Eleven stages every future Maine Coon owner goes through. For each one: what to decide, what to read, what to check and ask, the most common mistakes, and when you're ready to move on.
Before you pick a colour or a cattery, be honest with yourself about what you want from a cat. That decides whether a Maine Coon is right for you at all.
You can explain in two or three sentences why you want a cat and why a Maine Coon, and your family agrees.
You want a cat. Now check whether you have the time, money, space and energy for one, not just for the first few months but for years to come.
The whole family has decided, you know your budget, and you know where and how the cat will live.
Maine Coon kittens are sold by catteries, unregistered breeders and resellers on classifieds sites. This guide is only about professional catteries: they're the only ones where a kitten comes with a pedigree, tested parents and a contract.
You're only looking at registered catteries, and you understand why a pedigree kitten costs more than one from an ad.
The cattery shapes how your kitten turns out: the parents' health, living conditions, time with people, an honest contract. Choose the people, not just the kittens.
The Raksi Line*RU cattery has been registered with FIFe since 18 October 2012 and with WCF under number 4079-2013. The cats live in the house with us in Vsevolozhsk, about 10 km from St Petersburg. HCM, PKdef and SMA test results and heart scans are on the pages of our males and females. See how the cattery is set up and the outdoor enclosures, and read the reviews and titles.
You have one or two catteries you trust: you've seen the conditions and the parents' documents and talked to the breeder.
The right kitten for you isn't necessarily the biggest or the most striking. What matters more is that its character suits your family.
Available kittens and prices are on the Kittens page, and upcoming pairings on Breeding plans, where you can also reserve a kitten in the colour you want. The colour calculator shows which colours a pairing can produce, and Colour codes explains what the letters in a colour code mean.
You've chosen a specific kitten together with the breeder, and you know why that one.
Before paying a deposit, read the contract and check the documents. Everything agreed should be in writing, not just promised.
A kitten is reserved with a deposit and a contract; its status then changes to Reserved and it isn't offered to anyone else. Kittens going as pets leave already neutered. After the handover you have 5 calendar days to have the kitten checked at a licensed vet clinic. You can read the contract (in Russian) in advance.
You've read the contract, you understand the terms, the kitten is reserved, and the handover date and place are agreed.
While the kitten grows up at the cattery, get your home ready. By moving day everything should be bought, in place and safe.
Your home is safe, everything is in place, the first days are free, and you've chosen a vet.
Moving day. Take your time: look the kitten over, check the documents and write down everything the breeder tells you.
The kitten moves at three months at the earliest, vaccinated and microchipped. You get a vet passport, a pedigree and the contract. You or someone you trust collects the kitten; we hand it over at the cattery or, by arrangement, at Pulkovo Airport or the railway station. Details are on the Kitten delivery page.
The kitten is home, you have the documents, the advice is written down, and the breeder's number is to hand.
In a new home everything is strange to a kitten: smells, sounds, people, and no mother or littermates around. In the first days there's only one job: making it feel calm and safe.
The kitten eats, plays, uses the litter box, sleeps peacefully and comes out to people on its own. The first vet check is done.
Once the kitten has settled in, care turns into a routine. The sooner it gets used to the comb, the nail clippers and the carrier, the calmer its adult life will be.
The breeder stays in touch with no time limit and will help with feeding, grooming, training and vaccinations. But if the kitten is unwell, the vet comes first, then call us.
The cat has a routine: meals, grooming, play and vet visits are on the calendar, and none of it is a battle.
The cat has grown up, the rules are clear and care has become a habit. What's left is living together, with guests, trips, holidays and the odd surprise.
The cat is calm and confident at home, you know its habits and you know what to do if something unexpected happens. Care no longer takes effort; it's part of an ordinary day.
You've been through all eleven stages. The route ends here; what comes next is your cat and your life together. If you have questions, we're here.
Have a look at our available kittens and breeding plans, or call the breeder, Alla Gavrilova, on +7 (921) 958-05-30. Answers to common questions are on the Questions and answers page.
The cattery's terms on this page follow the 2025 cattery contract (in Russian) and the Kittens page. The linked articles were written by the cattery; health advice is no substitute for a vet's examination.