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Maine coon: Coon? No. Maine? Yes

MAINE coon cats, despite their name, aren't the result of a fling between a cat and a raccoon. American originals, they were developed in New England as all-purpose farm cats and companions.

MAINE coon cats, despite their name, aren't the result of a fling between a cat and a raccoon. American originals, they were developed in New England as all-purpose farm cats and companions.

The winner of the first cat show held in the United States was a Maine coon named Cosey, an apt name for these large, fluffy cats with easygoing dispositions. Maine coons are best known for their striking tabby coats, but they also come in many other colors and patterns.

Not surprisingly, they are the official state cat of Maine.

* Frank and Louie had two faces but only nine lives, and he lost his last one on Dec. 4. The unusual cat, owned by Martha Stevens, held a Guinness World Record for being the oldest of his kind. Most Janus cats - so-called after the two-headed Roman god of beginnings and passages - die shortly after birth, but Stevens tube-fed him until he learned to eat on his own. Frank and Louie had two noses, two mouths and two functioning eyes, plus a blind center eye, but only one brain.