Your Maine Coon Guide

This is another chapter in Barnaby's adventures! Click on these links to see the earlier chapters: Chapter one Chapter two Chapter three The annual Clover Creek Neighborhood Block Party was usually a quiet affair, but this year, the headline event was the first-ever Neighborhood Pet Show. Maya had convinced Lily to sign Barnaby up under the "Most Majestic Pet" category. Getting Barnaby to the neighborhood park required a stroller, as carrying a twenty-pound cat three blocks was out of the question. He sat inside the mesh-zippered pet stroller like an emperor in a golden chariot, his massive green eyes tracking every passing dog with calm disdain. The Contenders The park was a circus of noise and color. The competition was fierce and highly chaotic: The Rival : A groomed, white Persian cat named Duchess, who wore a pink rhinestone collar and sat on a silk pillow. The Performer : A hyperactive Jack Russell Terrier named Buster (not Maya's beagle), who was busy spinning ...

The rain in Seattle did not just fall; it blurred the world into a smudge of grey charcoal. For eight-year-old Lily, the weather matched the heavy, quiet fog that had settled inside her chest since her family moved across the country. Her father’s new job meant a bigger house, but it also meant leaving behind her best friends, her familiar school, and the oak tree she used to climb when she needed to feel tall. In this new house, Lily felt smaller than ever. She spent her afternoons tucked into the window seat of her bedroom, pulling her knees to her chin, watching droplets race down the glass. Her parents tried everything to coax her out of her shell. They tried Friday night pizza, trips to the local science museum, and a bright red bicycle that sat untouched in the garage. Lily remained a ghost in her own life, answering in monosyllables and drifting through the corridors. The shift began on a Tuesday in late October. Lily’s mother, desperate to see a spark in her daughter's eyes...

Title: The Gentle Giant. A story about a Maine Coon cat and an autistic boy. This is an entirely fictional story but based on the known benefits of companion animals to children on the autism spectrum in order to promote prosocial behaviours. In a quiet town nestled between rolling hills and dense forests, lived a young boy named Ethan. Ethan was a bright and curious child, but he faced the world differently than most. Diagnosed with severe autism, he found comfort in routines and struggled with social interactions. His parents, loving and supportive, sought ways to help him connect with the world around him. One sunny afternoon, while walking through the local animal shelter, Ethan’s eyes met those of a large, fluffy Maine Coon cat named Max. Max had a regal appearance with his tufted ears, bushy tail, and a coat that shimmered in the sunlight. But it was his gentle, understanding eyes that drew Ethan in. Without hesitation, Ethan reached out, and Max, sensing the boy’s need for comp...

Image: MikeB This is a fictional story, custom made for this website. It is entirely unique and can be found nowhere else other than on this page (which might be considered a good thing by readers of the page of which there will be very few 😢😻). Here goes: Whiskers of Hope In the quiet corner of a bustling city, there lived a Maine Coon named Oliver. His once-lustrous fur was now matted and dull, a testament to the hardships he’d endured. Oliver had been rescued from an abandoned building, his emerald eyes wide with fear. But fate had other plans for him. Across the street, in a small apartment, lived Mr. Henry Thompson. A retired professor, he battled cancer with the same determination he’d once applied to unravelling complex theorems. The disease had taken its toll—his once-vibrant spirit now waned like a fading star. One rainy evening, as Henry sat by the window, he noticed a pair of luminous eyes staring back at him. Oliver, drenched and bedraggled, sought refuge on the windowsil...

As I have more or less run out of new topics for this website as there are already over 800 pages, here is a short story about a longhaired cat from Europe. These longhaired cats were the forerunners of the Maine Coon cat today. So let's celebrate these early feline immigrants as without them there would be no Maine Coon today unless you believe the Vikings imported Norwegian Forest Cats into North American hundreds of years before the European immigrants. Let’s embark on a journey back to the year 1750 , where the salty sea air mingles with anticipation, and the creaking wooden hull of a ship carries secrets across the Atlantic. Our protagonist is a long-haired European cat , her fur as dark as midnight and her eyes as green as the emerald forests she once roamed. Whiskers on the Wind Chapter 1: The Maiden Voyage The S.S. Seafarer cut through the waves like a blade through silk. Captain Ezekiel Hawthorne stood at the helm, squinting against the sun’s glare. His cargo was unlike ...

Once upon a time in the quaint town of Wiscasset, Maine , there lived a remarkable feline named Oliver . Oliver was no ordinary cat; he was a Maine Coon , a breed known for its majestic size, tufted ears, and luxuriously long fur. Oliver’s story began with a touch of mystery. Legends whispered that Maine Coons were descended from Viking ship’s cats, those brave felines who sailed alongside Norse warriors on their epic voyages. Some even claimed that Oliver’s ancestors had once prowled the decks of those ancient ships, their eyes gleaming with the same fierce determination as their human companions. But there was another tale, equally enchanting. It involved a queen—a queen named Marie Antoinette . As the French Revolution raged, Marie Antoinette faced a grim fate. Determined to escape, she loaded her prized possessions onto a ship bound for distant shores. Among those treasures were six exquisite Turkish Angora cats, their silky coats as white as snow. Alas, Marie Antoinette herself ne...

NEWS AND COMMENT: The story comes from Vernon, California, USA. Brent Comeau said, "My last two Maine Coon kittens were stolen out of my barn between the hours of 8 PM August 30 and 6 AM August 31" (2020). He is convinced that the person came to steal his kittens because they knew exactly where to go and how to avoid the security cameras. The thief used bolt cutters to break into the barn. He added that the two kittens were days away from being purchased and they were the last two kittens of two litters of kittens. One is male and the other is female. Ostensibly 2 Maine Coon kittens stolen from a barn but they don't look like Maine Coon kittens! Image: Supplied. He is asking anyone with information to call him and he provides his phone number online. He is offering a $1000 reward for the kittens' safe return. I've not published the phone number as this story is about 24 months old. He received a tipoff about the possibility of the two kittens being offered for sal...

The Iron Curtain was a political boundary between the Soviet Unions' satellite states and the West in Europe. It ended at the end of the Cold War in 1991. Even in the 1970s purebred cats were occasionally being shipped internationally from America. I guess it was mainly for breeding purposes as cat breeders wanted a good foundation cat. Black and white Maine Coon kitten. This is not Yankee Clipper! Image in public domain. On April 12, 1972 a black-and-white Maine Coon kitten called 'Yankee Clipper' started on a 6,000 mile journey from New York to Bucharest, Romania in a sturdy wooden crate. I guess back in those days animal crates for air transportation were not quite as sophisticated as today's versions. This must have been quite an optimistic and courageous project bearing in mind the relative innocence and lack of sophistication of those days. I'm told by Marilis Hornidge in her book That Yankee Cat that the crate was covered with signs and pictures of cats, a...