| Country of Origin: | United States |
| Colors: | White, Black, Blue, Red, Cream, Brown, Silver, Tortoiseshell, Bluecream, Golden Pattern: Solid Color, Tortoiseshell, Bicolor, Tricolor/Calico, Tabby, Smoke, Shaded |
| Average Size: | weight: 8-12 lbs (3.6- 5.44 kg) Length: Medium to Large |
| Life Span: | 9-13 yrs |
| Coat: | Long |
| Personality: | A sweet tempered, highly adaptable to any environment |
| Characteristics: | Energy: Calm Talkative: High Kid Friendly: Yes Allergic: No |
Gentle giants of the cat world, Maine Coon cats are one of the oldest natural breeds of North America and are considered to originate from the state of Maine. There are a number of legends about its origin including the folk tale saying that it was developed by crossing wild domestic cats and raccoon. Another theory of their origin says that the French queen Marie Antoinette, when she planned her escape during the French Revolution, sent her cats to the United States to be taken care of until she comes.
No matter how interesting the story is, it is most likely that the Maine Coon cat was created by crossing the first Angora cats and domestic shorthaired cats. Some fans of Maine Coon cats in the US really believe that the gene for long hair was brought by the immigrant cats. They believe that they actually came from the Vikings through their commercial ports in Greenland and Iceland. Maine Coon cat is a well established breed, and has developed into a magnificent, durable and beautiful breed.
Thanks to the hard coat and structure of the body, they can easily withstand the most severe winters and are also one of the largest breeds. Males are usually heavy up to 7 pounds and females up to 5 pounds – and there are some stories of giant Maine Coon cats that weight up to 18 pounds! Even though they love human company, Maine Coon cats are very independent.
Throughout the history of Maine Coon cats, never existed any restrictions in terms of patterns and colors that were acceptable for the breed (with the exception of a purple, chocolate and Siamese samples). Therefore , Maine Coon cats can be seen in a number of beautiful colors including single colors, two colors, turtle, turtle – striped, and of course the stripes – brown classic tabby is undoubtedly the most famous.
Eye colors can be green, gold, copper and blue. For judges, the most important in competitions are their head, body and coat condition. Ideally, the head should be slightly longer than broad, with high cheekbones and ears that are large, with lots of hair and wide at the base. The neck is of medium length. Unlike the Persian Longhair, Maine Coons have long legs and long tail.
