The first thing that you must determine, is whether you want to get a Maine coon kitten just to have as a pet, to show or breed with your buy exotic shorthair kittens If you merely want a show cat or a pet, then it is strongly advisable to neuter your Maine coon as soon as he reaches 6-9 months of age to avoid unwanted kittens and to avoid your Maine coon from wandering around, putting his precious life in danger. The sex of the kitten is also unimportant if you don’t need to breed with your new Maine coon.
A short note about breeding:
Breeding Maine coon kittens can be very fulfilling, but it also has a lot of disadvantages which should carefully be thought about when thinking about buying a kitten so that you can breed your own. A mature queen can ‘call’ every three weeks, and unfortunately they are not fussy about who her mating partners are. For this reason, she must be carefully monitored and not allowed out to become friendly with the local tom, otherwise unwanted non-pedigree kittens may be the result.
A ‘mature’ stud cat wills almost definitely have to live in a specially designed house outside; since the most mark their territory by spraying and this is not acceptable in most households. The life of a stud cat can be rather lonely and frustrating, especially if he does not have a regular supply of amorous female cats. Please remember that most people who breed kittens usually do so to promote the breed in hope that one day they may breed the perfect cat. Very little money, if any, is made from having a litter of kittens, once stud fees, feeding and heating bills, vet’s fees, registration, advertisements, and necessary equipment are paid for. You can expect to pay more for a show neuter than you would pay for a pet, and a lot more for breeding quality Maine coon kittens. Prices vary from breeder to breeder and may depend on the area of the country, the pedigree and the level of vaccination carried out.
After you have decided what you want from your Maine coon kitten, the next step would be to find a breeder.
Ask a lot of questions! Make a list of questions before the time so that you don’t forget anything you need to ask the breeder!
Ask to see the whole litter and observe how they play and interact with each other. Never pick the quiet and fragile kitten just because you feel sorry for it. Always pick a lively kitten that is very playful and interacts with you. The kitten should look clean and healthy. The backbone and hips must be well covered, and there should not be any signs of a pot belly which could indicate that there are worms present. The eyes should be clear and bright with no signs of discharge, and the third eyelid (known as the haw) should not protrude at the inner corner. The ears must be extremely clean with no black grit-like particles, which indicate ear mites.
The coat must be clean and soft, and when parted behind the ears and at the base of the tail, it must not have tiny black specks which indicate fleas. Check that the teeth and gums are healthy, and there should be no discharge from the nostrils. Lastly look for any yellow staining under the tail, as this means that the kitten may be suffering from diarrhea. If the kitten of your choice passes these tests, then it is probably safe to take the kitten home. Please make sure that you agree with the conditions of buying the kitten, as some breeders have very specific conditions such as keeping the cat in-doors, not de-clawing them etc. Make sure that you have all the necessary things for your kitten to make it feel safe and welcome it to its brand new home.