Pictured here, F1 registered Calico Maine Coon: Humble Beginnings of LakeViewCoon (affectionately nicknamed “SQUIRT”)

Understanding the Bloodlines That Shape the Maine Coon Breed

“The aim is not to create mixed breed cats, but to introduce a little outcross blood into the Maine Coon breed.”
~Judith Schulz, MasterWeaver – Canada’s Polydactyl Maine Coon

The Maine Coon is one of the most beloved cat breeds in the world, admired for its rugged beauty, affectionate nature, and impressive history as North America’s only naturally occurring longhaired cat.

In this article, we’ll explore the differences between Foundation, New Foundation, and Outcross Maine Coons, the advantages and challenges of each, and why the continued work of preservation breeders remains vital for the future of this breed.

At the time of writing, I’ve raised only a single New Foundation litter. While I don’t claim to be an expert, I’ve learned from and deeply respect the breeders who have done this work long before me.

Pedigreed vs. Purebred: How the Maine Coon Fits In

Unlike dogs, bred for thousands of years for hunting, guarding, and companionship, domestic cats have a far shorter history of selective breeding. Cat breeds were primarily developed by fanciers for appearance, not function. That’s why cat associations use the term pedigreed rather than purebred.

Put simply, Domestic cats don’t have true purebred lineages. There are only about 40–50 genetically distinct cat breeds, compared to hundreds in dogs and livestock.

In 1871, only five pedigreed breeds were officially recognized in London. Today, there are nearly five dozen worldwide, including the Maine Coon, North America’s only naturally occurring forest cat.

What Is a Foundation Maine Coon?

Many are surprised to learn that today’s Maine Coons trace back to just a handful of longhaired cats from over 50 years ago. These original cats are known as Foundation Maine Coons.

It’s important to clarify that the term “foundation cats,” often used by breeders to describe the cats they start their catteries with, is not the same as Foundation Maine Coons defined in pedigree databases like PawPeds.

According to PawPeds, a Foundation Maine Coon is a cat whose parents are unknown and their genetics contribute uniquely to the breed’s gene pool. They’re typically registered as F1 through F5, denoting how many generations removed they are from the first recorded Maine Coon ancestor.

In this context, “Foundation Maine Coon” refers to the Top 5 most commonly used Foundation Cats among those that established the breed, while New Foundation Maine Coons were introduced later to diversify the existing gene pool.

The Top 5 Foundation Cats most commonly found in modern pedigrees:

Andy Katt of Heidi-Ho
Bridget Katt of Heidi-Ho
Dauphin de France of Tati-Tan
Tatiana of Tati-Tan
Whittemore Smokie Joe

The Birth of the Clones

“In 1978 Heidi Ho Sonkey Bill was born, a grandson and double great grandson of Andy and Bridget Katt of Heidi Ho. When bred to Tanstaafl Polly Adeline the amazing thing was that their offspring all looked alike, almost like clones... So when we nowadays speak of ‘clones’ we are talking about the sons and daughters of Sonkey and Polly. The significance of the clones is, that they were used over and over, because they threw nice show quality cats and really added size.”
~Originally attributed to the Maine Coon Heritage Site, created in 1998 by Cynthia Bowen, Ulrika Olsson, Astrid Straver, and Janet Marr

According to the PawPeds pedigree database, the “clones” included cats such as QGC Heidi Ho Annabel Lee of Tycoon, SGC Heidi Ho Aurora of MtKittery, and TGC Heidi Ho Richard III of Charmalot, among approximately a dozen others from Heidi Ho.

While these cats helped shape the modern Maine Coon look, they were used so extensively that their genes now dominate the breed. To correct this imbalance, preservation breeders began introducing new bloodlines, creating outcross litters to restore genetic diversity.

PawPeds defines outcrossing as the mating of cats from different bloodlines to strengthen genetic diversity and maintain hybrid vigor. A truly outcrossed pedigree typically contains 20% or less clone influence (or less than 50% of the Top 5 Foundation cats).

Does New Foundation Stock Need to Come From Maine?

This question often sparks debate within the Maine Coon community. Historically, however, aside from Maine’s Whittemore line, most of the original Foundation cats did not come from Maine.

Tati Tan cats came from Pennsylvania.
Heidi Ho Andy Kat came from DC (and later moved to Maryland).
Heidi Ho Bridgett Kat came from Florida.
Dauphin de France of Tati-Tan came from New York

This shows that what matters most is genetic type and adherence to breed standard, not geographic origin.

According to breeder Beth Kus of Dirigo Maine Coons, who wrote “50 Year History of the Maine Coon Breed: The Three Waves of Foundation,” only a small group of breeders continued the essential work of adding new bloodlines during the mid-1980s to 1990s, including Kris-caj/Kris-ki, Lynart, Garfield’s, Whalesback, Choate, and Dirigo, all based in Maine. This is referred to by some as the second wave of New Foundation work.

The third wave of New Foundation work, which began in the late-1990s to the late-2010s, continued through catteries such as Thunderpaws, Four Paws, Sebagomist, Elegantcoons, Katail (all from Maine), MasterWeaver (Manitoba/Ontario, Canada) —formerly breeding under the name Prairebaby/MasterWeaver, and Kumskaka & Behold (Georgia) — formerly breeding under the cattery names Kumskaka/Praylyne/Behold and initially located in Michigan, then later Alabama).

As of today (2020-present), most of the Catteries responsible for the New Foundation work accomplished during the 2nd and 3rd wave have since retired. Only the enthusiastic few continue their efforts, with a fourth wave of New Foundation, including some of the following North American catteries* (last updated 22-Oct-2025 @ 15:30 Eastern Time):

Beth Kus’ daughter, Kerry Ellen of Sebagomist in Maine
🌐https://sites.google.com/site/sebagomistmainecoons/
Beth Kus’ daughter, Michelle Tocher of Native Roots in Maine
🌐https://sites.google.com/site/mainenativeroots/
Judith Schulz of MasterWeaver in Ontario, Canada
🌐 https://www.masterweaver.ca
Aniko Vig of Morwenna in Alberta, Canada (working primarily with F3-F5 offspring produced by Judith and while under her mentorship)
🌐 https://www.morwennamainecoons.com
Sheila Byrd Haskins of Coonopry (retired in 2025) and Maine Coon Foundation Project (MCFP — still active) in Tennessee
And most recently, with the birth of our first litter of F2 registered Maine Coon kittens born in the late Spring of 2025, Tina (aka Jayelle) & Derek Wright of LakeViewCoons (S. Carolina)
🌐 https://www.lakeviewcoons.com

*Please note: This is NOT an exhaustive list intended to highlight every breeder that works with Outcross or New Foundation lines. This list simply includes North American breeders who have personally located F1 Maine Coon prospects and went through the tedious task of getting them registered (or in the rare instance, breeders who are under mentorship of those who have).

For those interested in a more complete list of catteries located across the globe, of those doing the important work of outcross breeding, be sure to visit the PawPeds maintained OUTCROSS CATTERY LIST.

Advantages of New Foundation Maine Coons

“An F1 cat has a big responsibility and must improve the breed it is added to, or why add this cat at all?”
~Phyllis Stiebens, Kumskaka & Behold Maine Coon Cattery

New Foundation breeding offers the opportunity to improve genetic diversity and strengthen immune health within the breed. As Phyllis Lauder wrote in her 1981 book “The British, European, and American Shorthair Cat”:

“The favored varieties of today have been bred sire to daughter and cousin to cousin until their breeds are ruined… man's insistence upon line breeding in order to perpetuate features approved in the show ring has produced animals of weak constitution, prone to such conditions as skin troubles, lacking in intelligence, no longer mentally alert, eventually stupid; and at last breeding with difficulty: a state of affairs leading in the end to sterility and death of the breed.”

Excessive inbreeding reduces genetic heterozygosity, including T- and B-cell diversity, which are vital for immune function. When genetic variation decreases, cats become more prone to chronic illness, poor dental health, early cancers, and immune-related disorders.

By incorporating New Foundation lines, breeders can help restore vitality, resilience, and long-term health to the Maine Coon breed.

Challenges of New Foundation Breeding

Working with New Foundation stock isn’t easy. Because their ancestry isn’t documented in established stud books, health history and longevity data are often limited. Many cat associations have closed stud books, making registration complex and time-consuming.

Breeding outcomes can also be unpredictable. Recessive traits may surface unexpectedly, and if not carefully managed, could introduce new problems. Likewise, when pairing New Foundation cats with established pedigrees, issues may arise from either side of the lineage.

Ethical breeders must therefore:

Cull lines that produce undesirable traits.
Keep detailed, transparent records of New Foundation sourcing and breeding.
Perform comprehensive health testing before adding new cats to a breeding program, including echocardiograms, hip grading, and genetic screening.

Finding appropriate candidates has become increasingly difficult due to widespread Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programs across North America. Intact, longhaired farm cats resembling the Maine Coon are now rare.

Even when a suitable prospect is found, only a small percentage of cats ultimately meet the health and conformation standards necessary to contribute to the breed responsibly.

Final Thoughts

“Even with the best intentions, breeding will remain a gamble and a lot of work.”
~Judith Schulz, MasterWeaver – Canada’s Polydactyl Maine Coon

The loss of our first pet Maine Coon, Apollo, at just 24 weeks old, changed our lives forever. That experience inspired our journey into preservation breeding and the founding of LakeViewCoons. It also reinforced the importance of responsible, transparent, and scientifically informed breeding.

New Foundation breeding is not for the novice or faint of heart. It can be controversial within the cat fancy, especially when combined with other debated practices like early spay/neuter or breeding polydactyl lines. Early in my journey, criticism and misinformation nearly caused me to quit before I’d even begun.

Fortunately, one experienced breeder chose compassion over judgment and offered mentorship instead. Thanks to her, and the support of my family, LakeViewCoons has grown into a respected cattery with a commitment to education, ethics, and preservation.

As a New Foundation breeder with decades of experience, my mentor and friend, Judith Schulz, once emphasized, continuing education is essential for anyone serious about breeding. Gatekeeping only alienates potential contributors to this important work. By sharing what I’ve learned about Foundation, New Foundation, and Outcross Maine Coons, I hope to encourage others to preserve and strengthen the genetic future of this extraordinary breed.

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