If you are considering getting a Maine Coon from a breeder, it is imperative that you make an informed decision regarding which breeder to work with. Verify their credentials to ensure that they are ethical and responsible, in addition to being registered with a reputable cat breeder associate ion such as the Cat Fanciers Association or The International Cat Association.
BetterPetsLife has compiled this article, which includes important steps to take, in order to make the process of selecting a Maine Coon breeder as simple and straightforward as it can possibly be for you.
Finding information about Maine Coon breeders can be done quite easily through the use of the internet. These days, many people are creating websites that are packed with information and pictures.
Additionally, you are free to pose your own inquiries. This gives you the opportunity to get a real sense of the attitudes of various breeders and will enable you to filter out those breeders whom you do and do not want to visit in person.
How To Choose the Perfect Maine Coon Breeder?
To help you find the best breeder for a Maine Coon, we’ve put together this quick reference. We will talk more about these points later.
- Verify that the breeder is a member of a reputable organization. All reputable breeders will be members of an organization like the Cat Fanciers’ Association or the International Cat Association.
- Make sure they are spending time playing with and socializing their Maine Coon kittens. Kittens need this in order to mature into confident, outgoing adults.
- You should verify that the breeder has taken the necessary steps to ensure the health of the black Maine Coon kitten they are breeding, such as screening their breeding cats for common congenital health issues.
- Check out their claims. Find out how their breeding cats and kittens are treated. Get it all cleaned up!
- Make sure you ask a lot of questions! Gather your inquiries in advance. Any respectable breeder worth their salt will go out of their way to respond. They’ll get why you’re asking in an instant.
When You Visit the Breed Keep in Mind
Visiting a breeder in person is the most effective way to gather information about them. A trustworthy breeder will not have anything to hide, will gladly show you around their facility, and will answer any and all questions you may have.
You should request to see the documentation and make copies using your phone’s camera or take careful notes.
- You can verify the legitimacy of a cattery by examining its registration certificate, which will feature the business’s name, a registration number, and the owner’s name. CFA, TICA, or ACFA, among others, will have issued it. Once you get back to your house, double-check to see if it’s up-to-date.
- Documentation of the breeder’s commitment to the association’s code of ethics, which they voluntarily agreed to uphold upon joining the organization. The contract lays out the terms of the sale, including a health guarantee for the kittens, a promise that they’ll be up-to-date on their vaccinations, some helpful advice for new owners, and other provisions.
- The parents’ medical histories – If you’re looking to adopt a kitten, make sure both of its parents are healthy and vaccinated against the disease. The breeder should be able to provide proof that all of their cats are healthy.
- All reputable breeders will be able to provide proof that their breeding cats have passed genetic screenings for diseases like Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), Polycystic kidney disease (PKD), and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) (SMA).
- You should proceed with caution if any of the documentation you have been shown leaves you dissatisfied or unavailable.
You should request a tour of the cats’ living quarters
There are breeders who keep their cats in their homes, and there are others who have specialized catteries. You can anticipate seeing black Maine coon in an environment that is clean, well-maintained, warm, and comfortable regardless of the type you view.
They should be able to run around and play freely, and they should have a large number of toys to choose from. They should be cheerful and outgoing, as well as clean and well-kept, and it should be obvious that they are loved and cared for. The boarding facility should have a cozy and comfortable atmosphere.
You should ask the breeder for the kitten’s vaccination
Inquire with a breeder about the method they use to administer vaccinations, as it is always best, and most likely safer, for vaccinations to be administered by a trained professional.
- Newborn Kittens have really no immune system. They obtain what is known as passive immunity from their mother’s milk within the first two days of their lives, which helps to protect them until their immune systems mature.
- Vaccinations are absolutely necessary in order to protect kittens from the most common diseases that affect cats. The first dose should be given when the baby is approximately 6 to 7 weeks old, and the second dose should be given when the baby is approximately 10 to 11 weeks old.
- While other breeders choose to employ the services of a qualified veterinarian, there are those who opt to perform these vaccinations themselves.
What is the next step when you find the breeder?
It is now time for you to demonstrate that you are a suitable breeder owner. The screening process that a breeder uses on potential customers is yet another quality indicator of a reliable business. Be prepared to answer questions about your ability to care for cats because reputable breeders place a high level of importance on the people to whom they give their kittens.
A reputable breeder will have a lengthy waiting list, and once your name reaches the top of the list, you will be notified via email with the specifics of when the next litter will be born. After that, you will typically be required to sign a contract and make a deposit in order to reserve a kitten.
The gestation period of a Maine Coon kitten is between 9 and 10 weeks. You might be able to pick out your new kitten a few weeks after it’s been born, but a reputable breeder won’t let you take it home until it’s been there for at least a month. You will need to be ready to exercise patience in this situation.
Conclusion
Research, checking out potential breeders, and getting your own health checked out are all necessary steps in the process of acquiring a healthy Maine Coon kitten from a reputable breeder. This could be a time-consuming endeavor. However, it is important to take your time in order to find a beautiful and healthy kitten to bring home with you.
Also, keep in mind that the more potential owners of Maine coons there are who insist on high standards from breeders, the more hope there is that genetically transmitted diseases can be eliminated from the breed, and the faster unethical breeders can be eliminated from the industry.
Consider looking through the content on our website, BetterPetsLife, if you are interested in learning more about the various breeds of pets or animals in general. We are always available to assist you.
