If you’ve ever met one, you would just know. And if you haven’t, it’s hard to put into words exactly how mesmerizing, and almost magical, they are. For one, they are the largest cat you’ve likely ever seen. They are, on one hand, extremely regal and full of majesty, and on the other complete goofballs, super playful, and a true gentle giant. People describe them as dog-like, but that may actually do them a disservice for people who don’t like dogs. They are very much a cat. But one who will be your most affectionate, loyal companion. They want to be with you on the sofa, and they want to follow you from room to room. They would love to go for walks outside, to play fetch, and just run with you in the breeze. So far, I’ve yet to see any of them have an aggressive streak. I attribute this to the many, many, generations they have been around humans and other animals. They just really, really, like us.

Maine Coons have a very distinct strong muzzle, large eyes, and ears with lynx tips (a tuft of hair that makes their ears appear even larger and longer). They have a ruff of hair on their chests which is commonly referred to as their mane. The other telltale sign is their tale! Maine Coons have a glorious glamourous, 70’s blowout style tail. All of these physical characteristics, and their massive size, combine to create what some might describe as fearsome and intimidating. And, depending on their coloring, I would agree! A ginger cat just looks like a fun furry friend, whilst a black smoke cat will look like it stalked it’s way strait out of the jungle to take over a spot on the sofa.

It all has to do with Pedigree and bloodlines, which to some buyers can make or break a choice of cat.

Marigold is an outstanding and rare dilute red Maine Coon which we got from Olympic Mountain Maine Coons to start our program specifically for breeding and raising the most robust and hardy line of working barn cats, however she has no legitimacy in the Cat Fancier world because her grandmother, or great grandmother, was never registered. She has been genetically tested and has a clear DNA panel. Her Kittens will be just as lovable and loyal and giant and majestic (and hopefully pass on that rare color too!). She was raised in our barn with goats and has the natural instincts to protect their food source. She is an incredible hunter and loves her outdoor crew and goats dearly. She’s recently adapted to indoor life (very quickly and easily) as we did not want any “accidents” happening with local toms. Her kittens, if we choose to share them outside of our farm, will be a rare find, as it’s typically very hard to find working cats like Marigold.

Nyx is a pedigreed Maine Coon. She was specifically chosen by us for her unique and highly sought after look, her outstanding color, the intensity of her features and, of course, her size. We got her from Idaho Maine Coons, who put a lot of time, effort, and money, to pair incredible bloodlines to create a cat like Nyx, and we hope to do the same going forward.

Mother nature is unpredictable, so we will never guarantee a time or frequency of litters. Our goal is to have 2-4 pairings (breedings) a year. With the hope of litters in the spring/summer and in the fall/winter.

A follow up question, would be “How long will my wait be?” That depends on how many people are on the waitlist and how many kittens are born. I hope to not have a waitlist longer than a year.

A deposit is non-refundable. This is because this is a live animal that we are spending that money on to raise and take care of. Its health and the health of its mother are our number one priority. That deposit goes toward food, veterinary costs, possible emergency costs, housing costs, etc. Deposits are an agreement that you want one of our kittens, it’s also a solid way to track interest and lets us know how many future litters to plan for. You can pay a deposit and stay on the waitlist until your dream kitten is born. If you pick a kitten and then change your mind or are unable to take possession of a chosen kitten, at the agreed upon time, your deposit will be held, and can be put towards a new kitten within a year.

We are in Washington State, near Seattle. We would prefer that you pick up your kitten from us in person, however, we can meet in-the-middle if you live further away and have a longer drive. or we can make arrangements to send a kitten via air, with a flight nanny. Costs for travel and flights would be covered by the purchaser.

Depends entirely on how many mats you want to brush out! My Maine Coons have been very good at taking care of their own coats, I’ve made a habit of taking out the brush every day and giving them a few passes, mainly so that they are used to being handled in that way, and it’s a good chance to do a full body inspection at the same time. I do a more thorough brushing about twice a week in the spring/summer when the hair is starting to shed more, and maybe twice a month in the fall/winter. More if they are willing participants. They will definitely shed, but the more pressing issue would be matting. You should not allow that to happen, or you’ll be subjecting the cat to unnecessary pain, and will likely have to shave areas, Nail clipping is about once a month. If you have robust scratching posts and a lot of climbing gear, the clipping is not as often. The outdoor beasts — I don’t clip them at all.

In the past 25 years of experience with cats we’ve run the gambit of toys and litter boxes and scratching posts, and I really believe that the more you can spoil them with places to climb, and jump, and hide, and scratch, and snuggle — the better for them and you. That applies to all breeds of cats! However, because of their enormous size, if you can, I recommend wall-mounted or tip-resistant climbing trees and/or a set of wall-mounted climbing shelves. I found some great sisal tiles (originally meant for outdoor living spaces), and attached them vertically on our wall! It’s not only a great scratching pad, but some advanced climbers use it to scale the walls. Sometimes, you have to go beyond the pet store and DIY some fun stuff!

I also love the convenience of an Automatic Litter Box, (we use one for our Oriental Short Hair cats), but when a Maine Coon reaches full height, they will undoubtably get litter dust on their heads! Gross. I would instead recommend getting an extra deep, extra big, open litter box and clean it out daily. For our cattery we use cement mixing tubs which are about twice the size of a regular litter box. If you have the room for it, it’s a game changer. The cats have more space, so less litter ends up on the floor.

Basically, all toys and accessories are double the size and strength, because your cat is.

I’m happy to share our supplies list with anyone interested. Just shoot me an email!

Honestly, with having a range of 3-10 cats at any given time, it’s hard to know just how much one cat eats. I will say that at full grown, one male will eat about 2-3 cups of dry food and 1 can of wet food a day. (and probably too many Churu sticks!) It’s an investment for sure. I try to strike a balance of the healthiest, yet affordable food, and not straying too far into small batch territory where there are many recalls a year. At the moment we feed all of our cats a range of Purina Pro Plan. From Kitten, to Indoor, to High Protein for the barn cats. As long as they are thriving, I will likely stick with it since I can buy in large amounts and can find it pretty much anywhere. Should you want to try another diet, even raw, I support that. I trust that if someone is investing in the cost of a purebred animal, they will want to do right by them.

I do not have rules about where you choose to home your kitten. I do recommend that you do a lot of research prior to raising an outdoor kitten, and what that takes. I would also warn about the realities of farm life and caution that a working barn cat will likely have a more dangerous (and expensive!) life, and sadly a shorter lifespan. I would absolutely make sure that any animal is spayed or neutered before being allowed to roam free. An unaltered feline will roam and go looking for a mate. Your cat will leave your property, and the likelihood of them returning is very low. So please educate yourself and be aware of the risks of outdoor animals. Spaying/Neutering is part of any kitten’s contract regardless of if they are indoor or out.

Life certainly has a way of throwing curveballs when you least expect it, and I could share plenty of our own stories on that. So, we sympathize with anyone who is in the heartbreaking position where the only option is to rehome their beloved pet. Mae Dae Maine Coons will always have our doors open for any Mae Dae Maine Coon who needs a home. We DO NOT want them being passed on to a roommate without our knowledge, and we certainly DO NOT want them surrendered to a shelter. We can help in the rehoming process, and we will work with a roommate/friend/brother/grandmother etc. to make sure they are a good fit, if that is less stressful for the cat. In any event, please contact us first when you find yourself in this unbearable situation.