Zagreus Maine Coon Cattery

05/08/2024

Missy Jenny with her beautiful smaragd eyes 🥰

21/04/2024

Just a little hello to let you know we are all still OK 🤩😍. We hope you are, too 💕🐾

02/01/2024

The hols are coming to the end🥳🎄🎄🎉🥳...and soon we'll be saying farewell to these two beauties, too. They have made our Christmas 🎄🥳🎄🎄🐈🐱🐈‍⬛😻🐾🐾💕

24/12/2023

Merry CATmas to all our fans and friends. Have yourself a furry and purry New Year 2024 🎄🎅🍖🍗🌭🎄🎄🎄✨️🎉🎊

20/11/2023

Oh I can't get over Arran's beautiful smaragd eyes 🤩🥰. 🐾🐾💚

30/10/2023

Happy Halloween 🎃

29/10/2023

https://www.barkandwhiskers.com/2023-10-28-long-lived-cats/?cid_source=facebook&cid_medium=social&cid_content=bw&cid=leadimage_20231028&fbclid=IwAR1zY_XBIMJGIokcDDOryCWmOqJdBkIUzDHjQO-Y-TfBQ1QoDCUFGPRIVLQ

It's not unusual for well-cared for cats to live into their late teens and 20s, as the diseases they are likely to encounter are primarily lifestyle related. There are eight ways you can help increase the odds of your cat living a long, healthy life - how many of them are you doing now?

23/10/2023

Sitting for half an hour at the table and thinking what I should carve on the pumpkin this year🤔...when suddenly Anika gives me an idea 🥰🐈‍⬛

21/10/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=807566644705027&id=100063550953566

Let's talk about size and weight!

Or, to be more accurate, let's not! Like humans, cats have an average size and weight. This is also true for Maine C**ns. Whilst most Maine C**ns will be within the average for the breed, there will be outliers - cats who are smaller and cats who are bigger. A smaller cat is not "less than" and a larger cat is not "better". In fact, quite the opposite - a smaller cat has generally fewer musculoskeletal issues, whereas a larger cat is at much higher risk.

Again, much like humans, Maine C**ns go through a teenage growth period, and they will grow and gain weight at completely different rates to other teenagers, even their litter mates!

So what does this mean for checking your cat's size? The main thing is don't compare your cats to others. Your cat is growing at *their own rate* and comparing to others will only cause worry or concern. Comparative posts also encourage the "show offs", the people who say their cat is 8, 9, even 10kg or more which encourages a fallacy that Maine C**ns are giant cats.

The average, healthy weight for Maine C**ns is 5-8kg for males and 4-7kg for females. Some cats will be more, some will be less. The average moggy is 3-4kg so even the smallest Maine C**ns are still comparatively big cats.

So, focus on a healthy body condition for your cat - a light covering of fat over the rib cage, shoulders, spine and hips, and a gentle waist curve. As long as your cat's body condition is good then their weight is perfect for them, whatever that may be ☺️

(Image from First Vet)

25/08/2023

Wanted to make a post, explaining the difference between Maine C**ns and domestic cats. Domestic cats are just as lovable, so this is not about Maine C**ns being better. There is a lot of confusion, so hopefully this helps.
Also, scammers and backyard breeders have it easier when people don’t know the difference.

Maine C**ns always have a pedigree, proving their ancestry. Only a cat with two registered Maine C**n parents is a Maine C**n. Randomly bred longhair cats that are found outside or in shelters are not Maine C**ns or mixes. You can’t find them as rescues. It’s extremely rare that you will have a real Maine C**n at a shelter. I’ve never seen one at a shelter and I know people that work there and haven’t seen one either after years of shelter work.
The way the breed works is that breeders selected cats in the beginning and started to selectively breed them for certain features. All those cats are documented from the beginning. CFA, TICA and any other cat registry doesn’t accept randomly bred cats as part of the breed. Maine C**ns originated in the state of Maine (coastal area) and were only found there, but you can’t really find them there anymore because so many people moved there and cats mixed with strays.

Shelters/rescues label domestic longhair cats as Maine C**ns or mixes all the time. They do this to find people to adopt them faster, but it really is fraud since they take money for cats that are not Maine C**ns, but they “sell” them as such. This causes a lot of confusion. Shelters do great work helping cats, and I understand that they need to find homes, just wish they wouldn’t do this. If your cat was advertised as Maine C**n or mix from a shelter without pedigree it’s not likely a Maine C**n at all. From experience, in 99.999% of the cases the cats are not Maine C**n.

Since breeders care a lot about their breeding cats and pay a lot for them, since they have to purchase breeding rights and pay for health testing (most spend 30K-50K in their first 1-2 years starting a small cattery), they make sure that they don’t get out and get diseases from strays or get pregnant. There just aren’t a bunch of Maine C**ns running around in the neighborhoods. And kitten buyers get them already altered or are required by contract to do so by a specific age.
Only 1-3% of all cats belong to a cat breed and there are over 70 recognized cat breeds, so you can imagine how few are really Maine C**ns. The real Maine C**ns are in the hands of breeders or owners, not out on the streets. Even if there was one real Maine C**n unaltered on the streets- it would make no impact in the domestic cat population of millions and definitely would not account for all the alleged mixes. All other cats that don’t belong to a breed are called domestic cats. These cats are not mixes of other cat breeds. This is the way it works with dogs, but not with cats. They are randomly bred cats without any breed background. Or, if you will, they are their own breed of domestic cats.
I’ve lived in many different places, many different states, rescued and fostered, but never saw a real Maine C**n outside.
Even pet buyers pay a few thousand $$ for a kitten, so they make sure to keep them safe. Contracts usually say that they have to be inside cats. Buyers are also required by contract to give the cat back to the breeder, not a shelter, if they can’t keep them anymore. Most breeders microchip kittens before they leave the cattery and stay on the microchip as a second contact. They would get informed if the first contact doesn’t answer, so they can arrange for the cat to be picked up. All this means that it’s extremely unlikely to find a real Maine C**n rescue.

The reason why you see domestic cats having some similarities to purebreds is that they are the same species. The Maine C**ns in Maine developed from domestic cats. Then breeders took those cats and through selective breeding enhanced their traits. But, the domestic longhair cats are not part of the Maine C**n breed. Maine C**ns are a pedigreed cat breed and only cats with a documented ancestry are part of it. Even if just one parent isn’t a Maine C**n, the kittens are not considered Maine C**ns and can’t get registered. After a couple generations of breeding to strays you would not see much Maine C**n anymore. After 3 generations, which can happen within just a couple of years, you would only have 12.5% Maine C**n left. These cats would not look like the Maine C**ns you know at that point. Real mixes are actually a lot more rare than purebred Maine C**ns, since breeders do everything to make sure their cats don’t get out. The real Maine C**ns you see all have a long pedigree, going back to foundation cats of the breed (back to the 60s). If you ever decide to get a Maine C**n, make sure to find a reputable cattery that is registered and does health testing. The only way to make sure that you are really getting a Maine C**n is registration paperwork. This is the same for other cat breeds as well. Every domestic cat will look similar to one breed or another, because the breeds were developed from domestic cats.

DNA testing does not work for cat breed identification. The tests usually even have a disclaimer about it. They don’t work, because cats have only been bred on purpose since a couple hundred years, most cat breeds are less than 50-100 years old, unlike dogs which have been bred since thousands of years and can be differentiated by DNA, since their genetic makeup has changed. Cats are still genetically too similar to each other for testing to work. The tests can only tell you that your cat has some similar genes that are found in pedigreed cats. This is not because your cat is actually a mix of different breeds, it is because cat breeds were developed from domestic cats. The DNA tests also often claim that a cat is a mix of multiple different breeds…as you can see that is extremely unlikely. It would mean two or more intact purebred animals from different breeds got out, found each other and had kittens.
When you test the same cat with two different companies you often get totally different results.
Dogs are either purebred or mixes of other dog breeds, since they have been purposely bred since such a long time and don’t often breed indiscriminately outside like cats do. To understand it better, think of the relationship between wolves and dogs. Dogs developed from wolves, cat breeds were developed from domestic cats. Domestic cats are the natural ancestors of the different cat breeds. Although I’d say domestic cats are typically a lot more domesticated than wolves 😄 Even today- people still develop new cat breeds all the time, either by selecting domestic cats to create a new breed or by mixing cat breeds that are allowed to be mixed (Maine C**ns are not allowed to be mixed per registry rules).

https://www.rover.com/blog/cat-dna-test/

Most vets are also not trained in breed identification. There are over 70 cat breeds and vets don’t have the time to learn them, since they are focused on health issues. Most vets also have never even seen a real Maine C**n. A lot of vets will tell people with domestic longhair cats that they have a Maine C**n, maybe to make them happy or because they really don’t know better. If you want a more educated opinion about your cat, ask a breeder or a cat show judge. Breeders handle this breed every day, know the standard, they pick breeding cats and compete in cat shows. Judges know the different breed standards and handle the different breeds all the time. Even breeders and judges can’t confirm that a cat is a certain breed without a pedigree, they can only tell you if your cat looks similar to a breed. But with experience it’s pretty easy to see if a cat is a Maine C**n or not, like when you look at a German Shepard and a Husky…you know which one is which and it’s the same for us with cats.

Every cat breed has what is called a standard. It tells you how a cat should look like when they belong to a specific breed. At the cat shows the cats will get judged based on the standards (domestic cats can’t compete with Maine C**ns at the shows). Domestic longhair cats can have some traits that they share with Maine C**ns, but not all is the same. They have a longer coat, but the coat is usually a little different from a Maine C**n. Maine C**ns also have a squared muzzle, usually lynx tips etc
Look at domestic longhair cats and then look at pictures of Maine C**ns. You will after a while see that they don’t look the same.

Breeders are not allowed to mix Maine C**ns with other breeds or domestic cats. This is a rule from the cat registries. Don’t fall for backyard breeders that offer unregistered cats or mixes. There is no way to know if you are really getting a Maine C**n in those cases or what they are mixing in (again, it is not allowed to mix Maine C**ns with other breeds). There are people that sell domestic longhair cats as Maine C**ns. Registration is very cheap for breeders (13 bucks for a whole litter) and no ethical breeder sells unregistered kittens. There are no cheap Maine C**n kittens and you’ll never find a Maine C**n kitten at a shelter or as a stray outside. They are very popular and breeders don’t give them up.
Reasons why people sell unregistered kittens are that they aren’t Maine C**ns or because they didn’t purchase breeding rights and are breaching contract with their breeder. People that do this also cut corners in other ways, don’t do health testing, overbreed their cats, let them go too young etc.

The “M” you see on some cats doesn’t mean that they are Maine C**ns. Those are tabby markings and can be found in many cat breeds and domestic cats, including shorthaired cats. Also, not all Maine C**ns are tabbies, so not every Maine C**n will have the M. Being big, longhaired, fluffy, sweet, talkative, chattering, tufts between the toes, liking water and playing fetch aren’t signs that the cat is a Maine C**n. Domestic cats can have those traits just the same and many Maine C**ns don’t like water, aren’t huge etc. A Maine C**n female can be as small as 8 lbs, but is still a Maine C**n because of the ancestry. Being fluffy and longhaired does not in any way make a cat a Maine C**n. It just means that cat has two copies of longhair genes. Just like a shorthaired cat isn’t automatically a Bengal or Burmese.

You’ll often hear people say, well it’s a Norwegian Forest cat if it’s not a Maine C**n. That’s totally unlikely. That breed works the same as Maine C**ns, they are a pedigreed cat breed that is native to Norway only. There aren’t as many breeders of that breed in the US and these cats aren’t even native to the US. They also share traits with domestic longhair cats.
In short- when you have a cat that belongs to a breed you know you do, since you will have documentation and likely have a contract and paid accordingly, went through a registered breeder etc.

If you have a domestic cat and just found out it’s not a Maine C**n…don’t be disappointed. I’ve had domestic cats my whole life too and love them. Your cat doesn’t care and you won’t love your cat any less. It won’t change anything. Each cat is special 😻😊

Post Written by Jasmina Waltz

15/08/2023

Blue is back for a visit at Zagreus Maine C**n Cattery with his cute little brother Eazy 🥰. Too much playing and chasing put him down for a bit of a rest.😴🥰🐾🐾 We love to have you both here 💕🐾🐾

11/07/2023

Partners in crime...Snezi & Anika. The day when they brought the baby lizard inside 🙈🐾🐾

08/07/2023

When you find your kitty lying in this position you know she feels safe and content 🥰🐾🐾

02/07/2023

H A P P Y 2️⃣nd B I R T H D A Y to our babas 💕🥰

19/06/2023

The fast, furious but fabulous Molly and Anika 🥊🥊

28/05/2023

Happy 2nd Birthday to the fast and fabulous Molly the Boss 😜🥩🍗🍖🥓💜🐾🐾

27/05/2023

HOW MUCH??

POTENTIAL OWNER: How much is the kitten?
BREEDER: 1000-2000 and up

POTENTIAL OWNER: What?? It's way too expensive!!
BREEDER: What do you think would be a reasonable price?
POTENTIAL OWNER: No more than 800. You breeders are so overpriced.
BREEDER: I am sorry you see it this way; why don't you try it yourself?
POTENTIAL OWNER: But I've never done it!
BREEDER: For FREE, I can teach you how to do it, and you will also have the knowledge to do it again.
POTENTIAL OWNER: Perfect, thank you!
BREEDER: To start, you will need a female(average minimal cost 2000 and up). Also, a male(average minimal cost 2000 and up). You will need to do genetic & health testing on them, which averages about 200+ per cat. Raise and provide daily care, feeding & grooming for 1,5 years. (So a minimal 100 per month)
POTENTIAL OWNER: But I don't have that much money...

BREEDER: For 800, you can raise a litter for me and then keep one of the kitten. Obviously, you also have to pay the cost of whelping & care.
POTENTIAL OWNER: I can do that.
BREEDER: OK, so I have a female due to whelp in 2 weeks. You will need to be available 24/7 around the clock for at least 14 weeks to help with delivery and care. Possibly tube or bottle-feed kittens every 2-3 hours if the mom is low on milk the first couple weeks.
POTENTIAL OWNER: Fourteen weeks?? It's way too much time for me! I have to work.
BREEDER: You will also need the reproductive vet to do X-rays (50-200), possibly progesterone testing(75-250) & a C-section(1000-3000), and initial vet care on the kitten until old enough to be placed. Kitten vets exams and two sets of vaccines (200 and up, depending on how many kittens are in the litter)
Have on hand a scale, thermometer, latex gloves, sanitizer, absorbent tissues, scissors, hemostats, heating pad, whelping box, blankets, cleaning supplies, appropriate food with supplements for mothers, formula, medications & hand feeding supplies in case of emergency...
POTENTIAL OWNER: But I don't have all these things!
BREEDER: For 1000 you can buy them.
POTENTIAL OWNER: Ummm .... You know, I think it might be better if I just buy a kitten.
BREEDER: Wise decision.

For us breeders there are no vacations or holidays; while you go to visit with family & friends, we are home at our cats' side caring for them. It is a no breaks commitment.

THIS IS THE REALITY

When you choose a professional, you don't only pay for the kitten but also: Tools, knowledge, experience, love, time, sacrifices, etc.

by Gregory Joseph

08/05/2023

We were sooo looking forward to having Amilia on holidays for a couple weeks in May but the plans have changed 😪.
Nevertheless, Amilia's parents sent us these two photos with permission to kindly share them with you 🥰.
She's turned into a great IT expert🖱🖥...and a gardener🌻🌺🥀⚘. It's amazing how many skills Maine C**ns can possess. Amilia definitely inherited her dad Billee's gardening abilities.🥰🐾🐾
P.S How adorable those ear tufts are 🥰🥰

08/05/2023

Happy the 3rd birthday big boy 🍗🍖🥩🍗🍖🥩💕😻🐾🐾💝🧡💛💚🥳🥳

13/04/2023

Anika fixing the lights in the bathroom 😮😱

26/03/2023

My beautiful Molly Odett Darkwood is now getting pronounced Maine C**n features. Her maine is growing nicely too. She is gorgeous inside out.💚🐾💕

11/03/2023

Billee waiting on the top of a bird house for... Alfie😏🥰🐾

09/03/2023

From the article...
Study Looked for 87 Genetic Variants in Over 11,000 Cats

The results of the genotyping revealed there was more genetic diversity in the non-pedigreed cat population than the pedigreed population, and there were three disease-associated variants found only in non-pedigreed cats. The researchers also identified 13 disease-associated genetic variants in 47 breeds that weren’t previously known; they also found that the frequency of some markers had declined since they were first identified.

For example, a variant associated with polycystic kidney disease, PKD1, which is reported to affect 40% of Persian cats, wasn’t found in any of the 118 Persians in the study, but was found in some Maine C**ns and Scottish Straights. According to lead study author Heidi Anderson of Wisdom Panel:

• It’s important to realize that just because a cat is predisposed to a certain inherited disease, it doesn’t mean he or she will develop the condition, nor does it mean it can’t be successfully prevented or treated

• It’s important to realize that just because a cat is predisposed to a certain inherited disease, it doesn’t mean he or she will develop the condition, nor does it mean it can’t be successfully prevented or treated

https://www.barkandwhiskers.com/genetic-disease-in-cats/

07/03/2023

The very first moment of bonding with Billee three years ago. The precious moment which stays in the heart forever. 🥰💕🐾🐾

20/02/2023

🌾Kitty grass for my kitties.🌾
Do you know why grass is good for your cats? 🤔 Please let us know 🙏

16/02/2023

https://www.holisticactions.com/why-fish-is-dangerous-for-cats/

A lot of cats have learned to love fish, but it’s not a natural feline food; and it’s really not a good idea to feed it to your cat. Why not? Because it is simply not safe to feed fish to cats (and humans should be very careful about eating it themselves, and especially about feeding it to their...

14/02/2023

Catty Valentines 💗❤❤❤ from the Zagreus Maine C**n Cattery 😘

09/02/2023

When you give your cats a choice and they all go for the healthiest option. I'm so proud of my clever kitties 🥰😍🐾🐾

P.S There is the Royal Canin and Natures Variety in the green bowl.

08/02/2023

Arran is back on hols with us 🥰🥰🐾 What a lovely character 😻🐾🐾