Silver collar given to Maine Coon Cosey in winning first American cat show is at CFA Central Office

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This is an interesting snippet of information about the Maine Coon cat. We know that this cat breed originated around the late 1860s when the very first Maine Coons called "Maine cats" or "Coon cats" were exhibited at informal cat shows by farmers in the state of Maine. There was one show, perhaps the only one, I don't know, called the "Maine State Champion Coon Cat". It was held at the local Skowhagen Fair.

Award given to Maine Coon in winning first American cat show is at the CFA central office
 Award given to Maine Coon in winning first American cat show pre the Madison Square Garden show of 1895. The award is at the CFA central office. It is a silver collar. Is Cosey wearing it
in this photograph? Picture in public domain.

The domestic cat ancestors of these Maine cats were the immigrant cats accompanying settlers from Europe in the 1600s. They landed at Maine.

And it's is probably fair to say that the first major cat show held at Madison Square Garden in New York City was duly won by a female brown tabby whose name was Cosey. She was owned by Mrs Fred Brown. The cat won the silver collar and a medal and was named the best in show.

Now, the collar awarded to Cosey has a special significance in the world of the cat fancy which is why it was purchased by the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) Foundation with the help of a donation from the National Capital Cat Show. It is housed at the CFA Central Office in the Jean Baker Rose Memorial Library.

That information comes from Gail Frew in her article Breed Article: America's First Cat Show-the Maine Coon Cat.

Location: 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10001, USA

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