Why Are Maine Coon Kittens So Expensive?

Why Are Maine Coon Kittens So Expensive?

Anybody looking at purchasing a kitten will surely look at the price when choosing a breed.

Looking around it can quickly become apparent that Maine Coon kitten isn’t a low cost investment.

Purchasing from a breeder is nearly always preferential, but it’s right to ask why the kitten might be expensive?

A Maine Coon kitten is expensive because of the cost of producing a healthy kitten. A breeder ensures the correct parentage, vaccinates, healthily feeds, and checks for common diseases to ensure a healthy kitten is sold.

When looking around and seeing kittens for sale cheaply or given away free to good homes, it’s understandable to ask why a Maine Coon kitten comes with a price tag.

You could adopt a Maine Coon kitten or even find one in a shelter but a purebred Maine Coon kitten comes with paperwork proving parentage.

A Maine Coon kitten, 12 weeks old, healthy, and vaccinated will come with a price tag above $1000.

There are many reasons for this, so let’s run through some of them.

Factors Affecting The Price Of A Maine Coon Kitten

Breeders do quite a few things that might not seem obvious when they put a kitten up for sale.

Like everything in life, the price reflects supply and demand, as well as the cost of producing a healthy kitten.

Popularity – The Maine Coon cat is one of the most popular breeds in the world. Their affable personality and good nature are much sought after.

While there are a great many kittens and breeders, the price reflects the balance between getting a quality kitten and a strong demand.

Vets – A Maine Coon is a living breathing animal. Although they are robust, they will need checkups, and looking after.

Professional vets are needed to correct any issues or look for problems as the kitten takes its first steps in the world.

Protein rich food – The Maine Coon requires a protein rich diet as it begins life.  The protein normally comes from animal proteins like chicken, fish, duck, and lamb.

Animal protein food is more costly than grain based food, containing a lot of rice, wheat, or barley.

Vaccinations – A Maine Coon will be vaccinated before you pick them up. The vaccination will protect the kitten against FIP or FIV.

Maintaining a healthy kitten is both more responsible and costlier than not bothering, and offering you a cheaper kitten.

Paperwork – A registered breeder will provide you the necessary paperwork confirming the birth of the kitten and the parents.

As a new owner, you have the provenance of the kitten and can prove parentage.

Many people like to show their cats, or at least know that their cat is a purebred.

3 months of care – A Maine Coon kitten eats, sleeps, and becomes a regular pooping machine. The breeder for 3 months is taking care of the kitten, with cat litter, food, and entertainment.

The price reflects the cost of the care given by someone who loves Maine Coons from the beginning.

Parents – Most breeders aren’t too worried about the father. If you have a cat breed, and they are female, all you really need is the fact that she comes back pregnant one day.

A breeder has to keep a male, and a female set of Maine Coons to ensure that a kitten has a Maine Coon mother and father.

Health checks – A breeder of Maine Coons will know the more common diseases of the breed. The parents and kittens will be monitored for polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and healthy cats selected for breeding.

The kitten will probably be checked for PKD as well, ensuring you have a healthy kitten from the start.

Expertise – There is value in having an expert raise the kitten during the initial stages.

Breeder profit – When all is said and done, few people do this purely for the love of it, but have to put time, effort, and costs so you can have the kitten you require.

Without a small incentive, there would be no Maine Coons available for purchase.

What Happens If The Price Was Lower

We can all flinch at price, as it often is difficult to see the reasoning behind prices.

Making sure when you are looking for a Maine Coon kitten there is a healthy and well cared for cat with provable Maine Coon heritage does not come cost free.

Making sure you have a healthy kitten can save you a lot of trouble if problems develop when you have bonded with your furball.

Not to say future vet bills.

By paying a price at a reputable breeder you are ensuring the continuation of pedigree Maine Coons.

If no one was willing to pay the higher price then no one would supply them.

Maine Coon breeders would cut corners, use cheaper food, take less care, avoid vet bills, and not try to ensure the integrity of parentage.

The quality of the Maine Coons on the market would drop substantially.

How A Maine Coon Breeder Ensures Quality Cats

Ensuring the quality of a Maine Coon kitten ready for being sold doesn’t happen by accident.

A breeder will have both a female and male Maine Coon in good health, screened from known diseases, and a bloodline not known for any problems.

These parents will be well cared for themselves with the females not having too many litters every year to keep them healthy.

Often the parents are selected for their very pronounced Maine Coon features as well, like size, personality, looks, and vocal talents.

Maine Coons are also susceptible to a few diseases that they are more prone to than other breeds.

The 4 common ones are polycystic kidney disease, hip dysplasia, heart disease, and spinal muscular atrophy.

The common diseases will be monitored in the parents and the kitten will be checked for genetic diseases before being sold.

Over the years, breeders have worked together to get rid of genetic lines more prone to disease which has lowered the evidence of the problem.

The work that goes into providing you a healthy and pure kitten free from disease and genetic disorders is arduous and time consuming.

Breeders work hard for their money, so it’s worth remembering the effort that goes into ensuring a healthy kitten.

Conclusion

So, Maine Coon kittens from a reputable seller, whether professional or amateur breeder, are more expensive than the ‘accidental’ variety.

We seem to be at a stage where the price is what convinces genuine Maine Coon lovers to provide kittens to the public.

If the price was lower, the quality of Maine Coons would drop, and if it was higher, then you might get people who don’t know what they are doing entering the market.

I’m sure every Maine Coon breeder is open to offers, rather than the price offered.

Especially if they sense you will be great owners for the kitten.

However, be careful not to lowball the breeder too much. A lot of work has gone into the kitten’s development.

Buying from a respected breeder that specializes in Maine Coons will ensure you get the best chance at a healthy and cared for kitten.

Ultimately it’s a matter of choice for each Maine Coon buyer.

Going for the most expensive isn’t necessary. There are plenty of great breeders out there that will work with you to select the kitten that’s right for you.

It’s just worth remembering the amount of effort that goes into putting a healthy Maine Coon kitten into the world.

Deciding what the price is you should pay for that, well, that’s up to the buyer.