The price of Maine Coon cats (a comprehensive discussion)

Pedigree of a Maine Coon. A very important document. Image: Sassy Koons.

I have just been doing a spot of research about the price of Maine Coon cats both in Britain and America. You are probably aware of this but the price varies tremendously. For example, a quick search of the Internet tells me that you can buy a Maine Coon cat for around US$500 in America but also, you will find breeders saying that they will charge their customers between US$3,500 and US$5,000 (and more). 

Many authors on website state that the price of a Maine Coon is between about $800 and $1500. They are not providing the whole story. It can be confusing until you get to the bottom of it and realise that it is not actually confusing at all.

Quality

There is a good reason for this big price difference and I would not be tempted to go for the cheaper end of the market but focus on the more expensive end if you can afford it. And I think you should afford it if you have committed to buy a Maine Coon cat because you will be buying quality and peace of mind. You'll be buying what you have set your heart on: a true Maine Coon with that distinctive appearance.

This is the difference: quality. When you buy an expensive Maine Coon, you will probably find that their parents are show cats and that they've won some cat shows. You will find that the breeder provides a five-year guarantee as to health which is very important.

At the other end of the spectrum if you buy a Maine Coon US$500 or £500 in the UK you may well be buying a Maine Coon mix because you might not be getting those papers which prove pedigree. You won't be getting a Maine Coon cat which is registered with a cat Association. All the expensive American Maine Coons are registered with The International Cat Association for the Cat Fanciers' Association. That's important because the pedigree is registered and they are formally recognised as purebred cats. I think you want that.

It's about whether you really want to commit to purchasing a genuine purebred Maine Coon cat. And I don't think there's any other way of purchasing a purebred cat. You either make sure the cat is purebred and is fully registered with a good pedigree or you take a risk and buy cheap and then you don't really know what you've got except what the seller says that you have got. And in today's world I don't think you can trust anybody!

Let's have a look at one confident Maine Coon cat breeder who has a nice website: Sassy Koons.

Sassy Koons

I have selected them at random when searching for the price of Maine Coon cats. As mentioned above they are confident and in bold capital letters, they say that: "ON AVERAGE, THE COST OF A MAINE COON KITTEN IS BETWEEN $3500-$5000". In fact, further down their webpage they state that their prices start at $4,900!

Market forces

And they stress that the difference in the price of a Maine Coon is determined by many factors but at the end of the day it comes down to how much the buyer is prepared to pay the seller for the cat. It's about market forces which in turn is about the quality of the cat.

Are you buying from a reputable breeder who offers a five-year health guarantee? Or are you buying from an unknown entity, cats for sale website. They might provide you with a one-year health guarantee or none at all. The difference is worth money and peace of mind.

Pedigree Maine Coon cats are one of the most expensive in the cat fancy. I've mentioned supply and demand above. This is one reason why this breed is expensive. It appears that the moment (2023) they are very popular and therefore demand outstrips supply which pushes up the price. That's just about market forces and it applies to any product for sale at any time.

And reputable breeders are seeing considerable demand for their kittens. This leads to long waiting lists and paying reservation deposits in advance.

In fact, some Maine Coon breeders have waiting lists that are up to 2 years long. This clearly indicates high demand and low supply.

The breeder I mentioned above tells me that they have 3,000 customers chasing 40 kittens. They sell on a first-come first-served basis.

Lifelong support

And reputable breeders normally offer lifelong support for the new owner of the cat that they've sold them. This means offering solutions to problems, advice in general and other help. And it lasts for the entire life of the cat. The advice given might concern food, littering, socialisation issues, behavioural issues, health concerns, Maine Coon traits and characteristics, transportation when moving home and help with travel in general and vacation plans.

Breeding quality is expensive

And breeding Maine Coon cats properly is an expensive task. A lot goes into it. And a lot of it people just don't realise what happens or see it. This pushes up the price. And the price of a Maine Coon cat is partly determined by the amount of time and effort the breeder puts into raising their kittens. You're paying for the quality of the care given to the kids by a committed and concerned breeder.

Colors and patterns

Another issue is that the rarer and more difficult to create patterns and colours push the price up. There are 85 different Maine Coon colours and patterns and some breeders specialise in patterns and colours which are more challenging to achieve. These cats will sell at a higher price.

Males

Male Maine Coon cats are more expensive than females because they are bigger and people like big Maine Coon cats for the obvious reason that this is the biggest purebred cat and they want to emphasise that point.

European

European-bred Maine Coon cats are considered to be more exotic and distinctive than American bred Maine Coons. I think they are larger as well. Some of the best and most beautiful Maine Coon cats in the world have been bred and raised in Europe. 

Russia has an amazing collection of Maine Coon cat breeders who do extraordinary things with the appearance of these cats. 

But it is very tricky for an American, for instance, to buy a Maine Coon cat bred in Russia or in Europe. You are doing things at a great distance and you can't visit the breeder which I think is very important. You just don't know for sure what you are dealing with. You can buy "European Maine Coons" in America because some breeders specialise in this. I think you'll find that they are more expensive than your typical Maine Coon.

Retired adult cats

Under some circumstances, some breeders retire their adult cats and I think you will find that the price of these adult cats are cheaper than the price of kittens.

Comparison of prices

Sassy Koons very usefully provides us with a table of prices of some top Maine Coon cat breeders in different US states. These are all high-quality breeders and the prices are between $3,800 and $6,000+. This is much higher than what you see sometimes on the Internet.

These are deluxe, top of the line Maine Coon cat breeders judging by their prices in the package they provide when they sell you a Maine Coon kitten. Sassy Koons also provide a white glove delivery service and are priced between $600 and $700.That applies to delivery anywhere in America.

Good value to pay more?

I think that I've made the point in this quite lengthy article. The variation price reflects the quality of the individual cat sold and the package of services, guarantees, pedigree, paperwork et cetera which comes with a kitten. I think it's worth it. You may end up paying less in the long term if you buy from an expensive but classy Maine Coon cat breeder because there will be less health problems and health is the number one priority when buying a purebred kid. Purchasers should remind themselves that this breed is afflicted with several inherited genetic diseases which you should research carefully before purchasing.