The Maine Coon Cat was America's first show cat.

The Maine Coon Cat was America's first show cat.

The first native show cat in America is the Maine Coon Cat. The schedule of a performance held in Boston in January 1878 listed twelve of these working-class heroes from the northeast. The history of the Maine Coon Cat, sometimes known as the "gentle giants" of the cat fancy, is veiled in traditions recounted by its owners and lost in the mists of time.

Many people originally held the view that the American bobcat and domestic cats imported to North America on the different sailing ships that sailed to the Northeastern shore were the parents of the Maine Coon Cat. This myth was probably helped along by the Maine Coon Cat's tufted ears and paws, which resemble those of the bobcat. Fur tufts can be observed between the toes, and one spirals outward from the inside of the ears. The idea that domestic cats in New England interbred with raccoons pushes imagination a step farther. Given that the brown tabby, with its bushy ringed tail, appears most often in nature, the early Maine Coon Cats may have just appeared to the locals as raccoons. The adorable trill or chirp of the Maine Coon Cat, which sounds something like a newborn raccoon's scream, is another way that it communicates. We in the cat fancier community are aware that because raccoons and bobcats belong to separate genera and do not hybridize, it is genetically impossible for domestic cats to mate with either animal.

Another myth claims that the Norwegian Skogkatts that the Vikings carried over to America were the forebears of the Maine Coon Cat. The following is a description of them from a letter written by Mrs. Jack Bjonness to Mrs. Rod Ljostad: "The head is longer than that of the shorthaired domestic. The length of the coat is almost half that of the Persian. They come in a variety of colors, with high, lynx-tipped ears, and are generally "tall" rather than Cobby like Persians. But nobody could describe it as a thin cat. They are tough.

Over time, more rosy tales of the Maine Coon Cat's history have been passed down. The first features Marie Antoinette and Captain Samuel Clough. According to folklore, Captain Clough was a key figure in a scheme to sneak the French queen out of France and to Wiscasset, Maine. However, not until Clough had loaded his ship, the Sally, with opulent furniture, expensive trinkets, some of the queen's personal items, and six of her beloved pet cats, the plan was foiled. Clough waited, and then there was a rapid escalation of violence. Captain Clough had to leave quickly in order to avoid punishment for his involvement in the attempted rescue, taking the queen's goods and the six longhaired cats still under his care with him. The queen's cats are thought to have mated with American cats, giving rise to the Maine Coon Cat.

Another legend centers on an English sea captain with the improbable name of Coon who had an unhealthy obsession with cats. With his army of cats, he navigated his ship up and down the New England coast. His longhairs, including the Persians and Angoras that were popular in England, dominated the group. The captain's cats followed him as he set foot on land. The owner would remark that the kitten was "one of Coon's cats" when longhaired kittens started to appear in neighborhood litters.

A more rational hypothesis is that the domestic shorthaired cats brought to America by settlers along with the family pet were the ancestors of the Maine Coon Cat. Later, when the nation advanced in civilization and the returning commerce ships brought their cargo, the sailors brought back longhaired cats. The native shorthaired cats and the new longhaired cats crossed and spread over the Eastern Seaboard, bringing about the beginning of the survival of the fittest. The next generation of kittens was produced by the cats that made it through the chilly New England winters. Man observed these cats and remarked, "That is some pretty fine cat," after nature had finished blending the genetic components of shape, coat, and substance for the Maine Coon Cat.

It was inevitable that these perceptive cats would make their way into the homes of the settlers and end up there as cherished pets and reliable employees (mousers). Farmers would tell tales and boast about the prowess and knowledge of their Maine Coon Cats in the 1860s. The Skowhegan Fair cat show was started by these same farmers during this decade, where Maine Coon Cats from all around the region fought for the title of "Maine State Champion Coon Cat."

The early history of domestic cats in the United States, and specifically the Maine Coon Cat, is chronicled by Mrs. E.R. Pierce, who shared ownership of a black and white Maine Coon Cat named Captain Jenks of the Horse Marines. Around with listing the names and dates of cat shows along the Eastern Seaboard, she also identifies the winning cats. Twelve Maine Coon Cats were entered into and shown in a show in Boston that took place in 1878. Despite not occurring annually, Mrs. Pierce insists that sizable events were held in all of the populated eastern cities. In the 1870s, some performances were staged as far west as Chicago.

The biggest and most well-known of the early performances took place in May 1895 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Cosey, a brown tabby female Maine Coon Cat owned by Mrs. E. N. Barker, won that competition. Since they were included in the category of "longhairs" with Persians and Angoras, it is difficult to determine how many Maine Coon Cats were entered in the competition. Prior to classifying all cats by sex, hair length was used. Both monetarily and as a platform for the several breeds' public relations, the exhibition was a huge success.

What were the prizes for first place and best of show? A silver medal marked "National Cat Show, 1895" with a cat face in the center, a silver cat collar inscribed "National Cat Show, 1895, won by Cosey," and an image of "Cosey" with a collar ribbon marked "National Cat Show" were presented to Cosey.

The CFA Foundation acquired the silver collar, a significant piece of cat fancy history, for the Jean Baker Rose Memorial Library housed at the CFA Central Office. The National Capital Cat Show's kind gift allowed for this transaction to be completed.

The Boston exhibition circuit succeeded where the New York show did not become the prominent event anticipated. King Max, a brown tabby Maine Coon Cat owned by Mrs. Pierce, won this competition in 1897, 1898, and 1899 before losing to his son Donald in 1900.

Cat exhibitions began to take off when "show fever" first swept the nation at the turn of the 20th century, moving from the Northeast to the Midwest and then the West Coast. The CFA Stud Book and Registry, the only breed record books we have from this era, were being kept at around the same time by the Cat Fanciers' Association, which was established in 1908. 28 Maine Cats, as they were still referred as, were included in Book I with a particular caveat that required a sworn declaration that the father and dam were the "same breed, long hair, and that neither is a shorthaired." It is significant that Molly Bond, a tortoiseshell female Maine Cat, is CFA Registration #5.

Soon after, other longhaired cats with pedigrees gained more appeal, and the popularity of the Maine Coon Cat began to decline. The Maine Coon Cat gradually started to vanish from the lists of registries and exhibits. Out of 170 cats entered, a "longhaired blue Maine Cat" won best of show and first place in his class in the Portland, Oregon show in 1911, marking the Maine Coon Cat's last significant triumph for more than 40 years. Following that, Maine Coon Cats faded into the background and were only intermittently included under the AOV category.

The Maine Coon Cat was proclaimed extinct in the late 1950s and remained obscure for the following forty years. Like Mark Twain's demise, the extinction of the Maine Coon Cat was a fabrication.

Alta Smith and Ruby Dyer founded the Central Maine Cat Club (CMCC) in the early 1950s in an effort to stop the Maine Coon from becoming a local oddity and to encourage the maintenance of records and promotion of the breed. The CMCC sponsored a combined cat show and exhibition of cat photos for the next 11 years. The group gave people a way to raise awareness of cats in general and the Maine Coon Cat in particular, maintaining the Maine Coon Cat's reputation in the process. The CMCC performances had outgrown the barn, the gyms at the primary and high schools, and every other usable big local meeting venue by 1963. The Central Maine Cat Club ceased to exist when it grew too big to maintain its amateur status. Prior to its demise, it was successful in establishing one of the first written standards for the breed, maintaining records of Maine Coon Cat breeding, and educating the public about the existence and qualifications of the breed. In addition to keeping them as pets, people in other regions of the country began breeding and showing Maine Coon Cats. Although they were still being shown as AOVs, they were starting to reappear in the exhibition halls where they had previously vanished.

Breeders of the Maine Coon Cat were scarce in the 1960s. Mrs. Robert Whittemore, Lillian Vanderhoff, Nancy Silsbee, Rose Levy, Henrietta O'Neill, Eugene and Lee Eminhizer, and Sonia Stanislow were a few of those active at the time.

Nancy Silsbee had the idea to start an international Maine Coon Cat organization in 1968 with the aim of preserving and safeguarding the breed. Dr. and Mrs. Rod Ljostad gave the initiative the motivation and direction it needed to succeed. The idea of the Maine Coon Cat was everything to these early "movers and shakers."

The Maine Coon Cat breeders asked for and were granted temporary status in the early 1970s. The Maine Coon Cat underwent its first attempt at temporary status in 1969–1970. The board felt that accepting the Maine Coon Cat for temporary status starting on April 1, 1971, would be acting prematurely at their meeting on March 3, 1970. They were looking to see if there were enough people registering. There were just 20 registered Maine Coon Cats at the time.

The board again rejected provisional status during its meeting in February 1971. In 1973, Rod and Betty Ljostad, Liz Eastman, Harold Hansen, Robert Wilson, Cynthia Wilson, Franklin Gullo, Lillian Vanderhoff, Maureen Jenkins, and Gerald Kastenbaum established the Maine Coon Cat Club as a result of the guidance given.

Mrs. Jean Rose revealed that CFA now has a Maine Coon Cat breed group at the conference in the spring of 1974. With a standard, a breed club, and 133 registered cats, the members claimed they had now met all the criteria for the Maine Coon Cat to be recognized as a provisional breed. Regrettably, the timeframe for approval was incorrect under the current regulations, and several board members felt that further clarification of the breed standard was still necessary.

At the board meeting in October 1974, the Maine Coon Cat was granted temporary status effective May 1, 1975. May 1, 1976, marked the start of the championship. Native American longhair from America returned to the show ring with championship status.

There was no Maine Coon Cat grand champion during the 1977 show season, but Elizabeth H. Brouch's Lybe Christa's Katy won Best of Breed. The first Maine Coon Cat grand champion and Best of Breed in CFA history, GC Purrbred's Silent Stranger, a white male with copper eyes owned by William and Ruth Patt, was born in 1977–1978. A few additional Maine Coon Cats attained grand champion rank throughout the course of the following three show seasons. Three Tufpaws female grand champions—GC Tufpaws Reuelette, GC Tufpaws Schnitzel of Zookatz, and GC Tufpaws Rosana Dana of Zookatz—were the national breed champions in 1978–1979, 1979–80, and 1980–181.

The first Maine Coon Cat to win a national championship, GC NW Tufpaws Rosette, was born during the 1981–1982 show season. What a feat for a female whose breed standard favors the male more often than not! In 1983–84, Rosie ranked as the 19th Best Cat. GP, NW Tufpaws Pepe Le Peu of Cheyenne was the first Maine Coon Cat in premiership to win a national championship. The first bi-color to be recognized as a national winner was "Pepe."

The Maine Coon Cats won the championship and the premiership throughout the course of the next five show seasons, from 1982 to 1987. There were six grandkids in the 1982–1983 show season and 44 Maine Coon Cat grandkids in 1986–1987.

GC, NW Terrificats P.C. Gambit, DM was the next Maine Coon Cat to win a national championship for CFA. In the 1987–1988 show season, Gambit placed as the 14th Best Cat. He then became the first of the seven male DMs for the CFA.

With eight regional champions in championship, premiership, and kitten divisions in 1988–1989, the Maine Coon Cats continued to excel on the show bench.

With GC, NW Kanab's Luanne's Mahogany Rush, and DM placing 7th in Championship during the 1989–1990 show season, a Maine Coon Cat was once again found in the top 10 nationally. This is the highest position a Maine Coon Cat has ever attained in the national rankings. Red and white tabby cat named "Rusty." The son of DM, GC, NW Terrificat's P.C. Gambit, was proved to be the 18th Best Cat in the championship during the 1990–1991 show season. It was a brown tabby cat named "Alexander."

In the 1991–92 show season, three Maine Coon Cats—GC, NW Bangor's Eskimo Pie, a black and white bi-color; GC, NW Buctales Dirty Dancer, a brown mackerel tabby with white; and GC, NW Kanab's Luanne's Vincent, a black and white bi-color—achieved the coveted National Winner title. In the national rankings, "E.P.," "Dancer," and "Vincent" came in at positions 14th, 15th, and 19th. There were 116 Maine Coon Cat grands during that season, 15 of which were regional champions. The Maine Coon Cats had their finest year to date.

As the 17th Best Cat of the 1992–1993 show season, brown mackerel tabby GC, NW Coonsboro Calvin Coonidge marked a return to tradition. 20 of the 134 grandkids won a regional championship.

The 8th Best Cat that year was the Maine Coon Cat, GC, NW Noogats Renault Blanc, the 1993–1994 national champion. "Rennie" became a fan favorite in the show ring thanks to his shining white coat and kind nature. One must keep in mind that the first Maine Coon Cat to win the CFA was a white, despite the fact that a white Maine Coon Cat was different from the now generally known tabby and tabby with white.

NW Coonsboro, GC 18th Best Cat for 1994–1995 according to CFA was Beni Pussalini of Angtini. The second national winning Maine Coon Cat to be sired by a national winner was "Beni," a gorgeous brown mackerel tabby with white. Calvin Coonidge, GC, NW Coonsboro, is his father. A record 185 grands, including 22 regional champions, were created this season.

The 1995–96 show season didn't produce a national champion, but it did have 167 grand, including 20 regional champions. Meshach from GC, RW Kemosabe put in a gallant attempt to finish in the top 25, but came up just short. The owners of "Meshach" should be extremely proud of their Best-of-Breed Maine Coon Cat.

The 1996–1997 show season is still ongoing as of this writing, thus anything is possible.

Our noteworthy merits increased from six to 43 since the last article on the Maine Coon Cat by Martha Young and Tome Rodgers in 1991. The first man to get this accolade was Tom Terrificat of GC Lovabacon. The DM for "Terry" was verified on September 7, 1991. Four weeks later, on October 12, 1991, GC, RW Kanab's Luanne's Acoma was officially recognized as the second Maine Coon male DM with 15 grand offspring. "Terry" and "Magoo" both produced distinguished distinction winners at the national level. They are GC, NW Terrificats P.C. Gambit, DM, verified with 15 grandchildren on May 14, 1994, and GC, NW Kanab's Luanne's Mahogany Rush, DM, confirmed on August 7, 1993.

CH Sundar Tiffany of Tufpaws was the first Maine Coon Cat to attain the distinguished merit status. On January 13, 1983, "Tiffany" was officially recognized as a DM. She was also the mother of the two national champion Tufpaws. Before CH Heidi Ho's Coon Victoria was officially recognized as a DM on January 14, 1987, it took another four years. The quantity of certified distinguished merits keeps increasing. The most DMs—nine—were in the 1994–1995 show season. There are now 7 DMs in the 1996–1997 show season. A total of seven males and 36 females make up the 43 outstanding distinction cats in the Maine Coon Cat breed.

A standard for Maine coon cats

The fur of the big, broad-chested Maine Coon Cat is long and flowing, and it has a long, rectangular body. Males weigh an average of 12 to 15 pounds, although some can weigh up to 20 pounds. The ladies weigh between 9 and 12 pounds less on average. The head has a square snout and is medium in breadth and length. The chin is solid and in line with the nose and upper lip, and the cheekbones are high. The contour of the nose has a modest concavity and is medium in length. The coat of the Maine Coon Cat is longer on the stomach and britches and shorter at the shoulders. The coat falls gently and has a velvety feel. The Maine Coon Cat takes a while to mature, sometimes taking three to four years to attain full maturity. The five color categories of the Maine Coon Cat are solid, tabby, tabby with white, parti-color, and various colors. The only recognized patterns are patched tabby, mackerel tabby, and classic tabby. It is not permissible to use hues or patterns that exhibit hybridization, such as lavender, chocolate, pointed patterns, or ticking patterns.

The breed of Maine Coon Cats is kind and devoted. They are great household pets and get along nicely with both kids and dogs. The Maine Coon Cat may be larger than Fido depending on the breed of dog. They are a vocal breed, and their vocabularies include a variety of meows, trills, and chirps. They enjoy helping their owners with any endeavor and are social. This is especially true while the owner is reading or doing a crossword puzzle. According to the number of kittens registered, the Maine Coon Cat ranks as the second most popular cat in the CFA. The first show cat in America is back and better than ever.

SOURCES:

* Bass, Sharyn P. This is the Maine Coon Cat. Neptune City, N.J. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., 1983.

* Beane, Charlene. “The Marvelous, Mellow Maine Coon,” Cat Fancy, June 1979, pp 20-23.

* “Cats of Yesteryear.” CFA Yearbook, 1959

* CFA Yearbooks, 1976-1997.

* Eminhizer, Earl Eugene. “The Maine Coon Cat.” CFA Yearbook, 1970, pp. 426-428.

* Eminhizer, Lee D. “The All American Cat.” Cats Magazine, June 1967, pp. 10-11.

* Gebhardt, Richard. The Complete Cat Book. Mirabel, 1991.

* Hansen, Harold. “The Maine Coon Cat.” CFA Yearbook, 1976, pp. 322-323.

* Holby, Dorothy. “The Legendary Maine Coon.” Cat Fancy, Feb. 1988, pp. 36-41.

* Hornidge, Marilis. That Yankee Cat: The Maine Coon. Rev. ed. Gardiner, Me.: Tilbury House, Publications, 1991.

* Jacoberger, Patricia. “The Maine Coon Cat.” Cat Fancy, Jan. 1995, pp 32-33.

* Letter Sent to CFA by The Maine Coon Cat Club applying for Breed Club Status, December 1973.

* Maggitti, Phil. “The Maine Coon.” Cats Magazine, Jan. 1987, pp 4-5.

* —. “The Maine Coon.” Cats Magazine, July 1990, pp 4-5.

* Malesky, Gale. “Maine Coons: Our Yankee Supercats.” Cats Magazine, October 1978, pp. 8-10+.

* Martinke, Jane S. “Our Yankee Cat Goes National.” Cats Magazine, July 1969, pp. 10-11.

* Minutes from CFA Board Meetings: Vol. 1, no. 2, May 1970; Vol. 2, no. 1, February 1971; Vol. 5, no.1, Spring 1974; Vol. 6, no. 4, Winter 1975; Vol. 8, no. 1, Spring 1977.

* Pendergast, Bobara. “The First Champion; a True Story.”

* Rich, Louise Dickinson. The Coast of Maine. New York, Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1956.

* Stanislow, Sonya. “The Maine Coon Cat.” CFA Yearbook, 1985, pp. 520-523.

* Young, Martha and Tome Rodgers. “The Maine Coon Cat: More Than a Long Tail.” Cat Fanciers Almanac, Feb. 1991

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