The Maine Coon is America's oldest natural cat breed — and one of its most mysterious. No one knows exactly how they got to Maine. But everyone agrees on what happened next: they became the most magnificent domestic cats on the planet. I fell in love with the breed on an airplane — one conversation with a woman transporting Maine Coons changed the course of my life. Understanding their history helps you understand why these cats are so different from anything else.
The Legends (and Why They're Wrong)
The Raccoon Theory
The most famous legend claims Maine Coons are a cross between domestic cats and raccoons. The bushy tail and the name seem to support it. The science doesn't. Cats and raccoons are different species, different genera, different families. They cannot interbreed. Period.
The Marie Antoinette Theory
A romantic but unlikely story: when Marie Antoinette planned her escape from France during the Revolution, she supposedly loaded her beloved longhaired cats onto a ship bound for America. The ship made it. She didn't. Her cats, the legend goes, landed in Maine and bred with local cats. It's a beautiful story. It's almost certainly fiction.
The Viking Theory (Most Likely)
The most probable origin: Norse sailors and traders brought longhaired cats on their ships to control rodents. These cats interbred with local short-haired cats in New England ports. Over centuries of natural selection in Maine's harsh winters, the largest, hardiest, most well-insulated cats survived — developing the thick double coat, tufted paws, and robust build that define the breed today.
Early American History
Maine Coons were working cats long before they were show cats. In 19th-century New England, they were prized for their size, hunting ability, and friendly temperament. They kept barns free of rodents and homes free of mice. Farmers traded them. Families adored them.
In 1895, a Maine Coon named Cosey won Best in Show at the Madison Square Garden cat show — one of the first formal cat shows in America. For a brief period, Maine Coons were the stars of American cat fancy.
Near Extinction
Then came the Persians. By the early 1900s, exotic imported breeds overtook the Maine Coon in popularity. The breed's numbers declined sharply. By the 1950s, Maine Coons were so rare that some breeders declared them extinct.
They weren't. A handful of dedicated breeders in New England — the Central Maine Cat Club, formed in 1953 — kept the breed alive through careful breeding programs and regional shows.
The Revival
The 1970s and '80s saw a full resurgence. Maine Coons were accepted for championship status by CFA in 1976 and TICA shortly after. American breeders refined the standard, and the breed's gentle temperament and striking appearance attracted a growing fan base.
Then European breeders entered the picture. Starting in the 1990s, Scandinavian, Russian, and Eastern European catteries began breeding Maine Coons to an even more dramatic standard — larger bones, squarer muzzles, taller ears, fuller manes. The "European type" was born, and the breed's popularity exploded globally.
The Maine Coon Today
Today, the Maine Coon is consistently ranked among the top 3 most popular cat breeds worldwide. They're shown in TICA, CFA, FIFe, and WCF shows on every continent. European bloodlines have pushed the breed's visual drama to new heights, while American programs maintain the classic, refined standard.
At Chatlerie, we work exclusively with European champion bloodlines — honoring both the breed's wild origins and the decades of careful selection that produced the magnificent cats we know today.
From Ship Cats to Your Living Room
The Maine Coon survived harsh New England winters, near extinction, and changing fashions. Today, they're more popular than ever — and more beautiful than ever. Start your application →