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I have a
story to tell about America’s natural cat, The Maine Coon Cat and a
little known problem that this beautiful cat faces.
The legend
and history around this cat started in the 1600’s when it is
determined that the breed first started to evolve. The Maine Coon is a
very large cat and was considered the blue-collar worker of the cat
breeds at the time. Because of their size, strength and skill seafarers
and warehouse owners valued these cats as they could take on the big
wharf rats and larger vermin and keep the numbers down. One thing that
was noticed in some of these cats, above the size, they can go up to 20
pounds, was their toes. The natural trait, the double dewclaw. Some had
mitten paws or thumbs that could be manifested as six or seven toes on
the front feet and an extra dewclaw on the back feet. They used their
paws almost as a hand when hunting and playing. This was considered a
great asset for these cats.
These were the Maine Coon Polydactyls.
It is estimated that roughly 40% of the Maine Coon population were
polydactyls. In the 1800’s the cat gained recognition as a show cat
and references have been made to some that were shown in Madison Square
Garden. The Maine Coons enjoyed this time in the limelight but it was
due to come to an end with the introduction of the Persian, another
extremely beautiful cat. They fell back into the shadows for a while,
but breeders kept the breed alive and around the mid 1960’s formed an
organization to have them recognized. This organization also recognized
that the Maine Coon and the Maine Coon Polydactyl should be preserved as
a natural breed, after all they were both Maine Coons. The obstacle they
had to overcome was getting acceptance with cat associations to get the
cat into the show ring. They made proposals and submitted data on the
cat. The one thing that was decided at the time though, was not to
include the Maine Coon Polydactyl. Getting the breed accepted was
challenge enough and it was supposed that in time the Polydactyl would
follow.
It is very
important to remember the time and era that this was happening. We can
all remember things that happened then that would never happen or be
allowed to happen today. It was just the times. Just as we now can see
the amazing advances that have been made in the areas of knowledge,
technology, medicine, human rights and tolerance. The list can go on.
Some breeders kept breeding the polydactyl cats and here is where things
unintentionally started to go wrong for the Maine Coon Poly. Genetics at
the time were very lacking. Breeders were following pedigrees and
tracking the backgrounds of the cats to try to make sure they were
getting the correct breedings. The dedication to this breed or any breed
by the breeders is amazing but some things were not in their control.
Cats used for the foundation of the breeding stock were in actual fact
regular cats that met the breed standard and there was no knowledge of
what lay in the cats past. Extra toes were just that, extra toes.
Unfortunately that is not the case. The trait of the Maine Coon
Polydactyl is the extra or double dewclaw. There are other toe patterns.
But every foot variation got lumped into the “polydactyl” category
and people used whatever toe structure they had. This was not a
deliberate act but a mistake only caused by the lack of knowledge.
Unfortunately, this lack of knowledge led to the birth of some short
haired domestic kittens that had bad leg deformities and the Maine Coon
poly breeders were put in a tough position. They wanted to preserve the
cat but not at the expense of innocent kittens and were protecting the
quality of life of the cat. They were confused and didn’t want to go
through the heartbreaks even though most of these affected kittens were
not Maine Coon Cats. Some breeders chose not to continue with the
polydactyl breeding programs. This did not happen with all breeders.
Those that were successful choose to preserve the trait for future
generations. It was unfortunate that at this time there was no Internet
and instant communications like today, where people could share their
information easily.
Bad news
travels very fast, especially in associations that are as close as cat
breeders and fanciers. It seemed that many breeders had their own horror
story to tell about polydactyls and the myth and misinformation grew.
The Maine Coon polydactyls were now mistakenly branded as a deformed and
crippled cats and no ethical breeder would breed them. They would not be
accepted in the breed standard. End of topic. End of discussion.
Breeders
that were successfully breeding the genetically correct Maine Coon
Polydactyl were now in a very difficult position. Politics plays a big
part in associations. Their hearts told them to continue and preserve
the cat, but they also had their reputations as ethical breeders to
consider. The pressure was on them now to conform or else. Still some
did not conform but they did not advertise the fact they still had the
polys and continued to keep this aspect of the breed alive. Time moved
on, and the myths were passed along from breeder to new breeder seeming
to get worse with each telling of the tale. It was now seen as cold hard
fact.
With the
advancement of science and technology some of the Maine Coon Polydactyl
breeders and fanciers started doing research and gathering scientific
data. This lead to more interest in the trait and very slowly people
started coming forward with their cats and breeding programs. They were
few and far between. They accepted the challenges and pushed forward
regardless. Some have met with animosity, discrimination and out right
nastiness. Subtle threats, rumours about their fitness, ethics and
catteries, memberships declined are some of what these dedicated people
face. Why? Because people are misinformed and are afraid of what they
don’t understand. It is easier to hold onto a fear than learn the
truth.
In the past
few years the question about the Maine Coon Polydactyl has been raised
again in different groups of people associated with cats. I know this,
as I was the one raising the questions. I joined different cat groups
and asked for information and offered to share new information that
could be informative. A very few were receptive but it was made
perfectly clear, by some that seemed to be in a position of authority,
that this was not a topic for discussion, the cat was never going to be
allowed, don’t mention it again, topic closed. Period.
I was
completely amazed at the strong emotion my few questions caused and even
further amazed at the closed minded attitudes of some of these people.
Never having belonged to a cat fancy before I was unprepared for the
reaction. It was time to do some more research. I discovered this type
of sentiment was world wide within cat associations, firmly ingrained
and very little tolerance to anyone who challenged it.
What started
out as research that was asking why was now turning into a cause, that
as I saw it, needed to be fought. How could organizations discriminate
against an animal to the point where breeders were culling them close to
extinction?
Together
with others, who had tried in the past, it was suggested to revive a
small group of Maine Coon polydactyl owners, breeders and fanciers. Some
had already fought a long hard battle for years but was willing to try
one more time, to satisfy the quest of a beginner. We revived a group
that went from 6 or 7 postings a month, into a group of people with
postings of over 400 per month, and growing. This may not seem like much
by some standards but it was wonderful to see this group pick up. People
started joining from all over the world as friends told friends and
Maine Coon poly lovers told other Maine Coon poly lovers. A group was
founded for the preservation, protection and acceptance of the Maine
Coon Polydactyl. Our goal is to educate. Through education we believe
that we can break down the myths, create an awareness and give this
animal the chance it deservers with out the stigma attached. Times have
changed from long ago. New factual and scientific information is
available. We would just like people to listen with an open mind and
then make an informed, educated decision. Some people have their beliefs
and that is ok too, we do not want to infringe on that, just offer them
the chance for more information should they choose to learn. Hopefully
throw away the myths or even just start a different way of thinking
towards these beautiful cats.
How did this
all start? I got a Maine Coon Polydactyl and asked a question.
Maybe if
more people ask the question why these cats are not accepted, someone
will take the time to answer or look
into the
matter. Also if some people are interested in factual information it
will be available at http://www.mcpi.org
Deb Brown
Canada
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