Do you like fluffy cats? If so, you’ve probably found yourself absolutely charmed by a Maine Coon at some point. These big, lovable felines are not only super cute, they’re also very personable. In fact, you’ll probably be seeing a lot of Maine Coon kittens on holiday cards over the next few weeks. A veterinarian discusses this beloved breed below.

History

No one is quite sure exactly where Fluffy originated. One possibility is that Maine Coons are descended from Norwegian Forest Cats brought over by Vikings. Another legend involves Marie Antoinette, whose tone-deaf quote of ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ resulted in her being beheaded in 1793. According to the story, Antoinette was planning to flee France, and had already shipped her most precious belongings to America. Among the cargo were six fluffy kitties, which may have been Turkish Angoras or Siberians. Needless to say, Antoinette never made the trip. Her feline pals, however, were brought to Wiscasset, Maine, where they immediately set about charming local felines and making some adorable kittens.

Temperament

The Maine Coon is an extremely lovable and affectionate cat. Playful and talkative, these kitties have a lot of ‘purrsonality.’ They’re quite vocal, and often communicate with chirps and squeaks.

Size

Maine Coons can get quite large. Several of them have broken records for size and weight. There’s Stewie, the longest cat on record. He was over 4 feet long from the tip of his nose to the end of his super-fluffy tail. Another 4-foot Maine Coon, Samson, held the title of New York’s biggest cat.

Celebrekitties

There have been several famous Maine Coons, including Pebbles, the cat from the Harry Potter movie, and Little Nicky, the first cloned cat. Then there’s Mr. Vivo, a majestic floofer with his own Youtube channel. You’ll also find plenty of these pretty felines on Instagram.

Popularity

It probably isn’t much of a shock to learn that Fluffy is the official cat of the state of Maine. They’re also very popular in other states. That hasn’t always been the case, though. These cute kitties were all the rage … until the Persian entered the picture. After that, their popularity declined sharply. In fact, by the 1950’s, they were almost extinct. Fortunately, fans stepped in to save the breed, and many more adorable kittens were born.

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