How to choose a Maine Coon kitten and what to ask the breeder, what to consider when choosing before taking a kitten into the house?
If you decide to have a kitten, consider your options for the maintenance, upbringing and care of your new friend. Remember – you take a pet into the house not for 1 year, but for at least 10-15 years, so take responsibility for the issue of choice and decision-making.
First of all, decide on your capabilities. The Maine Coon kitten is a small defenseless creature that needs your care and attention. Evaluate and weigh the time and material possibilities: do you have enough time and money to provide him with decent care and maintenance? Think about the conditions, because a rented apartment or an apartment under renovation is not the best conditions for a pet. If there are already other animals in the house, assess whether their cohabitation will cause conflicts.
If you are ready, feel free to move on to choosing a future pet and friend.
WITH OR WITHOUT A PEDIGREE?
There is no definite answer to the question “which Maine Coon kitten is better to have”, but there are arguments that can help with the choice.
If you want to join a professional club of cat lovers and breed Maine coons, then a kitten without a pedigree will certainly not suit you. The predicted traits of character and exterior will also speak in favor of an animal with a pedigree.
If you want to take a pet into the house without a pedigree, you will get a wonderful friend, smart, hardy and loving, but you will not be able to properly assess its exterior, relying solely on external data at the time of choice.
HOW TO BUY A KITTEN?
Having decided on the choice, do not rush to run to the pet store or to the local market – this often leads to thoughtless and not the most successful acquisitions. Try to find proven breeders, for example, with the help of friends or forums of cat lovers. Choose several and try to meet – when you get acquainted, you will have a wonderful opportunity to check all the documents of the kitten’s parents, as well as evaluate the exterior and temperament of cats at home.
But even here you should not be impulsive! How should you evaluate the behavior of kittens – as a rule, their temperament persists throughout life. Choose a future friend among active, willing kittens. Take it in your hands, evaluate the appearance: clean ears, evenly covering the body with wool, eyes without traces of expiration at the corners, fatness, absence of traces of feces under the tail – all these are indicators of the kitten’s health, which should be paid attention to first of all.
A competent breeder will advise you at what age it is better to take a kitten. Usually the most favorable age for purchase is at least 2.5–3 months. At this age, the kitten should already be given an anthelmintic without fail and at least once vaccinated against major infectious diseases. For a conscientious breeder, information about these procedures should be entered in the kitten’s personal veterinary passport, certified with the vet seal. the organization and the signature of the doctor.
Be sure to ask the breeder about the nuances of keeping a kitten, because the stress of moving is significantly reduced if the pet gets into his familiar environment. Find out how often and what the kitten eats and, if it is not easy to get the usual food for him, ask the breeder for a certain amount with you.
We have described detailed instructions on what to pay attention to when buying a Maine Coon kitten in this article.
What should be prepared for the appearance of a kitten in the house? Read in the next article.