KITTENS!
There's a lot to read on this page.
I've spent a lot of time writing this to address the (many) frequently asked questions.
I hope you can find the info you need here!
Rosie xx
Health testing of parent cats
What's a well-bred purebred? It's more than just a registration number.
- A known family history. Most of the time, this is a pedigree. It's not elitist... it's simply knowing their lineage. Some animals are proven by their work (eg. a working cattle dog)
- Quality food and vet work. First 2 x vaccinations, microchip, worming, and desexing with post op checks
- Parent cats are fully health tested - DNA, HIPS, HEART
- Maintaining current registration with state registering body (GCCFSA / DACO) and litter records
- Socialisation for each litter - this means exposure to everyday sights, smells, sounds (eg. vacuum cleaner, music, handling, grooming, riding in a vehicle)
- Showing (at least occasionally) to maintain breed standard
- Maintain and improve: toys, cat trees, enrichment items, indoor kitten areas and outdoor enclosures
- Provide lifetime support
- Taking back offspring (or helping rehome) if circumstances change - never end up in a shelter
- Per South Australian Legislation, maximum 3 litters / 18 months / per queen to prevent over-breeding
- Kittens leave with an agreement/contract
- Goals for each generation. Focus on health, type, temperament. Aim to make each litter better than the last
- Being transparent
A waitlist... or not?
We are no longer working to a traditional waitlist.
We don't accept money before kittens are born or offered.
We ask that enquirers "hassle" and chat with us regularly. This shows us who is genuine. A person's word and commitment to keeping in contact means more to us than money.
We hand-pick homes based on the best fit for our kittens. We aim to create long term relationships with potential future homes. When the litters are born, we will offer kittens to those who we feel will provide the most appropriate home for them.
About you...
We'd love to hear about your home, family, kids, other pets (if you have any), if you have an outdoor enclosure or plans to build one and anything else you'd like to share with us.
We are very open about our home and cats, and we ask that you offer the same in return.
Click here to see about us.
Each kitten will come with a kitten agreement.
We preference homes who will provide an indoor-only and/or fully enclosed cat run. This protects the cat from preventable things such as:
- traffic
- snake bites
- getting in fights
- getting stolen or lost
- exposure to other roaming cats who may carry diseases
- this also protects wildlife.
We realise we can't control what happens once they leave our care. So if you choose to let them free roam, you'll be signing an agreement that acknowledges the risks. We can't replace a cat that's injured or if they've died from something preventable.
Why do we care so much?
We care about where our kittens end up because they've grown up with us in our home. We've seen every milestone and development so far and each one leaves an impression on our heart. Some of them we've helped rear alongside their mother if they struggle to put on weight or won't feed. They are living, breathing little souls that we'll always love and hope to see regular updates on throughout their lives.
We reserve the right to select homes on an individual basis.
At times, babies may be spoken for before they are born.
Occasionally a retired stud or queen will become available for adoption.
Our kittens are for pet homes only {we will not be selling entire kittens at this time, unless under the guidance of our mentor breeder}.
Each baby is affectionate, socialised and confident around children and other cats and dogs.
Here's the timeline for a kitten:
| 2 weeks old... | Worming | |
| 4 weeks old... | Worming | |
| 6 weeks old... | 1st vaccination + worming | |
| 8 weeks old... | Worming | |
| 10 weeks old... | 2nd vaccination + worming | |
| 12-14 weeks old... | Desexing + microchip + worming + 3rd vaccination | |
| 14 weeks old... | Ready to go to their new home locally here in SA | |
| - or - | ||
| 16 weeks old... | minimum age to travel interstate with "fit to travel" documentation |
We can understand that you may want your kitten as early as possible, but please consider the bigger picture.
They are very young and susceptible to stress.
We have a responsibility to reduce this stress and prepare them for their whole life.
So we stagger their vet work and travel as much as possible. This means that they need adequate recovery time between these stressful moments in their young life.
You will still enjoy many months and years of kitten behaviour and play (Maine Coons are slow to mature) and it will be setting them up for the best transition possible.
This is non-negotiable.
What comes next?
A health guarantee will be in place for the kitten up to 2 years of age. If the kitten dies of an inheritable disease which is directly related to our lines, we will replace the kitten of similar colour and quality. A necropsy at the owner's cost would be required to determine the cause of death.
Each kitten leaves with an agreement.
We hope that an open line of communication remains in place for the life of the kitten, as it's important for us to track the progress of our lines. We offer lifetime support and friendship. We'd also like to know the good, the bad - and everything in between. We won't disappear if something goes wrong.
Feeding and Diet
We feed a rotation of balanced raw and good quality commercial food.
- Raw Meow Mix Kitten meal completer to turn any protein/muscle meat into a balanced raw diet
- Ziwi Peak canned and air dried (it's cooked, but one of the best commercial diets, available from most large pet stores)
- Feline Naturals canned (cooked) and freeze dried (raw), available from most large pet stores
- Meat Mates canned (made by Feline Naturals and available from Coles supermarkets
- Big Dog for Cats frozen premade balanced raw
- Hills Kitten / Oral / t/d - from any major pet store or vet
- Purina Proplan - any major pet store
- Advance Kitten/Adult - any major pet store
The only thing we ask is to TRANSITION SLOWLY, if you want to change their diet, so their tummies have time to adjust.
PRO'S AND CON'S FOR A BALANCED RAW DIET
The main thing that people worry about with raw diets is "will my cats get sick??" (bacterial or parasitic diseases). The short answer is: usually not, if you manage your food prep right!
Although our animals are domesticated (which changes things little bit) - out in the natural environment, wild/big cats don't cook their food. They are obligate carnivores. Their gastrointestinal tract is designed for eating raw, whole prey, including all the fur, feathers, skin, scales, organs and bones. Some people are surprised to find that they don't need carbohydrates or veggies in their diet, in fact they find it really hard to process! A cat's gut simply does not contain as many enzymes which break down carbohydrates or vegetation. Although there is a small amount of absorption, most of the carbs simply go straight through.
If you go down the raw feeding path... you MUST feed balanced raw (not just plain meat). Why? because it doesn't contain all the essential vitamins and nutrients that they need. This would be the equivalent to us eating plain chicken breast, every day, for every meal, for the rest of our lives - we'd get sick pretty quickly, right? An unbalanced raw diet = malnutrition, and fast. And it's probably the main reason vets advise against it, because it's really hard to explain to someone that they need to be eating a full and balanced meal. A vet will usually only see the cats who get super sick from eating a plain muscle meat, unbalanced, and malnourished - they see the worst of the worst. It's easier for them to just give blanket advice away from raw altogether. Often, they don't get to see the healthy cats who benefit from raw diets.
We like to try and give you the whole picture.
We've seen benefits from feeding some regular raw in their rotation. Shiny coats, less hairballs, more energy!
At the end of the day... we advocate for simply: "FED is best". If you've found something that works for you and your animal, keep going! Search for Australian Raw Fed Cats on Facebook to learn more about balanced raw feeding!
Poly Paws - What the heck are they?
Polydactyly means "many digits". Simply put, polydactyly cats have more toes than a standard paw in any combination on either their front paws or both front and back.
Standard paws are 5 toes on the front and 4 toes on the back.
Poly paws have been a controversial (yet NATURAL) mutation. As far as the history goes, it was naturally occurring, and not introduced by humans.
Research has shown it does not cause any structural or behavioural problems if bred correctly. The gene for polydactyly is dominant. Generally if one of the parents is polydactyly, then 50% or more of their kittens will also possess this trait.
The story behind polys is that it allowed them better mobility in the snow, or on the viking ships. Ship cats were seen as good omens and kept the vermin down.
See my blog for some articles on poly paws!
Other conditions that some people can MISTAKE for polydactylism:
Radial hypoplasia (commonly known as a "twisty cat"), in simple terms, the bones of the limbs are undeveloped, and/or develop with deformities. It is coded by a different gene than polydactyly.
Double-paw is a structural mutation where the paw or limb has branched into two separate paws, or even separated further up at the elbow/knee/shoulder/hip creating another limb entirely. This occurs during embryo development, and again, a different gene codes for this mutation. Double-paw can create a lot of structural problems depending on the formation of the limb.
We absolutely love poly-pawed cats and think it is an endearing and interesting feature that goes way back into the early history of the Maine Coon! It's a natural feature of a natural breed. Over decades, many show breeders attempted to breed around it, because it was deemed an unhealthy mutation. Unlike the fold, munchkin, or manx genes, which all come with structural problems and often pain (and are continued despite this), polydactyly is painless when not associated with any other conditions, and has been preserved over the years.
It's slowly being re-accepted. Poly's are able to be registered and shown in New Zealand, in the USA and in some European countries. Perhaps Australia will not be far behind.
Henley is legitimately registered as a polydactyly with GCCFSA. He cannot be shown (yet), but they do recognise this trait. Standard paw progeny can be shown.
We would like to reiterate here that we'll never sacrifice a certain trait for an animal's health.
