This beautiful cat which has a delightful bushy tail, and which is striped and with long fur, is in fact a domestic cat which is surprising considering how large it is. The Maine Coon is native to North America and furthermore is actually native to the state of Maine, where it has been made 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 Coon Cats also have unique personalities. They are often likened to dogs in fact. Unlike most cat breeds, the Maine Coon is highly sociable with humans and other pets. These cats will actually run to you when you call them, and are likely to be sitting at the door waiting for you when you arrive home. They do like a lot of love and attention.

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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