Maine Coon Cats

Maine Coon Cat Breed Information

Learn all about Maine Coon Cats, read about the Maine Coon Breed information, find out about the Maine Coon Breed Standard, Maine Coon behavior and lots more about Maine Coons.

Maine Coon Cat Breed Introduction

Maine Coon Cats have bushy tails, long coats, and distinctive brown, black, and white coats that make them resemble raccoons. The long coats of Maine Coon Cats also resemble those of the Norwegian Forest Cat breed in Europe. Yet this is definitely an All-American breed, whose origins likely go back to the earliest colonial settlers of New England.

Maine Coon Behavior/Personality

Source: Wikipedia (March 2006)

Maine Coon Cats are known for their dexterous paws, with which many Maine Coons can open doors and turn on faucets. They tend to be rather large and active, so they are not always the best lap cats.

Maine Coon Breed Standard/Physical Description

Here are some facts on the Maine Coon breed based on the Cat Fanciers Association's breed standard.

• Head: medium in width and slightly longer in length than width
• Ears: large, wide at base, tapering to appear pointed
• Eyes: large, wide set
• Body: medium to large in size, muscular, broad-chested
• Legs: wide set, of medium length, and in proportion to the body
• Paws: large, round, five toes in front; four in back
• Tail: long, wide at base, and tapering
• Coat: heavy and shaggy, silky

Maine Coon History

Source: Wikipedia (March 2006)

The Main Coon cat is an American original cat breed, and certainly one of the oldest domestic US cat breeds. It is believed that the breed originated in New England, particularly Maine, from cats first brought over from Europe by settlers in the 1600s. The cats would have had to survive the harsh New England winters, which were even longer and harsher in the colonial period than they are today. Cats that were large, rugged, and had thick, water-resistant coats would have been favored by their environments.

There are a number of legends as to how the Maine Coon Cat breed originated. One legend is that a housecat bred with a raccoon-which, is, of course, genetically impossible. Another legend has it that Maine Coon cats are descended from pet cats of Marie Antoinette that were somehow shipped to Maine while she was trying to escape Revolutionary France. Today, breeders speculate that the breed is the result of interbreeding between local shorthair cats and longhair cats from overseas, perhaps Angoras.

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