Maine Coon Cattery: How to Find and Recognise a Good Breeder in the UK and Ireland

The best place to find a Maine Coon cattery in the UK is through the GCCF, the UK's main pedigree cat registry, and the Maine Coon Cat Club, the GCCF breed club for Maine Coons. Both keep lists of breeders who have signed up to the GCCF Code of Ethics. In Ireland the GCCFI plays the same role. Whichever list you start from, check the breeder yourself: registration papers, health-tested parents, a kitten of at least 13 weeks and a visit where you meet the mother.

What "cattery" means when you look for a Maine Coon

In everyday British English a cattery is usually a boarding cattery, where your cat stays while you are on holiday. Among breeders the word means something else: the breeding household and its registered name, or prefix. A pedigree kitten's registered name starts with its breeder's prefix. So when you search for a Maine Coon cattery, you are looking for a breeder, and the prefix is how you can check them in registry records and show results.

If you are still deciding whether the breed suits you, read our complete Maine Coon guide first. It covers size, temperament, grooming, health and the cost of keeping one. This page is about the next step: finding the right breeder.

Where to find a Maine Coon breeder in the UK

The Maine Coon Cat Club

The Maine Coon Cat Club was founded by British breeders in 1985 to get the breed recognised by the GCCF, and it is still the only GCCF-affiliated specialist club for Maine Coons. Two pages on its site are the most useful for buyers:

• The breeders' list, split into South, Central and North (the North list includes Scotland). Every breeder on it has agreed to follow the GCCF Code of Ethics and the club's own requirements.
• The available kittens list, a PDF updated weekly, sorted by area. Breeders send in their kittens and remove them once sold.

The club is clear that being on the list is not an endorsement. You still visit, ask questions and judge for yourself. The club also points out that breeders do not always have kittens, so it can be worth contacting a breeder near you even if they are not on this week's list.

The GCCF

The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy registers pedigree cats and sets the rules its breeders work under. Its website has a find-a-breeder map and its Code of Ethics, which is worth reading before you visit anyone, because it tells you what a GCCF breeder has promised to do. For Maine Coons it also has a breed-specific registration policy. Breeding cats registered on the active register from mid-2024 must test negative for the DNA tests for HCM, SMA and PKDef, according to the Maine Coon Cat Club.

TICA and FIFe breeders

Maine Coons in the UK are also registered with TICA and with clubs affiliated to FIFe, the large European federation. A breeder registered there can be just as careful. The checks below are the same: ask which registry, ask for the papers, and ask for the test results.

Rehoming and retired cats

The Maine Coon Cat Club runs a welfare page for Maine Coons that need a new home, often adults whose owners' circumstances changed. Some breeders also look for homes for retired breeding cats. With an adult you already know the size and character you are getting.

Finding a Maine Coon breeder in Ireland

In Ireland the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy of Ireland (GCCFI) registers pedigree cats. It recognises the same breeds as the GCCF, and cats can be registered and shown in both countries. Its advice for kitten buyers is direct:

• No kitten should go to a new home before 13 weeks, with a full course of vaccinations and a vet health check completed at least seven days earlier.
• You should see the mother and the littermates, and the father too if the breeder owns him.
• You should leave with a signed pedigree, a transfer of ownership and a completed vaccination certificate. The GCCFI says not to take the kitten without these.

The GCCFI has also published a warning about sellers in Ireland. Some claim registration is too expensive, while the GCCFI puts the cost at between €10 and €25 per kitten. Others hand over copies of the parents' certificates and say the buyer can register the kitten later, but without a mating certificate from the seller that is not possible. If you are unsure about a seller, the GCCFI asks you to contact them before you pay.

How to recognise a good Maine Coon breeder

Registration and a proper pedigree

A GCCF breeder must give you a pedigree of at least three generations, signed by the breeder, plus the registration card or a transfer form so you can put the kitten in your name. Pet kittens are often registered on the non-active register, which means any kittens they have cannot be registered. That is normal and a sign of a breeder who protects their lines. A seller who charges extra for papers, or promises them "later", is a different story.

Health tests on both parents

Ask for the results on paper or in a registry database, for both the mother and the father:

• HCM, a heart muscle disease. The DNA test only covers one known Maine Coon mutation, so a careful breeder also has the cats' hearts scanned by ultrasound, and repeats the scan as the cat gets older. The Maine Coon Cat Club says breeders should not describe their cats as "HCM-free".
• SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) and PKDef (a form of anaemia), both covered by DNA tests.
• Hip dysplasia. There is no DNA test, but breeding cats can be X-rayed and scored, for example through the PawPeds scheme. In a Swedish study of more than 5,000 Maine Coons, 37 per cent showed signs of hip dysplasia on X-ray.

Not every breeder X-rays hips, but one who does and shows you the scores is taking the breed's biggest joint problem seriously. More on each condition is in the health section of our Maine Coon guide. If something in the paperwork is unclear, ask your own vet to look at it with you.

Kittens leave at 13 weeks or older

The GCCF recommends that no kitten goes to a new home before 13 weeks, fully vaccinated against enteritis and cat flu at least a week before it leaves. The Maine Coon Cat Club and the GCCFI say the same. Those extra weeks with the mother and littermates are when a kitten learns to play gently, use the litter tray and cope with handling. A seller who offers a Maine Coon at eight or ten weeks is cutting that short.

You meet the mother

Expect to see the kitten at the breeder's home with its mother and littermates, and the father if he lives there. In England, Lucy's Law has since April 2020 banned the sale of kittens under six months by third parties such as dealers and pet shops, so you should buy directly from the breeder or from a rescue. Someone who sells "for a friend", offers to deliver, or wants to meet you in a car park does not fit that picture.

A contract and an ongoing relationship

A good breeder gives you a written contract covering health, neutering and what happens if you can no longer keep the cat. The GCCF Code of Ethics asks breeders to offer help with rehoming if that day ever comes. You should also get a diet sheet and the vaccination record, and the GCCF advises a kitten insurance cover note for the first weeks. Many breeders microchip kittens before they leave. In England every cat must be microchipped and registered on a database by 20 weeks of age, so make sure the chip is transferred to your name or book one with your vet.

A good breeder interviews you too. Questions about your home, your working hours, other pets and whether the cat will go outside are a good sign.

Red flags

• "XXL", "giant" or "extra large" Maine Coons. No registry recognises an XXL type. The GCCF describes the Maine Coon as its largest recognised breed already, and the breed grows slowly, taking up to four years. Nobody can promise how big a kitten will become. The same Swedish study also found a genetic link between body weight and hip dysplasia, so breeding for ever bigger cats is a health risk. Our article on when cats stop growing explains what is realistic.
• Kittens always available, in every colour. Serious breeders have a few litters a year and often a waiting list. A website with a permanent "available now" page and a shopping-cart button looks more like a dealer or a scam.
• No papers, or papers at extra cost. Registration is cheap, as the GCCFI points out. A missing pedigree means you have no proof of parentage and no health records.
• Health claims without documents. "The parents are healthy" or "HCM-free" is not a test result.
• A deposit before you have seen the kitten, especially by bank transfer to an account in another name, followed by extra fees for transport, insurance or a crate. This is the classic pattern of online kitten scams. Ask for a live video call at the very least, and visit before paying in full.
• A sneezing or listless kitten "because it was just vaccinated". The GCCFI warns buyers about exactly this excuse. Do not take the kitten home.
• Kittens younger than 13 weeks, or a seller who is vague about the date of birth.

Waiting lists and what to ask before you reserve

Most good breeders keep a waiting list, and many plan it before a litter is even born. Getting in touch early, and being honest about what you are looking for (pet or show, male or female, a particular colour), helps. Pet kittens usually cost less than show-quality kittens, and kittens sold for breeding cost considerably more, according to the Maine Coon Cat Club. Prices for the UK are covered in our Maine Coon guide.

Questions worth asking on the first call:

1. Which registry are your cats with, and what is your prefix?
2. Can I see the DNA results, heart scans and hip scores for both parents?
3. At what age do kittens leave, and what comes with them?
4. Can I visit and meet the mother, and when?
5. What does your contract say about neutering, health problems and taking a cat back?

Before collection day, plan the journey home. A large carrier that opens from the top makes life easier, and our tips on travelling with a cat by car help on longer drives.

Living in the Netherlands? Maine Coon catteries there

If you live in the Netherlands, for example as an expat, you will find Dutch breeders registered with FIFe clubs, TICA or independent Dutch breed associations. The same checks apply. Dutch law sets the minimum age for a kitten to leave its mother at seven weeks, but breeders who belong to a breed club usually keep kittens until 13 weeks, so stick to that. Our Dutch-language overview of Maine Coon catteries in the Netherlands lists four breeders we checked in October 2026, with their region, registry and the health tests they report.

Planning to move back to the UK or Ireland with your cat? A kitten needs a microchip and a rabies vaccination, and can only travel once the waiting period after that vaccination is over. Check the current rules on GOV.UK or with the Irish Department of Agriculture before you reserve, because they set the earliest age at which your kitten can travel. Buying supplies locally is covered in our guide to cat litter for kittens, which has a section on buying litter in the Netherlands.

Frequently asked questions