The cost of a well bred Maine Coon will vary greatly between breeders and sometimes even across different regions of the country. In this article we will discuss the various aspects of what it takes to ethically and responsibly operate a Cattery in the USA, including performing all the appropriate health screening for the breed and working towards Championship titled cats.

Recent popularity of the Maine Coon

The Maine Coon cat is the largest domestic cat breed. They are oftentimes referred to as the gentle giant of the cat world. Because of their dog-like temperament and high intelligence, many pet lovers find themselves quickly smitten with the breed.

With the rise in popularity of the breed, there has been an ever increasing demand by those unfamiliar with the written standard to obtain a cat with a more extreme or feral look, and for coat colors, patterns, and eye colors that are not standard for a well bred Maine Coon. Sadly, these things have made the already difficult process of interviewing and selecting just the right breeder an even more challenging process to navigate.

Pet lovers who don’t already own a purebred kitten or cat are usually shocked when they initially hear the price for a well bred pedigree pet, especially one as popular as the Maine Coon cat. These same individuals usually attempt to find a kitten priced “too good to be true” and end up getting scammed, or with an unregistered mixed breed, unhealthy, or ill tempered pet as a result.

Mixed breed kittens and cats obviously deserve just as much love as those with a pedigree; however, a well bred Maine Coon will definitely cost much more than your typical domestic long hair house cat.

Why do pedigree pets cost more?

The cost of a well bred pedigree pet should be looked at as an investment. You pay more up front for the likelihood that you will be paying less over the pet’s lifetime for health and behavior related issues.

Before we began our cattery, the average price of a well bred Maine Coon ranged anywhere between $1000-$4000. In the last few years; however, there has been a drastic increase in the cost of living, especially since COVID19. This in turn has affected the cost of veterinary care, pet food, pet supplies, and all things related to ethically and responsibly breeding Maine Coons.

Ethical and responsible preservation breeders will tell you from decades of experience, it’s extremely expensive to breed the right way. Breeders don’t get paid for their time, and what’s rarely talked about is the fact that breeding isn’t just a 24/7 job, it’s a complete lifestyle change!

With that being said, let’s break down the various expenses related to ethical and responsible breeding practices and all the associated costs with operating a Maine Coon cattery.

RELATED BLOG POST: What is a Good Breeder?

Cost of starting a cattery

When someone first decides to start breeding, oftentimes the upfront cost of purchasing breeding cats is all that’s really thought about or planned for. And, when someone is looking for a pedigree pet to purchase, they aren’t really thinking about the overall cost of breeding (or how it can take years of breeding before the initial cost is recovered, if it’s ever recovered at all).

So, let’s break down the initial cost of starting a cattery…

Cost for Feline genetics and husbandry education courses and books: $500 the first year and at least $50 a year thereafter

Cost to register cattery name and be an active member of a cat association: $50/year

Cost to obtain a business license if needed in the county/state/province: $25-$100

Cost to register your cattery as an LLC (we chose to go this route for taxation and legal purposes): $50-$150

Cost to register and maintain a domain name: $10-$20/year (or more depending on how popular the domain name is)

Cost for intact cats with breeding rights: $2000-$6000 or more per breeding cat

Cost to design a website: $500-$2500
Cost for initial business supplies (business cards, phone, laptop, photography equipment etc.) – The price for these things can vary greatly and is therefore not included in the total upfront cost listed below.
Cost to accommodate the home for cattery life (pulling up carpets, putting down hard surface flooring, building a catio or stud enclosure etc.) – Again, the price for these things varies greatly and is therefore not included in the total upfront cost!

TOTAL COST to start a cattery: $40,000-$80,000
(or MORE depending on how many breeding cats you start with, what type of business supplies you purchase, and how extensive you go with the home improvements you invest in to accommodate cattery life)

Then, there’s the realization of ongoing costs like veterinary visits, including emergency care and pet insurance:

Wellness exam: $75-$125
Age appropriate vaccinations: $10-$60/year
In-house fecal test (and dewormer as needed): $25-$45
Flea, tick, and heartworm preventative: $5-$55/month
Idexx PCR lab work (URD, Diarrhea): $150-$500
Pet insurance: $50-$250/month
Emergency care: $150-$250 (this sum is for initial triage appointment and does not include the cost of treatment)

Cost of routine care:

Cat food and supplements
Food and water bowls
Cat Litter and litter boxes
Grooming supplies or quarterly grooming
NOTE: We currently spend upwards of $2k a month on these things!!

Cost to properly health screen

In addition to the upfront cost of starting a cattery and the ongoing cost for veterinary care and routine care of breeding cats, then there is the cost for breed specific health testing that needs to be considered.

Here is a breakdown of the genetic, cardiac, and orthopedic health screening that Maine Coon breeders perform, and the corresponding cost for each.

Genetic Testing
UC Davis Coat Color Panel: $55
UC Davis AB Blood Group: $40
UC Davis Agouti: $40
UC Davis Dilute: $40
UC Davis Dominant White & White Spotting: $50
UC Davis Long Hair: $40
UC Davis PKDef: $40
UC Davis HCM (MYBPC3): $40
UC Davis PKD1: $40
UC Davis SMA: $40
Optimal Selection / MyCatDNA / Wisdom Panel (includes all of the UC Davis character trait and gene mutation tests and then some): $99
TOTAL COST per breeding cat: $99-$465

Advanced Cardiac Screening
Exam by board certified Veterinary Cardiologist: $100-$200
Echocardiogram: $300-$1000
OFA database application: $15
TOTAL COST per breeding cat: $415 - $1215
(Routine echocardiograms done every 1-2 years!)

Hip Grading
Exam: $100
Radiographs: $100-$200
Sedation (if needed): $50-$100
OFA database application: $35
TOTAL COST per breeding cat: $285 - $435
(Hip Dysplasia screening performed between 10-24 months of age)

Cost to show

Next to health testing, the second and third most important aspects of breeding ethically and responsibly is breeding offspring that have the appropriate temperament for the breed and that are a good representation of the breed when compared to the written standard.

Here is a breakdown of what it typically takes to show a cat with the cat association we are registered with.

Cat Show entry fee: $100-$300
Prices vary from club to club, depending on if you take advantage of early bird entry prices, and how many cats you bring.

Show hotel: $100-$150 each night
Depending on the location, prices could be much higher, and some hotels change an additional pet fee per pet and/or per night.

Sponsorship of judge’s ring, or donation to a club: $25-$100
Some exhibitionists look at this like giving a tip when going out to eat – Donations and sponsorships are needed to keep the club active and hosting shows!

Airfare, Car Rental, Gas: $50-$500

MISC Cat show supplies (ex: Sturdi tent, Sturdi grooming station, grooming supplies, portable litter box etc. — NOTE: The price for these things varies greatly and is therefore not included in the total cost to show)

TOTAL COST PER SHOW: $275-$1050

The importance of showing

We actively participate in exhibitions to validate we are selecting breeding cats and producing offspring according to the written standard. This is an expensive, but important step in breeding. Showing cats and earning titles is the act of achieving unbiased, third party feedback as to whether or not a kitten or cat is a good representation of its breed. Breeders that do not actively participate in exhibition run the risk of becoming cattery blind and breeding according to their own preferences, essentially veering from the very standard that (when paired with a pedigree) makes a Maine Coon a Maine Coon and not some other breed of cat.

The act of being groomed for a show, traveling to a show, and being handled by judges within the show also helps to reveal if a kitten or cat has the temperament appropriate for the breed. The idea is that the personality traits displayed while preparing to compete and while being handled in the exhibition hall will hopefully be what’s passed down to future offspring.

Additional cost to operate a Cattery

After you account for all the expenses of starting a cattery, properly health screening future breeding cats, and participating in exhibition, it’s also important to consider any additional costs for operating a cattery.

This is not an exhaustive list, but here are some of the top things that come to mind that many breeders will purchase once, monthly, or annually in order to effectively run their cattery.

Enrichment (monthly average cost for cat trees, toys, beds, treats, scratching posts, wall perches etc.): $50-$100+
Clearly Loved Pets kitten enclosures: $460-$680
Urine Away: $55-$75 per gallon
Rescue disinfectant: $45-$65 per gallon
Paper towels (monthly cost): $65
Paper plates (monthly cost): $40
Washable pee pads at $30 each: $30-$360+
Stainless steel litter box at $60 each: $60-$600+
Cat/Kitten/Litter Registration Fees (monthly cost varies): $10-$50+
Miscellaneous (milk replacer, birthing supplies, supplements etc.): $100-$500+
Microchipping Kittens: $20-$100 per kitten
Spay/Neuter Kittens: $75-$500 per kitten
Go-Home Day kitten kits (week of food, toys, etc.): $50-$200+

And, if the breeder or breeder’s partner isn’t doing it themself, then there's also the cost for…

Preparation of business tax returns: $300-$3000
Routine cleaning of the cattery: $500/month or more
Pet sitting while away for shows: $60/day or more
Managing Cattery website: $20-$80/hour
Social Media Coordinator: $100-$4000/month
Photographing kittens and cats: $10-$100/hour
Grooming: $80-$120/each cat
MISC administration work (reviewing applications, doing phone interviews, maintaining cattery and veterinary records etc.)
Continuing feline education courses

Purebred does not equal well bred

I know that when our family was looking to purchase our very first pet Maine Coon, we were also somewhat surprised at the cost. The more research we did, the more we learned about all that's involved in producing a well bred pedigree pet, how important each of those steps are for a successful cat breeding program, and that purebred doesn’t always mean well bred!

Taking all of these things into consideration, using the low end estimates, and assuming a breeding cat immediately conceives and has no emergency care needs (for herself or her offspring during or after pregnancy, labor, delivery, and all the way until kittens’ go-home day), an average sized litter of 4-5 kittens will break the bank at an expense of $25,000 or more. These figures do not take into consideration the time and expertise of the breeder either!

Ethical and responsible preservation breeders will spend many months leading up to having their very first litter, preparing to start their cattery. They will spend countless hours studying feline genetics and husbandry, pedigrees, and the written breed standard so they can choose the very best breeding cats for their program, and so that they can make the best decisions for future pairings. This knowledge also aids them when selecting which kittens to keep in order to continue the very important work of preserving the breed, which kittens to allow to be shown in exhibition, versus which kittens to allow to go to pet only homes.

Breeders will take days off of work or time away from family to travel for shows, and leading up to and immediately following an expectant queen’s delivery date. Not to mention, they will also spend at least 12 weeks (minimum) with the litter once it is born, caring for the kittens, cleaning up after them, socializing them, and then just before they are ready to go home, working to determine which personality type is best suited for each applicant.

After all of this, the very best breeders will even provide a lifetime of support to you and your new kitten.

SUMMARY

A well bred Maine Coon kitten or cat should be viewed as an investment. Picking a cattery based on immediate availability or price alone is risky. You could end up paying more over a lifetime in health and/or behavior issues, or you could run the risk of being scammed.

Don’t rush the kitten buying process. Do your research. A purebred Maine Coon does not always equal well bred Maine Coon!

RELATED BLOG POST — Beware of Online Pet Scams!

Updated post on 4-October-2023 to include additional costs of starting a cattery - Thanks to the many breeders who wrote with their positive feedback and suggestions.