After owning dogs for the better part of 26 1/2 years, my wife and I adopted a cat...our first one. Minerva (or as we call her Minnie) is a Russian Blue / Maine Coon mix. She has indisputable Maine Coon features, but is far smaller, maybe 8 or 9 pounds. Minnie was a rescue. She got picked up by the Amelia County Virginia Animal Control with a litter of three two-week old kittens. Minnie and her kittens were taken in by a rescue group. The kittens were quickly adopted. Minnie ended up with the daughter of a high school friend of mine as a foster. I saw the picture and showed it to my wife "What do you think?" My wife thought I was smoking something. Needless to say we got her. It was a bit of a rough start, but with a bit of patience and a lot of love, Minnie has really come around and blossomed.
Best thing I ever did in my 21+ years of marriage was suggest that we adopt Minnie!