Maine Coon Cats

Maine Coon cats are large, long-haired cats whose history is steeped in legend.

Maine Coon cats can grow up to twenty pounds, with males averaging thirteen to eighteen pounds and females averaging about nine to twelve pounds. They have a large, broad chest and long, rectangular body. Main Coon’s have a long tail, tufted ears and feet, and many are polydactyl, meaning they have extra toes.

Maine Coon cats do not reach full maturity until they are three or four years old. Their vocabulary includes unusual chirps and trills, as well as a wide variety of meows. Maine Coons are very sociable, getting along well with children and dogs, and they are great mousers.

Maine Coon cats are an American breed with a history going back, at least, to the early colonists. There are many legends about the origins of the breed. Some believe they were originally a cross between a housecat and a raccoon, which we now know is scientifically impossible. Others, more reasonably, believe that they originally came from domesticated cats mating with bobcats.

Maine Coons are considered a native American breed. Tales of how the Maine Coon’s ancestors reached New England vary, and they are all quite interesting.

The Norwegian Forest Cat is the most similar breed to the Maine Coon cat. Many people believe that the Main Coon’s ancestors were brought to America by the Vikings, long before the colonists landed in New England.

Another story has it that six of Marie Antoinette’s cats were brought over during the French Revolution, mated with American cats and spawned the breed. As the story goes, Captain Samuel Clough was planning to rescue Queen Antoinette and bring her to Maine. He loaded his ship with her belongings and her six cats, but the plot was foiled. Antoinette was captured and beheaded, and Captain Clough had to make a quick getaway to America with the queen’s possessions still in tow.

While some credit the unlikely raccoon story for the name of the breed, others say it came from an English seaman whose last name was Coon. He had many long-haired cats which lived on his ship as companions and mousers and were thought to bring good luck. Coon traveled up and down the coast of New England often bringing his cats on shore, and soon the resident shorthairs started producing long-haired kittens.

Regardless of the precise origin of their ancestors, a few generations of harsh New England winters finalized the traits of the breed, creating a very hardy, large, intelligent, long-haired cat.

In the 1860’s farmers began showing their cats at the Skowhegan Fair competing for the title of Maine State Champion Coon Cat. Captain Jenks of the Horse Marines was a black and white Maine Coon cat first documented in 1861, and believed to be the first Maine Coon recorded in cat literature. He belonged to Mrs. Pierce who began documenting American cats shows in the late 1800’s and authored a chapter on Maine Coon cats in a book called The Book of The Cat published in 1903.

Maine Coons enjoyed a short-lived success on the show circuit and quickly began to decline in popularity. The breed was declared extinct in the early 1950’s. This was not quite true, however, and the Central Maine Cat Club quickly formed to save the breed. Their efforts were successful and by 1980 all cat registries recognized the breed. Today Main Coons are one of the most popular breeds of cat.

Maine Coon cats are a fortunate breed. They are very hardy cats who have escaped some of the hardships that popular purebreds often suffer. Main Coons have a very large gene pool and miraculously, given their popularity, there is very little inbreeding among Maine Coon breeding professionals and enthusiasts.

While breed-related health issues are not often a problem in Maine Coon cats, the two most common inherited conditions which affect the breed are hip dysplasia and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Those who seek out a pedigreed Main Coon cat should talk openly with the breeder about any family history of these conditions. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common heart disease in all cats and may cause problems as minor as a heart murmur, but can cause sudden death with no warning signs.

Maine Coons are playful and independent. They are excellent mousers who get along well with children and dogs. While they are not generally lap cats, they are very social creatures.

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