Maine Coon Cat Facts and Other Details

The Maine Coon is a breed of cats that is native to Maine, New Englander. These cats were farm cats, popular mousers, and especially Ship’s cats to their native since a long time ago in the early 19th century. Maine coons are huge cats which are really big cats in size. The most huge size of Maine coons recorded is about 4 feet which is considered to be the world’s longest house cat.

These cats are very affectionate without any kind of needs, so adaptable in every situation and they don’t reveal their hunting habit but they will do for you if you want a mouse hunter. So, if you want a perfect cat with all the properties of a typical cat in it then go for these Maine Coon cats. These are perfect cats to be adopted.

The Maine Coons Breed of Cats

Here, we have discussed a breed of cats called Maine coons which is native to Maine, New Englander. We have discussed all the essential information regarding it. So, let’s get started to have a look on it.

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History

As revealed by the name, Maine Coon belongs to Maine. This breed is known by the name ship’s cat farm cat and popular mouser in Maine since a long time of about the 19th century. This breed is natural and they are mostly known by their origin.

Some people believe that this breed was brought to North America by Vikings before the time when Columbus visited. While the rest of the people believe that this breed is descendants of cats having long hair which belongs to Marie Antoinette.

This breed of cats were sent to America for the doomed queen in advance. These long hair cats were again brought by sea captains. These long haired cats mated with the short hair cats. It’s for sure not possible that the cat has mated with coon and the resulting breed is known as Maine coon and their furry ringed tails and tabby coat evidences about this impossibility.

Now the question is how these cats got the name of Coon due to their appearance. Some cats of Maine coons who don’t have this characteristic of brown tabby coons were named as Maine Shags.The first reference which evidence about this breed of Maine Coon was published in 1861 which evidences about a cat named Captain Jenna whose owner was Horse Marines.

It was a black and white coloured cat. A cat show held in the year 1895, in which a female Maine Coon cat got the title of best cat. The show was held in Madison Square Garden. In the year 1908, an association of cats named Cat Fanciers Association formed, the fifth cat which registered in that association was a Maine coon cat whose name was Molly Bond.

Unfortunately, during the end of the century the invasion of the cats like exotic Siamese cats and Persian cats from England resulted in the extinction of Maine Coons breeds of cats for about five decades. But it turned out to be a good time for Maine coons cats and their breeders when the Fanciers Association was formed in the year 1968. Now this breed of cats turned to be the most popular breed around the world. These beautiful, big cats are also known to be the state cat of Maine state.

Size

The Maine coons are large sized cats whose weight is about 9 to 18 pounds. Male cats are larger in size in comparison to female cats. Sometimes, they even weightore than 20 pounds. They start reaching their full size after getting three to five years old.

Personality

The Maine coons are good natured cats and they are very adaptive and can adapt to different kinds of lifestyles. They enjoy company with people and live to follow them all around although these cats are not needy. They love if you pay attention to them but they are also satisfied if you are busy with your work and will not disturb you.

If you will close your doors on them, they will still be calm and will wait for you to realise your behavior was not good enough and wait until you call them and take in. They are not lap kind of cats although they will do to be with you.They are serial killers of rodents. If you want a good mouser, then these cats are a perfect match. Rodents

are not safe in their existence. If there are no rodents in your house, they will still chase the toys and will grab them to make their skills sharp. Maine coons have big paws to grab rodents. They enjoy playing with toys, balls or with some pieces of paper wrapped up. They have the ability to climb but they still choose to be on the ground level.

These are smart cats having the ability to learn new things daily and to solve puzzles and tricks to challenge their brain.They enjoy the company of people and love to play with them. Males are of silly nature although female cats are much dignified. They are not vocal cats and make trills or soft chirps to make any request.

Health

All the cats either they are mixed-breed or pedigreed, may have some risks of health issues which are coded in them genetically. The health issues that may be faced by Maine coons cats are as follows:

  1. Hip Dysplasia: This health issue can cause lameness in severe condition.
  2. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: It is a kind of heart disease which is inherited in Maine coons cats. This disease can be identified by a DNA based test to find out which cat is carrying the mutation of this disease.
  1. Polycystic Kidney Disease: It is a kidney disease which is slowly progressive heritable and can lead to renal failure.
  2. Spinal muscular atrophy: This is a condition of genetic disorder which affects the muscles of limbs and trunk. A test is performed to find out kittens affected by it and carriers of this disease.

Care

The coat of Maine coon is lengthy and very silky which doesn’t get dirty easily in case you perform their grooming regularly. Their grooming is very easy. You will have to comb their coats to eventually distribute the skin oil and to remove dead hairs.

You can take help of some grooming tools to do so including stainless steel comb to remove the tangles from their hair coat and a grooming rake in order to remove dead undercoat. If you don’t remove this dead undercoat, it will cause more tangles in the hairs.

Be gentle while using these tools to remove tangles especially on sensitive areas like stomach and tail. They are very patient cats but no one will like it if their hairs are pulled with a lot of force. Check the tail if there’s any poop sticking to it. Remove it by using baby wipes. Give them a bath whenever needed, most commonly after every few weeks or a few months. You must provide them a bath whenever their fur looks dirty or greasy.

Brush their teeth regularly to avoid periodontal disease. If you brush them daily, then it’s best but you should always provide them weekly brushing. Nails need to be trimmed after two weeks. Use a damp cloth or wipe to clean the corner of their eyes so that discharges can be removed. Try to use separate cloth for each eye to prevent infection. Ears should be checked weekly.

Wipe them with a damp cloth in a 50-50 mixture of warm water or cider vinegar if you found them dirty. Do not use hard cloths or cotton swabs as it can damage the interior of their ears. Their litter box should be neat and clean.Cats always want a clean litter box and a hygienic bathroom which is also effective to keep their coat clean.

You must keep your Maine Coon as only indoor cat to protect any disease which can spread due to other cats roaming outside, or to prevent attacks from other animals like coyotes or dogs, accidents from vehicles or any such kind of dangers which they may face outside. Maine Coon cats also get stolen many times as they are very beautiful and people who love these beautiful cats can steal it to have such a beautiful cat without paying for it.

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Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed some essential information regarding a breed of cats which is Maine coons. These are huge cats that are native to Maine, New Englander. We have provided you with all the essential information regarding it including their history, personality, health, and care.

This information is suitable for you who want to domesticate any Maine Coon cat or want to know more about them. A lot of people have the curiosity to know more about these breeds of cats. That’s why we have provided you with this article. Hope it will be informative for you.