Alice White
#4 Modern experts tend to believe that the history of the origin of the Maine Coon race is much more prosaic.
Cats were brought to America a long time ago, but they were mainly short-haired individuals. Long-haired cats arrived on the continent much later, together with the first settlers from the Old World. As a result, finding themselves in favorable conditions for free crossing, the indigenous inhabitants and "newcomers" representatives of the tailed-mustachioed brethren became the ancestors of a new variety of large long-haired cats.
#5 The real pioneer in the formation of the Maine Coon breed was a cat named Captain-Jenks-from-sea-cavalry
This fluffy giant aroused indescribable delight in 1861, appearing at cat shows in Boston and New York and eclipsing the then-popular Angora. But by the 20th century, the Manx giants had surrendered their positions and were ousted by the Persians and Siamese for almost half a century. After the end of World War II, the Coons re-established themselves, however, at that time only within the American continent. In 1953 the breed acquired its own official club, and in 1968 the first Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association / MCBFA was founded. As for Europe, the coons reached it only in the 70s of the last century.
#6 The Maine climate has a significant impact on the appearance of the glorious Maine Coon family: it is very difficult to survive in the cold and snowy continental winter without a thick undercoat.
The wide paw, protected by additional tufts of fur, is also a useful device that helps to slide over the ice crust without falling into the snow. Well, the impressive size in the conditions of hunting for small animals is an invaluable advantage. As for the modern representatives of the breed, their appearance could not but be affected by the passion of European breeders for externalization. Today's Maine Coons have grown significantly in size, their faces have become even more elongated, and their ears have grown significantly.
