Maine Coon Cats – Fun & Cool Facts For Kids

What is a Maine Coon Cat?

A Maine Coon Cat is a domesticated house cat. They are very popular as pets in homes throughout the United States.

In fact, they were named after the state of Maine, because that is the place where humans first bred this type of cat.

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Maine Coon cats are also one of the oldest types of domesticated cats in the North American continent. It is rumored that Marie Antionette also owned a Maine Coon cat.

Maine Coon Cat

Appearance

Maine Coons are famous for being the largest kind of house cat. They can get very big for pet cats, much larger than the average size of a house cat. They can grow to a normal weight of around 20 pounds.

Like many types of house cats, Maine Coons come in a wide variety of coat types, including different colors, patterns, and length of fur. Some Maine Coons have quite long fur, though others have more medium length fur.

Maine Coons can come in many different color patterns as well, typically in shades of brown or grey. In the winter, their fur gets much thicker to help protect them from the cold. Their tails in general are very long and fluffy.

Habitat and Diet

Because Maine Coon cats are domesticated cats, specifically bred to be pets, they are not found in the wild. As such, their habitats could technically be considered to be in homes, living alongside humans.

Additionally, as pets, their diets will consist mostly of formulated cat food, although they, like all types of cats, both big and domestic, are carnivores, and need a meat-based diet.

Maine Coon Cat Appearance

Maine Coon Cats as Pets

Maine Coon cats are known to be very docile, and friendly towards humans. Unlike pet dogs, they do not follow their owners around or beg for attention, but they are happy to be near their owners.

Maine Coons are relaxed and docile enough to live in homes with children and even with other pets, including other cats and dogs.

Although Maine Coons do not generally have many health problems that owners need to be worried about, they can sometimes develop heart disease.

Additionally, if you are thinking of adopting a Maine Coon cat, something to remember is that they need a lot of grooming!

Maine Coon Cat Behaviour

Additional Fun Facts

The state of Maine has adopted Maine Coon cats as their official state cat.

Maine Coon cats are known to be excellent mousers, which means they do a very good job of hunting mice in homes and other environments, so they are useful for preventing rodent infestations in urban or suburban areas.

Maine Coon cats are surprisingly good swimmers, and their thick coats helps keep them warm in both the water and in the harsh cold of the very northern states, such as Maine.

It is believed that Maine Coon cats might have been originally bred from cats that came over to the Americas on ships with Viking travelers.

Maine Coon cats grow very slowly. While a male lion is ready to start a new pride at age 3, a Maine Coon cat is not fully grown until about 4 or 5 years of age.

Animals

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