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This beautiful cat which has a delightful bushy tail, and which is striped and with long fur, is in fact a domestic cat which is surprising considering how large it is. The Maine Coon is native to North America and furthermore is actually native to the state of Maine, where it has been made the State Cat.

The Maine Coon has been around for more than a century, and it is believed that their physical design enables them to withstand the harsh winters of New England. Everything from their overall size, to the shape of their paws, to the thickness of their fur makes them suitable animals for harsh winter weather. Furthermore, their fur has a water resistant quality to it.

As with so many domestic animals, a number of legends have grown up around them, some which may be true, and others which definitely are not. It has been suggested that the Maine Coon is a product of the domestic cat and the raccoon mating, but most experts think this is not possible. Other suggestions are that the native North American cat mated with the Vikings cat, and this is a possibility because of the similarity between the Maine Coon and the Norwegian Forest Cat.

At one time, only the brown tabbie was considered to be a Maine Coon cat, and any Maine Coon which had a different color was known as a Maine Shag cat. The people who have delved more closely into this are of the opinion that the Maine Coon came about as a result of mating between short haired domestic and long haired cats from abroad, probably Europe.

Maine Coon Cats also have unique personalities. They are often likened to dogs in fact. Unlike most cat breeds, the Maine Coon is highly sociable with humans and other pets. These cats will actually run to you when you call them, and are likely to be sitting at the door waiting for you when you arrive home. They do like a lot of love and attention.

You may or may not be aware that cat shows have been taking place around the country since 1861, and it was in the 1900’s, with the introduction of the Persian cat, that the Maine Coons popularity began to wane. But they bounced back again in the 1950’s and their own Association was formed in 1968, the Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association, with the express purpose of protecting the breed. However it was another 12 years before all the cat registries recognized the breed.

The Maine Coon Cat today is owned, loved, and shown by many thousands of people. The Breeders Association mentioned earlier has also grown from the original 6 breeders to now well over 200 breeders and with many more non-breeder members as well.

Tags: Cats

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