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PUREBRED PASSION: MAINE COON CATS
Puppy Cats
Sullivan's birthday: 2/26/05 (Pisces). Favorite meal: tuna nicoise. |
"My cat weighs 25 pounds." If you have a dog like Pomo, WOOF Patrol's mascot, who weighs 14 pounds soaking wet with a squeaky toy in his mouth, that remark leaves you desiring to know more.
Cher's birthday 2/23/96 (Pisces) Favorite Meal: poached or lightly grilled Salmon. | Marie Morreale, Executive Editor, for Scholastic Classroom Magazines, was only too happy to tell us more about her puppy cat Sullivan who enjoys a game of fetch, uses his paws as eating utensils and displays the mannerisms of a protective guard dog. He is not devoid of feline characteristics but is inclined to act more like your best friend then your distant cousin.
Marie invited us to visit Sullivan and her other cat-hound, Cher, a more petite Maine Coon. Cher was our demure greeter. Moving like a prima ballerina on pointe, she glanced over with a subtle toy dog expression that was both alert and almost human. Then after performing a spectacular solo, she exited the stage for Sullivan. He emerged from the bedroom looking like a Saluki with Shih Tzu shoulders. |
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Marie Morreale: Sullivan can startle the neighbors with his occasional hallway excursion. The image of a mass of fur parting through an imaginary wheat field takes on a whole new tone when set in an urban environment.
WOOF Patrol: Did you want a dog?
Marie: I was raised with dogs and horses. At one time I had a Yorkie-Poodle mix, and my boyfriend at the time didn't want the dog. That should have been my first clue. I gave away the dog when I should have given away the boyfriend. I also felt that with my increasing travel schedule it would be unfair to have a dog. That's when cats entered my life. First a Siamese named Mao and a Persian named Sasha. When Mao passed away at 18, friends brought over a rescued orange tabby (like the Morris cat from the TV commercials). He was found on Houston Street. 'Houston' weighed in at 15 pounds and like all of my cats lived to be just shy of 19.
W.P.: Then Cher, your first Maine Coon.
M.M.: She was given to me as a birthday gift. She was tiny — only 8 pounds. |
The Maine Coon breed had come up before in WOOF Patrol conversations with friends and pet tipsters. Recently, while Pomo was fulfilling a pet therapy request at a nearby hospital we heard: "Your dog reminds me of my cat." Cat? The patient went on to explain, "He liked to play, tussle ... not in puddy-tat fashion but you know like a dog."
In the midst of being photographed, Sullivan brought his ball to me. That's when it started to sink in: besides being the oldest indigenous cat breed in North America; Maine Coons have personalities that exhibit doggie-ness. Unlike a dog, when Sullivan tired of the game he didn't just walk away. He placed his tufted paw (the equivalent of two of Pomo's paws), on my hand.
Marie holding Sullivan. Marie, "If you ask him to behave a certain way, he won't." Sounds like a true puppy cat. | It was clear that his lineage was capable of surviving the harshest of winters and of being a professional, top notch varmint hunter. More noteworthy, Sullivan and all Maine Coons truly are gentle giants.
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BREED NOTES:
- America's native longhair cat. Considered to be the largest domestic cat. Known for its playfulness and distinctive physical appearance.
- Average Weight: 13-18 pounds for males, 9-12 for females
- Temperament: Doglike while still retaining a 'look-at-me' cat sophistication. Known to be good with children and dogs.
- Member of the Cat Fanciers' Association: In 1895, Cosey, a brown tabby female Maine Coon won at one of the most famous and largest of the early cat shows that was held at New York's Madison Square Garden.
- NOTE: Maine Coons develop slowly and remain kittenish throughout their lives. Owners often like to say they are big, gentle clowns.
- Major Disqualification for Breed at Shows: Polydactyl — having one or more extra toes on their paws.
- Purr Tone: Meow sounds like a combination of a purr-meow-trill
- Distinctive Character: Big, round, tufted feet — 'snow shoes': Hardy constitution. Considered easiest cat breed to train (many Maine Coon owners have taught their kitty to walk on a leash).
- The official Maine State Cat
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| M.M: Sullivan likes to follow me from room to room. He's not a lap cat, preferring to shadow me. However, he has a side to him that shows tender compassion. A friend's mother passed away and she came over to work on writing the eulogy. We were in the midst of sharing fond memories that were a combination of tears and laugher. Sullivan quietly jumped up and gone about the outer rim of the coach. In a comforting manner he draped himself around the back of my friend's neck, resting his front and back paws in a loving embrace. |
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Maine Coon Cat Gossip:
- The breed is said to have originated from matings between semi-wild domestic cats and raccoons. This is a myth. Although the cats bushy tail (the length at least as long as the torso) and common raccoon-like brown tabby coloring adds credibility, it is biologically impossible.
- Another catty tale tells the story of Marie Antoinette escaping France during the French Revolution and bringing her six pet cats with her to Wiscasset, Maine. The French cats were supposed to have commingled with the local kitties. So far only empty wine bottles have been found. They were presumably used as cat scratch post since the labels appeared clawed at, leaving behind the letters: B-U-R-D-Y. Perhaps indicating Burgundy and sounding like 'birdie".
- TOSSING IN THE DOG:
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