"RIP" -
One of the top Toms at Reece Family Maine Coon Cattery
"BAGHEERA" -
One of the top Toms at Reece Family Maine Coon Cattery
"GENESES" -
One of the top Toms at Reece Family Maine Coon Cattery!
RETIRED TOMS:
LEON
The Maine Coon Cat is the native American long-haired cat
and was first recognized as a specific breed in Maine where it
was named the official cat of the state. These cats were held in
high regard by the locals for their mousing talents and special
competitions were even held to reward the best “Coon Cat.”
MAINE COON CAT - AMERICA'S FIRST SHOW CAT!
The Maine Coon Cat is America's first indigenous
show cat. A dozen of these down-east, working class heroes were listed
in the program of a show held in Boston in January 1878. Often called
the "gentle giants" of the cat fancy, the Maine Coon Cat's origins are
shrouded in the mists of time and the legends told by their owners.
Many people once believed the Maine Coon Cat
originated by interbreeding the American bobcat with the domestic cats
brought to North America on the various sailing ships that came to the
Northeastern seaboard. Probably the tufted ears and feet of the Maine
Coon Cat, which are similar to the bobcat's, gave some credence to this
legend. The tuft curls outward from the inside of the ears and tufts of
fur are found between the toes. Taking fantasy one step farther is the
belief that the domestic cats of New England bred with raccoons. The
early Maine Coon Cats may simply have looked like raccoons to the
natives, since the brown tabby, with its bushy ringed tail, occurs most
commonly in nature. The Maine Coon Cat also converses occasionally with
an endearing trill or chirp, somewhat like the cry of a young raccoon.
It is genetically impossible for domestic cats to breed with either
raccoons or bobcats, as we in the cat fancy know, because they are of
different genera and do not hybridize.
