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Featured Breed - Maine Coon

Boasting the title, “America’s first indigenous show cat,” it comes as no surprise that the Maine Coon has retained a permanent standing as one of today’s most well-known cat breeds, as well as the CFA’s 2^nd most popularly registered breed of cat.

The hardy longevity of the Maine Coon breed has undoubtedly provided the foundation for their unique, yet controversial, all-American legacy.

Appearing along the New England shore as early as the 17th Century, ancestors of the breed are said to have accompanied European settlers traveling to the Americas in hopes of surviving the harsh and uncompromising winters in hopes of starting anew.  Other accounts of the Main Coon’s ancestral origins have described the Vikings as the party to introduce the breed’s founding genealogy to the Americas.  Both historical perspectives, nonetheless, peg this breed’s forefathers as a resilient strain of feline developing primarily through the process of natural selection. 

Several theories concerning the inspiration for this breed’s name also exist-  ranging from a tale of a captain named Coon, reported to have sailed and landed on Maine’s shores, to a suspicion of the cats supposedly owned by the famed Marie Antoinette of France, to the close bearing of resemblance to the Raccoon the breed exhibits.

Individuals of this feline breed typically develop at a comparatively slower rate than most others, and can take up to 5 years to reach maturity.  The average Maine Coon grows anywhere from 9-15lbs. in weight, with a body length of up to one entire meter.

The Main Coon’s dense, water-resistant, double coat is composed of a soft under layer with an upper coat made up of guard hairs.  This coat can be seen in a wide range of colors and patterns, ranging from a solid, to tortoiseshell, to the most popular mackerel or patched tabby variety. 

Fur growing along the shoulders remains short in length, while, “pantaloons,” or, “britches,” created by longer hair growing on the backs of the legs, as well as, a longer, “ruff,” of hair mimicking the form of a lion’s mane are also inherent.
           The broad, well-defined skull of the Maine Coon is characteristically accentuated by a set of high cheek bones, a square muzzle, striking green, gold, or blue eyes, and a trademark, “M” design seen located on the forehead.  A heavily plumed, bushy tail and pair of widely-set, Lynx-tipped, ears mark just two more of this feline’s attributes. 

Frequently noted for sharing an extremely social, particularly intonated demeanor, just a few auditory examples of how this breed’s extensive vocal spectrum far surpasses the basic, “meow,” include a trill, chirp, and many more unique and interesting sounds attributed to making the Maine Coon such an amusingly receptive conversationalist.

The Main Coon’s loyal and placid disposition has led the breed to oftentimes be referred to as the, “Gentle Giant,” of the feline community.  Keen and intuitive; sassy, yet sweet, these cats have an awareness of all their own about the world that surrounds them.

Commonly noted for displaying rather, “dog-like,” behavior, this breed’s favorite pastimes include a love for the game of fetch, as well as, a sincere curiosity for water-sports and water-related activities.

Their high level of intelligence and mischievous knack for using their front paws similar in fashion to that of a human’s hands makes these cats considerably easy-to-train.  A nimble and playful build well-befits this breed for life in homes containing both children and other types of pets.