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History of the Maine Coon:
One of the oldest natural breeds
in North America, regarded as a native of the state of Maine (in
fact, the Maine Coon is the official Maine State Cat) A number of
attractive legends surround its origin. A wide spread (though
biologically impossible) belief is that it originated from matings
between semi -wild, domestic cats and raccoons. This myth,
bolstered by the bushy tail and the most common colouring (a
raccoon like brown tabby) led to the adoption of the name "Maine
Coon." (originally only brown tabbies were as "Maine Shags.")
Another popular theory is that the Maine sprang from the six pet
cats which Marie Antoinette sent to Wiscasset, Maine when she was
planning to escape from France during the French Revolution. Most
breeders today believe that the breed originated in matings
between pre-existing shorthaired domestic cats and overseas
longhairs (perhaps Angora types introduced by New England seamen,
or longhairs brought to America by Vikings). Maine Coons were well
established more than a century ago as a hardy, handsome breed of
domestic cat, well equipped to survive the hostile New England
winters. Nature is not soft-hearted. It selects the biggest, the
brightest, the best fighters, the best hunters to breed successive
generations. Planned breeding of Maine Coons are relatively
recent. Since early breeding began Maine Coon breeders have sought
to preserve the Maine Coon's "natural," rugged qualities. The
ideal Maine Coon is a strong healthy cat.
Maine Coon colours:
Maine Coon's come in a wide
variety of colours including Brown, Red, Cream, Silver, Blue,
Smoke, Black, White and dilutions of all these colours. They also
come in different patterns like Tabby, Tortie, Torbie, Mackerel,
Patch, Solid. These colours and patterns can be either with or
with- out White. Eye colour also varies but green is most common
with the occasional gold and odd eye colour sometimes showing up.
Interestingly, the
breed closest to the Maine Coon is the Norwegian Forest Cat which
although geographically distant, evolved in much the same climate,
and lends credence to the theory that some of the cats responsible
for developing the Maine Coon were brought over by the Vikings.
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