Maine Coon Pricing

Perhaps the biggest question when deciding whether to bring a Maine Coon into your life is ‘how much does one cost?’. As much as we would like to pretend it wouldn’t matter, it does. It’s hard to put down a couple of thousand dollars on a cat, especially if you don’t know what you're paying for, so hopefully this post helps explain it a little bit. The short answer, however, is that it ranges a lot but you should expect to spend at least $2000 up to about $6000.

In this post, I am only referring to purebred, pedigreed Maine Coons.

First, let’s cover pricing. In all my research and networking with other catteries, I have not found a cattery that charges under about $2500, although I’m sure some may go as low as $2000. Others I have seen on the high end may charge upwards of $5000 - $6000.

Warning: Many scam websites will claim to sell you a cheap, purebred, Maine Coon! Make sure to do your research!!

So why is it so expensive? Aside from certain benefits like a month of free insurance and various toys that you might get with your kitten, like in our “kitten kit", there are a couple of major factors that go into kitten pricing. For example, some catteries charge extra depending on the following factors;

• Polydactyl

• Odd-Eyes/Blue Eye Mutation

• Gender

• Quality (See explanation in article)

• Bloodlines

Polydactyl

What is a polydactyl cat? Polydactyl cats are essentially any cat that has more toes than usual. Commonly seen with cute “thumbs,” a lot of people are huge fans of the look of these cuties. I will talk more about what a Polydactyl cat is in a future post, but you can also read more about it here. When you breed a polydactyl cat, it is common that not all kittens will be polydactyl, so breeders charge extra for the ones that are! Great examples of Polydactyl cats are our very own Guinevere, or Jake, the famous polydactyl cat with a whopping 24 toes!

Image Credit: Constance Mannes, Shutterstock

Odd-Eyes/Blue Eye Mutation

Odd-Eyes means that a kitten has two different colored eyes. Any breed can get these, but Maine Coons are a bit more specific in terms of what mixes you can have. Odd-Eyes and blue eyes typically only occur in white Maine Coons, whether fully white or mostly white. However, genetic mutations over the years have caused blue eyes in any color. Many breeders will not breed this mutation because of suspected health or behavioral issues associated with the line. You can read more about odd-eyes here, and see Xavier, our King, for a great example!

Gender

This is a pretty common one, males tend to cost more than females because of their size difference. A mature female Maine Coon may be only as big as the average rescue cat, whereas males tend to be much bigger than your average rescue cat. You can learn more about Maine Coon sizing here, and I will write about it more in the future!

Quality

We breeders use a simple scale to determine the quality of a Maine Coon between each other. We classify them as pet quality, breeding quality, and show quality. This is based on many factors such as; color or markings, size, temperament, bone structure, genetics, ancestry quality, and so many other factors. What does this mean for you? Pretty much nothing. A Maine Coon may be the greatest pet in the world but not be suited for showing or breeding for reasons that don’t matter to you at all, like nose color or paw pad color. A Maine Coon may also make a breeding cat but will not do well in show. However, a breeder might sell a breeding quality cat at a higher price because they stand to lose more value when they are purchased if the alternative was to keep it and breed it!

Bloodlines

Many times, you will be charged more if the parents or grandparents of your kitten are of what is known as “Champion Bloodline.” A great example of this is Cassiopeia, you can see in her pedigree that many of her ancestors have CH in their title, meaning they earned awards for being particularly stunning. These kittens are more likely to grow up to be prettier, bigger, or have more exaggerated features! You may also be charged more for European Maine Coons as opposed to American Maine Coons because Europeans have worked to keep and get rid of different features that some people tend to like the look of more.

Other Factors

Other factors that contribute to Maine Coon pricing across the board are the standards that we set for the breed. Breeders are working every day to try to minimize inbreeding and produce very healthy kittens. This means regular genetic testing, and making responsible, but often costly choices in regards to breeding. You are also paying for the pedigree and registration that comes with the kitten to ensure you have a purebred.

It is absolutely ok to find a cattery that fits your budget, but make sure to do your research to ensure that you are working with a reputable breeder who is doing what is best for the breed as a whole and not cutting corners to be able to cut prices! Breeders should health test regularly and be willing to provide a pedigree for your kitten’s parents so you can ensure they are purebred. They should also be registered with TICA, CFA, or both!

Maine Coons, as is true with some other breeds, very quickly run into health issues when they are bred with other cat species and breeders are dedicated to keeping them happy and healthy within their own breed. You should always make sure you are making informed decisions about your Maine Coon purchase, and don’t be afraid to ask for documentation, contracts, or any other information you want!