History

Never has a breed of cat been surrounded by so much romantic tradition, myths and legends. Among others, Vikings with Norwegian Forest Cats, sea captains, the French queen Marie Antoinette, European sailors with Persians, bobcats, lynxes and racoons are involved in the legends of the origin of the Maine Coon cat.

One of the more popular tales is that the Maine Coon cat originated from matings between domestic cats and racoons, another that the cat descends from bobtails or the lynx. This, of course, is a genetic impossibility, but still a very colourful explanation.

Another tale is the tale about Captain Coon, who owned and operated a trading vessel in the early days of the colonies and who was extremely fond of cats. He traded all up and down the New England coast, and whenever he went ashore, his feline friends went with him. Naturally, when the captain fraternised ashore, so did his cats, and when longhaired kittens began appearing in local litters, the comment was "one of Coon's cats".

From Captain Coon to another captain, Captain Clough from Wiscasset in Maine. As the French Revolution neared its bloody climax, many plots sprang up to save the royal family. Captain Clough was involved in one of them, he was supposed to bring Queen Marie Antoinette and her 6 Persians, some furniture, silver and other belongings to America. As is well known, Marie Antoinette was beheaded, and Captain Clough went back to Maine. Of course the Persians went off and visited the local cats and soon longhaired cats turned up. Across the Sheepscott river from Wiscasset still stands the house which was said to have been built by Captain Clough for Marie Antoinette - in fact it contains French furniture dating back to the French Revolution.

However, it is also said that, when trading emerged in the 18th century, European sailors brought Persians with them to America, and together with the explanation below this forms the most acceptable to me.

Around year 1000, the Viking Leif Eiriksson sailed with his men first to Greenland then to the New England coast of America. It is said that on the Viking ships they had Norwegian Forest cats to prevent rats and mice from eating the food and grain. And of course, as real sailors do, the cats went ashore and fraternised with the local cats. In the Icelandic Saga it is said that "There was dew on the grass whereupon it happened to them that they set their hands to the dew, then carried it to their mouths, and thought they had never known anything so sweet as that was". Maybe a description of Maine ?

Many more legends surround this wonderful breed, and we suggest that you read "That Yankee Cat. The Maine Coon" by Marilis Hornidge. Tilbury House, Publishers, Gardiner, Maine. You can buy it from Amazon on the Internet. Or read Cheeptrills' homepage, you can find it under "Links".

The cat

The Maine Coon cat is well-known for its gentle ways - one of its truly endearing qualities is its wonderful temperament. Maine Coons are even-tempered cats that befriend humans and other animals alike. Truly, Maine Coons are gentle giants, good-natured goofs with a delightful chirping sound instead of a meow.

The Maine Coon cat is an excellent example of environmental adaptation. The coat of this beautiful cat is glossy and water-resistant. It is long and flowing, relatively heavy and shaggy, shorter on the shoulders to guard against tangling in underbrush and longer on the belly and britches to protect it from the cold damp ground. The cat's tail is very long and plume-like, and it wraps the tail around itself as protection from the cold. Big, round, turfted feet serve as "snow shoes". The ears are large, especially at the base, enabling the cat to detect the minute sounds of prey or potential adversaries. The long, square muzzle helps to grasp prey and lap water from streams and ponds. The Maine Coon cat is a large, long cat standing relatively high on its legs, which allow the cat to readily jump over fallen tree boughs and small streams.

Overall, Maine Coon cats are excellent examples of natural selection at work. Almost each and every physical characteristic of the cat finds its origin in some form of adaptation to its familiar rugged environment.

Maine Coon cats require more time and attention than many other breeds. They need company, so don't plan on having a Maine Coon as an only pet, if you are away at work all day, he will be lonely and miserable. Ours greet us at the door when we come home, "talking" about their day as they follow us from room to room, preferring to be always nearby.

Karin Barfoed

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