The history of the origin of the Maine Coon breed

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

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

Maine Coon's wool has an interesting property - it almost does not allow moisture to pass through, does not get wet. Moreover, it has different lengths: there is a chic “collar” on the neck, the hind legs are dressed in “fur pants”, on the back, sides and abdomen there is thick fur with undercoat, and the head and paws are covered with shorter hair. The shape of the paws resembles snowshoes - they are wide and powerful, hairs grow between the toes.

This breed has interesting, characteristic only for her ears - large, set high on the head, with thick skin, covered inside with fur, and outside with thick wool. At the very tips there are tassels like a lynx. All of these properties helped these cats survive and get food in those harsh places where they come from. The officially recognized homeland of Maine Coons is Maine, United States of America. Farmers bred cats specifically to combat rodents that spoil the grain.

It is believed that animals began to actively domesticate about 150-200 years ago. As in any other business, here a competition and excitement arose between people. Everyone wanted their cat to be bigger than the one on the neighboring farm. Therefore, only the most outstanding individuals were left for the tribe. Thus, the breed was gradually formed. Despite the rather impressive size, the character of cats is calm, balanced. They are not aggressive, amenable to training. They become attached to their masters, get along well with children.

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

There are several legends about where this breed came from.

1. "Scandinavian footprint". It is assumed that the Vikings in the XI century sailed across the ocean, to the shores of the then unknown America. Their ships were wooden, food was stored for a long period. Cats were taken with them to protect food from rats. Most likely, it was a Norwegian forest cat, large and furry, accustomed to difficult living conditions. During anchorage of ships, cats could run ashore and stay there.
2. "Royal Story". According to another legend, the French queen Marie Antoinette decided to leave her country and flee across the ocean. During secret preparations, the ship was loaded with things and several favorites of the royal person - large fluffy cats. However, their mistress was unable to appear at the departure, and the pets set off on the journey alone. On the new continent, animals went wild and began to live in the wild.
3. Prosaic... No romance, history, mysteries. Maine was once an important transportation hub. Ships from all over the world entered the ports, brought and took away a variety of goods. It goes without saying that for the safety of valuable cargo, as in the old days, sailors took cats with them. While unloading or loading was going on, the crew went ashore. Together with the sailors, the tailed cabin cabinets also set off. Some cats ran away and got used to new places.
4. Scientific... Currently, many scientists consider the Maine Coon breed to be aboriginal, originally living in the territory of the current state of Maine. With the beginning of colonization, Europeans began to develop and populate new lands. Whole families arrived, brought pets with them, including cats. Meeting them with wild local cats is the reason for the emergence of a new species.
5. Ignorant, pseudoscientific. Even rather anecdotal. Actually, there are even two of them. According to the first, Maine Coons went from crossing a cat and a raccoon (at one time they were even called the Manx raccoon cat). According to the second version, the lynx is to blame for everything. Biologists explain that such interspecies reproduction is, in principle, 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 ended up on the territory of modern Russia and later became known as Siberian.

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

Long-haired cats have appeared regularly at local fairs in Maine 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 to be officially recognized. The audience was delighted with the huge fluffy handsome man.

At the 1878 show in Boston, 10 representatives of the new breed already participated. Then in 1895 New York took over the baton. However, the triumph was short-lived. By the end of the 19th century, a fashion for Persian cats appeared in society, and wild giants were forgotten for many decades. The cats again took up their usual business - hunting for mice and rats in the farmland.

In 1967, a 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 is at the forefront of popularity.

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

Several breeders in Russia claim to be the first in the discovery of American long-haired cats for our lovers. According to one version, Maine Coons were first introduced 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 (purchased in the late 1990s) that are the true representatives of the species. Subsequently, the breeder brought in several 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 a slightly distorted name for the American state of Maine. The second part "kun" is translated as "raccoon". From this follows several hypotheses about the appearance of the name. Here is some of them.

• A certain ship owner, Captain Kuhn ("raccoon"), a big cat lover transported goods from Europe to America and back. Most often, his ship stopped in the ports of Maine. If there were too many tailed inhabitants, the captain distributed them to the inhabitants of coastal villages. When these people were asked where the cats came from, they answered that it was from the Raccoon (by the name or nickname of the captain).

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

For more information about the Maine Coon cat breed, see the next video.