That Yankee Cat: The Maine Coon

"That Yankee Cat" is 'the' complete reference guide to the Maine Coon cat, and well-written to boot. I also read "Maine Coon Cats" by Carol Himsel Daly, and "Guide to Owning a Maine Coon Cat" by Abigail Greene (et al) and "That Yankee Cat" is by far the most interesting and the most specific to the breed. The author, Marilis Hornidge even spends some print on the characteristics of Maine Coon owners (although, for some reason she leaves out the fact that we are all totally loveable):"Maine Coon people, more than any other group in the fancy, seem to enjoy word games in naming organizations, catteries, and their cats."In Chapter 5, "Tales of the Cat", Hornidge gives full rein to Maine Coon-related word play, although she doesn't explain why some owners chose the names they inflicted on these big, shaggy beauties, e.g. Captain Jenks of the Horse Marines, Absorbine Jr., Commodore Perry, and Surfer Dude. ...Breed characteristics are discussed in terms of 'boondocker paws', 'Elizabethan ruff', 'rectangularness', "SMART, SMART, SMART (but not stuck up about it)", 'a dry sense of humor', and 'the Medium-sized Cat in the Large Fur Coat' - not quite CFA-standard language, but easy to visualize! The photographs in this book demonstrate the great variety of the breed, not just your typical big, brown tabby. There are pictures of red mackerel tabbies, cameo tabbies, and splotched tabbies, and even a Black Smoke and a 'tuxedo cat' or two. I only wish more of the photographs could have been in color. It's very difficult to distinguish a brown mackerel from a red mackerel in a black-and-white photograph.The book also has clearly written sections on genetics and coat color, 'peaceful coexistence' (if you own any cat at all, you'll know what that means), grooming, and first-aid.The author has even composed a sub-chapter called 'Pot Purry' which I will leave to your imagination.And speaking of word games and Maine Coon owners, shouldn't a Maine Coon Cattery be called a 'Coonery'?Read "That Yankee Cat" if you're even thinking about getting a kitten. Or not. It's a hundred-and-one pages of sheer delight for those of us who are actually lucky enough to be owned by one of these gentle, shaggy down-Easterners.

I recently got a new Maine Coon kitten and I am so glad I got THIS book. Many other books on Maine Coon care (barrons,etc) are just generic cat care books, with Maine Coon pics inserted. The Maine Coon is different. Mainly because of its shear size and particular genetic health problems. The only other Maine Coon book that I would recommend is: Maine Coons, Popular Cats Series, Vol 2 by the editors of Cat Fancy Magazine (Jackie Franza). That Yankee Cat tells more of the history, character and basic care of Maine Coons. The later book is more up to date on all the specific health care and grooming requirements. If you are new to Maine Coons, both these books compliment each other and are a must for new owners.  Maine Coons

Fun and interesting look at these cool cats. I owned a Maine Coon female and she was truly a unique cat. Learning more about this breed was great and I saw many of her characteristics in this book. Whether you're a Maine Coon fan or know someone who is this book makes for excellent reading and a wonderful gift.

Excellent read and a must have for Maine Coon owners!

My favorite Maine Coon breed review. Well written and documented. A joy to read and very informative. I have since purchased two Maine Coon kittens and find no fault in the breed characteristics presented herein. Even though written in 2002, I consider it a good source of information and superior to other such books I have read. Recommended!

Gave me plenty of good information on this breed.. I am looking to acquire one if I can find a good one nearby (in Oklahoma) Prefer a yoiung make but not a tiny kitten

Good book

Good for a history, but not so practical. I got a brand new pedigreed boy, and I'm not so thrilled with the content here. I thought it would be more pertinent to the kitten I now own. Not what I was expecting.

When I opened the package containing this book, my first thought was "Seriously? Is that it?" It's partly my own fault for not paying more attention to the product dimensions but for over £13 I was expecting a reasonably large and glossy book full of nice photos of Maine Coons. In fact this is a short and modest book, slightly larger but much thinner than a standard paperback, printed on cheap paper with lots of text and a scattering of black and white photos. The "color folio" comprises 8 pages of faded colour photos which look like they were taken in the 1970s and been left lying in someone's desk drawer ever since. So in terms of coffee table impact this scores about 1 out of 5.The text is reasonably informative but is a bit old fashioned both in writing style and content. Although it's a revised edition from 2002, the book was originally published in 1981 and not much has been updated. There are tales dating back to the 1940s and one photo of a lady holding a cat in front of what looks like a WW2 aeroplane! It's an American publication which isn't a huge problem but does mean all the information on societies, cat shows etc are totally US centric. It has some historical information speculating on where the breed originated, a comprehensive description of the different colours (which was drier than it could have been because the illustrating photos were all black and white), some complicated explanations around the genetics associated with colour inheritance, some Maine Coon anecdotes and some more general sections on buying/raising/caring for pedigree cats. All OK but not enough to make up for the underwhelming presentation. If I'd only paid £5 for it I'd be marginally less disappointed but if I'd seen it in a bookshop I'd have flicked through it once and put it straight back on the shelf - and it's very rare for me to feel that way about books I buy from Amazon.

A lovely book for Maine Coon owners. It covers all you need to know and is well presented. I bought an older version of this book but there is a newer version available. . . I just love old books.The book answers all the pertinent questions that may come to mind as well as some amusing but often asked questions such as:Do Maine Coon cats have snowshoe feet?Are Maine Coon cats related to raccoons?What is a Maine Coon cat?I recommend this book, but would also like to add something about buying older editions, you get different material and if it is a secondhand book you can be lucky as I was, mine was stuffed full of notes and papers from a previous owner, all of which were seriously interesting and there were several old postage stamps bearing cat illustrations (no, not Maine Coons) so quite a rewarding experience. Oh, and by the way, my own Maine Coon found the faint smell of this old book interesting!

Found this book incredibly informative and enjoyed it so much I read it cover to cover in two days. I have also kept using it as a reference book. As a complete beginner where pedigree cats are concerned this book was ideal. I am fascinated with the Maine Coon, yet confused by the names of the different colours and markings. At last I understand the difference between a Mackeral Tabby and a Classic Tabby, a Torbie and a Tortie, a Smoke and a Cameo. The list of colours, markings and variations on these are endless, this book has finally made sense of them all!

Well, as I am thinking of owning one of these cats soon, or should I say arranging for one of these cats to own me and my family. I thought this book would be of help in providing me with useful information. It did and it didnt I am afraid, There is no doubt a lot of history to read but a lot of this is heresay and there are tales with a lot of romanticism in them. But some good stuff too. Other reviewers are not wrong that it does give a lot of information but sadly it left me wanting more. It also looks a bit dated and in need of a revisit and better quality photographs. I am glad I purchased it but would have been very, very upset had I paid the full recommended price for it. This is only my opinion and understand others views may be different and I respect this...

Excellent, bought for a present and it went down very well indeed