The Maine Coon

In Norse culture, it's actually very good luck to give a bride a kitten as a wedding present! It's believed that the kitten would help with the transition and protect the new home of the couple.

When my sister and her husband first got married they wanted to get a Maine Coon for this very reason. They contacted about eight different breeders with the hope of securing a place on their lists. Maine Coon kittens are rare in the Midwest and finding a breeer is a challenge. If you want to purchase a cat from a reputable breeder (and if you have to purcahse one in the first place, instead of rescuing one) it is definately going to be expensive. Even if you don't get the top tier kitten, one that doesn't adhear to all of the standards you will be paying at least $400. But that is rare and you will probably be paying closer to $800!

Maine Coon cattery's are not all that common so anticipate putting down a deposit (between $100-$250) and being put on a wait list. Some of the people I have been in contact with have kittens and some will not have litters until spring/summer.

I say this because a lot of people will tell you they have MCs, but what you are getting is a mix. If you want to make sure that you're getting a Maine Coon you are committing to a big upfront expense.

I don't say this to dissuade you, but you should realize that around here they go through as an exotic breed.

Now, of course that doesn't mean that you can't get a certified Main Coon. You can, but you will have to go at it differntly. Shelters are a wonderful place to find even the most exotic cats. People give out huge amounts of money for a pet and then end up dumping them. I think that this is sad on one hand, but all around this is the best thing for the petcat. Rescues are easy to find, search for terms like "Maine Coon rescues" along with your area, or just start looking online at the webpages of local shelters to see if they have a cat that looks like an MC. But shelters know that MC's are really popular right now, and they'll call anything an MC mix as long as it has some long hair.

One way to find a breeder is to look for ones that own a certified "cattery," search either Maine Coon cattery or Maine Coon breeders in your area.

My sister and brother-in-law contacted all of the breeders they could find in surrounding states here in the Midwest just to compare prices and keep all of their options open.

The bought one blindly, and while it worked out great for them, I would personally like to meet a kitten I am about to adopt. I have heard that it is common practice for catteries to keep your deposit until you prove that the kitten has been neutered.

Do your research, if you find a "Maine Coon" on Craigslist or something of that nature, be aware there is a strong chance it isn't a purebred Maine Coon. As I have said, they are rare in this part of the US.

If you have any other questions or anything, let me know!