WHAT IS A MAINE CAT
We have been asked many times what a Maine cat is and why it is not so valuable as the Angora or Persian.
Possibly 20 years ago they were as good as any other imported long-haired cat, as they came from all parts of the world on the trading vessels, and had the breed and different colors been kept apart and bred scientifically they might today equal our imported Persians, but they were not. Those that were not crossed with the ordinary short-haired cat, were bred without any regard to keeping the different colours: pure blacks, blues, whites, tabbies and oranges were crossed indiscriminately with the result that today the Maine cat is in most cases little or no good for breeding purposes, as crossed with thoroughbred Persians, the result is usually a litter of many colors patched with white.
I am not saying that there are not good specimens of the long-haired variety to be found among the Maine cats, as i well remember seeing when first coming to this country a second prize winner at a show which I thought might easily have won, When inquiring of the judge why it did not, he remarked, "It's only a Maine cat, and the first prize winner has just been imported from England." At a properly managed show these facts should not be known by the judge, then probably the Maine cat would have been given the premier position, and it would have been left to the breeder's discretion whether they bred from the first prize winner without a known pedigree or the second prize winner with a pedigree traceable for generations. My advice is always the latter.
Breed from pedigree as far as possible. This is the only quick way to success. You had far better purchase the worst kitten from a litter of pedigreed stock than buy the best of a litter from practically unknown ancestry, as the former when mated to a good cat will produce stock far better than itself, whereas the latter, no matter how well crossed, will always disappoint you as the kittens will seldom be even as good as the parents.
One can give no advice how to mate these cats, as what is a good cross with a thoroughbred Persian cannot be applied here. If you know your cat to be bred from many colours do not breed from it, but if you know absolutely nothing of the pedigree why then try your cat and in a few cases it may be a success.