The coat consists of an undercoat covered by a more substantial glossy top coat. The Maine Coon is slow to mature, taking up to four years to fully develop. The tail must be long - at least the length of the back - wide at the base and tapering to the tip. The legs have substantial boning and the paws are large, round, and tufted. Their eyes should be full and round with a slightly oblique aperture and set the permitted colours are green, gold, or copper, although odd or blue eyes are permissible in white cats.Ī strong neck leads to a long rectangular body with a broad chest which is amplified by having hair longer on the stomach. The ears are a great feature, being large, tall, and wide at the base, set high and usually with long tufts at the tips. In profile, they have a shallow concave curve at the bridge of the nose. They have a medium length head with fairly full cheeks and high cheekbones the muzzle should be square and the chin firm. The Guinness World Records title for the longest cat is a Maine Coon called Barivel, measuring 120cm (3ft 11.2 ins) from nose to tail tip! Appearance The breed is large, long haired and handsome, and the biggest domestic breed to be recognised by GCCF. They are weighty and muscular, females can weigh 12 pounds whilst males can weigh up to 18-20 pounds. ![]() In 1985, the Maine Coon Cat Club was founded, a standard of points was drawn up, and Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) granted Preliminary Recognition in 1988, and eventually championship status in 1993. The Maine Coon did not appear in the UK until 1984, when Mrs Pat Brownsell of the Patriarca prefix imported five from the USA and Germany. In 1976, their perseverance paid off when the breed was accepted for championship status by CFA. During the 1940s and 50s, one person in particular, Mrs Ethelyn Whittemore, of Augusta, Maine, maintained careful hand-written records of her cats and their progeny - her family had always kept the breed - and Whittemore cats were acquired by other catteries interested in promoting and maintaining the breed. However, reports of the breed’s demise were greatly exaggerated, enthusiasts had continued to keep the breed, especially in rural areas. With the rise in popularity of the glamorous Persian in the early 20th century, the Maine Coon fell out of favour and in 1959 they were declared extinct by CFA. ![]() The silver collar and medal awarded to Cosey is now on display at the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) headquarters in Ohio. ![]() At the first major cat show held in the United States, at Madison Square Garden in New York in May 1895, a brown tabby Maine Coon female called Cosey was chosen as ‘Best Cat’. They evolved as sturdy working cats, with their physique and coat suited to the climate of the region. Even before the first official cat shows were held in the United States in the 1890s, they appeared in special competitions at agricultural shows in New England in the 1860s.Ī natural breed, it was named the official state cat of Maine, where it originated, and was highly prized as a hunter of vermin.
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