There are many good and responsible breeders out there. The trick is to find them. Breeders certainly don’t have to meet all the criteria below to be reputable, but we’re trying to give people “clues” on what to look for. Here they are: Breeder shows his/her cats on a regular basis CRUCIAL Breeder is at least registered with one registry CRUCIAL or several Associations DESIRABLE (preferably with MCBFA also) Breeder regularly tests for breed specific diseases (HCM, PKD, HD, also SMA in some lines) CRUCIAL Warning: If you want your kitten to live a long life, make sure to ask specifically what form of heart test the breeder uses and ask for written proof! The expensive Color Doppler Echocardiogram/ Ultrasound is presently the only fairly reliable form of HCM testing. If a breeder only does these so called “HCM gene test”, run the other way! Oh, and yes, there can definitely be hip and heart problems in all pedigrees of the Maine Coon breed. Facility pictures are openly shown on the homepage DESIRABLE Pictures and a bit about the breeder and his/her family is DESIRABLE you want to see and know about who you are potentially getting your kitten/cat from Some of the pictures of kittens/cats on a homepage show the background ( the actual living space)DESIRABLE Breeder openly displays registered names and pedigrees of his/her cats on homepage, not just the “call names”DESIRABLE Cats are not kept in cages, cat enclosures to allow them to be outside is fine CRUCIAL Facility is not overpopulated CRUCIAL Breeder lets you see ALL parts of their facility by appointment (or during pick-up of our kitten) DESIRABLE Health and hygiene in the facility are excellent CRUCIAL Majority of cats are friendly and outgoing CRUCIAL Facility is Veterinary inspected DESIRABLE Breeder takes part in a voluntary responsible breeding program (CFA and TICA offer these)DESIRABLE Kittens and cats appear healthy, with nice coats, clear eyes/noses and well nourished CRUCIAL Breeder is transparent about potential problems or weaknesses in certain lines (purebred doesn’t mean perfect, beware of “disease free or “free of genetic defects” catteries! You surely aren’t being told the truth!) CRUCIAL Matings are being done wisely, with knowledge of pedigrees CRUCIAL Breeder has responsible, true outcross program in place (note: an “unrelated” pedigree over 4 generations can in reality be very inbred!!) CRUCIAL Breeder makes a supplemented Raw meat mix part of the cats’/kittens’ diet and uses a high quality, grain/gluten/corn free cat food for them otherwise BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS IS ACTUALLY CRUCIAL Breeder has a controlled amount of litters throughout the year and enough loving homes lined up for the kittens CRUCIAL Breeder has experience, visible knowledge about the breed and also a real love (passion) for the breed and his/her own cats CRUCIAL Kittens are checked by a veterinarian before they leave the breeder CRUCIAL Breeder wants to get to know prospective buyer before selling a kitten CRUCIAL Breeder does early spaying/neutering or requires spaying/neutering before releasing the registration papers CRUCIAL Breeder has a written sales contract and health guarantee, asking you not to declaw the kitten or let the kitten go outside without supervision CRUCIAL Kittens are sold with registration papers, once proof of sterilization has taken place CRUCIAL Kittens are not released to their new homes under 12 weeks of age CRUCIAL Breeder never sells to pet stores CRUCIAL Breeder never sells out of a cage or out of their car at a cat show CRUCIAL Breeder does not give cheap “deals’ on a continuous basis. Proper quality care would not allow an unusually low price. Chances are you pay for what you get! CRUCIAL Breeder has at least a decade of breeding experience or is supervised by excellent mentors CRUCIAL Don’t be fooled – backyard breeders and kitten mills can have very appealing webpages with great pictures. They often use the titles of ancestral cats and HCM/HD testing results of other Catteries to make themselves look reputable. Most of them have never lifted a finger to earn any of these titles, let alone tested any of their own breeding stock. A lot of them also don’t show their multiple breedings on the homepage. So make sure to ask LOTS of questions before committing to a purchase. There are further things to consider when buying a Maine Coon kitten, but this list above gives you a pretty good indication about some important details. We have been in this for over 25 years and have learned to read between the lines when looking at webpages. Please contact us if you need advice before buying a kitten from a questionable place!