WEBVTT - How Are Maine Coons Different From Other Cats?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here, Friendly, intelligent, and huge. Main

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<v Speaker 1>Coons are a rugged, long haired cat breed that's become

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<v Speaker 1>a favorite of feline fans everywhere. From the breed's mysterious

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<v Speaker 1>origins to its oddly doglike behavior. Main Coons aren't your

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<v Speaker 1>average everyday house cats. First off, they're the largest of

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<v Speaker 1>all domesticated cat breeds. They gain as much as two

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<v Speaker 1>pounds that's about a kilogram per month during their growing cycle,

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<v Speaker 1>which ends at about four years of age, which is

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<v Speaker 1>more than quadruple the maturity time of other breeds. While

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<v Speaker 1>most adult cats weigh about seven pounds that's around three kilos,

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<v Speaker 1>main coon mail cats tip the scales up to twenty

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<v Speaker 1>five pounds or eleven kilos. Females typically weigh in at

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<v Speaker 1>about twenty pounds or nine kilos. Main Coons are also

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<v Speaker 1>some of the world's longest domesticated cats in terms of

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<v Speaker 1>physical length as well as in terms of time since domestication.

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<v Speaker 1>Both male and female main coons typically reach up to

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<v Speaker 1>forty that's a meter in length from their noses to

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<v Speaker 1>the tips of their bushy tails, and although the main

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<v Speaker 1>coon is often regarded as America's first domesticated breed. Its

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<v Speaker 1>ancestry is shrouded in mystery. Advances in genetic testing could

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<v Speaker 1>help identify the main coon's ancient relatives, which may have

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<v Speaker 1>accompanied the Vikings on their exploratory voyages. There is one

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<v Speaker 1>origin story, however, that may have resulted in the breed's

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<v Speaker 1>distinctive name. Captain Charles Coon kept long haired cats on

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<v Speaker 1>board when he sailed from England to New England ports

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<v Speaker 1>during the late seventeen and early eighteen hundreds. Legend has

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<v Speaker 1>it that when Coon anchored his ship in New England ports,

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<v Speaker 1>his cats would slip away to mate with local feelines.

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<v Speaker 1>Although it is steeped in speculation, this long standing folk

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<v Speaker 1>story purports that these long haired kittens were referred to

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<v Speaker 1>as Coons cats. The main Coon's origins may be murky,

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<v Speaker 1>but its future looks clear. The main Coon was declared

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<v Speaker 1>the official state cat of Maine, and as of eighteen,

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<v Speaker 1>the main coon was the fifth most popular breed in

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<v Speaker 1>the United States. A main Coon even had a pivotal

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<v Speaker 1>role in the Harry Potter films, as Mrs Norris, the

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<v Speaker 1>pet cat of custodian Mr Filch her claim to fame,

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<v Speaker 1>besides starring in one of the hottest film franchises of

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<v Speaker 1>all time, was stopping on command as she paced the

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<v Speaker 1>halls of Hogwarts. Many main coons can be trained the

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<v Speaker 1>way that you train a dog. This intelligent and eager

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<v Speaker 1>to please breed exhibits a few dog like tendencies, such

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<v Speaker 1>as following their owners between rooms and the capacity to

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<v Speaker 1>and interest in responding well to training. With the assistance

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<v Speaker 1>of training techniques like using a clicker that makes a

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<v Speaker 1>clipped in distinct sound followed by treats, a main coon's

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<v Speaker 1>behavior can be harnessed. Though despite popular perceptions, just about

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<v Speaker 1>any cat can be trained using these tools if you

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<v Speaker 1>keep at it, and that training can help keep house

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<v Speaker 1>cats stimulated, satisfied, and physically fit. Most cats have an

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<v Speaker 1>aversion to getting wet, but not so main coons. Equipped

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<v Speaker 1>with water asstant for these beelines don't mind taking a bath,

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<v Speaker 1>are known for joining humans in the shower, and will

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<v Speaker 1>even go for a swim. For example, Tissi, a five

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<v Speaker 1>year old being coon from Pennsylvania, made headlines for taking

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<v Speaker 1>laps in her family's swimming pool, something she likes to

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<v Speaker 1>do on a regular basis During the summer months, and

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<v Speaker 1>in two thousand four, a main coon named Little Nikki

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<v Speaker 1>became the first pet animal to be cloned commercially. After

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<v Speaker 1>Little Nikki died at the age of seventeen, his Dallas

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<v Speaker 1>area owner paid fifty thousand dollars to have Little Nikki's

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<v Speaker 1>DNA transplanted into an egg cell. A surrogate mother cat

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<v Speaker 1>carried the embryo, and Whila, a kitten similar in appearance

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<v Speaker 1>and personality to Little Nikki. Today's episode was written by

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<v Speaker 1>laur L. Dove and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of I Heart Radio's How Stuff Works.

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<v Speaker 1>For more in this and lots of other topics that

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