here are many unofficial tails about the origin of Maine's official state cat. According to one decidedly homespun tale, the Maine Coon is a product of a union between a domestic short hair cat and a raccoon. This theory, while quaint, is genetically impossible. Another version of this transspecies love story substitutes the bobcat for the raccoon. This version has a great deal to recommend it and many advocates that do. There have been many eyewitness reports of similar breedings from across the country. The most romantic explanation of the Maine Coon's origin involves a seafaring man named Samuel Clough. Samuel Clough was one of the principals in the plot to smuggle Marie Antoinette from France to Wiscassett, Maine, during the French Revolution. The scheme was cut short by the guillotine, but not before Clough had transported some of the Queen's belongings, including six longhair cats to this country. Since the queen was not up to traveling, her belongings became part of the Clough household, and her cats became part of the foundation stock of the Maine Coon breed.