FAQs

I, personally, do not provide shipping or delivery services. If our cattery is not within driving distance for you, you can either hire a flight nanny (someone to fly with your kitten to the closest airport to you), or you can fly to IAH and take the kitten with you on the plane!! Although I do not provide delivery, I do recommend Paws and Claws Pet Transport for delivery in Texas. You can reach out to them at shannonschmidt42@gmail.com.

Maine Coons are known as the largest breed of domestic cats, and they are also the oldest breed in the US. Males average 15-25 pounds while females average between 10-15 pounds, however, they can definitely get bigger than that! Typically a Maine Coon will stand anywhere from 10 to 16 inches tall, and average around 40 inches long from the nose to the end of the tail, but of course some can grow larger.  Unlike regular domestic cats that reach maturity and full size by the end of their first year, Maine Coon cats are slow developers and do not achieve their full size until they are 3 to 5 years old.  Within their first year, a Maine Coon kitten will gain twice the weight of an average domestic cat. We imported all of our Kings and Queens from Poland and Russia because many European breeders have created a line of “EXTRA LARGE” Maine Coons that are exceeding the standards of TICA and CFA. Although we have chosen our Kings and Queens very carefully, we cannot guarantee the size, color, or temperament of any of our kittens.

To reserve your kitten, we require an executed contract signed through DocuSign, as well as a nonrefundable deposit of $500. At this point, we will no longer offer your kitten to other buyers. The deposit can be paid via Venmo, CashApp, Paypal Friends & Family, cash or money order. We will have all of this worked out before we send the contract.  BEWARE: Scammers have been using OUR website to scam innocent buyers. We will NEVER ask you to pay a deposit  prior to an executed contract. EVER. If someone posing as TMC does this, that person is NOT us and YOU ARE being scammed! 

Our kittens will be ready to go to their forever homes at 13 weeks, once they have had all of their vaccines (including rabies), are microchipped and are cleared by our veterinarian. This is always left to our veterinarian's discretion, and could change, although it is very unlikely that the pick up date would need to be delayed. We always suggest visiting your vet shortly after picking up your kitten to establish him/her as a new patient and to let your vet check over all test results and vaccines. Should your vet need records from ours, we can arrange that!

This is a very controversial topic, and because of that, I leave this decision up to the buyer. Many buyers want these procedures done prior to taking their babies home, and that is something we can do for an additional charge. However, if a buyer choses to spay/neuter when the kitten gets a little older (8 months for females and 12 months for males), our contract will reflect this and official proof of spay/neutering must be sent to TMC within the agreed upon time frame. If a buyer neglects to spay/neuter the kitten within the agreed upon time frame, the pedigree for that kitten will be withheld and the health guarantee will be void. Of course, if a buyer is approved to purchase breeding rights, that will be reflected in the contract as well and the pedigree will be released upon completion by TICA.

Your deposit is due when you sign your contract to reserve your kitten. The remainder of the balance is due upon pick up. We do not offer payment plans, and the kitten will not leave our home until full payment is received. We accept payments via Zelle, Venmo, Apple Pay, PayPal Friends & Family, CashApp, Cash and Money Order. Personal checks are not accepted.  Keep in mind, deposits are nonrefundable. 

Your kitten is a living being, and at some point it his/her life, he/she will catch something common (upper respiratory infection, UTI, and minor illnesses of the like). Your kitten will be thoroughly checked by our veterinarian prior to your pick up date to ensure he/she is perfectly healthy. To offer peace of mind, TMC has provided 30 days of complimentary pet insurance through Trupanion in the rare instance you should need it.  Please know that changes in food and environment can result in upset tummies at first. This is nothing to be alarmed about and will rectify itself once the kitten feels comfortable in his/her new home. It is always recommended to keep your new baby quarantined from other animals for several days.  We will be in constant contact with you providing updates on the health and wellbeing of your kitten. We go to the vet often...probably too often...so you will be hearing from us A LOT in regards to your kittens health. 

We feed our Maine Coons high quality wet food, along with high protein kibble and some raw meat. Talk to your veterinarian about this prior to making a commitment. There are a lot of different opinions on this topic, and we always suggest talking to a professional.  

Absolutely not! Declawing a kitten from our cattery will result in a breach of contract, the 12 month health guarantee will be void, and legal action will be taken. This is cruel, and our sweet babies do not deserve this.  We begin trimming the kittens' nails at a very young age with the hope they are used to this by the time they go to their new homes. 

Your kitten will receive all necessary vaccines, microchip, deworming and rabies before they go home with you.  You can read about necessary vaccines here. You will be given a "passport" with all vaccine information from our veterinarian when you pick your kitten up from us. 

This is, by far, one of the most common questions we get as breeders. To make a long story short, we spend thousands on a monthly basis to ensure our cats are fed high quality food and receive the absolute best veterinarian care possible. We visit the veterinarian on a regular basis to keep everyone healthy. Genetic testing is given to all Kings and Queens, along with regular screenings for possible health issues throughout the cats' lives. Litter wellness checks, vaccines, heart-worm and flea/tick treatment, testing and basic care really add up! When a litter is born, they become our full time job 24/7. Our kittens' nursery is equipped with cameras, air conditioning, heaters, an air purifier, and a humidifier.  We pour our hearts and souls into these kittens, not to mention the energy costs to cool/heat the cattery and keep it in perfect condition for our perfect Maine Coons! For a more in depth look at this topic, check out my blog entry here,

Although we are very proud of the business we have built, our cattery is in our home. We do not allow tours of the cattery, however, we can FaceTime at any point if you would like to see how our Maine Coons live on a day to day basis. 

We will have a prearranged pick up date and time that we all agree upon. When you come, you will need to bring a carrier to transport your kitten to his/her new home. Although we know it is temping to bring the entire family to this exciting moment, it can be intimidating for the kitten.  You are welcome to bring your children, but PLEASE do NOT bring other animals to your pick up date. 

We are registered with TICA, The International Cat Association. All of our litters are registered as well. You will be provided with a pedigree and have the ability to register your kitten once proof of spay/neuter has been submitted. Keep in mind, these pedigrees can take some time to come in and they may not be available immediately You will be informed throughout the process and provided evidence that your kitten's pedigree is in the works. 

Our cats and kittens are raised in our home around our 5 young children and our large breed Rhodesian Ridgeback dog. Although we cannot guarantee anything, we can guarantee that when you pick your kitten up, he/she will be very used to playing with children, other cats, and being around large dogs. 

All of our Kings and Queens undergo genetic DNA testing through either Wisdom Panel or UC Davis. We specifically test for HCM, PKD, and SMA.  We only breed clean lines, so you can rest assured your kitten comes from genetically clean parents. These test results for parents are available to view upon request.  For a nonrefundable fee of $150, we can run genetic testing on your kitten, however, regardless of the results, the $150 is nonrefundable.

Absolutely! This is a very personal business to us. We will update you with pictures, videos, and FaceTime calls weekly. If at any point, you would like to take a peek at your baby, reach out and we can arrange a call or send a picture.

Every kitten sold from TMC is guaranteed for 12 months from the date of sale to be free of any genetic or birth defects that would negatively affect his/her health. In the highly unlikely event that a kitten passes away within the 12 month guarantee period, a necropsy is required to determine cause of death at the buyers expense. If the cause of death is a direct result of a birth or genetic defect undetected prior to the sale date, your kitten will be replaced with a kitten of equal value once one becomes available. Full genetic testing is available for your kitten at your expense (testing fees are non refundable) prior to your pick up date, and genetic testing results for the kitten's parents are available upon request for review. Failure to spay/neuter your kitten or provide proper veterinarian care will void the health guarantee. 

We know you are excited to get your new baby home, but the health and wellbeing of the kitten is our #1 priority. We require our kittens to stay with us until they are released by our vetrinarian at their 12 week check up. Should a health issue pop up within those 12 weeks, you will be notified right away and be given the option to select another kitten, transfer your deposit to an upcoming litter, or move forward with the purchase of your original kitten.