Breeder - too many cats? Considering a kitten.

Hello. I don't actually have a Maine coon, but have been researching and am ready!

I found a well known breeder who has cats from other breeders around the country and provided cats to other breeders. I really like the look of the breeder's cats and kittens. The kittens available right now are adorable.

My concern is:

The breeder has approximately 50 adult cats on their website. Is this too many? Would the kittens have been socialized? Should I be concerned about this? She welcomes visits to her cattery.

Advice is appreciated. Thanks!

I think the answer to this one is in your second from last sentence,go visit at latest notice you can get away with & observe very closely how/where they are kept,the cleanliness of the place & how they all interact with each other. I have to agree that it does sound an awful lot of cats & isn't always a good sign that they provide cats to other breeders you perhaps can go more on "which" breeders they have been sold too rather than the number. The hardest part for you is going to be able to keep the heart in the right place until you are sure it is the type of breeder you want to buy from & also make sure what the kitten comes with vacc & paper wise,have the parents been at the least HCM tested,you will be paying a lot of money for this babe,if babes are offered at a lot less than you are expecting to pay be very wary,if the place is not as clean as you would have expected be wary,if the kittens are not the healthy playful bundle you expect to see be careful,if you are allowed to handle the kittens at quite an early age be careful{my breeder won't allow it until after the first vacc}if you do handle the babe does the breeder make you wash your hands with proper antibacterial wash before doing so if it is still confined in a room with mum & siblings,at what age can you have the babe,if its before twelve/ thirteen weeks be careful,they should not leave until a week after their second vacc, but if everything comes up to "scratch"let the heartstrings start tugging & keep us updated with colour,sex,name,photos etc please & have fun you won't regret becoming a MC parent will be interesting to see how long it is before you become a parent to "two" as one will never be enough....x

I really appreciate the advice with this such a big decision. If anyone has any other breeder suggestions, please send them my way. I live in TN, but some distance is ok such as AR, MS, MO, OK, or AL.

Thanks!

It is so important to check out prospects thoroughly. With our MC boy, my heart got the best of me. There were warning signs everywhere (babies locked in empty rooms; breeder lived alone; cats literally EVERYWHERE; breeder wouldn't let us see the studs). Breeder mentioned that she thought a neutered male might not have "taken" - just so happens, it was our Dakota's brother (still mingling with the ladies). So he may be Kota's brother/dad (who knows?!?!?) Was never able to get the paperwork from her after we had him neutered (so he's not a papered cat).

We love Kota and wouldn't trade him for the world, but it is quite obvious he was never properly socialized. He will be 6 this year and is still skittish with strangers or those he doesn't trust. He will only relax and cuddle when it's quiet and there is one of us around. He's always watching - and those MC ears don't miss a sound! Also, absolutely any time he gets stressed, the poos get runny for several days and we have to watch him closely.

In no way am I complaining - and forgive me if it sounds that way! I just wanted to note what I observed first thing, and I wasn't looking for signs (as I wanted an MC desperately). Thankfully, this MC breeder is out of business now, and we love our boy (warts and all)! He's a beauty (and big - 20 lbs), but to most, we can only show pictures, and sometimes his tail (hanging out of the closet).

Best of luck with your MC hunt - be patient, the right furbaby (ies?) will be there with your name on it. :smile:

Your post influenced me more than you know. Thank you for sharing your personal experience.

We had a not dissimmilar experience when buying a kitten. Cats everywhere, could smell the house from the road, and although the cats were fabulous, well fed and clearly loved as much as 50+ cats can be by two people, the kittens were clearly not properly socialised, having been raised in large indoor pens. Only when we brought the kitten home (the breeder's recommendation from the litter, not our choice, though the kit was cute and friendly) did we think about the full impact of the situation. Kittie was smelly and in need of a bath, not litter trained, gulped her food, probably due to competition, and then promptly threw it up (she still does this when stressed), was very skittish and didn't settle for quite a while. She is now one of our more loving cats, and at 3 years old and neutered, is a beautiful adult except for a slightly protruding chin. It takes a great deal of time and effort, but the situation can be turned around though be wary. Having read mc-becca's post, I think we were a bit more fortunate, but you just never know. Every cat is different as are every breeder's standards. Research and careful consideration are your top tools.

PS - Nobody can say how many cats is too many, you need to judge for yourself how well they are cared for and how personable they are.

I came close to falling for one from a photo, no actually I did fall for it, absolutely adorable. In the end I decided against it and I am going to shop for a breeder with fewer adults and someone who raises their kittens "under foot". It seems it would be impossible to provide enough socialization with so many.

I know some will turn out great regardless, they are Maine Coons after all; and I know the right home life can help others get there. I also know we always love them when we get them and they become ours. But I do think, and much of this is based on everyone sharing, that the best situation would be having good kitten socialization coupled with a great new home.