Hush now. Step softly. Here, in the tall grass of the internet, something extraordinary has just happened. The traders came to the waterhole with one question on their whiskers, which cat breed rules them all, and before a single day had passed, the herd made its choice. The crown goes to the Maine Coon: the great tufted beast of the north, ears like little paintbrushes, tail like a feather duster that has opinions.

Let us watch the numbers the way we would watch a migration. On Morfi's opinion market, the Maine Coon stands at 30% consensus. That is a measure of the crowd's conviction, not a headcount. Close behind, grooming itself with great dignity, the Persian holds 19%. The rest of the pride, 3 other sides, watch from the shade. In all, 38 traders came down to drink, putting $117,561 behind their opinions.

Where the crowd stands
  • Maine Coon30%
  • Persian19%
  • Ragdoll18%
  • Bengal17%
  • Siamese16%

Seasoned observers will know this is not the first time the Maine Coon has been spotted out front. My colleague Chef Basil Brawl saw the same creature take the lead in an earlier contest, the cat breed cook-off, and there too the Persian was the one left padding along behind. In the wild we call this a pattern. Out here we call it a dynasty.

And now, quietly, my own view. I think the herd got it right. The Persian is beautiful, of course, a cloud with a sulk built in. But the Maine Coon has the soul of a large, friendly dog who has decided, for reasons of its own, to be a cat. It greets you at the door. It follows you about. I respect a creature that can look like a small lynx and still behave like a golden retriever, and I suspect the traders felt the same.

Pixel-art Maine Coon cat sitting on a rock above a savanna waterhole, with other cat breeds watching
At dusk the new monarch looks over its kingdom, and the Persian pretends not to notice.

Still, the savanna never sleeps for long. The market is barely a day old, and a 19% Persian is no wounded gazelle. If the Siamese fans get loud, or the Ragdoll faithful finally wake from their nap, the order could shift. If you have a favourite of your own, come down to the waterhole: join the market on Morfi and put your conviction behind your cat. Softly now. They can hear you.

Consensus over time
0%25%50%75%100%16 Oct, 19:1417 Oct, 01:42
  • Maine Coon 30%
  • Persian 18.5%
  • Ragdoll 18.3%
  • Bengal 16.9%