Happy Holidays! Are fluffy cats a favorite of yours? If so, you’ve likely found yourself completely charmed by a Maine Coon at some point. These loveable, big felines are not only personable, they’re also super cute. In fact, you’ll probably see more than a few Maine Coon kittens on holiday cards over the next few weeks. A veterinarian discusses this beloved breed below.
History
Where did Fluffy originate? No one is quite sure where Fluffy came from. One theory is that Maine Coons are descended from Norwegian Forest Cats brought over by Vikings. Another possibility features Marie Antoinette and her infamous quote, ‘Let Them Eat Cake,’ that led to her beheading in 1793. According to the story, Antoinette planned to flee France, and shipped her most precious belongings to America before she left. Among the cargo were six fluffy kitties, which may have been Siberians or Turkish Angoras. As the story goes, Antoinette never made the trip. But, her feline pals ended up in Wiscasset, Maine, where they immediately set about fraternizing with the local felines and making some adorable kittens.
Temperament
The Maine Coon is an extremely affectionate and lovable cat. Playful and talkative, these kitties have a lot of ‘purrsonality.’ They’re quite vocal, and like to communicate with squeaks and chirps.
Size
Maine Coons can get quite large. Many of them have broken size and weight records. There’s Stewie, the longest cat on record. He was over 4 feet long from the end of his super-fluffy tail to the tip of his nose. Samson, another 4-foot Maine Coon, held the title of New York’s biggest cat.
Celebrekitties
There have been several famous Maine Coons, including Mr. Vivo, a majestic floofer who has his own Youtube channel. And Pebbles, the cat from the Harry Potter movie. And then there’s Little Nicky, the first cloned cat. You can also find lots of these pretty felines on Instagram.
Popularity
It’s probably no big surprise to learn that Fluffy is the official cat of the state of Maine. They’re very popular in other states too, though that hasn’t always been the case. These cute kitties were all the rage … until the Persian entered the picture. After that, their popularity fell considerably, so much so that by the 1950’s, they were nearly extinct. Fortunately, fans stepped in to save the breed, and many more adorable kittens were born.
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