Origins of the Maine Coon

Similarly, the Maine Coon name tells something about its origins. This breed originates from the state of Maine in the USA. There are several hypotheses about how these cats arrived in the region of Maine. One of them is that the ancestors of the Maine Coon arrived with the Vikings around the 11th century, making them of the same origins or descendant of the Norwegian.

Another hypothesis is that they arrived with the boats of the European seafarers in the 18th century.

The breed started to develop and being popular at the end of the 19th century thanks to the farmers of the state of Maine, who were very proud of their cats. The breed was then almost forgotten, it was less popular than the Persian or Siamese, but it was rediscovered in the 1950s. By the 1960s, the breed rised again in popularity and was recognized by the ACFA in 1967. The Maine coon is the official cat of the state of Maine.



We can now see that both breeds have some similarities in their history, as they are both natural, rustic, longhair cat breeds. They very probably have common ancestors too, which explains their resemblance to each other.

Physical Features

Having discussed their history and similarities, let’s now dive into some of the physical features that characterize the two breeds.