Right on schedule , a cat showed up on our front steps. My sister and I were sunning ourselves on the steps and trying to decide what to do next during a rather boring summer vacation. The huge tabby-colored tomcat came and brushed his long fur against our legs. He never asked for any food, mind you, but just seemed to want to be petted. We learned later the cat was a Maine coon, so named because of its size and because some people in Maine evidently thought the large breed looked like a raccoon.