Maine Coon History: From Ship Cats to State Cat
Where Maine Coons really come from: the documented timeline from 1861 to CFA's number one breed, the myths told honestly, and the 1985 law that made it Maine's state cat.
Published August 20, 2026Updated August 27, 2026 4 min read
Contents
Every great breed has a story; this one has receipts. A named cat in print in 1861, a Best in Show at Madison Square Garden in 1895 whose silver medal still exists, a near-disappearance, a comeback run by amateurs, and a state law. Here is the history that checks out, and the legends filed where legends belong.
Where do Maine Coons originate from?
Maine, and the working farms and harbors of New England: the Maine Coon is a natural breed, shaped by winters rather than by a breeding program. The likeliest fuller story, which the registries themselves tell as plausible rather than proven, is that longhaired ship cats, brought to New England ports on sailing vessels, mixed with local farm cats; the seafaring theory fits the breed's harbor-town history and no genetic study has yet confirmed or refuted it. What the paper trail supports without hedging: by the 1860s these cats were known, named and shown by Mainers, and everything since is documented below. (And no, not England: the breed did not reach Britain until 1984.)
The legends, filed honestly
The raccoon cross.
The bushy ringed tail launched the story and the name; a cat-raccoon hybrid is genetically impossible. lists it among the breed's myths.
Marie Antoinette's cats.
Told two ways by the registries themselves: 's telling has the breed descending from Turkish Angoras the shipped ahead of a planned escape; 's has her sending six pet cats to Wiscasset, Maine. A romantic story in either cut, and proof of nothing except how good this breed is at attracting legends.
The Viking cats.
The seafaring-ancestry theory in its oldest costume: plausible, cherished, unproven.
The documented timeline
1861.
First appearance in cat literature: a black-and-white Maine cat named Captain Jenks of the Horse Marines.
1878.
About a dozen Maine Coons compete at a Boston show, before formal American cat fancy exists.
1895.
A brown tabby female named Cosey wins Best Cat at the Madison Square Garden show, the first major American cat show. Her silver medal and engraved collar are displayed at 's headquarters in Ohio to this day. That is her in the 1895 photograph in this section.
Early 1900s.
The breed nearly disappears as imported Persians take over the show benches; for half a century it survives on farms, not in rings.
1950s to 1973.
The comeback, run by regional devotees: the Central Maine Cat Club shows the breed through 1963, and, per 's own breed history, the Maine Coon Cat Club forms in 1973 to fight for formal recognition (a US club: Britain's club of the same name only arrives after the 1984 UK imports).
1975 and 1976.
grants provisional, then full championship status. The first Grand Champion, a copper-eyed white male named Purrbred's Silent Stranger, follows in the 1977-78 season.
1984.
The breed finally crosses the Atlantic: Mrs Pat Brownsell imports five cats from the US and Germany, and Britain's Maine Coon story begins.
1985.
Maine makes it official: "The state cat shall be the Maine coon cat," by statute, Title 1, section 217.
1993.
grants full championship status in the UK.
2024 and 2025.
The Maine Coon becomes 's most-registered breed in the world, two registration years running.
The state cat, in the law's own words
Since 1985, by an act of the Maine Legislature: "The state cat shall be the Maine coon cat." Few breeds are written into law anywhere; this one is, in the state that named it. The designation is the tidy end of the arc: a working harbor cat, nearly lost, brought back by its own fans, and finally made official at home while topping the registration charts abroad.
The vet's take
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Frequently asked questions
Where did Maine Coon cats originate?
Maine and wider New England, as a natural working breed; the fuller ship-cat ancestry story is plausible and unproven, and the registries themselves present it that way.
Did the Maine Coon originate in England?
No. The breed is American, and it did not reach Britain until 1984, when five cats were imported; GCCF championship status came in 1993.
Was the Maine Coon declared extinct?
No primary source says so. CFA's own history describes the breed slipping into the background in the early 1900s; the "declared extinct in 1959" line circulates only in secondhand accounts, so we print the documented version: it nearly disappeared, and came back.
Is the Maine Coon part raccoon?
No; the cross is genetically impossible. The tail started the story and the story named the breed.
Why is the Maine Coon the state cat of Maine?
Because the Maine Legislature made it so by statute in 1985: the breed is the state's own natural cat, and the law says so in one sentence.
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This is information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot tell you what is wrong with your cat. Our rule is a simple one: if something is wrong with your cat, call your vet, and call an emergency clinic if it is out of hours. Nothing you read here is a reason to wait.
Medical information applies to every reader. Prices, legal duties and common practice do not: unless stated otherwise, they are given for the United States, and they differ in the UK, Canada and Australia, and often between states or provinces. Check with your own vet and your own local authority.
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