My Gentle Giant -- Queen Nicki

A raccoon and a cat can't possibly breed, you say?

Well, once upon a time, there lived a gregarious and passionate raccoon who fell madly in love with a big, fluffy barn cat. The raccoon refused to be dissuaded by his ring-tailed kinfolk so he wooed the cat until she returned his affection. Their velvety, fluffy, ring-tailed, chirping children became the foundation of the Maine Coon cat.

No, huh? Not buying it? Okay, how about this one?

One sunny afternoon, a big, voluptuous cat wandered into the woods, where she spotted a lynx high up in a tree, his ears sprouting long tufts of hair, his furry paws soft as angora mittens. She'd never seen such a majestic and fascinating creature. Swooning with love, she ...

You got me, that one isn't true, either. There are many legends and stories out there about the origin of the Maine Coon cat. Sometimes you just come across something remarkable but the facts about the first Maine Coons and how they developed into the cats we see today is quite interesting, too.

One feasible theory about how the Maine Coon's ancestors first landed on our eastern shores is told by Martha Auspitz, CFA Maine Coon breed council secretary and a Maine Coon breeder in Kentucky. "I think the most interesting theory is that they came over with the Vikings, and this might be true because we know cats often lived on ships to control the rodent population and help preserve the food supply. They probably interbred with traditional American shorthaired cats, and developed into what we call the Maine Coon."

The Vikings' cats, known as Norwegian Skogkatts, are actually the ancestors of the Norwegian Forest Cat, a breed less common then the Maine Coon. But put them side by side and you can see that they may have shared a common blood line.

I can definitely see these burly cats hanging out with the Vikings as they conquered the New World. Since the Vikings didn't spend a lot of time in North America, perhaps while they pillaged Europe [after being driven out of North America by the Native Americans], their cats jumped ship and eventually made their way over here with sailors and traders.

The Maine Coon comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns most likely the product of breeding between long-haired cats from other countries that accompanied sailors and traders when they visited our eastern shore, and domestic shorthaired cats that were already here. The strongest, healthiest and hardiest of these offspring would be most likely to survive and breed in the harsh northeastern climate, and pretty soon, a new breed arose. A mellow and sturdy breed clustered in the state of Maine, with a thick, warm fur coat. This large, beautiful, shaggy cat was originally called the Maine Cat. No one is sure when the breed name changed from Maine Cat to Maine Coon.

Cats from different lands were common sights in coastal towns. Many ships kept cats for children to play with in addition to their important role as vermin catcher-yes, they are the "world champion mousers".

Once these cats hopped ashore, they quickly made themselves comfortable. Considering the cold weather, it's no wonder that the cats most likely to survive were not only shaggy and heavily furred, but mellow-tempered, too. A gentle giant would be a welcome companion on the open sea and family homes.

The Maine Coon's size also had something to do with the breed's original ability to survive in Maine. They needed enough size and strength to take down small game. If they were out in the wild, they would presumably have to be bigger than your average cat to catch rabbits, groundhogs or other animals for food. Their color scheme blended into the natural environment and camouflage the cat for better hunting success. The brown tabbies remain among the most popular even today.