Originating in the U.S.A., the Maine Coon is considered as the greatest cat in the world. Adult males can reach from 15 to 20 pounds, i.e. more than small breed dogs. However, the Maine Coon cannot be limited to his giant size. Sure of himself and of his strength, he’s one of the mildest cats.
The Maine Coon is the first cat breed originating in the U.S.A. He is so much part of the patrimony that the state of Maine made of him his emblem. Many legends surround his origins. In the beginning was a racoon, who took for spouse a farm-cat, and their descendant was the Maine Coon. Of course, like the sun and the moon, these two never met, but the Maine Coon, with his powerful and wild appearance, his tabby hair and plume tail, looks very much like the small animal so familiar in the U.S.A.
Brown and white Maine Coon
But such a lordly cat needed royal origins. The story goes that the Main Coon is descended from six angoras who had belonged to the French Queen Marie-Antoinette. Captain Samuel Clough had the mission to save the queen from the gaolers of the French Revolution who wanted to cut her head off. But this officer failed and had to leave France quickly, with, on board his ship, many belongings of the Queen and the precious cats. The Maine Coon would therefore be the descendant of these royal cats and the cats of common birth from the east coast of the United States.Another story tells that the Maine Coon would have been brought to the U.S.A. by the Vikings during their trip to the New World around the year 1000. This would explain for the resemblance between the Maine Coons and the Norwegian Skogkatts.Less romantic, but more realistic, the Maine Coon’s origin would be the result of repeated crosses between native American cats and Asian, longhaired cats brought by sailors. Those cats , who were often half wild, had to live in very difficult conditions and only the fittest survived. Until the day men noticed their beauty and welcomed them in their homes.
In the 1860’s, the Maine Coon was definitely recognized as a true breed and took part in many cat shows organized by Maine’s farmers. The first Maine Coon to go down in history was a black and white cat called Captain Jenks from the Horse Marines. In 1895, Cosey, a brown tabby female, was the winner of the greatest cat show of the time. But little by little, people’s craze for longhaired oriental cats, such as the Persians and Angoras, increased, while that for the Maine Coons decreased to such an extent that the breed was considered as almost extinct in the 1950’s.But the Phoenix rose from his ashes, and in 1950 the first club dedicated to the Maine Coon was created, the Central Maine Cat Club, soon followed by the Maine Coon Cat Club, which is still the greatest club today. Their importance was fundamental, as the breed was recognized by the CFA in 1976 and the FIFe in 1980.
Blue tabby Maine Coon
Here is our mice and rats hunters gone to the conquest of world. The first Maine Coon arrived in France in 1980, and many still remember today Charlie, the first of his breed to be imported to France. At this time, the breed was not as impressive as it is nowadays; this was especially due to a look not as wild. However, his size, rustic appearance and gentle character soon conquered the whole European continent: Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium… The Maine Coon is now the third breed in number in shows, after the Persian and the Birman, his eternal rival.
The Maine Coon’s main characteristics are the result of his extraordinary adaptation to his first conditions of life in the rash climate of the North-east coast of the U.S.A. It is a big cat, muscled, with high legs, strong bones and a long body: this cat is a very athletic and able to hunt for his survival. His hair is also particularly well adapted, rustic and weather-proof. It is shorter on the shoulders and longer on the back, with a well-furnished “jabot”. The tail is as long as the rest of the body, with a beautiful plume. The hairs on the ears are also more abundant than in many species, while the furry tips remind the ears of the lynx.
Admire the lynx tips… …and the bushy tail.
Besides his size and hair, one of the main characteristics of the Maine Coon is the shape of his head and its wild expression. The head is broad, with a slight concave curve in the profile and high, prominent cheek bones. His eyes are slightly oval, but, as they are always wide open and alert, they appear round. And there’s his muzzle: large, strong, square, as if set on top the rest of the head. With such jaws, he can’t miss his preys!All colors are allowed in the Maine Coon, except chocolate, lilac, cinnamon and fawn. The favorite colors are, of course, the “wild” ones: brown tabby and brown tabby and white. People also tend to have a fall for silver tabby.The Maine Coon’s character and love for the children make him the perfect companion. He can go along very well with smaller dogs. He can easily be taught small tricks, like retrieving a ball of paper in his jaws.The Maine Coon’s rustic appearance is highly appreciated among men, who often reproach purebred cats their “fragile” looks. However, this cat’s meowing is discreet and high-pitched, quite the contrary of what one could be expecting. The Maine Coon’s, like many other giants, has a slow growth. Males don’t reach their maturity before the age of two years. From a sanitary point of view, you won’t have to take your cat to the vet very often, except for his vaccines and boosters, as this is a tough breed with no particular health problem. Still, f you want your love story to last for the 15 next years, ask a serious breeder who’ll advise you when choosing your kitten.
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