The Maine Coon cat breed has steadily grown in popularity over the years thanks to their friendly yet independent personalities, affectionate nature, intelligence, and sheer majestic beauty.
If you’ve decided a Maine Coon would make the perfect addition to your family, you likely find yourself searching for reputable Maine Coon kitten for sale breeders and wondering what’s involved in bringing one of these magnificent kittens home.
Read on for indispensable tips to locate quality Maine Coon kitten for sale and prepare for a wonderful 13+ years with your new family member.
Key Takeaways
- Seek out responsible Maine Coon breeders through research on health/welfare commitments, facilities, pricing fairness, and temperament priorities when looking to buy a kitten.
- Expect costs ranging $1,200-$6,000+ for a Maine Coon kitten depending on breeder quality and show cat traits like pedigree and rare fur attributes.
- Inspect Maine Coon kittens upon acquisition for signs of health like clear eyes, proper mobility, glossy coats, ideal weight, and vaccination records.
- Understand the intelligent, energetic, playful yet gently affectionate Maine Coon personality to ensure you can provide proper care.
- Maine Coon ownership requires commitments to substantial grooming, space for activity, robust play areas, and significant attention to thrive with this high-maintenance breed.
Maine Coon Kitten for Sale: Finding an Ethical Maine Coon Breeder
The first step in your search for the perfect Maine Coon kitten is identifying an outstanding breeder focused on furthering the health and welfare of the breed.
Reputable breeders aim to carefully produce kittens most conforming to the Maine Coon breed standard as defined by cat associations like The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA).
When searching, here are a few key traits of ethical breeders to look for:
Care Standards – A quality breeder keeps their cats in clean spaces, provides routine veterinary care, and ensures proper early socialization. Kittens should seem alert and energetic. The cattery should give you a good impression.
Pedigree and Genetic Testing – An ethical Maine Coon breeder provides documentation of their cats’ pedigrees. They also pursue genetic screening for issues like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a deadly heart disease with higher prevalence in the breed.
Temperament Focus – While focusing on breed standards regarding the Maine Coon’s large size and distinctive physical features, an outstanding breeder also selects cats with warm, affectionate temperaments the breed is known for.
Interview – Discuss the breed with potential breeders to evaluate their dedication to Maine Coon health and welfare over profit. Avoid breeders pressuring quick decisions or not asking you questions about how you’ll care for their kitten.
With research and care, you can find a breeder well-poised to provide you a beautiful, healthy Maine Coon kitten for a wonderful 13+ years in your family.
What Does a Maine Coon Kitten Cost?
When adopting a Maine Coon kitten from a breeder focused on responsible breeding standards, you can expect to invest $1,200 to $1,600+ for a pet-quality kitten.
Show-quality Maine Coons with notable pedigrees bred for success in cat shows tend to range from $2,000 to upwards of $6,000 depending on bloodlines and coat qualities. While expensive, when supporting preservation of quality Maine Coon traits, this pricing can represent generations of effort bettering the breed.
Be wary of unusually low Maine Coon prices that may signal irresponsibility in breeding or indicate scams. A kitten is a long commitment – a higher initial investment to work with a stellar breeder is worthwhile to promote your kitten’s welfare.
If interested in adoption, you may also consider Maine Coon rescue organizations. While you may not know detailed ancestry in rescue cats, you provide a valuable, loving home to a cat in need.
Selecting a Healthy Maine Coon Kitten
When visiting a cattery and meeting Maine Coon kittens, observing basic signs of health is important:
- Bright, alert eyes and reaction to stimuli
- Glossy coat
- Strong mobility without limping
- Lean body shape without protruding abdomen
Additionally, the breeder should provide you documentation on the parents’ genetic testing results for issues like HCM. Responsible breeders pursue testing to reduce prevalence in their breeding cats.
Before acquisition, kittens should be fully vaccinated, dewormed, socialized, and examined for health by a licensed veterinarian to give you peace of mind welcoming your new family member. Reputable breeders often provide initial 30-day health guarantees as well in case of illness.
The Playful, Affectionate Maine Coon Personality
The Maine Coon personality contributes heavily to their standing as one of the most popular cat breeds. Maine Coons tend to be highly intelligent, playful, loyal, and gentle giants.
Many Maine Coons enjoy playing fetch, learning tricks, following owners on daily activities, or just curling up beside you purring. Their affectionate nature and luxurious, pettable coats make them outstanding companion cats.
Proper early socialization helps nurture desired outgoing, friendly temperament traits in Maine Coon kittens – that’s why supporting responsible breeders committed to early, positive human interaction is so key.
While Maine Coons often earn recognition as “gentle giants” or “dogs of the cat world,” make no mistake – they express an endearing feline independence and curiosity as well when they want space. Working with a quality breeder sets you up to understand typical Maine Coon characteristics.
Considerations for Owning a Maine Coon
While wonderful pets, Maine Coons do have a few special considerations:
Grooming – Luscious, long Maine Coon fur requires weekly brushing to minimize shedding and keep their coat beautiful. Their mane may also require occasional trimming to avoid matting.
Size – Maine Coons are very large cats, with some males reaching 18-25+ pounds. You need to be prepared for and supportive of their big builds with space, sturdy play spaces, appropriate food intake, and more.
Activity Levels – Maine Coons tend to stay playful and kitten-like well into maturity. Be ready to make time exercising and interacting with these lively, energetic cats!
If these considerations fit your lifestyle, few cats make as wonderful, devoted additions to a family as the Maine Coon! Just make sure you commit proper time and care to support their welfare.
FAQs
How big do Maine Coon cats get?
Some Maine Coon males reach sizes of 18-25+ pounds and up to 4 feet long – qualifying them as one of the largest domesticated cat breeds.
Are Maine Coon cats affectionate?
Yes, Maine Coons tend to form very close, loyal bonds with their families. Many enjoy physical affection like sitting on laps. Proper socialization enhances their loving natures.
How long do Maine Coon cats live?
An average of 12-15 years – but with excellent care from responsible owners they frequently reach ages of 18+ years.
Conclusion
Maine Coon cats make wonderful additions to families when acquired through ethical channels and cared for properly. Their playful personalities and affectionate natures explain why they continue growing in popularity. We hope this guide supports readers in finding and preparing for these magnificent Maine Coon kitten for sale to join their lives for years of joy.
I hope this guide supports you in making the most informed, responsible choice in finding your perfect Maine Coon kitten for sale! Let me know in comments if you have any other questions.
