Hi Sirrahved,

I found some good theories on the history of Maine Coons, Sorry it took so long.

There are many theories and legends as to how the Maine Coon originated. The most legendary myth is the breeding of a domestic house cat and a Raccoon! This of course is not true and physically impossible.

The more popular and probable of the theories regarding the Maine Coon are:

1. Marie Antoinette, Queen of France smuggled all her royal treasures on to a ship including her six longhaired cats to be shipped to Wiscasset, Maine during the French Revolution and she was to follow. Her royal treasures and cats arrived in Maine but unfortunately Marie Antoinette did not. The theory is that her six cats bred with domestic house cats to produce the Maine Coon Cat.

2. Another theory that is popular is the breeding of a domestic house cat with a small wild cat (bobcat or a lynx). This is one of the reasons many people feel the Maine Coon cat looks similar to the lynx or bobcat.

The first recorded mention of the Maine Coon Cat was a black and white cat in 1861, the Maine Coon was popular from 1861 up until 1895. Slowly the Maine Coon Cat began disappearing in the ranks of registries. The Maine Coon began showing in the AOV class (Any other variety or miscellaneous category). The Central Maine Coon Cat Club (CMCC) began in 1953 to increase the popularity of the breed by showcasing it to the public. (CMCC) held their first show on June 21, 1953. The show was a huge success and recognition of the Maine Coon Cat grew to more shows and considerably more entries. (CMCC) had to decide if they wanted to become a large club or stop, they opted to stop.

In 1956, Dr. Racheal Salisbury a breeder and a judge had a standard drawn up to which the Maine Coon could be judged.

In 1968, the Maine Coon Breeder and Fanciers Association (MCBFA) was formed to bring public awareness up and have the breed accepted for championship status in all the registering associations. By 1976, all registering association accepted the Maine Coon Cat as championship status and popularity continues to grow about the Maine Coon.