Asali Maine Coon Home

The Maine Coon is no stranger to the show bench, in fact Maine Coons were being shown at local agricultural fairs in New England, USA, in the 1860’s, some thirty years before the first official American cat shows were held. In those days, there was no Standard of Points and it is unclear how judges decided which cat was the best exhibit. The first documented Maine Coon was a black and white with the imposing name of Captain Jenks of the Horse Marines (which was a famous music hall song from the mid-1800’s), belonging to Mrs. F.R. Pierce and her younger brother, dating around 1861. The first comprehensive book on pedigree cats was “Francis Simpson’s The Book of the Cat”, published in 1903. In a chapter written by Mrs. Pierce, she quotes that from her earliest recollection her family had “one to several of the long-haired cats of that variety often called Maine cats.” According to Mrs. Pierce, large shows were held at many of the major cities, as far west as Chicago, in the 1870’s, a number of years before the Madison Square Garden Show of 1895, often written as the first American cat show. The Maine Coon was accepted as a definite breed in the 1870’s, which implies that they were judged to some sort of standard. The National Cat Show of 1878 was a six-day show held at the Boston Music Hall. Twelve Maine Coons were in the programme, and a copy of this early catalogue is preserved in the Boston Public Library for all to see today. The 1895 Madison Square Garden Show had an entry of one hundred and seventy-six cats, including two ocelots. Classification was by hair length and sex, and judging categories included “heaviest” and “homeliest”. The overall winner was a brown tabby female Maine called Cosie. Show fever hit America and soon shows were being held from east to west coast. The Maine Coon figured highly during those early years, with a number winning Best in Show. Success was short-lived. Within a few years, the fortunes of the Maine Coon would take a turn for the worse, with the introduction of the Persian cat.