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Breeding stunning Maine Coon Cats for health, temperament, and joy
How to Avoid Being Scammed
Nowadays scamming in the pet world is worse than ever. Multiple times a day we hear about people who have been scammed...some out of thousands of dollars. This is heartbreaking to us, so we want to do our part to help others avoid the scams out there. If a breeder is not following the guidelines below, or refuses to do something listed below, RUN! This includes us! If we go against something we have on our own page, find a different breeder!
The Difference Between a Scam and Kitten Mill/Backyard Breeder
Scam and kitten mill/backyard breeder are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. A scam is someone trying to sell a kitten that flat out doesn't exist. Usually the pictures are photoshopped or stolen from a legitimate breeder's website or social media page. A kitten mill/backyard breeder is a "breeder" who has multiple different cats and is constantly breeding them to get as many kittens as possible. The cats and kittens are usually kept in very poor living conditions, kittens are not socialized well, and most of the time the breeding cats and kittens are sick or have some sort of genetic problem. Either way, these are not people you want to get a kitten from as it will only lead to heartbreak.
Red Flags When Talking with a Breeder
-If the website has "Buy Now" buttons with pictures of kittens, it is a scam.
-If the person hasn't been on Facebook long, then they MAY be a scam. This is a tricky one though because new breeders obviously won't have a large social media presence for their cattery. But the person themself should be on social media for a good length of time. If the page is less than 3 months old, be very cautious.
-If the pictures of the cats and kittens listen on the website or social media don't seem to fit together well...like the background in the pictures aren't the same or at least very similar, then those pictures are likely stolen from other breeders and that person is a scam. The same thing applies if the pictures have been photoshopped or just don't look right.-If a breeder has 10+ kittens available all at once, it is likely a scam or kitten mill. Some queens do have large litters, or a breeder could have a few different litters at the same time that would give them enough kittens to have 10 or more kittens at once. BUT the kittens should be broken down by litter with pictures of their parents and birthdate. Kittens should also be the same age and approximate size. You shouldn't ever see several different kittens all different ages or sizes.
-If all of the kittens shown are "ready to go now", this is another scam or kitten mill warning sign. Again, some breeders may have a lot of kittens available all at once due to litter size or multiple litters born around the same time, but the chances of 10+ kittens all being the same age are quite small.
-This one again is similar to the previous 2 warning signs. If a breeder has 10+ kittens who have many different birthdates, or all the same birthdate, it is likely a scam or kitten mill.
-Kittens that are "ready to go" before 12 weeks of age is likely a scam or kitten mill. A legitimate breeder will never let their kittens go before 12 weeks of age. You are more likely to find Maine Coon breeders not letting their kittens go until 14 weeks of age.
-If a breeder is advertising kittens and their coloring, size and features don't look alike, then it is probably a scam. Siblings should all look alike in some way. Usually there are at least a few kittens in a litter who look identical and need to have a collar to tell them apart. But you should be able to look at the kittens and see some similarities in their color or features.
-If there are not pictures of the kitten's parents, then it is likely a scam. A legitimate breeder will at least have ownership of the queen, likely the king as well, and have pictures displayed with the pictures of the kittens.-If you find a breeder selling kittens for less than $1,200, RUN!! A real, quality Maine Coon kitten will very rarely sell for less than $1,200. If you do find one for that price then it is either a scam, kitten mill, or the kitten is sick. Typically you won't find a quality Maine Coon kitten for less than $1,800. The only acceptation to this would be a retired breeding king or queen. Retired breeders typically are less than $1,000.
-If you come across a cattery name or business name such as "Maine Coon Kittens for Sale" or "Affordable Maine Coon Kittens", this is most definitely a scam. A legitimate breeder will have a creative cattery name, even if it is just part of the breeder's last name.
How to Identify a Good Breeder
❦ Is the breeder willing to talk on the phone or do a video chat? Almost any good breeder will be willing to talk with you on the phone or video chat at least once.
❦ Is the breeder willing to answer your questions? Does it seem like the breeder loves to talk about their cats and kittens? Any good breeder will be willing to answer any question you may have (within reason), and talk about their cats. Most breeders can't talk enough about their cats! So, a good breeder will be more than willing to talk with you.
❦ Does the breeder have a website with lots of pictures and information? With Facebook, not all breeders have a website. But most do. A good breeder's website will have a multitude of pictures of their breeding cats, kittens, and graduates. They will also likely have information on their breeding cats telling you about their personalities, at least a general outline of their policies and procedures, a kitten application, and general information on the breed of animal they breed. You are not likely to find a way to send the breeder money without talking to them first, on their website.
❦ Will the breeder provide documentation on their breeding cats? A good breeder will be able and willing to send you copies of genetic test results on their breeding cats, as well as documentation to prove their cattery and breeding cats are registered.
❦ Is the breeder registered? TICA and CFA are the two main cat registries in the US. However, there are quite a lot of different, completely legitimate cat registries around the world. If you com across a breeder who is not registered with TICA or CFA, we suggest looking the registry up yourself. By just Googling the registry name, several articles should come up to let you know if it is a legitimate registry.
❦ Does the breeder health test and genetic tests all breeding cats? A good breeder should go beyond the basic genetic test and make sure their breeding cats are healthy before and during their breeding career. For Maine Coons, a breeder should be doing a cardiac workup, as well as hip scans on each breeding cat.
❦ Has the breeder been on Facebook longer than 6 months? A good breeder will likely, but not always, have a large Facebook presence. This is not a hard and fast rule however, as new breeders pop up all the time, and obviously, they have not been on Facebook for 6 months. Scammers tend to make a Facebook page, use it a few times, and then move onto a different account. You can also look and see if the breeder is a member of different breed-related Facebook pages. A good breeder is likely on several different Facebook pages concerning the breed they breed, and are likely posting at least a little on those pages.
❦ Does the breeder have contracts for their kittens? A good breeder will always have at least one contract for a buyer to sign that protects themself, the buyer and the kitten. A good breeder will be concerned about their kitten's life and well-being even after they leave their cattery.
❦ Does the breeder have an application? A good breeder will not simply sell a kitten to anyone who comes along and wants a kitten. They will have some sort of a screening process. This screening process can be lengthy or short, but there is a screening process none the less.
❦ Does the breeder vet checks their kittens? A good breeder will take their kittens for at least one vet check before the kittens leave for their new homes. Ideally kittens will also have at least their first set of vaccines, also done by the breeder's veterinarian. However, some breeders do choose to vaccinate their kittens themselves. So, this does not necessarily mean the breeder is not a good breeder. We would suggest though, making sure the sticker from the vaccine is in the kitten's paperwork you get from the breeder.
❦ Does the breeder have a visitation/pickup policy? A good breeder will have a visitation and/or pickup policy. Nowadays breeders are not always comfortable with allowing people to come into their home to visit, or even pickup their kitten. Very few good breeders allow people to come visit their kittens due to sicknesses and other issues (there is more on that on other pages of our website). This does not necessarily mean they are a bad breeder. Weather the pickup is in the breeder's home or somewhere else, there should be a policy in place and you should know what to expect when you arrive to pickup your kitten.
Things to Ask a Breeder
Here are a list of questions to ask when you begin talking with a breeder.
Do you do health testing and genetic testing on your breeding cats?
What organization are you registered with?
What colors are your breeding cats? (Do your research and know the color names yourself. A breeder should give you the official name of the color that is the standard across the world. Unofficial color names would be a red flag)
What colored kittens do you produce?
What is the personality of your breeding cats and kittens?
How are your kittens raised?
How often do you breed your queens?
What is the age of your breeding cats?
Are your kittens raised with kids or dogs?
At what age do you allow your kittens to leave? (The answer should be no less than 12 weeks for a kitten)
Can I see copies of your contracts ahead of time?
How long have you been breeding?
Why did you want to breed Maine Coons?
If you would like to ensure that we are legitimate breeders and not a scam or kitten mill/backyard breeder, please feel free to ask us the above questions. We are more than happy to schedule a phone call or video chat so we can talk with you directly. You can also see the following pages on our website that will hopefully give you some peace of mind...
As you look over the above pages, think about the amount of information on each page and how much time it must have taken do put this entire website together and then maintain it. A scammer or kitten mill/backyard breeder will not put that much time and effort into a website!
Finally, upon request we can provide you with our TICA registration papers to prove we are in fact a valid cattery in good standing with TICA.
For those looking for additional security, we accept payments through Camlist. Camlist payments can only be used for the purchase price of the kitten. Travel expenses cannot be payed through Camlist.
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