Maine Coon Breeders – How to Choose the Best One

If you’re searching for the best Maine Coon breeders that have Maine Coon Kittens for sale, you may find yourself wondering how to choose the best one. In a very noisy space, it could become overwhelming trying to decide who you should do business with.

Ultimately, you want to find the one that you’re the most comfortable with and the one that you feel is doing the best job in their breeding program and raising your future kitten. It’s perfectly ok to be diligent and ask questions of the breeders, expecting answers and documentation. This is what makes a reputable and responsible breeder.

Before you adopt a Maine Coon Kitten, feel confident in your choice.

Beautiful Maine Coon Cats

When researching Maine Coon Breeders, you’re naturally going to notice their cats and kittens first. Beautiful photos of the kittens always capture your attention. The more you start looking at kitten photos though, you’ll start to notice each breeder develops a certain “look” in their cattery. Take the time to go through all of their photos, and find the one that has the Maine Coon look that you’re in love with. They’re all unique in their own way.

See some differences in European vs. American Maine Coons

Maine Coon Breed Standard

The Maine Coon Cat is a Pedigree cat. Breeders are specifically breeding it to exhibit particular physical characteristics and show some breed-related behaviors. The Cat Clubs recognize these behaviors and set a “standard” for which all Pedigree cats should have. This is referred to as “Breed standard“.

While most pet owners aren’t familiar with the breed standard, it is the responsibility of the breeder to ensure the cats used for breeding meet these minimum standards.

You can feel confident knowing that Sassy Koonz hand-selects cats based on their health records, temperaments, and breed standard.

Through our blog posts, photos, and videos on our Facebook Page, we do our best to tell the stories about our cats and demonstrate the diligence that was taken in selecting each one for breeding.

The temperament of the Kittens Parents

Being able to talk to the Maine Coon breeders about their cats is very important. Since Maine Coon kittens tend to inherit personality traits from their parents, it’s a good idea to ask about the temperament of the parents.

Some cats are super affectionate, while others do not like being held. The parents of the kittens pass down some of these traits. Each kitten has its own personality, just like people do. Do some research and discover the traits of the parents of each litter.

See the video below of Ursula, one of our Queens. Just some quick 20-second videos can tell you a lot about the temperament of a cat. In fact, when I imported Ursula after looking at hundreds of other girls, it was videos of her personality that made me fall in love with her.

Here’s another video of my Sire, Beastie. He has an amazing temperament, which you can see in the video.

Health Records of Cats

Every cat that is participating in any breeding program should have up-to-date health records. At your request, any reputable breeder should be willing to provide you with the health and medical records of their breeding cats. Make sure that the cats are up to date on vaccinations and are negative for FIV and FELV. Every breeder should be able to provide you with documentation showing that their cats have a clean bill of health.

Sassy Koonz keeps the profile of each of our breeding cats updated with health records and genetic testing. Ursula arrived from Russia and was given the DNA swab test. You can review all of the testing that was done for each one of our breeding parents on their individual portfolio pages.

Sometimes, though, these DNA Tests just aren’t enough to go by. There’s alot more than can occur inside a cattery that causes widespread contagious diseases. In a multiple cat household, shelter, or cattery these viruses are more prone to attack.

It’s super important to know how the breeding cats live, their environment and how many cats they live with. You should also know where and how the kittens are born and raised.

Talk to your Maine Coon Breeders About the Health of Their Cats

Ask your breeder to share the genetic tests and their health records. Don’t be afraid to ask for records, and be wary of anyone who doges the bullet.

View all of our Maine Coon Queens and Sires, along with their health records. You can also take a Virtual Tour of the Sassy Koonz Maine Coon Cattery.

Here are some tips on How to Keep your Maine Coon healthy after they arrive at your home.

Maine Coon Genetic Testing

Most Pedigree cats have their own set of issues that are specific to their breed. A reputable Maine Coon breeder will have genetic tests performed on all of her breeding cats to screen for these genetic defects prior to breeding them. In the Maine Coon, these are the common genetic tests that should be performed.

• HCM – Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a disease of the heart muscle in which the walls thicken and the heart enlarges.
• SMA – Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a genetic disease seen in Maine Coon cats. The disease is characterized by progressive instability with unsteady gait and posture abnormalities due to loss of motor neurons in the lower spinal cord and atrophy of muscles in the hind limbs.
• PKD – Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is an inherited condition in cats that causes multiple cysts (pockets of fluid) to form in the kidneys. These cysts are present from birth. Initially, they are very small but they grow larger over time and may eventually disrupt kidney function resulting in kidney failure.
• If you don’t see test results for the parents listed on the breeder’s website, then request a copy of the tests. If they can’t produce negative test results for HCM, SMA, and PKD, then you might want to consider finding another breeder.

Our Health Tests and Genetic Profiles are Available to the Public

Choosing a reputable breeder that screens for these genetic anomalies is always the best way to these potential issues.

Genetic testing isn’t enough, though. There are many more health issues that can arise in a cat that there’s no screening for. These are the issues that really require an ethical breeder behind the scenes. Someone who will make the right decision when it comes to using a cat that may potentially pass down a major health issue to the kittens.

How Many Kittens Does the Breeder Have Each Year?

A kindle of kittens is a lot of work both for the mama cat and the breeder. From newborns to when they’re ready to go home, they demand a lot of love, care, and attention. Mama kitty will do most of it at first, but once they start hobbling around and leaving the nest, they need to be monitored, weaned, and kept in a safe environment.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine what is really going on behind all of the cute photos that the breeders post to social media. Take the time to dig through their Facebook Page, website and Instagram. With the amount of time, it requires to care for and socialize a litter of kittens, use your best judgment when deciding on which breeder to buy your kitten from. The socialization period with humans really starts at around 2 weeks old and is continuous after that. Ask questions about what the breeder does to socialize the kittens and prepare them for human interaction..

Our Females Mate Once Every 6 to 8 Months

According to “Feline Husbandry, Diseases and Management in the Multiple Cat Environment ” its safe for a female to deliver a litter of kittens once every six to eight months. That gives her body time to rest and recover in between litters.

Check the history of the breeder’s females and see how often the girls are delivering kittens. If it’s more frequent than suggested by veterinarians and doctors, then the Queen’s health could be compromised.

How Many Cats Are In the Breeding Program?

Have you ever heard anyone say “that’s too many cats”? I’ve always wondered what number would justify giving someone this label? Then I saw the best answer ever on social media and I’ve never forgotten it.

“Too many cats” is when you’re no longer able to provide a clean, spacious, nurturing, loving environment for your animals. It could also mean compromising the health and/or welfare of your cats or yourself.

Ultimately, the term “too many cats” is going to be different for every person. As a Maine Coon breeder, I know what my limits are when it comes to housing, care, maintenance, cleanliness, costs, and socialization based on the space and time that I have right now. That is certainly going to be different for another breeder who is able to house and care for many more cats than I can.

We post photos, videos, documentation, and inspection reports to provide full transparency about how our cats live.

Social Media and Maine Coon Breeders

Luckily, social media is a wonderful place to monitor the behavior and patterns of Maine Coon breeders. If they have a Facebook page then give it a Like, and watch from afar. You can engage with the breeder online with comments, ask questions, and send inquiring messages. Pay attention to the tonality and the speed of the replies,

Where do the cats live?

Maine Coon Breeders house their cats in different ways. Some let the cats live in the house with them. Others choose to have a dedicated cattery where the cats live. Some also have wonderful outdoor enclosures for their cats.

It’s all a matter of personal preference, and the capability to accommodate in certain ways. Ask your Maine Coon breeders about their cats living quarters. Ask to see photos and/or videos of the cats living in their everyday environment.

Here’s a photo The Sassy Koonz Maine Coon Cattery. Click here to see full post [including photos] about the cattery.

Registered Maine Coon Breeders

Every Maine Coon breeder that you’re considering should be registered with a recognized Cat Breeder Association. The two mains are CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) and TICA (the International Cat Association). We are registered with TICA.

In order to provide paperwork for a Registered Pedigree Maine Coon, the breeder must be registered with one of these associations. Do a search on each association’s website to verify.

Maine Coon Breeder Code of Ethics

The Breeder Code of Ethics plays an important role in every cattery. It provides minimal guidelines for every Maine Coon Breeder. Here’s the Code of Ethics that I voluntarily agreed to when I registered my cattery with TICA.

Outstanding Cattery Awards

The International Cat Association awards elite titles to catteries that have proven to have excellent standards. Sassy Koonz is proud to be one of the VERY FEW catteries in the United States to hold this badge of honor.  You can always check the list of Outstanding Catteries and check to see if the breeder you’re talking to about a kitten is on the list. 

Maine Coon Show Cats

Does your breeder show her cats? It is interesting to know whether or not they participate in shows. This isn’t a requirement or a determination of a good or reputable breeder.

Many breeders travel to enjoy the hobby of showing. Often times, there aren’t any shows available near them. We do not show our cats for several reasons. Our cats stay in an environment that is free from outside viruses or other infectious diseases.

If you’re interested in showing your kitten or cat, it’s best to purchase a kitten from a breeder that participates in the exhibition. This will help your kitten have a better chance at taking home some ribbons. Your breeder should be able to help you choose a kitten that meets the breed standard and is a potential Champion.

The Reputation of Maine Coon Breeders

Join some of the groups, and start asking for recommendations for breeders. If anyone has had any experience with them, they’ll certainly speak up.

If there’s anyone who has a bad experience, they’ll be the first to speak up! It might take a few weeks of posting and vetting responses, but you should be able to get feedback on most of the Maine Coon breeders that you’re interested in buying a kitten from.

You can also do a search for their cattery name. Put the cattery name in “ quotation marks”. This tells Google to only show results that match that phrase exactly. Do the same thing with the breeder’s personal name. You can find out a lot of information by using Google. If someone isn’t running a great breeding program, the news will eventually surface on social media.

Vaccinations of Kittens

Maine Coon kittens are born with no immune system. They receive antibodies in the milk from nursing their mother. These antibodies help protect against infectious disease until the kitten’s own immune system develops. Vaccinations also give them added protection against certain feline diseases.

When the kitten is eight weeks of age, the veterinarian will administer a series of vaccines. After that, three- or four-week intervals until the kitten reaches 16 weeks of age. This will build the defense system for potentially fatal diseases.

Kitten Vaccination Schedule

• Between 7- 8 weeks old: FVRCP Vaccine (Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis
  Calicivirus and Panleukopenia)
• De-worming for Hookworm, Roundworm, and Tapeworm
• Start Parasite Prevention(flea & tick and heartworm)
• The second set of vaccinations are given around 10-11 weeks of age just before they leave to go home. This will include the FVRCP Booster (repeat of the first set of shots).
• A final set of vaccinations will be needed for your kitten when he/she comes home. Be sure to see your vet and take along the vaccination records when your new kitten comes home. Keep your kitten up to date with his vaccines.

Health guarantee

Purchasing a Maine Coon kitten is a big decision. We all want to know that our new kitten is happy and most of all healthy.

A reputable Maine Coon breeder will happily offer a health guarantee. No one can guarantee the environment that the kitten will be in once he leaves the nursery. Most health guarantees are for 12 months. Sassy Koonz Offers a 5 Year Health Guarantee on every kitten that leaves our Maine Coon Cattery.

The health guarantee states what is covered and is breeder specific.

Replacement Guarantee

The best Maine Coon breeders take every precaution to avoid genetic defects and diseases. There’s always the possibility that your kitten could have a genetic defect that wasn’t detectable in any circumstance. In some cases, both parents may test negative for a genetic disease, but the kitten ends up being a carrier.

When this happens, it’s only reasonable for the breeder to replace your kitten with another one upon request. Usually written verification by a Veterinarian is required to make a claim against a genetic defect.

Sales Contract

Most importantly, everything that is promised to you should be in writing. Make sure that the breeder you decide to work with has a written contract that both of you sign. Some of them will have the contract posted on their websites, others will present it to you upon request. Read over the contract carefully, looking for details on health guarantee, and replacement guarantee.

Sassy Koonz – One of the Best Maine Coon Cat Breeders

It is our goal and objective to act in a professional and ethical fashion when it comes to our Maine Coon Kittens and you, our Future Guardian. We take the time and care to protect the health and well-being of every feline furball that is in our presence.

We’d prefer if you adopt a Maine Coon Kitten from us, but if you just can’t wait or we don’t have the color you’re looking for then check out one of our other Recommended Maine Coon Catteries.

I hope that you can find this article informative in helping you decide which Maine Coon Breeders to consider buying your kitten from. Check out our Maine Coon kittens for Sale.

Read this helpful article on how to avoid getting scammed when buying a Maine Coon kitten.

Other Recommended Maine Coon Breeders

I’m happy to share with you my recommended Maine Coon Breeders.  As much as I’d like to always have fur bomb European Maine Coon Kittens available for you, the future Sassy Koonz Guardian, it’s just not possible.

Since I’m a small Maine Coon cattery, I’ll only have a couple of litters of Maine Coon kittens for Sale each year.

This means that the timing might not be perfect for you, because you’re looking to add a new member to your family now, and you don’t want to wait for a Sassy Koons kitten.   I utterly and completely understand that you may not want to wait on Sassy Koonz to find your purrfect love.   

Please note that if a particular Maine Coon Breeder isn’t on my list, it only means that they don’t meet one of the requirements mentioned above. 🙂 And since I’m fairly new to the Cat Fancy, I don’t know a whole heap of people yet.  I’m sure this list of Recommended Maine Coon Breeders will grow as more time passes.

Personal Recommendations for Maine Coon Breeders

(These are, of course, our recommendations if we don’t have the perfect kitten for you or you want a kitten right now and don’t want to wait).

Maine Coon Kittens in Texas

(Covering Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and all other areas of Texas)

• Mitcha Coons  – Leanne Mitcha is a reputable Maine Coon Breeder with some exceptionally beautiful cats. The wild and exotic features of her Maine Coon cats are very striking, especially if you like the more extreme featured coons. 

Maine Coon Kittens in North Carolina

• HissyFit Coons – Rhonda Lund is a good friend of mine. Her breeding philosophies are ethical, and she practices outstanding feline husbandry. I have one of her cats (HissyFit Coons Omega) and my daughter has a cat from her also. She always does right by her clients and has stunning cats. She specializes in blue-eyed Maine Coons and silver shaded coats.

Choosing a Maine Coon Breeder

Beginning your search for a Maine Coon Breeder can be overwhelming at first. Once you start the journey of finding the perfect kitten, so many different things will happen. You’ll quickly get sucked into the world of looking at kitten pictures all day!  Maybe even all night!!  Then you’ll start to realize that although they’re just tiny babies, most of the kittens have already been reserved. Then you start to dig deeper, looking for a breeder who has available Maine Coon kittens!

That’s when you realize that you will most likely need to get on some waiting lists. This is the best way to get the opportunity to see available kittens first before they’re offered to the public.

Everyone handles their “waiting lists” differently, so read about their processes on their websites so you know what to expect.

Sassy Koonz has a Kitten Announcement List, and kittens are reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Feel free to get on our announcement list if you want to be notified any time we have Sassy Babies, and when they’re ready to be reserved.

When it comes to choosing a Maine Coon Breeder to help you find your precious kitten, it should all boil down to who you feel the most comfortable working with after you’ve done your initial vetting. You’re going to be working with this breeder for at least a couple of months, getting updates, photos, and videos of your kitten.