These are the questions people ask us most before buying a kitten: reservations, prices, documents, health, travel and the first days at home. If your question isn't here, call or write to the breeder.
Available kittens and their prices are on the Kittens page. Pick a kitten and contact the breeder, Alla Gavrilova, by phone on +7 (921) 958-05-30, on Telegram, MAX or VK. We'll tell you more about the kitten and send fresh photos.
The breeder will ask you a few questions too: how you live, whether you've had cats before, why a Maine Coon. We ask because we care where the kitten goes. Then comes the reservation, with a contract and a deposit, and when the kitten is old enough you take it home.
No. If the buyer backs out after reserving, the deposit is not refunded. If you don't come for the kitten by the agreed date and don't warn us, the reservation lapses and the kitten becomes available again. If your plans change, tell us at least a day ahead and we'll work something out together.
If the cattery cancels the contract, you get the whole deposit back. If the kitten falls ill, gets injured or starts lagging in development before the move, we'll tell you and either refund the deposit or, if you agree, move it to another kitten.
Yes, buyers come to us from all over Russia. We'll send photos and videos of the kitten and answer your questions. If you can't come yourself, someone you trust can collect the kitten: the contract is in your name, we'll agree in advance how you sign it remotely, and the rest of the payment is made on the day the kitten leaves the cattery. How the kitten gets to its new home is explained on the Kitten delivery page.
Our official pages are listed on the About us page: the homeinraksi.ru website, our VK group, Telegram channel, MAX, OK.ru, Dzen and YouTube. Any other page called Home in Raksi or Raksi Line isn't ours.
The Raksi Line*RU cattery is registered with WCF under number 4079-2013 and with FIFe since 18 October 2012. Your contract is signed by the breeder, Alla Vladimirovna Gavrilova.
Planned pairings are listed under Breeding plans on the Kittens page. We announce births on our Telegram channel and in our VK group.
To ask for a kitten from a future litter, email raksilinemco@mail.ru. Tell us what you're looking for (male or female, colour, pet or breeding) and we'll let you know when suitable kittens are born.
The price reflects years of work: buying and keeping breeding cats, genetic tests and heart scans of the parents, matings, shows, food, vaccinations, the microchip, vet care and documents. A kitten without a pedigree from an ad is usually cheaper precisely because someone saved on all of that.
Prices differ from kitten to kitten: they depend on breeding quality, colour, parents and whether you're taking the kitten as a pet or for breeding. More on this in What goes into a kitten's price.
Pet means a kitten for a home, without breeding rights. Breed can be used for breeding. Show suggests show potential, but honestly that class can only be judged in an adult cat by its show results, not in a three-month-old kitten. The contract states whether you are buying the kitten with or without breeding rights.
Pet doesn't mean "defective". Usually it's a small deviation from the breed standard that rules out shows but affects neither health nor temperament. Real defects in a Maine Coon look different: skeletal problems, blindness, deafness. A responsible breeder doesn't hand such kittens to strangers.
More: Which class is my kitten?.
Yes, but breeding kittens go only to registered catteries. Co-ownership is also possible, where the kitten takes part in our breeding programme. The terms are agreed individually with the breeder.
It's a firm rule of the cattery and not up for discussion. Kittens bought as pets leave after neutering. This protects their health and keeps the breed safe from uncontrolled breeding.
Early neutering is safe with proper anaesthesia and means fewer hormonal problems: males don't start spraying, and females have a much lower risk of mammary tumours. More in Early spaying and neutering and Neutering: why? (in Russian).
All our breeding cats are tested for the breed's genetic diseases, vaccinated regularly and treated for parasites. All of them are clear of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), either by their own genetic test or through two clear parents.
HCM, PKdef and SMA test results and heart scans are on the pages of our males and females.
The guarantees are set out in the contract. Within 5 calendar days of the handover you can have the kitten checked at a licensed vet clinic at your own expense. If the vet confirms the kitten was already unwell at the handover, you can return it and get your money back within 14 working days of the return. Any disputed tests or examinations are done with the breeder present.
The guarantee doesn't cover illness caused by transport, feeding or care after the handover.
Yes, by arrangement. A kitten only travels with a person; we never send one on its own. It's best if you come yourself or send someone you trust. In exceptional cases someone from the cattery brings the kitten, by train or in the plane cabin. We don't use couriers, pet taxis or checked baggage. The buyer pays for the journey, including both ways for a cattery escort. The options and documents are explained on the Kitten delivery page.
The carrier sets the rules, so check them before you buy a ticket. With the kitten you get a vet passport recording its vaccinations and parasite treatments, the pedigree and the contract, and the kitten is microchipped. That is usually enough for travel within Russia. Some airlines want the rabies vaccination done at least 20–30 days before the flight, or ask for a certificate from a state vet clinic. Tell us you're flying when you reserve, and we'll set the handover date so the documents fit. More on the Kitten delivery page.
We agree the reservation period in advance, and the kitten waits for you at the cattery within it. If you need to collect it later, for example because of a holiday or a move, paid boarding is possible as a last resort. Its price and length go into a supplementary agreement to the contract.
Yes, with no time limit. The breeder stays in touch for as long as you need and will help with feeding, grooming, training and vaccinations. You can call any day of the week at a reasonable hour; we're on Moscow time (UTC+3).
Maine Coons are patient and not aggressive, so they suit families with children, as long as the child knows not to pull the cat's tail or wake it up. They get along easily with dogs and other cats if introduced gradually. Birds and rodents need a secure cage with a hunter like this in the house.
Males are bigger: an adult weighs 6–9 kg, a female 4–6.5 kg. Temperament is less obvious than people think. Maine Coon males are often more affectionate and easy-going, treat everyone in the family the same and take to guests more readily, while females are choosier and decide for themselves when they want company.
Two kittens from different litters usually differ more than a male and a female do. Tell the breeder what kind of cat you're hoping for: after three months with a litter, each kitten's character is easy to see.
There is no such thing as a hypoallergenic Maine Coon. Allergies are caused by a protein in a cat's saliva and skin, and coat length makes almost no difference. If someone in your family has allergies, spend a few hours around adult cats before buying, for example by visiting the cattery, and talk to an allergist.
Check for a reaction beforehand: under the contract a healthy kitten can only be returned within the first 5 days, with up to 70 % of the price refunded.
A healthy adult male weighs 6–9 kg, a female 4–6.5 kg. Maine Coons grow slowly and reach their full size at about three, some males at four. A cat of 12 kg or more is almost never exceptional, just overweight. You can't tell much about the adult from a three-month-old kitten; look at the parents instead.
More: Maine Coon size and weight.
A Maine Coon's coat doesn't mat much, but the "trousers", belly and ruff need regular combing, especially during the seasonal moult. A metal comb with mixed tooth spacing works best. Besides the coat, grooming covers claws, ears, eyes and teeth. It's easiest to get a cat used to grooming as a kitten, with short, calm sessions.
A Maine Coon doesn't need to roam outdoors unsupervised, it's dangerous, and the contract doesn't allow it. Walks on a harness or time in an enclosed run are fine; that's how our stud males live, with their own house and outdoor enclosures.
More: Can you walk a Maine Coon?.
On average 12–16 years. The difference depends almost entirely on the owner: a healthy weight, cat-proof screens on the windows, no unsupervised roaming, yearly vaccinations and a yearly heart scan from about the age of three.
More: How long Maine Coons live.
Call the breeder, Alla Gavrilova, on +7 (921) 958-05-30, or write in any messenger listed on the contacts page.