Pet, breed and show in Maine Coons: why two prices

Every kitten card on our site shows two prices: as a pet and for breeding. This is not a discount and not a surcharge for looks — these are two sets of terms for the same kitten. Here is what stands behind the words «pet», «breed» and «show».

Class	What you may do	Documents	Who it suits
Pet	Live at home, see a vet, be a companion. No breeding	The same as everyone: metrika, vet passport, contract	People who want a cat, not a cattery
Breed	Mate, produce kittens with pedigrees	The same plus breeding terms in the contract	People starting a cattery
Show	Everything breed allows, plus show potential	The same	People ready to travel to shows

Pet — a kitten for the home

Pet class means the kitten is sold as a companion, without breeding rights. It is the same Maine Coon, with the same documents and the same pedigree. The limitation concerns offspring only: the breeder hands the kitten over on condition it is neutered at a suitable age.

Why breeders do this: they answer for what happens to the line afterwards. Kittens from random matings, with no regard for tests or pedigrees, are exactly the part of the market where people later buy a «Maine Coon» with no papers.

Breed — a kitten for breeding

Breed class is a kitten you may mate. The price is higher because the buyer gets not only a cat but the option to build a cattery on her: her offspring will be sold with pedigrees. Terms come with the kitten — from requirements for the partner to shared plans for a litter.

Silver Maine Coon kitten sitting — The same kitten is sold both as a pet and for breeding: the difference is in the terms, not in the kitten.

Show — a kitten for exhibitions

Show class is a kitten the breeder considers promising for exhibitions: closest to the breed standard. An honest caveat: show potential cannot be determined in a two-month-old kitten, only guessed from the parents and the litter. So a «show» promise about a very small kitten is always a forecast, never a fact.

How to choose between them

If you want a cat at home, take a pet-class kitten. The price difference does not mean a difference in character, health or size: it is the same kitten from the same litter. Breed class only makes sense if you really intend to breed and understand what that involves: tests, shows, finding partners, responsibility for the kittens.

What this means in the card

The first price in a card is as a pet, the second is for breeding. If the second is missing, the cattery is only letting this kitten go as a pet. Neither price depends directly on the colour: the parents, their titles and the litter matter far more.

See Maine Coon kittens with prices — both prices are visible in every card, and the filters help you narrow things down by city, colour and sex.