The Amazing Maine Coon Cat
June 8, 2008 – 9:36 pmThe Maine Coon Cat which must be one of the biggest of the domestic breed of cats is readily recogised by its lovely bushy tail and its striped and long fur. The Maine Coon Cat belongs to North America and not surprisingly is a native of the state of Maine, and it is the State Cat.
The Maine Coon has been around for more than a century, and it is believed that their physical design enables them to withstand the harsh winters of New England. Everything from their overall size, to the shape of their paws, to the thickness of their fur makes them suitable animals for harsh winter weather. Furthermore, their fur has a water resistant quality to it.
As with so many domestic animals, a number of legends have grown up around them, some which may be true, and others which definitely are not. It has been suggested that the Maine Coon is a product of the domestic cat and the raccoon mating, but most experts think this is not possible. Other suggestions are that the native North American cat mated with the Vikings cat, and this is a possibility because of the similarity between the Maine Coon and the Norwegian Forest Cat.
The Maine Coon Cats of today would not have been considered as a part of the breed at one time. Only brown tabbies were referred to as Maine Coon Cats, and any ‘Maine Coon’ of a different color was referred to as a Maine Shag Cat. Cat experts largely agree that the Maine Coon is a product of mating between short haired domestic cats with long hair cats from overseas, at a time when people began migrating from Europe.
Maine Coons have very special personaities similar in many ways to the family dog. Call out their name, and they will come bounding towards you. Go out for the day, and on your return you will find them eagerly waiting for you on the doorstep. They love people, and other animals, and in return they like a lot of love and attention themselves.
In the early days of cat shows, going back to 1861, the Maine Coon was a popular participant, but when the Persians came along in the 1900’s the Maine Coon went into decline. However their fortunes revived in the 1950’s and in 1968 the Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association was formed with the purpose of protecting the breed. Despite this it was not until 1980 that the breed was recognized by all cat registries.
Today, there are thousands of people who own, show and adore the Maine Coon Cat. The MCBFA, which was founded so long ago, by just six breeders, now has a membership of over 200 breeders, with approximately 2000 other members (non-breeders) as well.
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