<P> In the early 20th century, the Maine Coon's popularity began to decline with the introduction of other long - haired breeds, such as the Persian, which originated in the Middle East . The last recorded win by a Maine Coon in a national cat show for over 40 years was in 1911 at a show in Portland, Oregon . The breed was rarely seen after that . The decline was so severe that the breed was declared extinct in the 1950s, although this declaration was considered to be exaggerated and reported prematurely at the time . The Central Maine Cat Club (CMCC) was created in the early 1950s by Alta Smith and Ruby Dyer in attempts to increase the popularity of the Maine Coon . For 11 years, the CMCC held cat shows and hosted exhibitions of photographs of the breed and is noted for creating the first written breed standards for the Maine Coon . </P> <P> The Maine Coon was denied provisional breed status--one of the three steps required for a breed not yet recognized by the CFA to be able to compete in championship competitions--by the CFA three times, which led to the formation of the Maine Coon Cat Club in 1973 . The breed was finally accepted by the CFA under provisional status on 1 May 1975, and was approved for championship status on 1 May 1976 . The next couple of decades saw a rise in popularity of the Maine Coon, with championship victories and an increase in national rankings . In 1985, the state of Maine announced that the breed would be named the official State Cat . Today the Maine Coon is the third most popular cat breed, according to the number of kittens registered with the CFA . </P> <P> The Maine Coon is the largest breed of domestic cat . On average, males weigh from 13 to 18 lb (5.9 to 8.2 kg) with females weighing from 8 to 12 lb (3.6 to 5.4 kg). The height of adults can vary between 10 and 16 in (25 and 41 cm) and they can reach a length of up to 48 in (120 cm), including the tail, which can reach a length of 14 in (36 cm) and is long, tapering, and heavily furred, almost resembling a raccoon's tail . The body is solid and muscular, which is necessary for supporting their own weight, and the chest is broad . Maine Coons possess a rectangular body shape and are slow to physically mature; their full potential size is normally not reached until they are three to five years old, while other cats take about one year . </P> <P> In 2010, the Guinness World Records accepted a male purebred Maine Coon named "Stewie" as the "Longest Cat" measuring 48.5 in (123 cm) from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail . Stewie died 4 February 2013, from cancer at his home in Reno, Nevada, at age 8 . As of 2015 the living record - holder for "Longest Cat" is "Ludo", measuring 3 ft 10.59 in (118.33 cm). He lives in Wakefield, UK . Large Maine Coons can overlap in length with Eurasian lynxes, although with a much lighter build and lower height . </P>

How long does it take for a maine coon cat to be fully grown