Welcome to our guide to Maine Coon Kittens.
We have decided to separate this wonderful breed of kitty from our usual standard information, because she has a few important differences.
Main Coon kittens grow into particularly large cats.
Sometimes weighing up to 20lbs.
This means that a lot of the usual growth and feeding charts don’t really apply to them.
So we’ll be looking at how to feed and raise your Maine Coon Kitten, as well as at how to find a Maine Coon and at the various options for bringing one of these beautiful cats into your life.
Helping you to decide whether a gorgeous Maine Coon kitten is the right choice for you and your family.
What Is A Main Coon Kitten?
A Maine Coon Kitten is a baby Maine Coon cat.
Maine Coons are known for their large size, gorgeous long cats, pointed ear tufts and loving personalities.
They are often commented as being closer in temperament to dogs then to their fellow felines.
You can find out all about adult Maine Coon Cats in our extensive breed guide here.
But that’s not the only way to find out all about these wonderful kittens.
Maine Coon Kittens Pictures and Stories
A great way to do some initial research on Main Coon Kittens is to check out pictures and stories about them that real owners have shared online.
Maine Coon Kittens are beautiful, so there are stacks of Main Coon Kitten images to be found.
Here are some of our favourite Maine Coon Kitten Sites and social media pages.
The Maine Coon Cat Club and Maine Coon Breed Society are designed to help Maine Coon owners and those in the cat showing community. They have lots of information and some gorgeous Maine Coon kittens pictures too.
The Maine Coon Lovers Instagram Page and Maine Coon Cat Nation Pinterest Page and are packed with lovely Maine Coon kitten images for you to flick through.
You can also find lots of short personal stories about Maine Coon kittens from their owners on the Maine Coon Nation Facebook page.
Maine Coon Kitten Characteristics
Maine Coon kittens are often a little larger than your average kitten, due to their larger final size. They will have the characteristic tufts on the ends of their ears and a glossy often long coat.
Your Maine Coon kitten will probably be obsessed with being together. She will follow you around, and take great pleasure in being cuddled or curled up on your lap. She will be loving, loyal and probably quite chatty too.
But Maine Coon kittens are not just lap cats, but very playful and active little characters. Make sure that you have lots of toys, climbing trees and scratching posts ready for your Maine Coon kitten to interact with.
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Is a Maine Coon Kitten right for you?
Maine Coon Kittens are adorable little kitties, who rapidly turn into equally adorable but rather larger, cats.
In addition to their great need for companionship, Maine Coon Kittens have some other very important requirements. These including potty training, feeding and grooming needs.
You will need to carefully consider all of these and the impact that they will have on your life, and your ongoing financial budget, before committing to one.
And if you’re thinking of introducing one to a cat you already own, read this article for some great tips.
Potty training your Maine Coon Kitten
All kittens need potty training, and your Maine Coon kitten should be similarly easy to potty train as any other breed of cat.
Most Maine Coon breeders will not let their kittens go to their new homes until they are at least 12 weeks old. They should at this point have been well litter box trained at home. So all you need to do is continue with the breeder’s good work.
Begin by introducing your Maine Coon kitten to a single room, which contains a litter box. Make this one of the main rooms you use in the house, so that your kitten has company. Make the litter box easy for him to find, and if possible put it in a corner of the room.
You can find more great information on litter training a kitten in this extensive free online guide.
As Maine Coons have long fur, you will need to use a non-clumping kitty litter. One which won’t get stuck to him when he goes to the bathroom.
Grooming your Maine Coon Kitten
Grooming your Maine Coon kitten is an important part of his daily care.
Gorgeous long fur comes with extra risks of matting, which need to be avoided to keep him healthy and happy, as well as looking in peek condition.
From the first days your Maine Coon kitten is home, get him used to being handled and touched by a wide tooth steel comb.
Make sure he becomes acclimatised to you running your hands and the comb all over his body, including this legs and belly where the fur can become tangled.
When your Maine Coon kitten is used to being groomed, you can progress to using a finer toothed comb.
Feeding your Maine Coon Kitten
Feeding your Maine Coon kitten the right diet is important.
Due to the prevalence of hip dysplasia in Maine Coon cats, it is even more important to keep them at an optimal low weight for their size.
Feeding a Maine Coon kitten on high protein, low carbohydrate food is recommended. They will grow quickly and should not be given a diet that encourages more rapid growth than their hips can handle.
Ask your breeder before you bring your kitten home, what food they recommend. Some Maine Coon kitten breeders will have fed them on a raw diet, which you might wish to continue to use.
You can find some great standard kitten feeding information in this article.
Finding A Maine Coon Kitten
So you have looked into all of the important aspects of caring for a Maine Coon Kitten, and you are happy that you can commit to all of them?
Then it’s time to find your Maine Coon Kitten.
There are a few options for seeking your new companion, and the first one we will look at is approaching Maine Coon Kitten Breeders.
Maine Coon Kitten Breeders
Finding the right Maine Coon kitten breeder will give you the best chance of a well bred, well tempered, healthy cat.
Contacting the Maine Coon society is a great way to find registered breeders. You can look at adverts online, but need to be aware that not every breeder is a good breeder.
Your Maine Coon kitten’s breeder should have had various health tests carried out on the parents. These should include DNA testing for the HCM, SMA and PK deficiency genes. They should also have had x-ray hip checks to confirm no signs of hip dysplasia, and heart scans.
The kittens themselves should be vet checked and tested clear for Felv/Fiv and RW. They should also have been wormed and had their first vaccinations.
The cats should be kept indoors, and have another purpose beyond having kittens. Whether this is as a family pet or show cat. They should be clearly loved and have a friendly temperament when you meet the mother.
Maine Coon Kittens Price and Availability
Maine Coon Kittens price can vary wildly depending on your location. In some States or Counties they will cost more than others, due to availability and simply the average financial strength of that area.
What you can be sure of, is that well bred, health tested, show quality Maine Coon kittens do not come cheaply.
In the United States Maine Coon kittens cost varies from around $700 – $1,500.
In the United Kingdom you will find pure bred kittens available from around £400 – £1,000.
Those kittens that come from fully health tested parents will be more towards the expensive end of the spectrum. However, bear in mind that these tests will potentially save you a huge amount of money in terms of veterinary bills in the long run. Not to mention a lot of heart ache.
Maine Coon Kitten Mixed Breed
A cheaper way to find a cat with Maine Coon heritage can be to look for a Maine Coon kitten mix.
It is still important that the Maine Coon parent has had the appropriate health tests and that the kittens have been well cared for.
Sometimes people deliberately cross breed, or a Maine Coon Cat owner may have accidentally let her female Maine Coon get pregnant.
Be wary if the mother cat is not a Maine Coon and the owners ‘think’ the father is. Cat litters can be sired by multiple fathers and unless the female lives entirely indoors and the mating is supervised, it is very difficult to be certain which kitten is sired by which cat.
Be aware that when you are buying a cross bred kitten, there is no way to predict how Main Coon like their adult look and temperament will be. This doesn’t mean they won’t become a wonderful cat and companion of course. Just that you might not end up with exactly the type of kitty you were ideally hoping for.
Finding Maine Coon Kittens For Adoption
Another way of finding a Maine Coon kitten is by adopting one from a shelter.
They won’t come with papers, and are unlikely to be from health tested parents, but you will be offering a home to a kitten in need.
You get the satisfaction of rescuing a kitten, the support of the adoption agency and let’s face it, you will also probably pay considerably less.
Maine Coon Rescue Societies
Here are some agencies that you might like to consider when searching for Maine Coon kittens for adoption:
You do not need to go to a Maine Coon specific rescue club to potentially find a Maine Coon kitten for adoption.
Contact your local cat rescue charities and let them know that you are looking for a Maine Coon kitten or mix to adopt.
Be prepared that you might have a bit of a wait, as Maine Coons are a popular breed and do not come into rescue centers too frequently.
Main Coon Kittens – Is Now The Right Time For Your Family?
Maine Coon Kittens grow into beautiful, hardy, and affectionate family cats. They grow larger and more slowly than most kittens and their fantastic coats take a lot of grooming
If you enjoy grooming pets, and are happy to own a large cat, a Maine Coon Kitten may be just right for your family.
Check out the rescue societies mentioned above or find a reputable breeder.
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Extremely informative, I just adopted two female Maine Coon kittens who are five months old. I love them so. I was told they are a Maine Coon Mix. The mother is a Maine Coon, and it is not known who the father is. For all I know the father could be Maine Coon also. They look just like a Maine Coon kitten. They are investigating their Forevor Home right now. I love watching them explore everything. They are so precious.
Hi
I’ve got two grey kittens from different litters. One is long haired, looks identical to the picture at the top (a female) called Jerry, and the other short haired (a male) called Tom. From reading your article I definitely see she is part Maine coon.
They are inseparable and play endlessly. However, Jerry shows the Maine Coon traits, she is larger than Tom, always waiting for us when we come home, curious, plays the whole time, loves new toys and above all talks to us with little kitten noises. I’m so glad we got another playmate for her.