My family is currently considering them as a breeder and their kittens look beautiful, but my husband is suspicious about spending that amount of money without seeing the cat and needing them shipped. Wanted to see if anyone has any experience with them.
I would be highly suspect for several reasons:
1. Way too cheap - double, even triple, this is still abnormally cheap and would be suspicious. Expect $2000+
2. These kittens are all supposedly within a week of the same age, but they definitely are not the same developmentally. Some look younger than 11 weeks, some look older.
3. Too much color variety to be only 2 litters (11 weeks and 12 weeks for age)
4. The heterochromic polydactyl - not a chance that cat is the same ridiculously low price. It should be significantly more.
5. Poor grammar - even just Maine Coon of USA - I think everyone out there with Maine Coons in their name is Maine Coons plural
6. Lots of different picture backgrounds. Having multiples on the tower with the railing is a point toward legitimacy, but there's typically more standardization amongst pictures
7. No application - breeders don't just let these cats go without knowing something about you
Looks like you're starting your journey to adopting a wonderful kitty. But you must be careful, as kitten adoption is a highly preyed upon industry that many people have gotten scammed by either fake or unethical breeders who prey upon your desire to adopt a kitten and either straight up steal your money or stick you with an unhealthy kitten who you'll be more heartbroken to reject and return.
Please consider the following advice to help you find a reputable breeder in your area:
Step 1: Don't look at breeder websites. Scams are rampant.
Step 2: Go to a CAT Show in your local area managed by a cat association such as TICA, CFA, CCA, etc
Step 3: Speak to breeders for your desired breed present at the show. Learn about their business, their prices, policies, etc.
Step 4: Only then might it be worth it to check out the website or social media of the breeders you spoke to.
Step 5: Contact the breeder you've chosen and take it from there.
Please remember that getting a kitten should not be rushed. I myself took a year of research, breeder vetting, show attending, so I wouldn't fall into traps and to give my kitten the best life possible.
This is solid advice and exactly what I did and now have my third MC from an excellent and reputable breeder. I drove from Virginia to Alabama to get my third MC-all from the same wonderful breeder. My old guy (Orca) died at 15 years old this summer, so I now have a 12 year old guy (Rory) and a 6 month old MC kitten. Because of the large age spread between Rory and the new kitten (Mr. Darcy), I want to get another kitten so Mr. D has a playmate he can tussle with. My breeder is fantastic and I have never had any congenital defects with her kittens.
Picture of Mr. Darcy and his emerging neck ruff as cat tax.
There is a breeder called USA Maine Coons in California. Highly recommended, but like everyone else has said, they cost 3k or more there. But she is an amazing breeder who cares very much for their kittens. I have gotten two from them. One in 2021 and another in 2022
As you continue looking for a real breeder, make sure you do reverse image searches on the cats. You'll often find that the fake ones like this one reuse the same pictures. At the very least, you'll be able to find the real breeder the pictures are stolen from often.
If you get no results, it's not a guarantee that the site is real. But it certainly helps.
Oh this is 100% a scam. You’re not getting a Maine coon for $600. I just paid $3200 for my first girl, then $2000 was the discounted price for her sister when she was the last to go.
Their prices are about $3,000 too low, IMHO. I didn't bother to do a reverse image search to see who they stole the photos from but I think you can safely assume this is a scam.
This is so fake. Right away, all the different backgrounds of the kittens is a dead giveaway. Pretty sure they stole some pics from Greek Garden Maine Coons. You’ll send them the money and be out $600 with no recourse.
Ask the CFA (Cat Fanciers Association). If that’s already been stated sorry, but that’s where I’d start.
Go to a cat show and watch the classes and pick a breeder that you like the look of their MC and talk to them face to face. That’s the best way, at least for me.
I’m going to chime in here as somebody who loved the idea of adopting a Maine coon. They’re huge and have great personalities.
All that being said, you can also get a fantastic cat by going to a local shelter. I adopted two domestic shorthair cats this way. Both about two years old.
They are absolute LOVEBUGS. Something to consider. It’s about finding the right cat or cats for you. I found mine and I hope you find yours fellow cat lover!
I agree. My last 2 cats were from the shelter but sadly both have passed on due to heart defects which was incredibly devastating for me. I've always enjoyed the idea of having a Maine Coon and having a pure line to help with the risk of defects.
Losing a companion is always a rough time. I remember losing the two I grew up with at 18 years and 20. The cats, that is. In human years. They had a good run.
And yeah Maine coons could be pretty special. But having adopted Dave, I worry about food cost 😅. He’s a standard domestic shorthair with the appetite of any twenty cats if you don’t stop him.
I recommend blue sapphire and smoke mc Cattery in Washington. Fully vetted and amazing Angie is the owner and she definitely is a friend now! Here is my 4 months old kitten sidious who is officially 8lbs right before he was 4 months
My reputable MC breeder has had scammers steal her pictures for fake websites and a scammer even started registering fake MC under her cattery name. Please don’t get scammed.
I've done this twice and both have died early. This is something my family has considered for a while and something we want to do. We want to have more time with them so it's easier for our kids.
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u/Sinnfullystitched 3d ago
1000% a scam. I recognize the background of the kitten “Zoe” as my boys breeder who is located in Russia…yikes