d7a18ea3538b
I know I am late but I adopted a bengal Mainecoon mix. She looks like a grey tabby, but her coat glitters in the sunlight like a bengal. She has a Mainecoon length fur, but has the softer bengal texture. She is very stocky and athletic and playful. She is HUGE and is more of a dog than a cat. She likes playing fetch, guarding by the windows, and cuddling. She has long pointy ears with tufts of fur. She is my dream cat, but I do see the value I’m not intentionally breeding this mix.
https://preview.redd.it/ud04tbmdj13d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4522d123d3c70225f9f12363da0c8f9c8d2287a9 here is kitten