Maine Coon cats - gentle and strong, exceedingly handsome cats!

The precise origin of Maine Coon cats remains uncertain. The two most likely explanations for the existence of this large, hardy, and loving feline are:

Crossbreeding between established shorthaired breeds and longhaired breeds (possibly Norwegian Forest cats), which voyaged across to America with the Vikings in longboats. Or...

...Mating between Persian or Angora breeds, imported to the New England area by seafarers, and established shorthaired breeds.

Large, sturdy and with a thick double coat, this breed is well able to stand the sometimes harsh climate of New England. Maine Coons may in fact be distantly related to the Norwegian Forest Cats with which they share some characteristics.

The breed tends to be somewhat slow maturing, frequently these cats will not reach their full development until they are three years or older.

They are intelligent, playful, energetic cats that often display kitten qualities well into maturity. Maine Coon cats generally do not desire a lot in the way of petting. This not to say that they are unfriendly, in fact Maine Coons are very much people cats, that form very strong attachments to their owners. They are exceedingly curious, and love to try and get involved with anything you may be doing. Many Maine Coons even follow their owners from room to room, and in and out of the house.

People that are unfamiliar with the Maine Coon, often think them to be a huge ferocious cat when first meeting one. The breeds thick, long coat does tend to make Maine Coons seem to be bigger than they are, although mature males can indeed be quite large.

The truth is that these are very gentle cats that make marvelous pets, and soon become family members. These cats are very tolerant and get on fine with children, but as with any breed, there are exceptions. Easy to train, and unfussy eaters, (they do require a copious amount of fresh water,) owners find them problem free, and easy to care for.

An excellent hunter and renown for its mousing and ratting capabilities, this longhaired cat is often employed as a farm cat, to keep the rodent population in check.

Very robust heavy boned cats, with long bodies and square muzzles; Maine Coon cats were developed by nature to withstand the harsh New England winters. The males weigh in at up to 22 pounds, averaging at about 14 pounds, females tend to average 10 to 12 pounds. Stories of Maine Coons of 35 pounds or more, are just that, stories. Unless of course, it is a very overfed kitty!

Their coats are long, silky and very water resistant, with the hair generally longest on the stomach and britches. Unlike other longhaired breeds, such as the Persian, M.C.'s do not require a lot of grooming, a once a week combing should, in most cases, be enough.

Coat colors and patterns

Originally only the brown tabby members of the breed were known as Maine Coon cats. Any other pattern or color, and the cats were known as Maine Shags. Nowadays all varieties are rightly classed as Maine Coons.

In the 1870's the breed began to get exhibited at shows and this handsome breed of shaggy felines proved very popular.

However around 1910 other longhaired breeds, such as the Persian, that were considered more exotic and fashionable, were brought to America and entered at shows. These newcomers stole the limelight and slowly the native Maine coon was forgotten about.

This state of affairs continued until the 1960's when people started campaigning for M.C.'s to be a recognized breed. Success came in the 1970's when America's native longhair was again taking top honors.

Maine Coons are found in pretty nearly every color, reds, blacks, whites, blues, creams, blue-silver, silver, black smoke, blue smoke, blue-cream smoke, tortoiseshell, calico, dilute calico, shell tortoiseshell, chinchilla silver, shaded cameo, cream & white etc. Not forgetting of course, the classic brown tabby, mackerel, patched, and ticked.

Maine Coon cats - gentle and strong, exceedingly handsome cats!

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