Maine Coon

I could give you a whole lot of statistics about the Maine Coon.

Statistics such as, that the Maine Coon originated in the State of Maine, long before Maine became a State.

That Maine Coons are big cats.

Their weight can vary from 7 to 20 pounds. The males weigh in between 13 to 20 pounds, the females between 7 and 11 pounds.

That in length they can reach up to 40 inches.

I do say, can reach, because obviously not all cats grow that big.

But it does take them a while to reach maturity. Some take as long as 5 years.

Statistics also state that Maine Coons mainly come in black and white, although they come in other colors too, including tortoiseshell.

That their fur is soft, consisting of medium long hair, with longer hair around their neck and on their chest. This ruff gives the impression that they are wearing a collar.

All this hair is necessary for warmth, keeping in mind that winters are tough in Maine.

They also have fairly long hair at the back of their hind legs (this is called pantaloons or britches) and hair between their toes. Must keep those feet warm.

Eye coloring varies too. They mainly have green or golden eyes, or even one of each, while the rare all white Maine Coon sports blue eyes.

And speaking of hair --- one of the Maine Coon's distinctive features is their thick, bushy tail.

Because of the size of their tail, some stories claim that the Maine Coon is the product of a common cat and a raccoon, but that is all it is, a story.

But like I said, those are all just statistics and statistics do not begin to describe this magnificent cat.

If you are familiar with the breed, you know exactly what I am talking about, and if you are not, let me give you a glimpse of what a Maine Coon is really like.

To tell you the truth, I was not familiar with the breed either.

One day I just went to a shelter to adopt a cat and saw this scruffy little kitten.

How she ended up there, I do not know, but since I wanted a kitten nobody else would want, my mind was made up within seconds. That was the kitten for me.

Today, eight years later, the scruffy little kitten has grown into a magnificent cat.

Since she was our fifth cat at the time, we called her Chanel. After the famous perfume.