The only way you know for sure if your kitten is pedigree or pure, is by registration. This could be through TICA, GCCF, FIFE and so on. Anyone breeder can assure you that the kitten you are purchasing is a pedigree kitten but unfortunately, unless you have pedigree papers in the name of that specific kitten, there is just no guarantee.

 

There is of course, absolutely nothing wrong with getting a kitten that is not a pedigree cat, and if this is something that interests you, there are thousands of cats in shelters, that need to be adopted and re-homed. However, if a pedigree kitten is what you are looking for, then registration with an awarding body, is a must.

 

At Coon Cubs Nursery, your kitten will leave with their own TICA pedigree papers.

As of 10th June 2024, it is a legal requirement to have your pet micro-chipped, even if they are to live indoors. According to Gov.uk kittens must be micro-chipped and registered with a relevant database by the age of 20 weeks. Although in this instance, you may acquire your kitten before 20 weeks of age, you would have to legally have your kitten micro-chipped soon and pay the expense. It is therefore, better to have your breeder do it prior to bringing your kitten home and should be included in the price of your kitten. In my opinion, it is good practice to leave with a micro-chipped kitten.

 

Here at Coon Cubs Nursery, our kittens are taken down to our local vet around the age of 8 weeks old, where they will get a check over from the vet as well as a microchip, health card and vaccination (including leukemia). They will then return to the same vet 3 weeks later, to receive their final vaccination and another health check. Meaning our kittens are vet checked at least twice before leaving us.

Vaccination are extremely important to protect against all sorts of unwanted diseases. A kitten's immune system is weaker than that of an adult's and therefore may be prone to things we may not even know are around. Kittens can easily pick up health issues from other pets and even germs from the bottom of our shoes. A kitten must not interact with others outside their original birth home, until they have been fully vaccinated. For this reason, it is not a good idea to bring your kitten home until they are fully protected.

 

Just like the microchip, our kittens are taken down to our local vet around the age of 8 weeks, where they will get a check over from the vet as well as a microchip, health card and 1st vaccination (which includes protection against leukemia). They will then return to the same vet 3 weeks later, to receive their final vaccination and another health check. Remember, if you purchase a kitten that hasn't had it's vaccinations, it is likely the kitten hasn't been health checked by a vet at all - recipe for disaster.

Getting a new maine coon kitten is a very exciting time but for some, it can also be daunting especially if they are new to the breed. A good breeder should offer a lifetime of advice and support, no question too big, no query too small. Every new kitten family should have a 'mentor', whether you've purchased a kitten as a pet only or for breeding. A good breeder will want to stay in touch, to see how their beloved kitten is doing in their new home and to ensure the new kitten family has an easy transition and ongoing pet care.

 

At Coon Cubs Nursery, we are very happy to offer a lifetime of advice and support for our pet only families and breeders alike. We are very experienced with the maine coon breed and furthermore, introductions with other pets, visitors and children of all ages. We'll always have a hint or tip to give in most situations as we've more than likely come across or experienced a similar situation ourselves - there really are no silly questions!

 

All of our kitten families stay in touch with us, whether it's for advice or just to send us a photo now and again. Please feel free to browse through the 'Gallery' tab to see some gorgeous photos of our kittens, sent to us from their lovely families. You can also join our community on Facebook: Coon Cubs Nursery - Maine Coons Scotland, where you can read reviews and keep up to date with news of past, current and future litters!

This may seem like a small thing but having a cleanly environment is important. I'm not talking 'immaculate home', after all I personally have 4 children and 8 cats, there's bound to be an un-made bed somewhere or a pile of clean laundry that I haven't got around to putting away, I am a very busy mother. I just mean a sanitary environment that houses healthy, happy animals. 

 

When you go to view a kitten, do you get a good feeling when you walk through the door?

Is the breeder happy to show you their adult cats?

Are they friendly and healthy?

Are the kittens friendly and healthy?

Is the overall environment clean?

Is the breeder knowledgeable and inviting/trustworthy?

 

If the answer is 'no' to any of these questions, it is a red flag. Thank you but no thank you. These are all very basic things that you should look for when visiting a breeder. The problem is that an unsanitary environment is a breeding ground for health issues, viral and bacterial infections and raises the question of 'what other problems may I encounter?'

Often, with the excitement of seeing tiny kittens running around, you may forget that it is also important to see the mother of the kittens (and ideally the father, although this is not vital as many breeders use Stud Services and this is completely fine). Of course, occasionally this may not  be possible where, in the unfortunate circumstances a  mother has passed away during childbirth but this is certainly something you should know, prior to viewing any kittens.

Many breeders these days will have some sort of website, Instagram page or Facebook page. This is of course, not the case for all breeders but it is a good idea to find some reviews of that breeder, even if it's through word-of-mouth. Every breeder is different, some are great and some are not so great. By obtaining feedback about a breeder, you will soon be able to gauge if they are the right breeder for you.