TuftLove Maine Coons is a small CFA & TICA registered
cattery owned by Steve & Judy Rickard. We are located in Corvallis, Oregon.
Our goal is produce a few top quality kittens a year.
Our cats are raised underfoot and are never caged.
What Is a Maine Coon Cat?
The Maine Coon is a breed
that is surrounded by myths and legends. The stories range from a
humble beginning to possible royal connections. Some like to repeat
that the Maine Coon's fluffy ringed tail and coloring was the result
of a breeding between a raccoon and a domestic cat.
Others like a more lofty version for the origin of the
Maine Coon. Could they be offspring of Marie Antoinette's six pet cats she sent to
Maine as she was planning her escape from France during the French
Revolution?
A more plausable explanation is that Maine Coons originated from the
matings between local shorthair cats and
longhair breeds introduced by seamen or perhaps longhairs brought to
America by Viking ships.
Maine Coons are the native American longhaired cat.
They are Maine's Official State Cat.
They were recognized in Maine as a breed and held in high esteem
because of their hardiness and mousing abilities. Nature forged a tough,
strong, healthy and smart cat through natural selection. Nature culled
the weak and timid. Cats that lacked the intelligence to survive
did not live long enough in the harsh environment to reproduce.
A full-grown female typically weighs between 9-12 pounds and males tend
to be in the 13 to 18 pound range. Their thick, glossy coats are water-resistant.
The coat is longer at the ruff, stomach and britches to insulate against wet, snowy weather.
The shorter coat on back and neck prevented tangling in brush while hunting.
Their coats do not require constant attention; a weekly combing is usually all
that is required.
Maine Coons are generally quiet and do not meow much. However, they are noted for
their ability to trill their meows, which sounds like a combination of a purr and a
meow, and they tend to make this sound when happy or startled.
Maine Coons have a loving, gentle nature. They are especially good with children and other pets.
They usually prefer to be with their humans and often will follow them from room to room.
They retain their kittenish, clown-like personalities throughout their lives. They
develop slowly, not reaching their full size until they are 3 to 4 years old.
We occasionally have kittens available to approved homes!
