Hi,

I am very new to the cat world.

My partner and I live in a 2 bedroom home and are currently looking for a little furball to join our family of 4 (the pair of us and our two ratty boys).

We are very interested in the Maine Coon breed and think they are beautiful cats. Is anyone able to recommend a breeder in the Northamptonshire area? We are willing to travel (within reason)!

We are looking for a pet, so we don't necessarily need or want special markings and a quirky personality is more than welcome in our home

What is the average pet price for a Maine Coon? I've seen prices around £-250-£300.... very high! Oh, why isn't love enough!

We would also be interested in adoption... kitten, junior or adult really. I had a browse around the internet for a Maine Coon rescue... no luck.

Thanks in advance!

Hi, at the moment they are around £200 - £250 if you look around. If you serious about rehoming an adult I would go look at a few breeders sites as they often advertise their retired queens there. Try Breeders Online UK : Puppies and Kittens For Sale : Cats and Dogs

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"Life may not be the party we hoped for,
but while we're here we might as well dance."

I think you will find MC kittens are more like £350-400 from breeders belonging to the GCCF and/or TICA

Look here for breeders near you:

Maine-Coon-Breeders.com - friendly, helpful and knowledgeable UK Maine Coon breeders

Home Page

MaineCoonCat

Then I would look on their websites to get a feel for the breeder and the cats.

Adopting an older cat may be a better option for you. I adopted 2 MCs last year - one was an ex-queen and the other a returned kitten that the breeder kept. I paid for the expenses of having them neutered and vet-checked along with boosters. So much cheaper than a kitten.

A breeder who is looking to re-home though will be just as stringent with their checks as they are for kittens.

Because the breeder knows the cat very well there are often 'conditions' like no other cats, or no dogs.

Have you also thought about a ragdoll? On the rescue forum here there are often ragdolls needing homes.

I found this on another thread in a post from ChinaBlue:

Whoops - doing a lot of editing but look here - this 3yearold is in Northamptonshire - the bottom one

http://www.mainecoonbreedsociety.com/Rehoming.htm

I'd google for maine coon breed clubs - go on their sites, find out as much as you can, & they should have a kitten list on the site. The clubs often have a rehome group - I know that Ragdolls & other breeds definitely do & it's really nice to help out a cat in need. They're there for lots of different reasons - partners have broken up, people have moved etc - don't think that it's because they're all "problem" cats - they certainly aren't. god luck

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Mum to Saffy, Tilly, Sox, Mia and Munch

I know of a few good breeders of Maine Coons but in Northamptonshire, you may like to contact BlueLaKoonz, in Thrapston, Northamptonshire.

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best purrs

Ra

http://www.bobergsiamese.co.uk/

Definitely go through a Maine Coon club. Make sure they are tested negative for HCM. You will be lucky if you find a well bred kitten for less than £350. A lot charge as much as £450. If a Maine Coon is what you want then be prepared to pay the going rate for a well bred & socialised bundle of fun.

The Maine Coon Cat Club is fantastic for having an up to date & easy to use kitten list defined by region.

Hi don't know if prereston is too far from you but I have had my maine coon baby , Ollie for two weeks now and right from arriving home he has been just wonderful. He was so well socialised and settled in within 1/2 an hour. I got him from a great breeder in preston called Nora and she has a website "Medowmaines!. I know another of her cats has just had a litter of 3 and I think they are about 3 weeks now. I waited 10 weeks before I could collect Ollie at 13 weeks becasue they are not allowed to leave until then. There is also another good breeder here called Pat "Coonaria" and she also has a website. If you just google the names they will come up. I know Pat's site has a section for rehoming and there was two cats on there last week,

On a final note just want to say that I didgo and see another lady in Preston who had two so called Maine Coon kittens and she had pedigrees etc for them but they were so tiny and had been kept outside and were so nervous etc. Ollie was twice the size, excellant pedigree and just so differant so by paying another £100 (Ollie was £350) I think in the long run I will have such a better cat and one that is more true to the maine coon breed. I know it sounds a lot of money but I just figured that I was commiting to 15 to 20 years and only had to pay for him once!!!

I can realloy recomend the MC and they are such wonderful cats and more like dogs. I have just gotten another kitten a Selkirk Rez Variant who we have called Stan (Stan and Ollie!!! LOL) as I am at work during the week so thought he needed a mate! There is 4 days between them and Ollie is twice the size, they look so differant and are really sweet together. Pics to follow.

Well good luck and if Preston isn't too far I can gaurantee that any kitten or cat that comes from Pat or Nora will be not only true to the breed but affectionate, loving, well socialised and just irrasistabel!!!
Thanks
Allison
PS I have a 5 year old son and Ollie and Stan now are just fantastic with him and he loves them to bits.

Thank you so much everyone, I really appreciate your help and advice!

I have a lot to think about and consider.

This may seem like an odd question... do you think that Maine Coons have a higher risk of being stolen than a domestic short hair? Do you (Maine Coon owners) tend to keep them as indoor cats or do you let them outdoors? I'm not sure I like the idea of an indoor only cat...

Also, Allison... you mentioned that they were similar to dogs - in what way? Are they quite intelligent?

Hi
I personally think that unless you live in a very rural area then definatly need to be indoor cats. Both my boys are going to be indoor cats and I'm sure that as the MC is so stunning and friendly then more at risk of being stolen. I had my lasy cat for 15 years and she spent the first 5 indoors as we were running a pub at the time. When we moved back to Preston we had a catflap installed and she never went any further than the garden (she as a moggy vy the way).

Although she wasn't at risk of being stolen a few months ago I got home to one very poorly girl who had somehow been knocked down or had some trauma. I persoanlly think that it was my neighbour on theier drive and they have been too upset to tell me. Anyway she was rushed to the vet but injuries were so bad that I had to have her put to sleep. I still feel guilty in that if I had carried on keeping her in it woldn't of happened and even though she was a good age at 15 she had no other problems and still looked like a five year old cat.

So mine are staying in where I know they will be safe but might get some sort of run for the garden.

Regarding intelligence, yes all I've read says that they are very intelligent cats, Ollie is till a baby yet but certainly catches on very quick when told not to do something like jump on table etc.

Hope this helps
Thanks
Allison
PS some breeders insist that you have them as indoor cats and it is in the contract that you sign

My two are indoor/outdoor but I live in an area mostly populated by older people with large gardens back-to-back.

I have a catflap and they are in at dusk and kept in overnight. I am aware of the risks.

If I lived elsewhere in my town I would get the garden cat proofed.

Forgot to say: I told the breeder they would be indoor/outdoor. I also know that many breeders of pedigrees stipulate indoor only as a condition.