The Maine coon cat is a particularly peculiar and beautiful animal: It has tufted ears and feet, will talk to you in trills and chirps, and often grows to be larger than many dog breeds. The cat’s origins are also a bit mysterious. No one really knows where they come from.
Some believe the Maine coon cat — which is the state’s official cat — came about when domestic cats brought to North America interbred with the bobcat. There is a small resemblance, though bobcats will eat fawns, let alone feral and domestic cats. So those seafaring cats would have to have been quite tough.
A more reasonable assumption is that the breed was created when pre-existing shorthaired domestic cats mated with longhaired cats from overseas — perhaps Angora types brought by seaman traveling to New England or other longhair types brought by the Vikings.
Either way, they’re intriguing critters. In homage:
Erin Rhoda is the editor of Maine Focus, a team that conducts journalism investigations and projects at the Bangor Daily News. She also writes for the newspaper, often centering her work on domestic and...
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