The 10 Best Maine Coon Breeders in Florida
Maine Coons are very lovable. After all, they are huge, fluffy cats. On top of that, they are smart and social, thus making them well-suited for a wide range of would-be cat owners. If you want a cat in Florida, you should check out Maine Coon breeders in Florida.
There is a high chance you can find your ideal feline companion by doing so. As such, you shouldn’t hesitate to investigate these opportunities.
Here are 10 of the best Maine Coon breeders in Florida:
10. WeBeCoons
WeBeCoons is an excellent example of a home-based operation. Its website mentions that it deliberately restricts the number of kittens its cats produce in a year. That way, it can provide each of those kittens with individual attention.
Indeed, the kittens are raised in the master bedroom for the first five weeks of life so that any needs can be met as soon as possible. Subsequently, they are allowed a freer run of the home, thus enabling them to become well-socialized through interaction with children, two dogs, and the other cats.
Sometimes, WeBeCoons also makes older cats available to interested individuals, which isn’t necessarily a bad idea if you want a more mature and independent feline companion that is hardier than any kitten can hope to be.
9. Beach Coons
Beach Coons is situated in Williston, FL, which is just a short distance away from the Gulf Coast. Maine Coons are famous for getting along with everyone. That means cats, dogs, and even kids. Interested individuals should still keep in mind that these cats aren’t just automatically born so amicable.
Instead, they benefit from good training and good socialization. To that end, Beach Coons hand-raises just one or two Maine Coon litters at a time in a home environment to ensure that every kitten gets the attention it needs and deserves. Besides this, the cattery also goes to great lengths to ensure the health of its cats through testing and screening.
8. Salty Coons
Salty Coons is in Tampa, FL. As such, one can’t help but wonder exactly what inspired its name. On the one hand, the cattery is in a seaside city. On the other hand, the cattery is run by someone with more than 20 years of cat breeding experience, which should be more than enough for them to earn the label of a salty veteran.
Whatever the case, Salty Coons puts real effort into ensuring its cats are well-socialized, well-cared-for, and otherwise well-prepared for life as pets. It is interesting to note that this cattery breeds European Maine Coons, which come from Eastern Europe.
European Maine Coons belong to the same cat breed as their American counterparts. Despite that, the two populations have diverged enough to show some differences from one another. In particular, European Maine Coons are supposed to have more square-shaped muzzles, though some sources claim other differences such as taller ears and bushier tails.
7. Colossal Cats
Colossal Cats is another Tampa, FL cattery focused on Maine Coons. Given the name, you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that it leans into how Maine Coons are known for being either the biggest or one of the biggest cat breeds in existence.
Please note that Colossal Cats is one of the numerous catteries that have limitations on who can and can’t visit their facilities. In this case, you need to be on its reservation list. Furthermore, you need to make an appointment.
Such limitations might seem suspicious when seeing facilities are one of the easiest ways for people to distinguish between trustworthy and untrustworthy cat breeders.
Unfortunately, they are also sensible because they reduce the chances for people to spread something problematic to their cats, which poses a huge threat to kittens because of their weaker immune systems.
6. Karmacoons
Meanwhile, Karmacoons is located in Osteen, FL, which makes it a convenient choice for people living in Orlando, FL, or around Orlando, FL. It has several practices that will show up again and again on this list, which makes sense because they are very common ways to ensure the well-being of the cats.
One example would be the adoption agreement, which comes with terms meant to encourage cat owners to treat their cats with all of the love the latter deserve. Another example would be DNA tests and health screening, which can’t guarantee that there will be no issues with the cats but can reduce the chances for serious health issues to show up.
On the whole, Karmacoons seems like a solid choice for interested individuals who can make it to the cattery in person. It can fly kittens to interested individuals for approval before the purchase. Even so, that isn’t a step you should take lightly. Shipping is not an option for obvious reasons.
5. Luv My Coons
Speaking of which, Luv My Coons is an excellent example of a cattery with similar practices based out of Deltona, FL. Originally, the cat breeder focused on British Shorthairs in the United Kingdom.
Since then, she has retired and come out of retirement, with the result she is now running a Maine Coon breeding program in the United States. Luv My Coons has the classic trio of priorities when it comes to its cat breeding, which is to say, the prioritization of health, the prioritization of personality, and the prioritization of popularity.
It should be considered a positive point when it admits that it can’t 100 percent guarantee that its cats won’t develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy despite its testing and screening. Reliable businesses are the ones that are upfront about the risks while talking about the steps meant to reduce them.
In contrast, their unreliable counterparts will try to downplay those issues as much as possible, whether by mentioning them less or by skipping over them altogether.
4. Sporting Fields
Sporting Fields is better known for its kennel than its cattery. That is because its owners have been breeding Border Collies and Whippets since 1942. As such, Sporting Fields possesses an abundance of dog breeding expertise and experience that most kennels can’t even come close to matching.
The same isn’t true for its cat breeding expertise and experience because it established its Maine Coon-focused cattery in much more recent times.
With that said, Sporting Fields treats its cat breeding with the same seriousness as its dog breeding, which should be considered a point in its favor. Its Maine Coons are TICA-registered. Furthermore, they have received health tests and DNA tests to reduce the chances of them having undetected health issues.
As for why Sporting Fields breeds its Maine Coons, the answer seems to be producing cats with playful personalities that are nonetheless capable of competing in cat shows. That is helped by the cattery providing them with plenty of space to run around in.
If you are interested, you should call sooner rather than later. Primarily, that is because this is one of those cat breeders that prefer to speak over the phone rather than post relevant information on the Internet. However, it should be mentioned that its website suggests it offers a limited number of kittens to potential buyers on an annual basis, meaning it presumably has quite the waiting list.
3. Sassy Koonz
Sassy Koonz is a small operation based out of Jacksonville Beach, FL. Specifically, its website mentions how it has just 30 to 40 kittens in a year, which is a very small number compared to the hundreds of people on its list of Approved Guardians.
Technically, Sassy Koonz has no waiting list, meaning everyone who has undergone the application process to become an Approved Guardian has an equal chance of being chosen to reserve a kitten. In practice, it prioritizes certain individuals over others, meaning interested individuals might have to wait a long time.
Still, Sassy Koonz is a dual-registered cattery that is serious about the well-being of its Maine Coons. This shows in the DNA tests, the health screening, and the kitten-rearing practices. As such, you might want to undergo the application process to become an Approved Guardian while expressing an interest in other Maine Coon breeders at the same time.
Please that Sassy Koonz is supposedly so popular that some unscrupulous individuals have been impersonating them to cheat would-be cat owners out of their money. That is a good reminder for you to always keep a watchful eye on exactly who you are doing business with. Buying a Maine Coon isn’t cheap.
It isn’t uncommon for one of these cats to go for thousands of dollars. Under those normal circumstances, you would be well-advised to show an appropriate amount of care and caution throughout the process.
2. Florida Maine Coons
Florida Maine Coons seems to be a team-up between OptiCoon and MajestiCoon. Its name is about as banal as it can be. Meanwhile, the names of its contributors seem to provide more insight into the thinking of the people behind it. Granted, MajestiCoon seems to be just a somewhat cutesy nod at the Maine Coon’s admittedly impressive appearance.
For comparison, OptiCoon is a clear statement about the desire to breed the optimum Maine Coons. That is ambitious but not absurd, not when Florida Maine Coons has shown clear excellence in this regard.
Simply put, Florida Maine Coons tests and screens its adult cats to reduce the chances that something inheritable can be passed to its kittens. Furthermore, it provides its cats with deworming, vaccination, and other kinds of healthcare, which is one of the ways it seeks to maximize their chances of living happy, healthy lives.
Thanks to this and other practices, Florida Maine Coons has been recognized by TICA on more than one occasion, which should provide people with a measure of assurance about its trustworthiness.
Of course, you might be more interested in Florida Maine Coons because of its selection more than anything else. The Central Florida-based cattery offers Maine Coons from American lines and European lines. Moreover, it offers rare colors such as reds, blues, and blacks without ever compromising on the health and temperament of its kittens.
That is extremely important because catteries breeding for rare colors and patterns aren’t always so conscientious when it comes to their cats’ other attributes.
1. Reigning Cats
Reigning Cats is a cattery specializing in not one but two cat breeds. You should have no problem guessing that one of those two cat breeds is the Maine Coon. Meanwhile, the other is the Siberian, a medium to large-sized cat with medium to long-lengthed fur sometimes called hypoallergenic because it produces less of a protein that triggers allergies.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just because someone breeds more than one kind of cat, that doesn’t mean they have to do a bad job of it.
If anything, there are reasons to believe in the trustworthiness of Reigning Cats. For starters, this is a small Gulf Coast-based operation run by a cat enthusiast named Karen Hansberger since 1999. She is involved in cat clubs, cat shows, and cat rescues, which combine to provide her with an extra measure of credibility on top of that provided by her hard-earned experience.
They are also selective
With that said, it is how Hansberger raises her cats that serves as the most persuasive evidence. One example is how she gets her adult cats from proven lineages, though she takes care to screen them for good health anyway. Another example is how she provides each kitten with a vaccination, a deworming, and a veterinary check-up before allowing interested individuals to take them home.
Besides these things, you should know Reigning Cats is one of those cat breeders that is very selective about who can and can’t get one of its kittens, which makes sense when you learn that Hansberger sees it as more of a hobby than a business.
As such, if you contact Reigning Cats, you should expect to answer questions about your living situation. That kind of questioning might be a bit of a hassle. Still, you should see it as a good thing because it shows that Reigning Cats takes the well-being of its cats very seriously, which presumably influences the rest of its operations as well.
You can also read:
- The Siamese Maine Coon Mix: What You Need to Know
- The 20 Best Maine Coon Breeders in California
- 20 Awesome Gifts for Maine Coon Lovers