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Maine Coon Cats
IntroductionThe photograph of Daisy, above, encapsulates a lot about this cat breed. It is such a superb photograph for that reason. Of course Daisy is superb too. There is a stillness and a dignity about Daisy that Dani has captured.Maine Coon Cats are, as Marilis Hornidge (the author of "The Yankee Cats") states, "the complete package". Their appearance is impressive; enhanced by their substantially larger than average size (13-20 lbs on average, although some reach 25 lbs) and the luxuriously long fur coat. And this is all backed up by intelligence, a well balanced character and a pleasant temperament. It's no wonder that this cat is very popular and apparently gaining in popularity. Maine Coon Cats come in a myriad of colors and patterns only equaled by the Persian for variety. This is a natural breed (e.g. the breed has evolved on its own without man kinds interference), which further adds to the attraction.
Originating in the breed's hunting and sturdy ancestors, the Maine Coon is built for hunting with large eyes and ears and a large muscular body.  Origin
In the case of Maine Coon Cats, there are countless legends and myths and some have more credibility than others. Maine Coon Cats are a native (i.e. not imported from outside of the USA) long haired cat of North America and have been shown in competition is America since the 1860s. The breed possibly originates from the Norwegian Forest cat brought over on ships to America by the Vikings. However, it is more likely that the Maine Coon actually evolved from matings between domestic shorthairs introduced by early settlers and Angora types later taken across the Atlantic by seafarers. The Maine Coon breed is in the top 3 of the most popular breeds on the basis of this website's popularity poll. They came to Britain in the mid 1980s. Because of the appearance of the cat's coat it became a myth that he developed from matings between cats and raccoons. When you add that to the fact that this cat came from Maine in America, you get Maine Coon. History
Character and AppearanceMaine Coon Cats are characterized by their long smooth to touch and shaggy fur, straight noses and their "presence". They are a very handsome cat. They needed the lovely coat that we so admire for survival in the cold climate from which they originate (possibly Norway). The coat is a dense semi-long fur that requires regular grooming.It acts like a duvet with a tough top coat to shed water and protect against the elements and a soft downy undercoat to keep him warm. The coat is an outstanding feature of this breed. There are 64 color combinations. The color of the coat takes several months to settle into the finished "product". The Maine Coon Cat Club say this can lead to difficulties in registering the kitten. They say that coat color is less important than coat type and texture.
These links discuss in some detail the appearance of this cat. His/her appearance has remained virtually unchanged since being discovered. Maine Coon cats are good hunters and they were originally the American wild cat, living mainly on farms where they were appreciated by farmers for their ability to catch vermin. I discuss the character of this cat breed in some more detail on this page. The Largest Domestic cat breed page of this website analysis all the breeds to find the largest. The conclusions are made for each major association. No surprises where this great cat comes in the rankings. Health IssuesThere are one or two health issues worth noting
and these are set out on
this page.
Click on this link to see two more slide shows of the best Maine Coon cats (and I mean the best) by the best photographers, Helmi Flick and Dani Rozeboom. As the cats photographed by Helmi are typey I have included a brief discussion of the breed standard as well.
In addition a good starting point in the USA would be the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) .This link takes you straight to their list of breeders search page. I have already featured Majesticoons so please click on the link above to go to their website to contact them. In addition, for the UK, you should contract The
Maine Coon Cat Club. Click
here for the breeders list page of their website.   Maine Coon
Kittens © copyright Helmi Flick
BreedersThese are non-directory listed cat breeders in the first 2 pages of a Google search. The extraordinary thing about this list is that they are all in the UK. This is a first on this website. Most often cat breeders are more prominent on the Internet when they are USA based.Terzovia Hobby (small) cattery located in the UK, Ryde Isle of Wight (South Coast) Woodycoon Maine Coons Located in the UK near the border between the counties of Buckinghamshire and Bedforshire. (South England not too far from London). Tarascani Maine Coons Located once again in the UK. It is not immediately clear where in the UK they are based. Koonikki Maine Coons Located once again the UK, just North of Milton Keynes (South East England). Spirritz Located in Scotland, East Lothian (the first cattery I have listed in Scotland on this website). Tangaloor Located in the UK, Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. Dotcom Maine Coons Located once again in the UK, this time in Cornwall (the South West of England). Kagoza Located in the UK, North Down in Kent (South East England). Small cattery. From Maine Coon Cats to Home Page  Maine Coon Kittens © copyright Helmi Flick Sources:
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