Maine Coon Cat

The Maine Coon Cat’s behaviour, personality, and loyalty are particularly doglike for a cat. (And yes, this breed’s full official name is Maine Coon Cat—”Cat” is a part of the breed name.) A relatively modern cat breed, the Maine Coon Cat goes back just over 200 years. It is one of the largest breeds of domestic house cats. Males can grow to be over 18 pounds at maturity, and it is the only cat that can be claimed to be truly North American in origin.

How Big is the Maine Coon Cat? Maine Coon Size (This is a BIG cat)

Sergey Ginak/Shutterstock

The Maine Coon Cat is widely considered the largest domestic cat breed, commonly stretching to over 40 inches in length. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest domestic cat ever was Stewie, a Maine Coon measuring 48.5 inches in length. Stewie passed in 2013 but Zeus is another enormous Maine Coon whose TikTok video went viral after viewers were astounded by his gigantic size. (He’s standing on two legs with his paws on the kitchen counter!)

@zeus.mainecoon.official Morning vibes 😜 #mainecoon #blackmainecoon #mainecooncat #giantcat #giantmainecoon ♬ Hip Hop Background(814204) – Pavel

On average, male Maine Coon Cats weigh a whopping 18 to 22+ pounds (8.2 to 10+ kg), with females weighing from 12 to 15 pound (5.4 to 6.8 kg). 25 pound male Maine Coons are not uncommon. But there’s more to this remarkable feline than just its incredible size and gentle demeanor. In this article, we’ll explore the world of Maine Coon information and what sets them apart. Whether you’re a cat parent or a curious newcomer, keep reading to uncover the details that define these magnificent cats.

Super-sized Sweetie: Personality and Look of the Maine Coon Cat

Originating in the American Northeast, the Maine Coon Cat’s lovely, outgoing personality made it a popular house pet. On top of that, its hunting skills let it earn its keep as a mouser.

Compared to other types of cats, Maine Coon Cat’s are famous for their friendly personality and low maintenance. These gentle giants are sociable and love the company of their human families. They are typically gentle and good-natured, which makes them excellent choices for households with children and other pets.

As for their look, this is a long-haired breed, having evolved to survive cold eastern winters. Their thick coat is coarser than other longhaired breeds, so it doesn’t tangle as readily, and thus requires less frequent grooming. The dense, bushy tail, roughly the length of the body, is used for both balance and agility while hunting and as insulation to stay warm while at rest.

These distinctive traits make the Maine Coon pet a truly exceptional addition to any household.

The Maine Coon Cat Origin

Despite its current popularity, the origin of Maine Coon cats remains uncertain, although many myths have arisen to account for their appearance.

The Genetic Impossibility theory suggests it arose from crossing local domestic cats with bobcats (or, as the name suggests, raccoons, presumably explaining the breed’s large size, pointed ear tips, and bushy tail.)

The Romantic theory would posit a French connection, suggesting Marie Antoinette attempted to escape France during the Revolution, packing her belongings, including several longhaired cats, on a New England-bound ship. This theory has the ship arriving without her (decapitation having caused her to rethink her travel plans), but carrying her cats, which presumably proceeded to breed with the local short-haired cat population.

Photo: bigstock.com/Svitlana Bielkina

A more likely explanation is that the Maine Coon Cat is a result of evolution and natural selection at work: the survival of the fittest. Cats have been popular and useful pets for centuries, both onboard ships and on farms as mousers.

The arrival in New England of people from all across Europe blended larger, short-haired cats from mainland Europe with stockier, longhaired varieties from Scandinavia and the north. Generations of evolution produced a cat well-equipped to survive harsh winters.

The Maine Coon Cat’s popularity skyrocketed in the late 1800s, when it won many Best in Show categories at major cat shows in New York, Boston, and Chicago.

But its popularity dwindled at the turn of the century with the introduction of exotic long-haired cat breeds like the Persian and Himalayan, to a point where it was labelled extinct in the 1950s.

Yet cat fanciers managed to resurrect the breed and restore it to its previous levels of popularity, making it now the second most popular breed in North America. No wonder it’s said cats have nine lives!

The Charm of Maine Coon Cats

To sum it up, exploring Maine Coon cat information provides an intriguing peek into the world of these remarkable felines. With their friendly, dog-like demeanour, distinctive origins, and impressive physical traits, Maine Coons truly capture the hearts of cat lovers worldwide.

Maine Coon Cat Facts (and one weird myth busted!)

• This all-American breed has been the official state cat of Maine since 1985.
• A Maine Coon cat was the winner of the first cat show in North America, held at Madison Square Garden in 1895.
• The Maine Coon is NOT a cross between a cat and a raccoon. One theory is this breed’s bushy raccoon-like tail earned it it’s moniker.

Interested in exploring other cat breeds? Check out these cat breed profiles.