Written by Vicki of Coonhaven Maine Coons

History of the Maine Coon Cat

Maine Coons have been on this earth for many centuries, they were well documented at being in large numbers at American Cat Shows in the mid 1800’s alongside the other popular breed at the time the Persian cat.

There are several theories as to the origin of Maine Coons, the Darwin Theory of an animal’s origin being disregarded and obscured, from being an outcross between a Bobcat/Wildcat and a domestic, coming across as ship cats from Scandinavian countries as Forest type cats and mating with the domestic cats, to Marie Antoinette sending her royal cats on a ship to the safety of Maine,  prior to her beheading. Nobody really knows and the cat’s aren’t saying.

Maine Coons are a natural breed of cat or at least the original ones were, and anyone who has ever met one and to everyone who has ever lived with one, the Maine Coon is a very special breed of cat.  [1]

Appearance of The Maine Coon Cat

Maine Coons are the largest breed of domestic cat and have a rugged, working cat appearance.  They have a lovely semi-longhaired coat of varying lengths and were well built to survive in the harsh North American winters.  This coat is very water repellent, but quite soft to the touch.   An amazing plumed tail of large proportions finishes off this wonderful coat.  They come in a large variety of colours and in several tabby patterns as well as solid and particolours.  Brown tabby is the original colouring of a Maine Coon but the rainbow of colours range through blues, reds and creams, silvers tortoiseshell and solid blacks through to solid white.

They have large ears with ear furnishings and most also have lovely Lynx like tips which gives them their distinctive “wild” look.  Feet and toe feathering or furnishings were also needed to enable them to run through the snow and icy waters and these keep the paw pads from getting too cold.

They are a quiet cat and their voice is more a high pitched trill than a meow and can be used in various tones depending on how they want to talk to us humans.

        

Temperament of the Maine Coon Cat

Maine Coons are VERY smart cats and are also known to have “dog like” qualities, they are loyal and tend to choose one person in the family as their “special person”.   This breed is well known as the Gentle Giants of the cat world and do have a very kind and gentle outlook on life.  High activity levels  through to couch potatoes are ways of describing the day of a Maine Coon.  They love to climb and be up high, so heavy based scratching poles are a necessity.  It is advisable to keep Maine Coon cats indoors at all times or alternatively allow them access to play in a solid, escape proof enclosure.  Water is also a favourite with Maine Coons, whether it be to drink, play in or in some cases swim in.

Maine Coon cats are suitable for

Maine Coons are very adaptable and will be happy with single person homes or in families, with or without other animals, providing the animals are accepting of cats. They do like company whether it be human or another cat or dog, and even though they are a large cat, they can happily live in apartments as well as they can in family homes.

Further reading and Reference:

[1] That Yankee Cat – The Maine Coon by Marilis Hornidge 1991

Thanks to:

Coonhaven Maine Coons & Rumplteeza Maine Coons for their beautiful photos.

Also see:

Maine Coon breeders

Maine Coon photos