The history of the breed of the Maine Coon

Cats are well known to all and at the same time very mysterious creatures. In the world there are a huge number of species and varieties of these animals. The history of the origin of some of them is shrouded in mystery. For example, this is the largest Maine Coon breed today. How did it appear, where did this name come from?

Animals of this breed are large, cats are much larger than cats. The average weight is from 8 to 10 kilograms. There are instances weighing 12 kg. The length of the body from the nose to the tip of the tail is about 130 centimeters, and half the size is a luxurious, fluffy tail. Paws in height are 40-42 cm. However, at such sizes the cats do not look massive and awkward, they have a big head, a wide chest and a muscular body. These are born hunters.

Wool at the Maine Coon has an interesting property - it almost does not let moisture, does not get wet. Moreover, it has a different length: there is a chic “collar” around the neck, hind limbs are dressed in “fur pants”, on the back, sides and stomach there is thick fur with undercoat, and the head and paws are covered with shorter hair. The shape of the paws is reminiscent of snowshoes - they are wide and powerful, and there are hairs between the fingers.

This breed has interesting, characteristic only for her ears - large, high on the head, with thick skin, covered inside with fur, and outside with thick wool. On the tips there are tassels like a lynx. All these properties helped these cats to survive and get food in those harsh places where they come from. Officially recognized birthplace of Maine Coon - Maine, United States. Farmers specially bred cats to fight rodents who have spoiled grain.

It is believed that the active domestication of animals began about 150-200 years ago. As in any other case, there was competition between people, excitement. Everyone wanted his cat to be larger than on a nearby farm. Therefore, only the most outstanding individuals were left to the tribe. Thus, the breed gradually formed. Despite the rather impressive size, the character of the cats is calm and balanced. They are not aggressive, amenable to learning. They get attached to their owners, get along well with children.

It is not possible to trace exactly which species of cats were the ancestors of the Maine Coon.

There are several legends about where this breed came from.

1. "Scandinavian trace." It is assumed that the Vikings in the XI century made sailing across the ocean, to the shores of nobody then still unknown America. The ships they had were wooden, food was stored for a long period. To protect the products from rats, they took cats with them. Most likely, it was a Norwegian forest cat, large and shaggy, accustomed to difficult living conditions. During the stay of the ships, the cats could run away to the shore and stay there.
2. "Royal History". According to another legend, the French queen Marie Antoinette decided to leave her country and flee overseas. During the secret preparations, things and a few pets of the royal personage, large furry cats, were loaded onto the ship. However, their owner could not come to sail, and the pets went on a journey alone. On the new continent, the animals became wild and began to live in the wild.
3. Prose. No romance, history, riddles. Maine was at one time an important transportation hub.Ships from all over the world came to the ports, they brought and transported various goods. It goes without saying that for the safety of valuable goods, as in the old days, seamen took cats with them. While there was unloading or loading, the crew went ashore. Together with the sailors sent and tailed jungle. Some cats ran away and got used to new places.
4. Scientific. Currently, many scientists consider the Maine-coon breed native, originally living in the territory of the current state of Maine. With the beginning of colonization, the Europeans began to develop and settle new lands. They arrived with their families, brought with them pets, including cats. Meeting them with wild local cats and owes the emergence of a new species.
5. Ignorant, pseudoscientific. Even more anecdotal. Actually, there are even two of them. According to the first, the Maine Coons went from crossing the cat and the raccoon (they used to even call the Manx raccoon cat). According to the second version, the trot is to blame. Biologists explain that such interspecific reproduction in principle is impossible.
6. Fantastic. According to this legend, large beautiful animals lived on Atlantis. After the disappearance of the mysterious continent, several surviving individuals came to America and multiplied there, some found themselves on the territory of modern Russia and later became known as Siberian ones.

Recently, the most popular version of the American origin of the Maine Coon. It is believed that they belong to the local fauna and have always lived next door to people. Some in search of food could decide on a closer acquaintance with a person. Strong and dexterous hunters helped farmers to save the harvest from the invasion of mice, rats and other small rodents. They lived on the street, getting food themselves. The owners cared little about their appearance and amenities.

At local fairs in Maine, long-haired cats have appeared regularly since 1850, taking prizes. For the first time the breed was presented to the general public at an exhibition in 1861. A cat named Captain Jenks was shown, he is also considered the first Maine Coon, who was officially recognized. The audience was delighted with the huge fluffy handsome.

The exhibition in 1878 in Boston was attended by 10 representatives of the new breed. Then in 1895, New York took over the baton. However, the triumph was short lived. By the end of the 19th century, Persian cats appeared in fashion, and wild giants were forgotten for many decades. Cats again engaged in the usual business - hunting for mice and rats in farm land.

In 1967, the standard for the breed was adopted, nurseries appeared, and by 1980 about a thousand Maine Coon owners were registered in America. A new surge of interest in these animals begins, not only in the United States of America, but also in Europe, Russia and other parts of the world. Currently, the breed has a strong leading position in popularity.

In 1981, a cat named Charlie was brought from the USA to France. He is the founder of the French branch of the Maine Coon. Cats were brought to the UK a little later - in the mid-80s, and now occupy second place in the ranking. In 1993, a souvenir coin with the image of a Maine Coon was issued on the territory of the kingdom. Animals very quickly spread throughout Europe, interest in them is constantly increasing, hundreds of nurseries have been created, specializing in the breeding of this breed.

Immediately, several Russian breeders claim to be the first to discover American long-haired cats for our fans. According to one version, the Maine Coons were first imported from the Netherlands in 1992. The breeding of a new breed in our country began with these two individuals.According to another, it happened in 1989, and the cats came from America.

The third owner, Irina Guseva, claims that it is her animals (bought in the late 1990s) that are true representatives of the species. Subsequently, the breeder brought some more purebreds from the United States. Currently, the descendants of these cats are in great demand both in Russia and in Belarus, as well as in Ukraine.

The first word in the name "Maine" is the slightly distorted name of the American state of Maine. The second part of “kun” is translated as “raccoon”. From this follows several hypotheses about the appearance of the name. Here are some of them.

• A certain ship owner, Captain Kun ("raccoon"), a big cat lover carried cargo from Europe to America and back. Most often, his ship stayed at the ports of Maine. If there were too many tailed inhabitants, the captain distributed them to residents of coastal villages. When these people were asked where the cats came from, they replied that they were from the Raccoon (by the surname or nickname of the captain).

• Young sailor Tom Kun, who served on one of the ships, sold the kittens to a woman, the owner of a small farm in the state of Maine. According to legend, it was she who became the first owner and breeder of Maine Coon.

Read more about the Maine Coon cat breed in the next video.