Made in America - Big, beautiful Maine Coons have always loomed large in the cat fancy

By Sally E. Bahner

When Bugger, Sharon Stegall’s Brown Classic Tabby Maine Coon, walks into the room, people pay attention.
"It’s a presence thing," says Stegall, whose Dracoonfly Cattery is based in the Mystic area.
True to the breed’s nickname "Gentle Giant," Bugger, whose registered name is Codycats Hendrickson of Dracoonfly, looks fierce, but is a big scaredy cat, says Stegall.
Bugger’s son, Murray (Dracoonfly Same Thing Murray) earned second best of breed nationally in Cat Fanciers Association 2005-2006 show years and was 34th best cat nationally. Murray has done equally well in TICA (The International Cat Association).
Simply stated, Maine Coons are big, beautiful cats. They are all-American cats, native to Maine, of course, where they were prized for their ship-board mousing talents and companionship. Despite their rugged appearance and Downeast background, they are America’s first show cats.
A Maine Coon, named Cosey, was named the Best Cat in Show at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1895. They were also popular at county fairs where contests were held to name the Best Coon Cat in the county.
As with many purebred cats, the Maine Coon’s background is steeped in legend.
Did they arrive with the Vikings? Did they mate with bobcats or raccoons? Were they part of Marie Antoinette’s menagerie sent to America?
Most breeders will agree that they evolved from native American cats bred to cats that jumped ship when they were docked at Maine ports for repair. The Maine coast had a thriving shipping industry and cats were often kept on board as mousers and for good luck. Villages were isolated and the cat population was small, providing a perfect environment for cultivation of the breed. A Mrs. Pierce is given credit for bringing Maine Coons to the forefront in the cat fancy in the 1880s through her affection for longhaired white Maine Coons.
The personality of the Maine Coon is sweet and affectionate. They’re intelligent and are known to follow their owners around in dog-like devotion. Despite their large size, they have tiny voices and chirp rather than meow. They’re good with both dogs and kids though as with any cat, early socialization is important. Stegall, who bills her cattery as "beautiful cats, inside and out," says her cats are born in the bedroom and are raised in the house. They are best friends with Avery, the family’s Holland lop-ear bunny.
Males range is size from 14 to 22 pounds (neutered cats are larger) and females are 9 to 12 pounds. They are slow to mature.
Maine Coons have a heavy shaggy coat and full, plumed tail. They have large ears, often with Lynx-like tufts. Although brown tabbies appear to be the paws-down favorite going back to the 1880s, they are recognized in all colors except chocolate, lavender, the Himalayan pattern, or unpatterned agouti. They have a broad chest and muscular, heavy-boned body, and large well-tufted feet, perfect for trudging through the snows of a Maine winter.
Stegall, who has been breeding for six years, favors the red and the brown tabbies. She believes the most striking feature of the breed is its overall look.
"It’s almost feral," she says. "The size can scare people." Bugger is Stegall’s foundation male and Sassy is her foundation female.
Cat Fancier Association standards call for a head that is medium in width and slightly longer in length than width with a squareness to the muzzle and high cheekbones. The chin should be strong, firm and in line with the upper lip and nose. The ears should be large, well-tufted, wide at the base, tapering to appear pointed and set approximately one ear’s width apart at the base. The eyes are large expressive and wide set, having a slightly oblique setting with a slant toward the outer base of the ear. The body should be long with all parts in proportion to create a well-balanced rectangular appearance. The coat should be heavy and shaggy, shorter at the shoulders and longer on the stomach and britches; a frontal ruff is desirable. The texture is silky with the coat falling smoothly. The tail is long, wide at the base and tapering with long and flowing fur.
The Maine Coon is recognized in all breed associations. The International Cat Association, however, accepts polydactyl Maine Coons, which have been championed as the original Maine Coon cat by Beth Kus of Dirigo Cattery, in its New Traits class. Kus originally broke ground for the polys by showing them in TICA’s Household Pets Class.
The history of the polydactyl Maine Coon is connected to the Maine coastal environment of 300 years ago. Polydactyl cats – cats who have extra toes – were abundant in the Boston area; Boston Harbor has been scientifically designated as the arrival point for polydactyls in this country, according to Kus. It was only natural that they would find their way to Maine through the shipping industry, and eventually bred with the rugged, longhaired cats of Maine.
According to Kus, who has written extensively on the history and legends of the Maine Coon, it’s estimated that a minimum of 25 percent of early native Maine Coons were polydactyl.
With a history of more than 30 years, Dirigo cats have pedigrees that can be traced back to Maine roots. They have the "Mainelook," which is shaggier, and a sweet-faced appearance.Much attention has been paid to the breed’s inherited health issues.
Hip dysplasia, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, spinal muscular atrophy and polycystic kidney disease have all been diagnosed in the Maine Coon.
Hip dysplasia is an abnormal development of the hip joint, resulting in instability and abnormal weight bearing within the joint. Both parents are either affected or are carriers for a cat to develop the disease. The condition develops over time. Cartilage disintegrates and the bones rub together with osteoarthritis as the end result.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the number one cause of sudden death in all indoor cats. HCM is the thickening of the left chamber of the heart, causing the heart to overwork. Often, it’s not discovered until the cat is a young adult or older, making it difficult to screen out carriers. Fortunately, a gene defect has been discovered linked to heart disease in cats, making it possible to identify carriers.
Spinal muscular atrophy is a disorder caused by death of spinal cord neurons that activate skeletal muscles of the trunk and limbs. Affected kittens have an odd gait and eventually become weak in the hindquarters from reduced muscle mass. Most affected kittens can live normal lives.
Polycystic kidney disease, once thought to be found only in Persians, is slow and irreversible with clinical signs apparent around the age of 7. Signs are similar to those of naturally occurring kidney disease including weight loss, loss of appetite, increased thirst and urination and occasional vomiting.
Although these health issues sound dire, any responsible breeder will carefully screen kittens and select cats for their breeding programs that are not affected.
Sharon Stegall says she has not experienced hip dysplasia and she has screens performed to rule out cardiomyopathy. And the Dirigo bloodline is recognized as a strong and healthy bloodline, according to Dirigo’s web site. Any reputable Maine Coon breeder should be aware of the tests necessary to assure a clean bill of health for their kittens.
We always want to know what breed of cat we have, perhaps as a way of establishing its identity. A large longhaired cat is often dubbed a Maine Coon or Maine Coon mix, regardless of its origins. But you’ll only know for sure if you have that pedigree in hand.
Sally Bahner is a member of Cat Writers’ Association and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and offers feline consulting services. She is the "Dear Sally" on Tracie Hotchner’s Cat Chat Radio (www.catchatradio.com) found on Sirius’s Martha Stewart Living Channel. She is a longtime editor and writer on everything feline.