Articles & resources for maine coon enthusiasts

The process to find a good breeder with adorable Maine Coon kittens should be fun and memorable, in a good way! However, many hopeful Maine Coon parents make the mistake of purchasing their kittens from ‘backyard breeders’ vs. reputable breeders they can trust.

Backyard breeding is the irresponsible breeding of Maine Coon kittens, often in inadequate conditions with insufficient care, by people lacking proper resources, experience, or knowledge. Some backyard breeders love their cats and have good intentions, but lack the money or know-how to operate a proper breeding program. Others are motivated financially. They see the high cost of a well-bred Maine Coon kitten and think breeding is a quick way to make a buck. They have no idea how expensive it is to adequately provide for all the special needs of intact male cats, pregnant mothers, and their offspring. They almost never appreciate all the hard work — the blood, sweat, and tears — that go into ethical breeding.

Ethical breeders worry a lot about backyard breeders because, in their hands, the Maine Coons we love so much suffer needlessly. We worry about things like inadequate nutrition, infectious diseases (e.g., FIV, fungal infections), parasite infestations (e.g., fleas and worms), behavioral problems, and genetic health issues that place the welfare of these helpless cats and kittens at risk. Issues with health and temperament that arise can affect future generations of Maine Coons.

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Separating the Reputable from the Questionable

Researching Maine Coon breeders and deciding who to buy from is easy if you ask the right questions and eliminate those with the wrong answers. You are going to be making a significant investment, financially and emotionally, so take your time and choose wisely!

QUESTION 1. What health testing do you perform, and what health guarantee do you offer with your kittens?

Backyard breeders do not typically perform all the necessary health testing on their breeding cats. No matter what they think, DNA testing alone is not enough! At a minimum, a cat being used in a breeding program should undergo:

• Genetic (DNA) testing for genetic mutations for HCM, PkDef, SMA and PKD
• PCR testing for upper respiratory diseases
• Fecal float tests for parasites
• Echocardiograms to look for signs of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
• X-Ray screenings for hip dysplasia

An ethical breeder will have all of this testing done on every parent cat. They will also make the results available when you ask for them. Because they know their cats are healthy, they will sell their kittens with a written contract that includes a detailed health guarantee. Genetic conditions will be covered for a minimum of a year (we cover genetic conditions for a full five years at Maine Street Coons). There may be sympathy provisions for FIP or hip dysplasia. Although these conditions are not directly in the hands of a breeder, an exceptional breeder will provide some form of a discount on a future kitten should some health-related condition affect your kitten early in its life.

2. When can I tour your cattery and see where your cats and kittens live?

Breeding Maine Coons requires a lot of clean, temperature-controlled, well-ventilated, and well-lit space. We’re talking about a lot — A LOT — of space! At a minimum, there should be:

• Quarantine space for sick cats or cats new to the program.
• Separate spaces for intact male cats to prevent accidental breedings.
• Separate spaces for pregnant Queens to be isolated before, during, and for weeks after delivery
• Space for toddler kittens to safely play and explore

All of these spaces should be habitable to a human standard. The rooms where cats live should be clean, relatively odor-free (allowing for the smell that is inevitable with intact male cats), and well-appointed to provide the cats with mental stimulation and physical exercise. At Maine Street Coons, all of our cats live in our house with us, but we have made significant modifications to our home to allow for this. We have renovated multiple rooms to create separate spaces and dedicated large areas to the cats for their recreation and well-being.

3. At what age do you allow kittens to go home?

To ensure a Maine Coon kitten has the best health and temperament possible, an expert breeder keeps the kitten with its mother for a minimum of twelve weeks. The ideal time for kitten adoption is when they are between 13 and 15 weeks of age. This is because kittens learn many skills from their mother and littermates even after they have been weaned. It also takes time for their immunity to fully develop after their third FVCRP shot at 12 weeks. The reason a backyard breeder wants to sell a kitten at a younger age is to reduce their out-of-pocket costs for feeding a weaned kitten and to collect their money as quickly as possible.

4. What do you feed your breeding cats and kittens?

To keep kitten prices down and profits up, most backyard breeders will feed a lower-quality, lower-priced food. This is really unfortunate. Truth be told, breeding cats require better nutrition than pet cats to keep their immunity in tip-top shape and to help their body meet the rigorous demands of creating and raising healthy kittens. Mother cats require 1.5-3X the nutrition as non-pregnant cats and should be eating a kitten-stage diet to meet their specific nutritional needs. Ethical breeders will be feeding a top-notch, veterinarian-approved diet that includes an AAFCO-certified dry kibble and a high-protein wet food. Brands such as Royal Canin, ND (Farmina), Nulo, Stella & Chewy’s, Weruva, and TikiCat are acceptable.

5. What veterinary care is provided to cats and kittens, and with what frequency?

Breeding cats should undergo annual health exams and echocardiograms. At these visits, they should receive all appropriate screenings, vaccinations, and dental care. Kittens should see a vet at least three times before going home (at 6-7 weeks, 9-10 weeks, and 12-13 weeks). Avoid backyard breeders that take a DIY approach to health care or that administer their own vaccines.

6. How will you support us after we bring our kitten home?

One of the easiest ways to separate backyard breeders from reputable, ethical breeders is to ask about the support provided after you take your kitten home. The way a breeder answers these questions will really clue you in as to how invested the breeder is in the lives they bring into this world and the families they help create.

• Will you follow up frequently for the first few weeks or months to ensure all is going well at home?
• Will you be available to speak to us or our veterinarian if a health question or issue arises?
• Will you help me address behavioral issues or acclimation issues if they occur?
• When do you expect to hear from me, and about what sorts of things?
• Will you offer the kitten a home should I become unable to meet their needs in the future?

7. What is your adoption price, and what is included?

We all know the saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Be extremely leery of a Maine Coon breeder that is offering kittens for significantly less than the average price in your area of the country. Many backyard breeders compete with ethical breeders by cutting costs and offering a lower price. Unfortunately, for you, that means buying a kitten that may bring along with it several costly issues and even communicable diseases that can be passed to you or your children. When it comes to something important as a precious life, spend the money upfront to avoid a world of heartbreak on the back end.

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In Summary

In summary, here are the Top 10 warning signs that you are dealing with a backyard breeder.

• The breeder relies solely on DNA testing and/or falsely believes that all cases of HCM are genetically linked
• The breeder asks you very few questions about your home and ability to care properly for a Maine Coon
• The breeder allows kittens to leave their mother earlier than 12 weeks
• You aren’t allowed to visit the breeder’s home or the spaces where the kittens are bred
• You are not encouraged to meet the kitten’s parents when you visit or pick up your kitten
• The breeder does not seem to know that much about the breed or spend time educating you on how to care for a Maine Coon
• The breeder hesitates to answer questions you have or avoids your questions by changing the subject
• The breeder offers a minimal health guarantee or has a weak written contract
• The breeder does not forbid declawing, require spay or neutering, and require the cat be kept indoors

If you want to welcome a Maine Coon companion into your family, do your research and pick your breeder first! Avoid backyard breeders at all costs, no matter how cute the kitten, short the waiting list, or cheap the price!