Average Cost Of A Maine Coon?

maddies momma

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I understand the importance of adopting from shelters and giving cats in need a good home. As a vet tech student I'm sure I will adopt my fair share of cats in need throughout my career. Though Somewhere along the lines I would love to have a maine coon. If I'm going to seek out a purebred then I'm going to do it right, through a responsible breeder. So I am wondering what is the average cost of a purebred maine coon from a reputable breeder? I have researched many maine coon breeders in my area and have only found one that fits a high standard and is still in business. One requirement I have for a breeder is that they health test their adults for genetic diseases before breeding them. I can only find one that does this and seems decent in all other aspects. However she charges $2000 for a kitten. This seems a bit much as most others charge 1200-1500. I know that she may charge more as she does more and is a better breeder but $2000 seems way too much for a pet quality kitten, even if it is purebred with health tested parents. So does anyone know the acceptable price range for a reputable maine coon? And for anyone who can help, I live in ontario, Canada in case you can offer breeder suggestions.
 

abyeb

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It depends if the breeder is actually trying to make a profit. I know some very reputable breeders (with grand champion lines and national winners) who charge $800-$900 for pet quality kittens from genetically tested parents. Granted, some of these breeders may be losing money, but the important thing is if they are breeding with the incentive of turning this into a business or working to preserve the breed and provide pet buyers with healthy, beautiful kittens. Recently, CFA partnered with a veterinarian to start a genetic testing serivice. The DNA panel costs $50... so I could understand a breeder (of another breed) raising the cost of a kitten by that amount, but not by $1000. With Maine Coons, though, you really want to make sure that they have been genetically tested, because of their propensity to develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and spinal muscular atrophy. The CFA DNA panel doesn't cover spinal muscular atrophy, but this can be tested for by the veterinary hospital at UC Davis for $40, so a Maine Coon breeder could certainly raise the price of a kitten by $90, (tested by CFA and UC Davis) but there is certainly no way to justify increasing the price by $1000.

Do you mind telling me the name of this breeder? I'd be more than happy to do some research and read the website to do some evaluation of the breeder (as I did in recent thread for Kenny's Folds)

I am not aware of any breeders in Canada (I live in the US), but if you are willing to travel, some excellent breeders are Tropikoons Tropikoons Maine Coon Cats - A registered cattery. Breeder located in Florida.
And Maine Lvrs WELCOME TO MAINE LVRS CATTERY MAINE COON CAT BREEDER OHIO
 

1CatOverTheLine

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It depends if the breeder is actually trying to make a profit. I know some very reputable breeders (with grand champion lines and national winners) who charge $800-$900 for pet quality kittens from genetically tested parents. Granted, some of these breeders may be losing money, but the important thing is if they are breeding with the incentive of turning this into a business or working to preserve the breed and provide pet buyers with healthy, beautiful kittens. Recently, CFA partnered with a veterinarian to start a genetic testing serivice. The DNA panel costs $50... so I could understand a breeder (of another breed) raising the cost of a kitten by that amount, but not by $1000. With Maine Coons, though, you really want to make sure that they have been genetically tested, because of their propensity to develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and spinal muscular atrophy. The CFA DNA panel doesn't cover spinal muscular atrophy, but this can be tested for by the veterinary hospital at UC Davis for $40, so a Maine Coon breeder could certainly raise the price of a kitten by $90, (tested by CFA and UC Davis) but there is certainly no way to justify increasing the price by $1000.

Do you mind telling me the name of this breeder? I'd be more than happy to do some research and read the website to do some evaluation of the breeder (as I did in recent thread for Kenny's Folds)

I am not aware of any breeders in Canada (I live in the US), but if you are willing to travel, some excellent breeders are Tropikoons Tropikoons Maine Coon Cats - A registered cattery. Breeder located in Florida.
And Maine Lvrs WELCOME TO MAINE LVRS CATTERY MAINE COON CAT BREEDER OHIO

While nothing here is untrue, a top breeder is losing money at $2,000.00. In all breeding, broadening the genetics is important, because inbreeding causes problems in every conceivable direction. This means that breeders buy from and sell to one another, and hence broaden their gene pool, while at the same time keeping only the very best specimens in their program. "Pet Quality," from a top breeder - SGC, DM x SGC, DM - doesn't mean "poor quality" - it simply means that the kitten must be de-sexed before the Registry Papers change hands. That $2,000.00 kitten has "value" much higher than that to another breeder - and especially to another top breeder who's trying to emphasise a certain trait which the kittens might express because of particular Parentage. I'm aware of two Maine Coon kittens (both Top Twenty NW) from a recent NW / NW mating which crossed $5,000.00 (each). When the awards stop being ribbons and become trophies - and especially for Best Of Best - your kittens command whatever price you ask.

Catteries who continuously produce genuinely incredible cats, like Axis Star in the Czech Republic:

=^..^= AXIS STAR =^..^= maine coon cats =^..^=

don't even bother to keep "Reserved" lists any longer.

"When will you have a kitten for sale?"

"Never."

.
 

abyeb

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It does just depend on the breeder, Tropikoons (the breeder who bred Lifes A Beach, grand champion and national winner) kittens go for $1200. But, I agree that if this Canada-based breeder is really a top breeder (beating out someone like Tropikoons in number of national winners), who will provide you with a kitten whose parents are both national winners, $2000 is reasonable. Also note that a kitten who arrives desexed could be also a candidate for premiership, which could also be very valuable for the breeder (bragging rights if that cat grands), so if a breeder figures that a cat could become a GP, but they're giving you the kitten as a pet, you might have to pay the $$$ that you would for a show-quality desexed kitten because the breeder figures that that kitten could be given to someone as a premier who would be willing to pay that amount of money, if that makes sense.
 
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maddies momma

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It depends if the breeder is actually trying to make a profit. I know some very reputable breeders (with grand champion lines and national winners) who charge $800-$900 for pet quality kittens from genetically tested parents. Granted, some of these breeders may be losing money, but the important thing is if they are breeding with the incentive of turning this into a business or working to preserve the breed and provide pet buyers with healthy, beautiful kittens. Recently, CFA partnered with a veterinarian to start a genetic testing serivice. The DNA panel costs $50... so I could understand a breeder (of another breed) raising the cost of a kitten by that amount, but not by $1000. With Maine Coons, though, you really want to make sure that they have been genetically tested, because of their propensity to develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and spinal muscular atrophy. The CFA DNA panel doesn't cover spinal muscular atrophy, but this can be tested for by the veterinary hospital at UC Davis for $40, so a Maine Coon breeder could certainly raise the price of a kitten by $90, (tested by CFA and UC Davis) but there is certainly no way to justify increasing the price by $1000.

Do you mind telling me the name of this breeder? I'd be more than happy to do some research and read the website to do some evaluation of the breeder (as I did in recent thread for Kenny's Folds)

I am not aware of any breeders in Canada (I live in the US), but if you are willing to travel, some excellent breeders are Tropikoons Tropikoons Maine Coon Cats - A registered cattery. Breeder located in Florida.
And Maine Lvrs WELCOME TO MAINE LVRS CATTERY MAINE COON CAT BREEDER OHIO
Thanks for the input! Here is the breeder that seems the best to me:
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sour...ggbMAA&usg=AFQjCNF0fVzrp0qKIlSl5glBbNOHk64FiA
I have emailed her and she is happy to have visitors and show proof of health testing.
There are some other breeders that seem decent but I believe some of them are retired or not breeding very much anymore. Then there is one or two that spay/neuter the kitten before you get (which is totally fine I would be doing that anyway) but that means you don't get it untill it's 5 months or so and then you have missed the tiny kitten phase and alot of the development phase. I would rather get the kitten on contract stating that I will have it spayed/neutered.
If you have time and wouldn't mind taking a quick look online at some other ontario breeders, I would appreciate it!
 

1CatOverTheLine

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If you have time and wouldn't mind taking a quick look online at some other ontario breeders, I would appreciate it!
I don't think you need look any further - they're using some of Walentina Choulíková's breeding stock (Axis Star), which means they're serious about what they're doing, and their cats are absolutely first rate in every respect.

.
 

orange&white

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This is how I look at purebred pricing. Figure the animal is going to live a minimum of 10 years (probably more than that, and a very small possibility of not that long).

Breeder A charges $1200. Breeder B charges $2000.

Your 10-year cost to own a purebred for "A" cat is $120/year; "B" cat is $200/year. Cat "A" is $10/month. Cat "B" is $16.67/month. After 10 years, the cat investment is paid off, or "free". Not a huge difference when you break down the numbers that way.
 

1CatOverTheLine

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This is how I look at purebred pricing. Figure the animal is going to live a minimum of 10 years (probably more than that, and a very small possibility of not that long).

Breeder A charges $1200. Breeder B charges $2000.

Your 10-year cost to own a purebred for "A" cat is $120/year; "B" cat is $200/year. Cat "A" is $10/month. Cat "B" is $16.67/month. After 10 years, the cat investment is paid off, or "free". Not a huge difference when you break down the numbers that way.

That settles it - I'm goin' into the Cat Mortgage business!

.
 

orange&white

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That settles it - I'm goin' into the Cat Mortgage business!

.
LOL :lolup:

I think the investment would actually be looked at as a "sunk cost" for the buyer, but I've been trying to justify the price of a new purebred puppy lately. Wish I had just stuck $20/month into an envelope during the life of the last one. Then again, I'd have a lot of envelopes full of money if I had a separate one for every major purchase I want to make.
 

Willowy

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I thought that "pet quality" meant that a kitten/puppy had disqualifying cosmetic faults that would keep them from having a successful show career, or show faults that would keep them from being desirable as a breeding animal, not that the breeder is choosing to take a loss by selling to a pet home instead of a show/breeding home :dunno:. In that case I would expect the pet quality animals to sell for less, maybe not a lot less but certainly not top show/breeding prices.

Personally, if my main concern was a pet with a good temperament and good looks, I would find a breeder who isn't quite as well-known in the showing world, who asks less for their kittens but still do all the proper testing and kittens raising techniques. I wouldn't have any reason to pay for someone's reputation in shows.

In dogs you really have to know the breeder's lines, to see if that's the kind of dog you want. You probably don't want a working-line dog as an apartment pet, even if that breeder wins all the prizes and is the best breeder anywhere. You want to find someone who breeds a more low-key line. But I don't think that's much of a consideration with cats, lol.
 

sivyaleah

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Following thread. Lots of good info to learn.
The only purebreed we would consider is a MC. Both myself and my fiance are pretty smitten with their appearance. Those ears and muzzles!
I'm always surprised by how average looking many of them are. The best I've seen seem to be from Russia, Ukraine, etc. Oh and there's one person I follow in China who is a photographer and does amazing portraits of the MC's he and his wife breed over there. Also in south NJ there's a breeder that I'm familiar with called Coonalley - chef Bobby Flay got his 2 from them. I live in NJ so I'm always stalking their website.
 

abyeb

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I thought that "pet quality" meant that a kitten/puppy had disqualifying cosmetic faults that would keep them from having a successful show career, or show faults that would keep them from being desirable as a breeding animal, not that the breeder is choosing to take a loss by selling to a pet home instead of a show/breeding home :dunno:. In that case I would expect the pet quality animals to sell for less, maybe not a lot less but certainly not top show/breeding prices.

Personally, if my main concern was a pet with a good temperament and good looks, I would find a breeder who isn't quite as well-known in the showing world, who asks less for their kittens but still do all the proper testing and kittens raising techniques. I wouldn't have any reason to pay for someone's reputation in shows.

In dogs you really have to know the breeder's lines, to see if that's the kind of dog you want. You probably don't want a working-line dog as an apartment pet, even if that breeder wins all the prizes and is the best breeder anywhere. You want to find someone who breeds a more low-key line. But I don't think that's much of a consideration with cats, lol.
Pet quality can mean cosmetic faults or that the cat just doesn't like being shown. Occasionally, a breeder will sell a pet buyer a show-quality kitten as a pet, if there is no one lining up to buy kittens to be shown in Championship or Premiership. The problem with a "low-key line" is that breeders who aren't breeding towards the standard aren't putting as much effort into their program, meaning that you might be buying a kitten with health issues.
 

Willowy

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The problem with a "low-key line" is that breeders who aren't breeding towards the standard aren't putting as much effort into their program, meaning that you might be buying a kitten
That's not true in dogs, but I guess I don't know enough about purebred cats to say one way or the other. But I think it would be possible to find a breeder who is breeding to standard, does all health tests, but perhaps isn't quite as "famous" as a major champion breeder.
 

fufpaw

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When I first got the idea to get a cat, I wanted a maine coon too. If you understand the importance of adopting, then contact maine coon rescue organizations first! They do have purebreds. I'm sure that you can get a maine coon without having to buy it from a breeder. My cats are adopted from a shelter (not even a maine coon rescue organization) and I was told they are a maine coon mix, although I would refer to them as domestic medium hairs, but that's not why I wanted them... it was love at first sight when I saw them on Petfinder. They have medium hair and the beautiful wild maine coon look, maybe not the same as a purebred but they are 100% perfect to me. I just got back from a walk with one of them and she is purring next to me in her harness and I feel the love! Sometimes I can't believe I didn't realize before that it's not the breed of cat that matters, it's the love in their hearts and the connection. My Domestic Medium Hair cats basically take care of their own fur but that is not the case with a longhair cat, which needs to be groomed as I understand it. Have you read about the serious health problems of maine coons like hypertrophic myopathy or hip dysplasia? You can't avoid the possibility. Please investigate your options other than breeders. You have a place for a cat in your life, and there are maine coons and cats that share their likeness who need a home. All types of cats have the same love in their hearts.
 

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I thought that "pet quality" meant that a kitten/puppy had disqualifying cosmetic faults that would keep them from having a successful show career, or show faults that would keep them from being desirable as a breeding animal, not that the breeder is choosing to take a loss by selling to a pet home instead of a show/breeding home :dunno:. In that case I would expect the pet quality animals to sell for less, maybe not a lot less but certainly not top show/breeding prices.
Pet quality doesn't have to have any disqualifying faults, it's more a matter of perception. It can simply mean that the cat doesn't meet the breed standard as well as the breeder likes. I bought a pet quality abyssinian a few years ago, for less than a show quality cat would have been. He developed into a beautiful cat and I have permission from the breeder to show him. He's not anywhere near being a top show cat, but he has made a few finals.
 
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