Breed and Club History
Here you will find a lengthy article detailing the history of the Maine Coon, from its humble beginnings as a working farm cat through to becoming one of the most popular breeds, both here in the UK and in its native homeland of the United States of America.
It includes stories relating to how it evolved, French Queen links, sea captains, raccoons and even bobcats.
You will see some of the early foundation cats, learn about the breeders who brought the Maine Coon back from the brink of extinction, how it has succeeded as a show cat and how the Maine Coon Cat Club started and continues to thrive.
Because the Maine Coon has such a long and chequered history, there is a huge amount of history and this has been collated into a pdf document which can be opened/ downloaded to read.
See the video showing a photo of every Maine Coon Cat Club Show Overall Winner since the very first show in 1994.
This is part of our Maine Coon history, going back over the last thirty years. We have held successful and popular annual shows since then, every year apart from 2020 and 2021 when Covid restrictions meant that no cats shows could be held.
If you want to learn more about our annual show, either to enter or come along on the day to visit and find out more about the beautiful Maine Coon breed, then visit our club show page.
In 2025 a new GCCF title was introduced - Kitten Champion. To gain this title, a kitten had to win its breed class and be awarded a Kitten Challenge Certificate three times, under different judges. The first GCCF Kitten Champion was a Maine Coon. Our congratulations to KC Westlakes Jackson-Blackstock. Since he gained his title on 3rd May 2025, other Maine Coon kittens have joined him as Kitten Champions. Take a look at our short video, showing all the 2025 Maine Coon Kitten Champions and listing all Maine Coons which successfully gained a new GCCF title in 2025.
