Maine Coon is a cat breed that has been intriguing people around the world for a very long time. Large domestic cats with a strong, fleshy body structure are the dream of animal lovers who want to have a small tiger at home with a gentle soul and a cheerful temperament. Maine Coons have large, slightly oval eyes. The semi-long-haired hair, which varies depending on the part of the body it is on, also adds charm to this amazing creature. Slightly longer on the belly, long and dense on the "pants", a well-feathered, long, majestic tail, brushes on the ears, a beautiful "lion" ruff and charming feathers on the paws sticking out from between the pillows. All these elements make up a beautiful picture, which, interestingly enough, was not created as a result of a genetic mutation or human manipulation. Maine Conny is a natural breed! As we see them, they were shaped by nature.
The first Maine Coon cats, although they did not have that name then, appeared in Maine, currently in New England in the early nineteenth century, and it was from the name of the state of Maine that the first part of the name of this breed was created. However, these times cats have a two-segment name, where did the idea for Coon come from? This is what many myths and legends are already associated with. Some people thought the Maine Coon was a cross between a domestic cat and a raccoon, or an American lynx, and this is the reason why the second part of the name is Coon. In fact, people might once have thought this because of the similarities in the appearance of these species, including the brindle color characteristic of a raccoon or the tufts on the ears naturally occurring in lynxes. However, is it possible that such crosses could take place? From the point of view of genetics, such crosses between a domestic cat and a raccoon are not possible. As for the cross between a domestic cat and a lynx, such crosses are possible, but extremely rare, and the born kittens are not Maine Coons, but a completely different species, in addition, they are also not fertile, which means that each born kitten would have to be a child of a domestic cat to maintain its characteristic appearance and lynx, meanwhile, Maine Coon cats are fertile and by selecting the right specimens, you can maintain the characteristic features of these cats by crossing only specimens of the same breed.
The Maine Coon breed was first presented at the exhibition in 1860. They were very well received and won many important competitions. They enjoyed high recognition for about 40 years. After 1911, however, the breed became less and less popular, other, new ones appeared, and now they were the most popular. There has been a situation that in the 1950s, rumors began about the extinction of the Maine Coon breed. Fortunately, these rumors became untrue thanks to, among others, The Cantral Maine Cal Club (CMCC) founded in the 1950s by Alty Smith and Ruby Dyer, whose main goal was to fight for good marks at official shows. Thanks to the constant struggle on May 1, 1976, the Maine Coon, which Canada recognized as its national breed, was entered into the largest register of purebred cats in America - Cat Franciers Assoociation.
The more known FIFe, namely the Federacion Internationale Feline, recognized the Maine Coon breed in 1983. It can therefore be assumed that cats of this breed came to Europe by merchant ships. Maine Coon cats began to enjoy great recognition again, won awards, won championships, generally dominated international shows. Interestingly, in Poland the Maine Coon breed was approved for breeding only in 1997, but within 20 years it has become one of the most popular breeds bred in Poland.
As for the history of the breed in Poland. It was first brought to us by Anna Górska (Jompi * Pl) between 1994 and 1995. The first representative of the Maine Coon breed in Poland was a female cat brought from Denmark - the black mackerel tabby Guldfakse's Chi Chi. Then from the same kennel from Denmark
Also came the blue classic tabby female Catalina and the black classic tabby Woodstock male. In 1995, the first litter was born in Poland. Since then, breeders have started to import Maine Coons from different parts of the world, i.e. the USA, Denmark, Germany, Norway and Austria.
The first World Winneren in Poland was the famous A'Skywalker's G'Kar brought from Austria.
The Maine Coon breed continues to delight people from all over the world to this day. No wonder that many decide to buy such a cat from an experienced, good breeding, which cares for the good of the breed with all its heart, so that the kittens have the best character traits and are good in type. Well built, muscular with many other features we wrote about before.
Bibliography:
Felispolonia
Kocie sprawy
Maine Coon
Hybrydy kota
Swiat kotów
Federacja
Genetyka
Zlecenie genetyka
