New With A Question

[MOCAJanelle]

Hello, This is my first visit to thecatsite. I am a (long) lifetime cat owner. I foster pregnant cats and rehome the mother and kittens after they have been neutered. I have done this more times than I can count and it is very fun and fulfilling. Most of the pregnant cats I foster have been taken to the local shelter by owners who don't want to trouble themselves with a pregnant cat. I have always owned two or three cats and my children are the same. All but one of my cats have recently left home to live on college campuses or in other states. I am left with a young, very sweet Calico female. The time is near for her to be spayed, but since I would like another kitten or 2 I have thought about allowing her to have a litter. I would love to breed her with a Maine Coon. This would be strictly for personal pets for myself and family members. The kittens and Mom would all be neutered after this litter. Is this something that is possible? Are there breeders who would do this or is it a goal to keep the Maine Coon line very pure? I have never dealt with a purebred line before. I just love large, fluffy cats and thought this might be the way to go! Forgive me if this is a crazy question! Thank you.

 

[Katie M]

Please don't do this. Every litter produced "just because" takes potential homes away from shelter cats.

 

[Willowy]

No responsible breeder will allow their male to be used for crossbreeding. Most American breeders don't even loan their breeding cats out to other breeders due to the risk of diseases. If you did find someone with an intact purebred adult male who's willing to loan him out, he's either from a bad breeder or they're violating their contract. Either way you want to steer clear.

Since you've worked with shelters, I'm kind of surprised you think this is a good idea.

 

[di and bob]

You might look into Maine Coon 'rescue' sites, I'm sure there are some somewhere. Or a male that is not show quality and needs a home. There are most likely some Maine Coon cats or kittens in shelters somewhere. please give them a home before you create more cats.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Thanks for fostering the pregnant cats and their kittens. There's always so many unwanted cats, especially pregnant ones.

I don't know much about cat genetics, but I'm not even sure if you were able to mate your calico with a Maine Coon, or Maine Coon mix, the result would be the type of kittens you were hoping for. And even though most cats have easy deliveries, there still are risks involved, and I'm sure you would never be able to forgive yourself if something happened to your girl, when the pregnancy could have been avoided.

Since you see firsthand the number of cats needing to be adopted, instead of creating more kittens that need homes, (cats can have up to 9 kittens!!!) why not wait for a large, fluffy cat to arrive at the shelter. With all the fostering you do, I'm sure they would let you have first choice at an adoption.

 

[miagi's_mommy]

Honestly it’s great you’re rescuing and fostering. Please don’t breed though. I have an acquaintance who bottle fed orphaned kittens from the shelter.

Years later she decided to get a bengal then breed them. Now she’s borderline hoarder because nobody wants her kittens. I just wouldn’t breed... keep rescuing and fostering. Plus you can always adopt a Maine coon without adding to unwanted pets.