Clowder of Coons

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Here is a clowder of Coons. The phrase has a certain ring to it which is why I chose the title. There is no doubt in my mind, although I've not been told, that these are siblings. It looks certain. They all have the classic Maine Coon face, which includes a strong muzzle and those large, lynx-tipped ears. They are ginger tabbies. Ginger tabby cats are nearly always males because the O gene which gives them their coat is sex-linked.

RELATED: Orange, red, yellow, ginger or marmalade cats

Clowder of Coons
Clowder of Coons. Photo: Pinterest. These are siblings I am sure.

The origin of the word "clowder" should be mentioned in this short note. I'm told that it comes from the early 19th century. The origin is in the word "clutter" and it is probably related to the word "clot". It seems that clutter came out of  'cludder'.

The Free Dictionary states:

Clowder, Cludder, Clutter - kendle or kindle of cats, 1801; a group of cats.
Sometimes words evolve because they are pronounced incorrectly and the incorrect version sticks.

When something is cluttered it means there's lots of stuff lying around all jumbled up which hints at a grouping. And we know what the word "clot" means. For people who are not native English speakers, the word describes a situation where a material is stuck together to form a bigger area. It is typically used to describe a thick mass of coagulated liquid especially blood because blood clots due to platelets in the blood. This once again hints at a grouping. You can therefore see the word clowder originating in these words.

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