My fiancée and I are looking into purchasing a Maine Coon kitten. The more research we do, the more concerned we become with the heart health of this breed. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations in this regard?
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Maine Coon Cat Healthy
- Thread starter joshgw1
- Start Date
I would suggest you consider rescuing/adopting a maine coon from a shelter. petfinder.com lets you specify breeds and locations and will direct you to shelters and rescue groups that have or even specialize in maine coons. If buying one is the option you insist on, make sure you go to a qualified and reputable breeder and not a pet store. I can't speak to that illness issue, perhaps someone else can.
You might want to consider asking in the breeders forum. http://www.thecatsite.com/f/7/showing-and-ethical-breeding I don't really know anything about which breeders are good and which aren't. I have always had moggie rescues. I do know that there is a genetic predisposition to heart problems in the Maine Coon breed. A responsible breeder will do all they can to breed healthy cats that are free of this health issue. Of course no breeder can guarantee that one of their kittens will have a long healthy life but they will do all they can to ensure a kitten is healthy and genetically sound.
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Thanks for your suggestion. We have looked into breeders and many of them are registered with CFA and TICA, but we still have some concerns. Maybe we are being too over protective but we would just hate to see a member of our family sick! The main issue we are worried about is HCM - Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
I believe there is a DNA test that breeders can do to determine if their cat is a carrier of the heart problems. Here is some informationa bout it. http://www.affectionatelycats.com/heart-disease-in-maine-coon-cats/
You want to find a breeder that has genetic testing done on their breeding cats for the HCM mutation known to be in the breed , and also has the cats ECGs done regularly. The breeder should have no problem answering questions or showing proof of the tests.
There are still a lot of MCs who are free of this.
Here's a link from the veterinary genetics lab at UC Davis, telling about the genetic test. http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/cat/MaineCoonHCM.php
Health info on the site of a major Maine Coon breed club ( unfortunately this is several yrs old and the links don't all work) I think at the time it was written, was not too long since they had discovered the mutation. . http://www.mcbfa.org/healthfiles.html
For an example of what to look for, here is a link to a page on the site of a very good Maine Coon breeder. http://www.chemicoons.com/#!theo/cf5c This is the page for one of her cats, Theo , who was the top Maine Coon in TICA the last show season. ( I have seen him many times and WOW what a stunning Maine Coon! with a great personality.) You can see it has listed all the health testing he has had done. I am sure she would show the results to someone seriously inquiring about a kitten.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a pedigreed Maine Coon kitten bred for great temperament and health as well as beauty, that has been well socialized and given the best care. By getting a pet kitten from a really dedicated breeder , you are actually contributing in your own small way to preserving this historic breed.
Of course kittens enjoy having a playmate & one option might be to adopt a domestic longhair or shorthair kitten or playful adult from a shelter.
There are still a lot of MCs who are free of this.
Here's a link from the veterinary genetics lab at UC Davis, telling about the genetic test. http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/cat/MaineCoonHCM.php
Health info on the site of a major Maine Coon breed club ( unfortunately this is several yrs old and the links don't all work) I think at the time it was written, was not too long since they had discovered the mutation. . http://www.mcbfa.org/healthfiles.html
For an example of what to look for, here is a link to a page on the site of a very good Maine Coon breeder. http://www.chemicoons.com/#!theo/cf5c This is the page for one of her cats, Theo , who was the top Maine Coon in TICA the last show season. ( I have seen him many times and WOW what a stunning Maine Coon! with a great personality.) You can see it has listed all the health testing he has had done. I am sure she would show the results to someone seriously inquiring about a kitten.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a pedigreed Maine Coon kitten bred for great temperament and health as well as beauty, that has been well socialized and given the best care. By getting a pet kitten from a really dedicated breeder , you are actually contributing in your own small way to preserving this historic breed.
Of course kittens enjoy having a playmate & one option might be to adopt a domestic longhair or shorthair kitten or playful adult from a shelter.
I show on the CFA circuit, and I lost one to HCM. He was diagnosed, at 10 months old, and I was told by 2 cardiologists, he would not live past 1 yr old. He lived to be 5, so....they were wrong. The 2 replacement kittens I got from the breeder, which is a totally different line, are very healthy, and have been winning on the circuit, both finish in the top 10 in their Region.
HCM can affect only 1 kitten in the litter, and the others are fine, it can also skip a generation. It skips all over, and they don't know why, yet. Males are more prone, but females can get it too.
Maine Coons and Ragdolls are prone to HCM, but on a smaller extent, so are Persians and Bengals, and some other breeds.
It doesn't mean they "will" get it, it just means they are prone to it.
Even unregistered kitties can get HCM, being unregistered, doesn't preclude them from getting it.
Are you looking for a pet quality kitten or a show kitten?
The reason they test for HCM, is to remove the positive ones, from the breeding program, so they do not further the chance of HCM. Even if a kitty tests negative, it does not mean, they cannot get it, in the future, but thats not to say, they will. My 2 kittens are fine. When he passed, the breeder said when I get ready, she will give me another kitten, and I will be getting one. That line he came from, no longer exsists, and it was a championship line.
Any kitten you get, breed or unregistered, there is no guarantee, something won't happen in the future, sometimes, stuff happens. I have rescues too. One is a crystal kitty and I just lost one in August, due to cancer, neither were registered, they were rescues.
Boards are filled, with kitties who are not registered, but have some kind of health issue, its like people, some get sick, some do not.
If you really want to get a Maine Coon kitten, then don't let the HCM stop you. There are very responsible breeders out there, that test.
If you want to paw mail me, with where you are located, I can put you in touch with some very good breeders, I got contacts all over.
If you need information, regarding the jist, of how it works, when you purchase a kitten from a breeder, be very glad to help you.
Another thing you can do, is check the CFA site, for suspensions and probations, it lists people and catteries.
http://www.cfainc.org/Portals/0/documents/org/disciplinary-suspensions.pdf
Here is the link to Maine Coons.
http://www.cfainc.org/Breeds/BreedsKthruR/MaineCoon.aspx
Please let me know if you have any questions, be very glad to help you.
HCM can affect only 1 kitten in the litter, and the others are fine, it can also skip a generation. It skips all over, and they don't know why, yet. Males are more prone, but females can get it too.
Maine Coons and Ragdolls are prone to HCM, but on a smaller extent, so are Persians and Bengals, and some other breeds.
It doesn't mean they "will" get it, it just means they are prone to it.
Even unregistered kitties can get HCM, being unregistered, doesn't preclude them from getting it.
Are you looking for a pet quality kitten or a show kitten?
The reason they test for HCM, is to remove the positive ones, from the breeding program, so they do not further the chance of HCM. Even if a kitty tests negative, it does not mean, they cannot get it, in the future, but thats not to say, they will. My 2 kittens are fine. When he passed, the breeder said when I get ready, she will give me another kitten, and I will be getting one. That line he came from, no longer exsists, and it was a championship line.
Any kitten you get, breed or unregistered, there is no guarantee, something won't happen in the future, sometimes, stuff happens. I have rescues too. One is a crystal kitty and I just lost one in August, due to cancer, neither were registered, they were rescues.
Boards are filled, with kitties who are not registered, but have some kind of health issue, its like people, some get sick, some do not.
If you really want to get a Maine Coon kitten, then don't let the HCM stop you. There are very responsible breeders out there, that test.
If you want to paw mail me, with where you are located, I can put you in touch with some very good breeders, I got contacts all over.
If you need information, regarding the jist, of how it works, when you purchase a kitten from a breeder, be very glad to help you.
Another thing you can do, is check the CFA site, for suspensions and probations, it lists people and catteries.
http://www.cfainc.org/Portals/0/documents/org/disciplinary-suspensions.pdf
Here is the link to Maine Coons.
http://www.cfainc.org/Breeds/BreedsKthruR/MaineCoon.aspx
Please let me know if you have any questions, be very glad to help you.
Thanks, Flint!
@joshgw1, I asked Flint to come to this thread , and I would certainly recommend you get in touch and get Flint's advice and recommendations. Flint shows mostly in CFA so of course will know the CFA breeders better , but for TICA recommendations , you could try contacting members of TICA's Maine Coon breed committee -- that includes Liz Hansen the breeder whose site I linked above.
Oh & to give Theo ( the Maine Coon boy I linked to show an example of health testing done for a Maine Coon stud cat) his due credit, I should say he was not only the top Maine Coon internationally in TICA last year, he in fact was the Best Cat in TICA in the USA and 4th best internationally -- not "just" of his own breed but ALL the breeds.
Flint would probably know more about this, but there's a generalization that CFA likes Maine Coons with a more "sweet look" , and TICA likes Maine Coons with a more "wild look", ( This is not about temperament. Maine Coons I have seen at shows in both associations were friendly and sweet in temperament. ) . & also in general , the continental European clubs seem to go more toward the TICA style.
The standards are not radically different; it seems a lot of it comes down to interpretation. Some cats show well in both associations.
Probably there's often a range of type within a litter.
Of course the most important is health and temperament.
@joshgw1, I asked Flint to come to this thread , and I would certainly recommend you get in touch and get Flint's advice and recommendations. Flint shows mostly in CFA so of course will know the CFA breeders better , but for TICA recommendations , you could try contacting members of TICA's Maine Coon breed committee -- that includes Liz Hansen the breeder whose site I linked above.
Oh & to give Theo ( the Maine Coon boy I linked to show an example of health testing done for a Maine Coon stud cat) his due credit, I should say he was not only the top Maine Coon internationally in TICA last year, he in fact was the Best Cat in TICA in the USA and 4th best internationally -- not "just" of his own breed but ALL the breeds.
Flint would probably know more about this, but there's a generalization that CFA likes Maine Coons with a more "sweet look" , and TICA likes Maine Coons with a more "wild look", ( This is not about temperament. Maine Coons I have seen at shows in both associations were friendly and sweet in temperament. ) . & also in general , the continental European clubs seem to go more toward the TICA style.
The standards are not radically different; it seems a lot of it comes down to interpretation. Some cats show well in both associations.
Probably there's often a range of type within a litter.
Of course the most important is health and temperament.
Breed kitties are judged by breed standards. I gave you a link to Maine Coon, and a link to all the breeds. Or think of it, as confirmation, a term, from the horse show world. You get points, you get penalized, and there are even DQ traits. A DQ trait does not keep them from being registered, but a DQ trait, disqualify (DQ) them from being shown. A polydactal MC is a DQ trait in CFA, but it is allowed, in TICA. If I can remember right, and its been a few years, since we tried a few TICA shows, polydactals, were highly prized, that, or at that time, they were what is considered, a "new breed" in TICA. maewkaew? They had classes for the "new breeds" but they don't get any points for them. I watched the MC ones on Friday night, it was very interesting.
Judges judge the kitties, by the breed standards, and as with any competition, their interpertation of them, as well as personality and how much they play on the table and climb the pole. Color comes into play too, its what strikes the judges fancy, and just as in fashion, certain colors tend to do better than others, or "in vogue".
For the most part, Maine Coons are very laid back, gentle giants, as they are referred to. But, just like people, they are individuals. I have seen some very laid, very well behaved ones, ones who love to show, and I have seen some nasty ones. One thing I do remember from TICA, at that time, the Silver tabbys were highly prized, but for the most part, they tended to be nasty.
I grew up on a show horse farm, we showed the AQHA circuit. You showed your horse, in a halter and lead, for halter classes and bridle and saddle, for the pleasure classes. You never, at any time, did not have physical control over them. My parents taught us, animals are to be well treated and well fed. As kids, we were given a registered Persian, friends of my father showed Persians. Back then, they looked more like Maine Coons, and not the smushed in faces of today. She was deemed "per quality" and given to us kids, as a kitten.
So my father took us kids to a cat show.
It was way cool! What struck us the most, is there were no collors, no leashes, no nothing....on these kitties, they were placed on the judging table, and they just stayed there, same with their bench table. I saw this kitty, that was laying on his bench table, like he was watching TV, never attempted to get off the table. My father asked the very nice people, what breed is he. They said Maine Coon, this is how they are. I was hooked.
When the economy took my farm and horses, I thought about that kitty, of so very long ago, and I went looking.
The breeder said he was "pet quality", he would never make a Final. But there was just something about his little personality. By the time he was 6 months old, he was in first place in his Region. In first place in his Region, at 10 months old. Even with everything I went thru, I don't...for one second.....regret getting him, he brought such joy to my life. He was my baby boy.
In CFA we refer to ours, as "more refined", than in TICA, and a little bigger, in size. Not a critisism, or judgement, just an oberservation. In CFA he pretty much could not be beat. We tried a few TICA shows, and barely even Finaled. The only judge that would Final him, and place him Best, was the LH judge, the others hated him. I was finally told, by some, that he was too big, and too refined, for TICA. Was benched next to another lady, very nice, that had a MC, she wasn't making a Final either, he was huge and had a very pretty face. I told her to come on the CFA circuit, they would love him.
Maewkaew is correct, weather you are looking for a show kitten, or a pet kitten, personality is what you look for first.
Judges judge the kitties, by the breed standards, and as with any competition, their interpertation of them, as well as personality and how much they play on the table and climb the pole. Color comes into play too, its what strikes the judges fancy, and just as in fashion, certain colors tend to do better than others, or "in vogue".
For the most part, Maine Coons are very laid back, gentle giants, as they are referred to. But, just like people, they are individuals. I have seen some very laid, very well behaved ones, ones who love to show, and I have seen some nasty ones. One thing I do remember from TICA, at that time, the Silver tabbys were highly prized, but for the most part, they tended to be nasty.
I grew up on a show horse farm, we showed the AQHA circuit. You showed your horse, in a halter and lead, for halter classes and bridle and saddle, for the pleasure classes. You never, at any time, did not have physical control over them. My parents taught us, animals are to be well treated and well fed. As kids, we were given a registered Persian, friends of my father showed Persians. Back then, they looked more like Maine Coons, and not the smushed in faces of today. She was deemed "per quality" and given to us kids, as a kitten.
So my father took us kids to a cat show.
It was way cool! What struck us the most, is there were no collors, no leashes, no nothing....on these kitties, they were placed on the judging table, and they just stayed there, same with their bench table. I saw this kitty, that was laying on his bench table, like he was watching TV, never attempted to get off the table. My father asked the very nice people, what breed is he. They said Maine Coon, this is how they are. I was hooked.
When the economy took my farm and horses, I thought about that kitty, of so very long ago, and I went looking.
The breeder said he was "pet quality", he would never make a Final. But there was just something about his little personality. By the time he was 6 months old, he was in first place in his Region. In first place in his Region, at 10 months old. Even with everything I went thru, I don't...for one second.....regret getting him, he brought such joy to my life. He was my baby boy.
In CFA we refer to ours, as "more refined", than in TICA, and a little bigger, in size. Not a critisism, or judgement, just an oberservation. In CFA he pretty much could not be beat. We tried a few TICA shows, and barely even Finaled. The only judge that would Final him, and place him Best, was the LH judge, the others hated him. I was finally told, by some, that he was too big, and too refined, for TICA. Was benched next to another lady, very nice, that had a MC, she wasn't making a Final either, he was huge and had a very pretty face. I told her to come on the CFA circuit, they would love him.
Maewkaew is correct, weather you are looking for a show kitten, or a pet kitten, personality is what you look for first.
