The wildest theory states they are a crossbreed of a domestic cat and a raccoon. There are some who claim Maine coons descend from cats sent to Maine, U.S., by Marie Antoinette, who planned to leave France during the French Revolution. Both theories do not appeal to scientists.
The most plausible theory is that they are descendants of a crossbred of short-haired domestic breed and long-haired cats, brought to the U.S. by the European sailors, most likely the Vikings, in the 1700s. The genetic testing indicates they, in fact, descend from the Norwegian Forest Cat, native to Scandinavia.
