The Black Maine Coon Cat
The black Maine Coon cat has an unknown history, but many records agree that its origins are most
likely from longhaired cats brought in from the Scandinavian areas and northern Europe. The cats come in a variety of colors these days. One of the most beautiful and mysterious is the Black Maine Coon. This breed itself was the first to be registered in the U.S. The Maine Coon cat adapted to the harsh climate of New England. Common features include a long, rectangular body; long-haired to protect it from winters; and short-haired bellies to protect it from hiding in long grass and bushes.
One of the common stories surrounding the Maine Coon cat is that it was brought over on Captain Coon’s ship. After docking, the feral cats ran loose and mingled with the native cats. With hoards of cats rooming the streets, villagers avoided the animals and referred to them as “Maine’s Coons”.
Of course, there are superstitions around regular black cats, too. How many times have you let a black cat cross your path? It’s a long-time myth that a black cat will cause trouble, chaos, or death if it crosses in front of your walkway or driveway. Black cats were highly favored in Europe, where they were protected by law. Cats were mourned by entire families. The previously-held reference stopped with the huge fear of overpopulation. In the Middle Ages, the count of black cats rose significantly and caused town overcrowding.
Black Maine Coon cats can also give an impartial appearance, as their squared-muzzle gives it a standoff appearance. Maine Coons have tufted ears (both inside and at the tips), which is similar characteristics of other animals, like the bobcat and lynx.
Their personable and playful demeanor is directly opposite of this aggressive impression. Their teeth are long and slightly protruding. When the Maine Coon hisses, you can still see its huge teeth. Those features were thought to be developed in adaptation of hunting and living in the harsh Maine coastline and rural terrains.
When highly favored, the black cat was seen as a good luck symbol and often taken aboard ships to keep the crew entertained. They were in such demand that sailors weren’t able to afford them for their trips. Long-haul captains probably had enough money to purchase black cats, including the famed black Maine Coon cat.
Just like the terrible myths of death and mayhem of their common ancestors, the Maine Coon cat is completely opposite. They are playful, loving to help their owners. The black Maine Coon is…er, completely black, except for its eyes. This stunning breed is a perfect pet and probably will cross your path umpteen times a day, as it tries to “help” you around the house. Loving and strong, any Maine Coon cat with its large size and long hair is a beautiful sight and of course make a great pet and companion.
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Maine Coon Personality Traits
The Maine Coon personality is unique among all the different feline breeds. It’s not always easy to make generalisations because every cat has it own idiosyncrasies too, so I’ve jotted down my observations about the dominant Maine Coon characteristics I’ve seen in our house over the years.
The Healer
Sarah's (website author) MC Boys
When I’ve been struck down by the flu or a sickness bug, Henry is always close by – and willing to provide some comfort. I don’t think this is a specific trait of just Henry but it’s a good example of the Maine Coon personality in my experience.
The Florida Sun-Sentinel reported on the story of two Maine Coons, Diesel and Charlie Girl, two trained and registered therapy cats.
Dogs aren’t the only registered “helping animals” out there. Diesel and Charlie Girl practice a special breed of medicine at a Fort Lauderdale hospital and a veteran’s nursing home. Dr. Lisa Radosa says, “Cats raised more like dogs and breeds that have an easygoing temperament, such as the Maine Coon breed, can make fine therapy animals. For them, being petted or being next to someone is rewarding. And their owners are giving them little treats, training them to enjoy the visits,” she said. “Of course the cats want to go back.”
The article also mentions a cat (although not a Maine Coon) called Oscar, who lived in a Rhode Island nursing home’s Alzheimer’s disease unit, was a subject of a widely reported essay in the New England Journal of Medicine. Oscar sensed when patients only had a few hours to live and would curl up next to them on their beds. His predictions were so accurate that staff began alerting family members that death might be near.” Amazing feline!
Anyway back to the protective Maine Coon personality, I would describe Henry as my emotional crutch at times. I wouldn’t call him the most affectionate cat in the world but he accepts that a cuddle from his owner is part of his job role:) He shows other ways of lifting my mood too e.g. when I blink at him, he will blink back – I read somewhere that that means he loves me (or that’s what I like to think anyway – or that he understands me).
Sometimes, even when the house is chaotic with toys all over the floor and the kids are fighting and I’m feeling exhausted, he will quietly sit next to me on the arm of the sofa and rub his head against mine. It just seems to give me a little boost to keep going and to remind me that I’m very lucky to have happy healthy children – of the two and four-legged variety!
Henry is definitely a sensitive soul and always picks up on tensions, moods and illnesses within the house. I doubt this is really a Maine Coon personality trait or characteristic but he is such a brilliant baby monitor that I never really needed to use an electronic one when the children were babies.
The Babysitter
I’ve never lived with a cat that is so brilliant at communicating as the Cooncat. Ours sleeps for most of the day so that he is ready for go ‘on-duty’ at the children’s bedtime. For most of the evening, he will sit in the hallway between both children’s rooms and if either one needs attention, he simply has to pop his head around the lounge door and chirp and let us know we need to go upstairs to deal with a waking child. He always follows us back up the stairs and goes back on duty once they are settled. This doesn’t just happen ‘once in a blue moon’ but EVERY night. We’ve recently started calling him ‘The Godfather’!
Maine Coons will happily sit with children and may join in some of the games – especially if they involve balls rolling around the floor!. Our cats will tolerate most things and if they are pulled about too much they will warn the kids by pushing them away with a padded paw.
The Supervisor
This was the original role we first saw Henry adopt and other Maine Coon lovers agree this is a dominant characteristic, which makes the Maine Coon personality unique.
However, there are many occasions when he feels the need to interfere – especially if we have visitors or workers in the house. He thinks it is his role to inspect visitor’s handbags and luggage and sniff clothing. I’m not sure what exactly he is looking for but he seems to carry out a more thorough job on people who dislike cats – maybe he senses their suspicion of him.
He takes an interest in anyone who interferes with the contents of his house e.g. during one visit, the man who fixes the computer nervously deleted the computer virus with the supervisor looking over his shoulder. Whenever he wrote any notes on his pad, he had to accept Henry would lend a helping hand (or big brown furry paw). The next time he came around he said was so enamoured by the Maine Coon personality that he wanted to get one too!
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