Maine Coon HECHOS INCREÍBLES ???? | whiskerwonders01 #shorts

Maine Coon HECHOS INCREÍBLES ???? | whiskerwonders01 #shorts #facts #amazingfacts #shortsfeed #cats #factshorts #mainecoon #mainecoonkitten #mainecoonlovers

The Maine Coon is a large domesticated cat breed. It is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America. The breed originated in the U.S. state of Maine,[3] where it is the official state cat.

The Maine Coon is a large and social cat, which could be the reason why it has a reputation of being referred to as "the gentle giant." The Maine Coon is predominantly known for its size and dense coat of fur which helps the large feline to survive in the harsh climate of Maine, the state from which they originated. The Maine Coon is often cited as having "dog-like" characteristics.[4][5]

Due to the large size of this feline, professionals have noticed certain health problems arising in the breed, including feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and hip dysplasia.

History
The Maine Coon is one of the largest domesticated cats. It has a distinctive physical appearance and valuable hunting skills. The breed was popular in cat shows in the late 19th century, but its existence became threatened when long-haired breeds from overseas were introduced in the early 20th century. The Maine Coon has since made a comeback, in 2020 becoming the third most popular pedigree cat breed in the world.[6]

Origin
The ancestral origins of the Maine Coon are unknown.[7] Some speculate that they are descended from Norwegian forest cats or Siberian forest cats, which may have been brought to New England by settlers.[8]

There are also folk tales around their origin. One story involves Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France who was executed in 1793. The story goes that before her death, Antoinette attempted to escape France with the help of Captain Samuel Clough. She loaded Clough's ship with her most prized possessions, including six of her favorite Turkish Angora or possibly Siberian cats. Although she did not make it to the United States, all of her pets managed to reach the shore of Wiscasset, Maine, safely, where they bred with other short-haired breeds and developed into the modern breed of the Maine Coon.[9]

Cat shows and popularity

Cosey, winner of the first cat show in the United States, 1895

A two-year-old Maine Coon
The first mention of Maine Coon cats in a literary work was in 1861, in Frances Simpson's The Book of the Cat (1903). F.R. Pierce, who owned several Maine Coons, wrote a chapter about the breed.[10] During the late 1860s, farmers located in Maine told stories about their cats and held the "Maine State Champion Coon Cat" contest at the local Skowhegan Fair.[11]

In 1895, a dozen Maine Coons were entered into a show in Boston. On 8 May 1895, the first North American cat show was hosted at Madison Square Garden in New York City. A female Maine Coon brown tabby, named Cosey, was entered into the show. Owned by Mrs. Fred Brown, Cosey won the silver collar and medal and was named Best in Show.[12] The silver collar was purchased by the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) Foundation with the help of a donation from the National Capital Cat Show. The collar is housed at the CFA Central Office in the Jean Baker Rose Memorial Library.[11]
which originated in the Middle East. The last recorded win by a Maine Coon in a national cat show for over 40 years was in 1911 at a show in Portland, Oregon. The breed was rarely seen after that. The decline was so severe that the breed was declared extinct in the 1950s, although this declaration was considered to be exaggerated and reported prematurely at the time.[by whom?] The Central Maine Cat Club (CMCC) was created in the early 1950s by Ethylin Whittemore, Alta Smith, and Ruby Dyer in an attempt to increase the popularity of the Maine Coon. For 11 years, the CMCC held cat shows and hosted exhibitions of photographs of the breed and is noted for creating the first written breed standards for the Maine Coon.[11]