Carrie Profenno:
Maine Coon Cat Nation 

Experienced Owners Sharing Knowledge, Expertise, and Building Community

Hi, my name is Carrie. I live in Maine, USA (yes, I'm a native Mainer!) with my husband and kids.

Our Maine Coons, Alice and Leo, joined our family as small kittens in the spring of 2004.

Here is the story of how they came to us - and how that makes us uniquely qualified to write about this breed from the perspective of experienced, long-time Maine Coon Cat owners!

I am the founder of Maine Coon Cat Nation, the web designer, and the writer and editor of every article on this website.

My skills are as a writer and designer, and my passions are for all pets and animals. 17 years as a Maine Coon owner has blessed me with much experience to share!

I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to grow Maine Coon Cat Nation into a premier online authority for this amazing breed of cat.

My Animal Background

I have been an animal lover all of my life. I have never been without a dog or two, and of course, cats. As a child, I kept more than a few hamsters, guinea pigs, even birds.

I was an only child, but I was never lonely! We even had litters of kittens when I was a teen.

My mom was a breeder of Siamese cats, and I was present for their births and helped raise them, right until they went to their homes. It was a terrific learning experience.

During my education, reading, writing and literature were always my focus. I love to write! It comes naturally, and I enjoy the flow of writing.

Why Maine Coon Cats?

As a young adult I had a beloved domestic medium haired cat named Clyde who was "different" from any other cat I'd ever had.

I wanted all my future cats to have this personality, and I found it in the Maine Coon breed.

When my young family was ready for some pets, I began to research different cat breeds. Once I learned about the Maine Coon personality I was hooked!

I then found a wonderful Maine Coon cat breeder in my area. I didn't want my new kittens to make a long journey to me so it was important to find them locally.

The breeder and I soon got to know each other. As it turned out, he did have kittens available. Two in particular would be a good fit for us.

The first was a boy who would be big, and his very petite sister who had a reserved personality. She would benefit from going home with her brother.

Little did I know then, that these two kittens would change my life forever by inspiring this incredible site and community!

Alice and Leo, our two Maine Coon kittens, shortly after arrival in our home

Our Kittens

Then came the big day! When I first laid eyes on my new Maine Coon kittens, even I was surprised at their beauty!

They were unbelievably cute kittens. What really struck me were those tufts of fur on the tips of their ears - I knew they would be there, but oh how distinctive they were!

Little Leo with his human sister. They were lucky to grow up together!

We went straight home, and settled them right in to their own "room" at first. This is a great method for introducing a new kitten. They acclimated quickly.

On the first night, both little ones were snuggling and purring away on us. I remember speaking on the phone with their breeder that night.

He was happy to hear that even our timid girl was purring  and cuddling already. He said, "she's all yours now!"

We had fun trying out lots of cute kitten names. Our boy is a classic cameo. He resembles a lion, and Pete named him Leo. Leo became one big boy, with an even bigger personality! There is just so much to say about him. So, take a look at Leo, the big Maine Coon cat.

Our little girl came out of her shell very quickly. All black, delicate, and a true beauty. I named her Alice, after much thought.

We sometimes called her "the perfect cat". There is just as much to say about Alice, our Black Smoke Maine Coon.

Alice and Leo were awesome. They were really members of our family. They quickly made our house feel like home. We enjoyed 17 and 14 years with them, respectively.

I'm quite sure I will always have Maine Coon cats. For even more on them, we've put up some slide shows on our page of cat videos.

Once I turned my writing skills and Maine Coon breed expertise into Maine Coon Cat Nation, there was no going back!

My chosen topic of Maine Coon Cats is something I know, love, and never tire of. I'm enjoying the journey toward becoming a Work-From-Home-Mom.

Update: It's now 2024. Maine Coon Cat Nation is 14 years old, and has become and integral part of my life. I'm still loving the process I started a decade ago.

How does a website earn income? Well, there are a few ways, and it depends on the website. Some folks might sell their own ebooks, or hard goods.

This site earns from the ads you see placed here and there, and from affiliate product links.

When someone sees an ad and it interests them, they might click. Then I earn a small commission. I also recommend products, and if a visitor makes a purchase, there is a small commission.

I'm very grateful for this kind of support. It brings me one step closer to making the development of this website my one and only "job!"

And just this year, we launch our amazing Maine Coon Membership Area. It's a place for our community members to read and download ad-free articles, guides and e-books as well as enjoy The Maine Coon Magazine and come together in a private social experience!

I'll continue to provide updates on this exciting journey. In the meantime, I invite you to join me in this supportive community of animal lovers!

Alice and Leo all grown up

About this site: Welcome! Founded in 2010, MCCN has been helping owners and future owners of these gentle giants worldwide for over 14 years. With our regular additions of breed-specific articles, this has become the ultimate online location for breed information!

Thanks to our many interactive pages and our twice weekly email roundup, we are blessed with an amazing community of fellow pet parents. If this is your first time here, hop on over to our homepage to see all our categories.

And when you're ready for even more, check out the offerings in our Member's Area, too!