Sassy Koonz Specializes in European Maine Coons

The difference between European and American Maine Coons has created some controversy in the cat fancy. Upon becoming a breeder of Maine Coons, you have to decide what “look” you’re going to breed, and pursue that look.  What lines do you want to extend, and which Pedigrees appeal the most to you. This is where you may start your search for your breeding cats.  Once you begin your search, you may find some variances in the way the Maine Coons look.

While all Maine Coons are known for their large size, big bone structures, shaggy coats, and long tails, there’s indeed a unique look that each cattery adopts into their program.  And this comes from the lines that are being used to breed the kittens.

For my breeding program, I’ve chosen to adopt and develop the European lines of Maine Coons. The Europeans have a more “feral” or “wild” look about them, while Americans look a little softer.  You may also see taller ears, bigger ear tufts (lynx tips), and extra-long, bushy tails in the European lines.   High cheekbones and big, square muzzles are another distinct difference in the European lines of Maine Coons.

At first, you may not notice that one Coonie looks different from the next, but once you start observing the fine details of this magnificent breed, you’ll soon be able to spot a European Maine Coon.

Below you’ll see a few examples of European Maine Coons.

Sassy Koonz specializes and focuses on 100% European Maine Coons

This means that every cat that is selected for the breeding program will have European bloodlines, and that very majestic European look that you love.  Most, if not all of the parents will be imported from Europe, or be offspring from our European parents. If that’s the look that you love in a Maine Coon, be sure to get added to our kitten announcement list, and be the first to know when European Maine Coon kittens are available.

Sassy Koonz has Maine Coon Kittens for sale in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and all of the United States. White-Glove Delivery service is available to make sure your kitten arrives home safely.

Deciding to breed or own a Maine Coon with European lines might mean you want to learn how to import a Maine Coon from Europe. That’s what I did when I decided to breed. My Queens and my Sire are imports from Russia.  It was the best option for me, as the decision was easy once I started researching the catteries and saw how gorgeous the Coonies are.

There are certainly breeders in the United States that have stunning Maine Coons, including reputable breeders that have 100% European lines.  For me, however, it was a decision that I made to import my breeders directly from Europe. It just felt authentic.

I’ve written a blog post about why I have chosen the European lines over American lines, and since then, many people have sent me private messages asking me about the process of importing, and how I decided on the breeder to get my kittens from. It seems that many Americans want to import, but are a little skeptical because they don’t know who to trust. I totally get it.  I was also extremely nervous.

Now that my first transaction has been completed, I can honestly say that the second time isn’t as scary.  As of the day of this post, I’m in the process of importing my second one. I have a little checklist of items that I use for vetting, and helping me make the decision on who to work with and which kitten to get.

The information that I’m about to share with you is the process that I personally used when purchasing my Queen and my Sire from Europe. Please use your own discretion and do your own research before making any final decisions. I hope to at least give you some things to consider when making a decision.

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2022 UPDATE: Without some great recommendations on which cattery to buy your kittens from I DO NOT recommend importing a kitten. I have experienced so much untruthfulness, lies, fraud, and just downright unethical transactions in the past 4 years dealing with European breeders. I’ve sent money and never received the kitten, I’ve reserved kittens and ended up receiving a different one that I paid for, and I’ve received kittens with major health issues that never made it to my breeding program. They know that there is no recourse when selling a kitten to people in the United States. It is VERY risky to import ANY kitten from Europe. I do have several breeders that I work with over there now that I can recommend to any serious breeders that are wanting to import European Bloodlines. If you’re interested in knowing who they are, the information about these recommended breeders along with a due diligence checklist are provided to anyone who signs up for the Complete Guide to Breeding Pedigree Cats course. The info is in the lesson about Importing cats. 😉

 How to Import a Maine Coon from Europe Checklist

1.  Social Media Presence – I usually start my search on Facebook. I’m a member of MANY groups that include other breeders both in America, UK, and Europe.  If I see a kitten that I love, I’ll start doing a little more digging. Most of the time they’re already reserved (I’m sure you’ve seen that before) but if they’re not, then I’ll start my research. I’ll check their Facebook Pages, Instagram, and Google their name and cattery name just to do some initial research.
2. Check for Reviews / Search in Groups for Keywords – Join the Maine Coon groups on Facebook. There’s a search feature on the left hand side of the groups where you can search for the Breeders name, or the Cattery name to see if other people have mentioned this person in the past. Sometimes you’ll immediately find some negative remarks about the breeder or the cattery. MOVE ON.  If you see positive remarks, then that’s a good sign. And you can reach out to these people and ask for feedback from them. Check their Facebook Page for Reviews.
3. Website – Does the breeder have a website? Visit their website and review the information that is there. Is it updated?  Do they have health and genetic information shown for their Sires and Dams?
4. Photo Albums – Look through their photo albums and see if you like the “look” of their cats and kittens. Most breeders develop a certain look in their cattery and chances are, your kitten may have similar traits. NOTE: Not all breeders have their own websites. Some reply solely on Facebook and Facebook Pages as their brochure site.  And on the same token, not all breeders are on Facebook.  There’s no “one size fits all” in this area.
5. Ask for Referrals from USA customers – Ask the breeder if they have sold any kittens to someone in the United States, and ask for their name and information.  Then reach out to them and ask them about their experience with the overseas breeder. I did this with both Ursula’s breeder and Motley’s breeder and felt comfortable with the responses that I got from the recent buyers of breeding kittens.  I asked about their experience with the breeder, how the kitten acted once he arrived, his socialization skills, and if they would buy another kitten from this breeder.
6. Response Times – Internet communication demands quick responses these days, especially if that’s the main method of communication.  When you send someone a direct message, either to their personal page or their business page, you should expect a relatively quick response.  “Quick” can be defined in your own terms.  Maybe for you that means 1 hour, maybe it means 24 hours.  Whatever you set your guidelines to be, then gauge the responsiveness of the breeder.  Some take longer to respond than others, and this can be frustrating during your vetting process and during the kitten’s grow period.  Kittens must be 16 weeks old and vaccinated for rabies before leaving Europe. Keep into careful consideration the time difference in other countries. Use this time zone World Clock to see what time it is in your breeder’s country.
7. Cattery Registration – Ask the breeder which Federation they are registered with and then verify.  Some federations are:  CFA, TICA, WCF, and ACFA. I requested a copy of the Cattery Registrations from my breeders. Here’s a photo of one of them (from Motely’s Breeder):  
8. Review Breeder’s Contract – Request to see the breeder’s contract for the kitten.
9. Health and Genetic Tests of Parents – Request to see the health certifications for both parents.  You’re looking for parents who are negative for HCM, PK, PK Def, SMA, and FIV. To go a step further, ask to have your kitten tested with full genetic profile. This will test for all of the above, and some additional test, like if the kitten is a carrier for dilute.
10. Pedigree – Request the Pedigree for the Kitten. You should see pedigree for mother and father.  Here’s some sample Pedigrees:

Customs and Delivery of Your Kitten - There are no restrictions when it comes to importing kittens into the United States.There is a process, however.  And I'm pretty sure that it varies depending on your pickup location. I picked Ursula up in Miami.  I went to the cargo area, picked up some paperwork that came from the breeder. It was attached to her travel carrier.  I had to take that to the U.S. Customs Office, which was relatively close to the cargo building.  They reviewed all of my paperwork, asked me some questions (i.e. how much I paid for  the kitten) and then gave me the seal of approval on my paperwork. Then I went back to the cargo building, paid $65, and they gave me the kitten.  It was overall about a 1 hour process with the wait and everything.

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I’m not going to lie, it’s a little nerve-wracking to import a Maine Coon kitten from Europe, especially the first time.  If you do the proper vetting, then you should feel relatively comfortable with the transaction. Importing kittens is pretty common right now for breeders, and it’s growing in popularity for the European bloodlines in America.

My goal is to find 2-3 breeders in Europe that I absolutely LOVE their cats and I LOVE to do business with, and I will stick with them. If I’m looking for another kitten, I’ll look to them for my new addition. That way, I’ll already have experience doing business with them, and i won’t be nervous at all. I’ll also be able to refer other people to these breeders who are looking for recommendations and help them have peace of mind as well.

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2022 UPDATE: Without some great recommendations on which cattery to buy your kittens from I DO NOT recommend importing a kitten from overseas. I have experienced so much untruthfulness, lies, fraud, and just downright unethical transactions in the past 4 years dealing with European breeders. I’ve sent money and never received the kitten, I’ve reserved kittens and ended up receiving a different one that I paid for, and I’ve received kittens with major health issues that never made it to my breeding program. They know that there is no recourse when selling a kitten to people in the United States. It is VERY risky to import ANY kitten from Europe. I do have several breeders that I work with over there now that I can recommend to any serious breeders that are wanting to import European Bloodlines. If you’re interested in knowing who they are, the information about these recommended breeders along with a due diligence checklist are provided to anyone who signs up for the Complete Guide to Breeding Pedigree Cats course. The info is in the lesson about Importing cats. 😉