Large, wild looking cats have been very popular in the last years, for those who own them have a felling of wilderness in their houses. Among those “natural” cats, the Maine Coon and the Norwegian are often associated, when not mistaken…
Yet those cats are very different the one from the other. If the main goal of this article is to help you distinguish them thanks to a few essential characteristics, it is before necessary to have a look at their similitude.
The reason why these two breeds are so often compared the one to the other, is that they are both the results of selection depending much on nature and environment. Indeed, the harsh climate of the State of Maine is sometimes quite similar to that of the North. These contrasted regions have been the cradle of quite extraordinary breeds, which were perfectly adapted to their environment. Their history are quite the same too: in both cases, cat from the Far east crossed the seas and were taken to countries were there had never been, or only very small population, cats. The Vikings brought Angoras from Minor Asia, while the first American cats, supposed to have been brought on the Mayflower, were descendants of the first Oriental cats from the court of the French King. These cats were also coming from Minor or Central Asia. Once they settled in their new country, those strong, semi longhaired cats spread in the wilderness, where they had to adapt to survive: powerful jaws, solid and muscled body, strong and tall legs, weatherproof fur. The Maine Coon and the Norwegian therefore have acquired almost the same features: they are strong farm cats, able to live in the wilderness and without the help of man.
It is rather funny to note that the Maine Coon’s standard says that it is “a working cat”. While many breeds have acquired their traits because of man’s whims, the Norwegian and the Maine Coon are 100% the results of adaptation when it comes to their morphology. There is nothing useless about them. Man only added its touch when it became interested in those breeds, at the end of 19th century for the Maine Coon, and in the middle of the 20th century for the Norwegian. These evolutions only concern annex characteristics. What will allow us to make the difference is the shape of the head and eyes, or light differences in the texture of the fur, until those subtle differences make of those breeds two entirely different and unique cats.
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Read the report on the Maine Coon
Read the report on the Norwegian
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