Brief Overview Maine Coon Cats

Maine Coon Cats are America’s only native long haired cat and they developed in the rough climate of Maine with its short t hot summers and long below freezing winters.  Their genes our no doubt related to the long haired cats brought by Scandinavian and Russian immigrants. No doubt a feral version of the long haired cat was left behind in the wilderness of Maine long before those settlements were common. Since Maine was a sea going area of early commerce the longer haired cats not doubt mated with their short stockier cousins that were common up and down the eastern seaboard. The offspring of the union of the long haired Nordic cat and the common stockier short haired ship mousers adapted to the climate of Maine out of necessity;

The  Maine Coon  Cat soon became a valuable member of many rural  New England Households .They were noted to have above average ratting  skill as compared to other domestic house cats.

By the mid eighteen hundreds the Coon Cat was on exhibit at many county fairs.  In May 1895 the Cat Fancier Association had a show in Madison Square garden where a Maine Coon Cat named King Max won for best in show. He went on to win three years in a row. The Maine Coon lost popularity over the years to purebred Persian but still had a large fan base in New England. The popularity of the Maine Coon Cat has enjoyed a revival over the last few years.