Thread: Adopting 2 6 year old Maine Coons

[QUOTE=Zeldamum;34236]Hi

New to this forum.

I am going to see 2 Maine Coons this evening with a view to adopting them. They are brother and sister both 6 years old and being sadly rehomed due to severe allergic reactions which have got worse recently.

Hi Zeldamum,if you do decide to adopt how wonderfull that you will take them both together, I always think it is very sad when furry friends get split up....... I think commonsense will take over when you meet {try hard not to let it be heart} hopefully you will meet a pair of healthy outgoing cats,if they look thin,eyes dull or weepy then it is a no no from the start,you want to know if either of them have / had any problems where they have had to go to vets & outcome, if you are at all worried in any way ask permission to be able to phone their vets & have a chat,to do that this owner will have to phone them & tell them your name & explain that it is ok to pass on any infornation, boosters up to date & proof by seeing their vaccination cards,if they are ID chipped then paperwork for change of ownership,hopefully also they have the pedigree papers,now that is one thing that would make me wonder a bit as most good breeders get you to sign a paper to say that you won't sell/pass on to anyone else without having notified them first, breeders who ask this will then try to rehome either direct from the now owner or try to arrange to get the furries back & do it themselves so just check on that bit,if they haven't signed anything like that then no worries but if they have make sure breeder has been notified...... if there is nothing glaringly wrong then let heart take over give them lots of cuddles,it is surprising how quickly a MC will remember someone who gives out cuddles & if you do decide they are for you hopefully they will be able to take lots of the bits & pieces they know to their new home with them.
We rehomed a retired breeding queen & I have to say she was hard work to start with but everything we put in was repaid in bucketloads further down the line & she also gave us our love for this breed but more ofetn than not once they have settled you have a friend for life very quickly & being the two of them is a great start,good luck & hope to read you have two new additions to your household,photos of them both please.....xxx

hi Zeldamum, just wanted to say welcome to the forum and to the big MC lover's family - I hope it all goes well for you and those 2 furries! please do post pics when you get them!

Thank you for the replies

I have seen the cats, the current owner gave me a brief history. I have had a chat with the vets and apart from some skin problems and a leg op which resulted in a leg being amputated they are in good health, vaccinations up to date and micro chipped. She is not keen on contacting the breeder as the breeder would put them into an outdoor pen and one cat hates being kept in. He likes the freedom to roam, which I can understand. I will ask her to contact the breeder though to let them know the cats have been rehomed and also that the breeder is welcome to come and see the cats in their new home.

I suspect the skins problems maybe due to lack of grooming/flea allergy/food allergy, I won't know until I have them with me. They were flea dropped whilst I was there so I know that may not be the cause, so I will start with regular grooming every other day to see if that helps before making any dietary changes.

I pick them up tomorrow all being well.

Thats wonderful news bless them,nice new home & someone who obviously is happy to try & sort out what hopefully is only a minor problem.... ?
Do you know what flea product was used on them,some don't seem to be so effective now as they used to be, my little Pansy was allergic to flea bites & very often had sores especially round her neck & back at the base of her tail but sinse changing products she has been fine & an added bonus was none of them mind having that particular one applied,only downside to it is it doesn't protect against ticks but mine are confined to a big pen & back garden so don't have to worry about that.
So pleased you have insisted that the breeder is at least informed ......xxx

They are currently using Stronghold. I personally use Advantage and have only had to apply it twice this year! Which is most unusual as I normally had to apply Stronghold every month without fail. Only saw 2 fleas all summer. The rough skin is at the neck and the back close to the tail which makes me thinks its flea related.

I haven't told them to contact the breeder yet as I will be seeing the current owners tonight. I have no idea if they will, but at least if I have asked them to I will have done my best.

They are currently being fed Royal Canin Maine Coon dried cat food. Is this the best food for them? Mine domestic moggies get a mixture of food, some very high quality some not so good. After a week of being quarantined in my bathroom they will have access to all the cat food as I leave dried food down all the time and feed wet food last thing at night.

Jacki, do you know if it's possible that may be the kitties are allergic to the flee product rather than the flees themselves? neck and tail, isn't that where you also put the product?

The flea drops were only put on the neck where a collar would normally be. I did notice on the fist cat (I held them) the current owner put most of the drops on the cats fur. So when he did the second one I made sure I separated the fur to leave a lovely clear line of skin for him, but he still only put it on one small area. i usually spread the drops as much as possible to get as much as possible on to the skin.

Originally Posted by Alekto

Jacki, do you know if it's possible that may be the kitties are allergic to the flee product rather than the flees themselves? neck and tail, isn't that where you also put the product?

No Alekto you put any of those products between shoulder blades the idea being that the cat can't get to that area to lick at it,the neck & rump though are the two most common spots for fleas to infest & that is why any animal that is allergic to flea bites seem to get those horrible scabby lumos there.....x

Well we picked them up yesterday.

One was purring all the way home and this morning both are purring whenever they see us.

I think the boy spent the night sleeping in the bathroom sink, this is how I found him this morning. I took him out, my daughter went in the bathroom a little while later to find him back in the sink.