Why do Maine Coons cost so much?
Stirling Silver Maine Coons
Why do Maine Coons cost so much?
My Maine Coons are NOT cheap
I don't think a lot of people understand what goes into breeding and raising these cats.
A good breeder does health testing their breeding queens and studs. This includes:
* Echoes of the hearts every year to make sure they do not have HCM.
*Ultrasound of the kidneys to make sure they don't have PKD (Polycystic kidney disease). This is most common in cats that carry a red factor
*Hip x-rays. Just like dogs, Maine Coons being a large breed are at risk for hip dysplasia. Usually breeders will have this checked before breeding if the cat is a year old and then again at the age of 2.
*DNA tests to make sure they aren't carriers for anything.
*upper respiratory panels usually yearly to make sure there is nothing going around the cattery.
*fecal pcr sent out to a lab to make sure again there isn't isn't anything going around the cattery. If one cat has something its likely the whole cattery has it. So it's important to test each cat and if there is something, treatment is a lot when you're treating 7+ cats plus kittens.
Breeding.
It's isn't just putting cats together and making kittens. Breeding pure bred cats is NOT easy at all! I know you see millions of kittens in shelters and whatnot with domestic cats/kittens. Purebreds are a whole different story. It even comes down to not being able to place certain blood types with other blood types.
When breeding I take my queens to the vet to get an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy and then again about a week before they're due they get an x-ray to get a count of how many kittens. If you have a cat with a singleton you could end up needing a c-section but there are many other instances where cats need c-sections as well, sometimes this ends up on emergency and cost double what it would if it's a scheduled c-section. Not all cats need one but there are times some do. I do progesterone testing close to the cats due dates to get an idea of when they might have the kittens. There is such a large window of when kittens could be due..They can be due at 58 days all the way up to 70 days. So that also includes countless nights of no sleep and 24 hour watch especially with a new mom or a mom that has a large litter. Then if they go into labor at night you're definitely up all night making sure everything goes okay, helping mom clean off kittens. Sometimes kittens need to be supplement fed if there's any issues. If mom isn't producing enough milk or kittens aren't getting the first milk that has the colostrum that is so important for their immune system you usually have to take them to the vet for plasma injections. If you work the next day, like I do, you go to work tired and without sleep. I am lucky enough to be able to bring my cats, kittens, dogs and puppies to work with me everyday if I have to.
Losing kittens:
It happens! kittens are so fragile and there isn't a breeder out there that won't go through losing a kitten to losing a whole litter. There are many different factors that can cause this. Many breeders feed raw so you have to be careful about salmonella and e. coli and either it causing premature labor or dead kittens. The heartache of breeding is more than anyone can imagine. Us breeders do this because we love the breed, losing a kitten is never easy!
Food:
A good breeder will feed a high quality diet to Maine Coons. They require a higher protein content than most other breeds. Most will feed raw to their cats. If not its a very high quality kibble and canned food, not your purina, fancy feast, 9lives....any of the cheap, low quality foods. I'm constantly reading food labels at the pet stores to see what the ingredients are in food. I feed Farmina which is $70 for an 11lbs bag. I have 6 breeding cats and then their kittens when they have them. A bag lasts maybe 5 days. I also feed Weruva and Tiki. I also feed raw Primal nuggets.
Enrichment/whelping areas and everything else:
We have dedicated rooms in our houses for cats whelping a litter and raising kittens. Countless toys for enrichment. Cat trees/condos. Blankets, towels, medical supplies on hand at all times. I'm in the process of building a catio so the cats have an outdoor space to hangout in. Everything basically goes back into the cats and breeding.
Don't forget the amount we spend on buying new queens or kings. Breeding prices are double what pet prices are. My cats have all been imported minus a few I kept from my own litters. Importing is not easy and is a lot of money and time as well.
Breeding isn't for everyone, the time, money and heartache that goes into it is beyond what people think!
