Okay, here we go! First a picture of Millie, our Maine Coon cat. Okay, full disclosure, we don't KNOW that she's a Maine Coon. I mean we don't have papers to prove it or anything. But come on! If it looks like, meows like and walks like a Maine Coon cat, don't you suppose it's probably a Maine Coon cat?! She may be a little smaller than most Maine Coons (they're really big!), but she is just a petite little girl cat, so there! Check out that tabby coloring and that gorgeous long hair! Maine Coons can be any color, but they are most often brown tabby like Millie. And they always have longish hair! Have you ever wondered how Maine Coon Cats came to be? Well, I'm going to tell you!
Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there was a queen. Her name was Marie Antoinette and her people got mad at her. They were mad because she had so much and they had so little. And they thought she didn't care and that she didn't even try to do anything about their suffering. So in 1793 (told you it was a long time ago!) her people chopped off her head. A little extreme, you think? Anyway, Marie Antoinette loved her Turkish Angora cats and she planned an escape that included taking six of her favorites with her. She was going to go on a boat to the United States. Well, clearly she didn't make it to the US of A! But her cats were already loaded on the boat and they did! After they got there they made friends with the local cats and from those friendships was born the modern breed that we call Maine Coon. Cool, huh?!
Did you like that story?? Okay, here's another one. Once upon a time a long, long time ago, there was an English seafarer name Captain Charles Coon. He liked his long-haired cats so much that he kept them on his ship with him. And when the ship would anchor in New England ports the kitties would get off the ship and make friends with some of the local cats. Before you know it long-haired kittens began appearing in the litters of kittens in New England and they were known as "Coon's cats." Well, I'm sure you can figure it out from there . . . they were developed into the breed Maine Coon!
Okay, I said two stories, but here's a third one. This one is really funny and doesn't even count because it isn't genetically possible. But you know some humans! They tell it anyway! That story is that the modern Maine Coon is descended from semi-feral domestic cats and raccoons! Now that might explain the most common color of Maine Coons . . . brown tabby . . . as well as their bushy tails. But come on people, we're not going to get that close to raccoons! Use your heads! Do you suppose these gorgeous cats are descended from cats and bobcats?! That would maybe explain the tuffs of hair in the ears! Hmmm.
Well, enough stories for today. Isn't it funny that the cat breed that won Best in Show at the first North American cat show in 1895 doesn't even know for sure what its origin is?! Take your pick, I guess. And I'll look for more stories to tell you. Stay tuned!
Hi, Vanna! Millie looks just like our Nelly, who is also very petite. We have always thought she must be Maine Coon, but we don't have papers, either. We adopted her from a veterinarian almost 12 years ago. They received many litters of kittens and would name all the kittens in each litter starting with the same letter. She was part of the "P" litter, so they named her Penelope. She is currently the world's oldest living kitten! Such a doll!
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