Origins of the breed
The origins of the Maine Coon are not precisely documented and there are many myths about them.
One of the oldest breeds in North America, the Maine Coon is generally regarded as a native to the state of Maine. A widespread, though biologically impossible, myth is that the breed originated from mating semi-wild domestic cats with racoons. This belief and the cat’s appearance, led to the adoption of the name Maine Coon. Another popular theory is that the Maine sprang from the six pet cats which Marie Antoinette sent to Wiscasset, Maine when she was planning to escape from France during the French Revolution.
Most breeders today believe that the breed originated in matings between pre-existing short-haired domestic cats and overseas longhairs. It would have been natural selection caused by the environmental conditions which produced the large, muscular and dense-coated cats able to survive harsh winters in New England.
The Maine Coon was mentioned for the first time locally in the 1850’s in the state of Maine. First recorded in cat literature in 1861, with a mention of a black and white cat named “Captain Jenks of the Horse Marines”, Maine Coons were popular competitors at early cat shows in Boston and New York. A brown tabby female named “Cosie” won Best Cat at the 1895 Madison Square Garden Show.