The Maine Coon is an expensive breed, and there are plenty of sellers around it who sell something other than what they promise. Below are the signs you can spot in advance. None of them proves fraud on its own, but two or three together are a reason to stop.
| What you see | What usually stands behind it |
|---|---|
| A price several times below every other offer | The kitten is not a Maine Coon, has no documents — or does not exist |
| «Send a deposit to reserve it» | The seller disappears after the transfer |
| They cannot show the mother | The kittens were bought to resell |
| «We'll send the documents later» | There will be no documents |
| Ready to hand over at six to eight weeks | A rush to get rid of the kitten before problems show |
| Messenger only, no name, no history | This is not a cattery |
A price noticeably below the market
A Maine Coon kitten with documents from a cattery costs tens of thousands of roubles, and the spread is wide: it depends on the litter, the parents and the class. An advert where such a kitten costs several times less than anything else on the market usually means one of three things: the kitten is not a Maine Coon, it has no documents, or it does not exist.
A simple check helps here: look at what several different catteries charge and compare. The catalogue with prices works for that — it shows which city a kitten is in and what the price includes.
A deposit up front, no contract
Being asked to send money «to reserve» before you have seen the kitten, the documents or a contract is the most common way people are cheated. A reservation is normal, but it is made with a contract, not with a transfer to a stranger's card.
They will not show the kitten's mother
A breeder shows the queen — live, on video, on a call. Excuses like «mum is away», «the cat is nervous», «we don't let people into the house» come from those who have no mother: the kittens were bought to be resold.
Documents «later»
The metrika is issued by the cattery in advance and handed over with the kitten. A promise to send documents later almost always means there will be none. What exactly you should have is covered separately: what documents a kitten must come with.
A kitten younger than three months
Catteries do not release kittens before three months: by then they have had their shots and recovered. A willingness to hand a kitten over at six to eight weeks is either ignorance or a hurry to be rid of it before problems appear.
Messenger only, and no history
A cattery has a name, a registry, litters and kittens it has sold. A seller about whom nothing can be learned beyond a phone number is not a cattery.
«A Maine Coon for free» and «a kitten to a good home for a symbolic sum». Pedigree kittens from a cattery are not given away: behind each one stand a mating, the upkeep of the queen, vaccinations and paperwork. What is free is either not a Maine Coon, or a kitten with a problem nobody mentioned.
What to do if you are unsure
- ask for a video call with the kitten and the mother in frame at the same time;
- ask for the cattery's name and its registry;
- ask for photos of the documents before any money changes hands;
- do not send a deposit without a contract;
- compare the price with several other offers.
Kittens in our catalogue are listed by catteries that state the city, the registry and the parents' tests, and you can get in touch through the site. See the Maine Coon kittens available now.
Buy a Maine Coon kitten in your city
Moscow (48) · Krasnodar (9) · Rostov-on-Don (4) · Yaroslavl (4) · Astrakhan (1) · Belgorod (1) · Ekaterinburg (1) · Kursk (1) · Perm (1)
Pet 700$
Breeding not available
Pet 1 740$
Breeding 1 740$
Pet 500$
Breeding 2 000$