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There are several reasons why a well-bred Maine Coon is so expensive. Let's start with the recent popularity of the Maine Coon. The Maine Coon cat is the largest domestic cat breed. They are oftentimes referred to as the gentle giant of the cat world. Because of their dog-like temperament and high intelligence, many pet lovers find themselves quickly smitten with the breed. With the rise in popularity, there has been an ever-increasing demand by those unfamiliar with the written standard to obtain a cat with a more extreme or feral look, and for coat colors, patterns, and eye colors that are not standard for a well-bred Maine Coon. Sadly, these things have made the already difficult process of interviewing and selecting just the right breeder an even more challenging process to navigate.
Pet lovers who don’t already own a purebred kitten or cat are usually shocked when they initially hear the price for a well-bred pedigree pet, especially one as popular as the Maine Coon cat. These same individuals usually attempt to find a kitten priced “too good to be true” and end up getting scammed, or with an unregistered mixed breed, unhealthy, or ill-tempered pet as a result. Mixed breed kittens and cats obviously deserve just as much love as those with a pedigree; however, a well-bred Maine Coon will cost much more than your typical domestic long hair house cat.
Ethical and responsible preservation breeders will tell you from decades of experience, it’s extremely expensive to breed the right way. Breeders don’t get paid for their time, and what’s rarely talked about is the fact that breeding isn’t just a 24/7 job, it’s a complete lifestyle change! With that being said, let’s break down the various expenses related to ethical and responsible breeding practices and all the associated costs with operating a Maine Coon cattery.
Cost of starting a cattery: When someone first decides to start breeding, oftentimes the upfront cost of purchasing breeding cats is all that’s really thought about or planned for. And, when someone is looking for a pedigree pet to purchase, they aren’t really thinking about the overall cost of breeding (or how it can take years of breeding before the initial cost is recovered, if it’s ever recovered at all). So, let’s break down the initial cost of starting a cattery…
· Cost to register cattery name and be an active member of a cat association: $50/year.
· Cost to register your cattery as an LLC: $500
· Cost to become registered with the State: $400/year.
· Cost to register and maintain a domain name: $50.
· Cost for intact cats with breeding rights: $6000 or more per breeding cat
· Cost to design a website: $2500.
· Cost for initial business supplies (business cards, phone, laptop, photography equipment etc.) – The price for these things varies greatly and is therefore not included in the total upfront cost!!
· TOTAL COST to start a cattery: $15,000-$40,000 (or MORE depending on how many breeding cats you start with)
Then, there’s the realization of ongoing costs like veterinary visits, including emergency care and pet insurance:
· Wellness exam: $150 minimum
· Age-appropriate vaccinations: $300/year per cat
· In-house fecal test (and dewormer as needed): $50
· Flea, tick, and heartworm preventative: $125/month
· PCR lab work (URD, Diarrhea): $300-$500
· Emergency care: $1500 - $3000 several times per year
Cost of routine care: Cat food and supplements, food and water bowls, cat litter and litter boxes, grooming supplies or quarterly grooming
NOTE: We currently spend upwards of $1k a month on these things!!
Cost to properly health screen: In addition to the upfront cost of starting a cattery and the ongoing cost for veterinary care and routine care of breeding cats, then there is the cost for breed specific health testing that needs to be considered. Here is a breakdown of the genetic, cardiac, and orthopedic health screening that Maine Coon breeders perform, and the corresponding cost for each.
· Exam by board certified Veterinary Cardiologist: $300
· Echocardiogram: $600 per cat per year
· Hip X-ray: $300 per cat per year.
· TOTAL COST per breeding cat: $1200
TICA Cost to show: Here is a breakdown of what it typically takes to show a cat with the cat association we are registered with.
· Cat Show entry fee: $100-$300 (Prices vary from club to club, depending on if you take advantage of early bird entry prices, and how many cats you bring.)
· Show hotel: -$150 each night.
· Depending on the location, prices could be much higher, and some hotels change an additional pet fee per pet and/or per night.
· Airfare, Car Rental, Gas: $1500
· MISC Cat show supplies (ex: Sturdi tent, Sturdi grooming station, grooming supplies, portable litter box etc. — NOTE: The price for these things varies greatly and is therefore not included in the total cost to show)
· TOTAL COST PER SHOW: $1200 at a minimum
The importance of showing: We are actively being a participant in exhibitions to validate we are selecting breeding cats and producing offspring according to the written standard. This is an expensive, but important step in breeding. Showing cats and earning titles is the act of achieving unbiased, third-party feedback as to whether a kitten or cat is a good representation of its breed. Breeders that do not actively participate in exhibition run the risk of becoming cattery blind and breeding according to their own preferences, essentially veering from the very standard that (when paired with a pedigree) makes a Maine Coon a Maine Coon and not some other breed of cat. The act of being groomed for a show, traveling to a show, and being handled by judges within the show also helps to reveal if a kitten or cat has the temperament appropriate for the breed. The idea is that the personality traits displayed while preparing to compete and while being handled in the exhibition hall will hopefully be what’s passed down to future offspring.
Additional cost to operate a Cattery: After your account for all the expenses of starting a cattery, properly health screening future breeding cats, and participating in exhibition, it’s also important to consider any additional costs for operating a cattery.
This is not an exhaustive list, but here are some of the top things that come to mind that many breeders will purchase once, monthly, or annually to effectively run their cattery.
· Enrichment (monthly average cost for cat trees, toys, beds, treats, scratching posts, wall perches etc.): $50-$100+
· Loved Pets kitten enclosures: $460-$680
· Urine Away: $55-$75 per gallon
· Rescue disinfectant: $45-$65 per gallon
· Paper towels (monthly cost): $65
· Paper plates (monthly cost): $40
· Washable pee pads at $30 each: $30-$360+
· Stainless steel litter box at $60 each: $60-$600+
· Cat/Kitten/Litter Registration Fees (monthly cost varies): $10-$50+
· Miscellaneous (milk replacer, birthing supplies, supplements etc.): $100-$500+
· Microchipping Kittens: $20-$100 per kitten
· Spay/Neuter Kittens: $75-$350 per kitten
· Go-Home Day kitten kits (week of food, toys, etc.): $50-$200+
· And, if the breeder or breeder’s partner isn’t doing it themself, then there's also the cost for…
· Preparation of business tax returns: $300-$3000
· Routine cleaning of the cattery: $500/month or more
· Pet sitting while away for shows: $60/day or more
· Managing Cattery website: $20-$80/hour
· Social Media Coordinator: $100-$4000/month
· Photographing kittens and cats: $10-$100/hour
· Grooming: $80-$120/each cat
· MISC administration work (reviewing applications, doing phone interviews, maintaining cattery and veterinary records etc.)
· Continuing feline education courses.
You can see why the price of a well-bred Maine Coons is so high. And to be honest, at the end of the day, the price does not bring in much profit at all. It simply pays for the cattery.
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