Three years ago I found a beautiful male cat eating garbage from a dumpster. I kept him and named him Donnie and assumed he was just a regular abandoned alley cat. But I recently had him at the vet for a checkup, and the doctor informed me that he is a Maine Coon. I've examined him to see if he fits the criteria for a Maine Coon( according to your website), and he has all the distinguishing characteristics of the breed. Is he a Maine Coon? How should I determine for sure if he is? And if he is a Maine Coon, is there a way to aquire documentation of it? Thank you, Kimberly Aqualais

-- Anonymous, March 28, 1999

Answers

Unfortunately, unless you have the pedigree papers for a cat, you cannot actually CALL it by that breed name. Your cat may well be a Maine Coon but TECHNICALLY you can only refer to it as a Maine Coon look-alike! It would be impossible to get pedigree papers on the cat now. You can only obtain these from the breeder. However, congratulations on acquiring a wonderful cat and in rescuing it from a horrible fate.

-- Anonymous, July 14, 1999