Waiting list for a litter: how waiting for a Maine Coon kitten works

You decide to buy a kitten and find that the cattery you like has none available, and the next litter is six months away. The first impulse is to look somewhere that has kittens now. That's usually a mistake.

Why there are so few kittens

A cattery's arithmetic isn't what buyers imagine. A proper cattery is small: two or three queens and one stud. Each queen has a limited number of litters: there are breaks between them, she isn't mated every time she comes into heat, and after a few litters she is retired from breeding and stays on at home.

Maine Coon litters are usually small. The breeder may keep some kittens for future breeding, and some go to other catteries by prior arrangement. So there aren't many kittens for sale in a year, and they're shared out among the people who have asked.

So if a seller "always has kittens", that's a sign not of a successful cattery but of a production line.

How the waiting list works

Every cattery has its own procedure, but the general pattern is similar.

First you get in touch and tell the breeder about yourself: what your home is like, whether you have children or other pets, how long the cat will be alone, whether you want a pet or a cat for breeding, and whether you have a preference for sex or colour. The question of price comes later. The breeder puts your name down, usually with no deposit or only a token sum, since there are no kittens yet at this stage.

Next, the breeder tells you the plans: when the mating is expected and roughly when the litter should be born. After the birth you get a message saying how many kittens there are and their sexes and colours. People choose in the order of the list, though not always strictly (more on that below).

The reservation is made after you've seen the kittens, usually when they're six to eight weeks old and already differ in type and temperament. The kitten moves to its new home at three months, after two vaccinations and quarantine.

It often takes six months or more from your first message to having the kitten at home. That's normal.

Why the queue isn't always strict

The breeder matches a kitten to what you're looking for, and your place on the list isn't everything. If you want a female and the litter is all males, your turn moves to the next litter: nobody has jumped ahead of you, there just isn't a suitable kitten.

The same goes for colour, class and temperament. A kitten that clearly seeks out people and climbs into your arms will suit a family with a child, while a more independent one will do well with someone who works long hours.

Some people get priority, too: some catteries give preference to those who have had a kitten from them before. That's understandable, since the breeder already knows how these people look after their animals.

A decent breeder explains their reasoning. If you're told "this kitten isn't right for you", ask why. The answer is usually a sensible one.

How to use the waiting time

Six months is plenty of time to prepare properly. You could look at other catteries, for instance. There's no point hunting for whoever is quickest, but comparing is useful: three catteries give you an understanding that one can't.

Go to a cat show. For a buyer it's the best possible use of time: dozens of adult Maine Coons from different lines in one hall, and you can talk to their owners. In two hours you'll learn more about the breed than in a month of browsing ads, and you'll also see how big a cat really gets.

It's also worth getting to grips with the paperwork: what a birth certificate and a pedigree are, how to read DNA test results for HCM, PKdef and SMA, what N/N and N/HCM mean, and why a yearly heart scan is needed.

Get your home ready. You'll need a litter box at least ninety centimetres long, a heavy scratching post at least a metre tall, wide shallow bowls, water placed away from the food, and a carrier of the right size. Most important of all, fit cat-proof screens on the windows: an ordinary mosquito net won't hold a cat and falls out together with it.

And take an honest look at yourself. A Maine Coon copes badly with being alone, keeps growing until three or four, and is nobody's idea of a lap cat. Six months is enough to work out whether this is the breed for you.

What to do if you miss out

It happens all the time: the whole litter is spoken for and there's no kitten left for you.

The calmest option is to stay on the list for the next litter. You already know the breeder, they know what you're looking for, and next time everything will go faster.

You can also ask for a recommendation. Breeders know each other, and a good cattery will happily tell you who has suitable kittens right now. It's a great way to find someone reliable, by the way: a recommendation from a fellow breeder carries more weight than a review on a website.

What you shouldn't do is go somewhere just because they have a kitten right now.

How to tell a real waiting list from hype

Scarcity can also be manufactured: it's a well-known sales trick.

With a real waiting list, the breeder calmly gives you timescales and explains what they depend on. They don't rush you, they ask questions themselves, and they may say no. They show you the plan: which queen, which mating, when the litter is expected. They don't ask for large sums up front and don't mind if you're looking at other catteries at the same time.

With hype, you hear: "Last kitten, decide today", "There's another buyer, pay the deposit right now", "This price is only good until tomorrow". They want a large deposit immediately and answer questions with irritation. And yet they have kittens available all the time, all year round.

It's easy to test: say you need a day to think it over. The reaction will tell you who you're dealing with.

Is it worth the wait?

In return for waiting you get a cat from a line with checked health, known ancestry, documents, a breeder who stays in touch, and a kitten that grew up in a home among people rather than in a pen.

Getting a kitten right now usually means getting it from a backyard breeder or a reseller: they really do always have kittens. On the day you buy, you can't see the difference. It shows up a year later, in health, type and temperament.

Home in Raksi Maine Coon cattery, St Petersburg. Our litter plans and available kittens are on the Kittens page. To join the waiting list, message us on VK (in Russian).