Maine Coons Of Ven

FAQs before you contact us

About our cattery - we recently moved from Switzerland, and specialize in sourcing XXL European lines with XL muzzles, extremely long bodies and endless supple tails. Our MCs also carry splendid brush tips. A couple of times a year, we visit European breeders to look for the choicest parents for our future kittens.

Living areas - if the males do not spray, they move around freely in the house. However if they do spray, they are confined to the third heated/airconditioned garage which has been transformed for them and a walk out enclosed porch leading into the garden and connecting through glass doors to our living room and kitchen area. The queens and kittens have the whole house for themselves. Grooming and brushing teeth is part of the daily regime. They eat dry Science Diet and Hills products in addition to cooked chicken or fish meals.

Kitten personalities - Show kittens must have a very sociable character. Sometimes however, a kitten is born with a shy personality. To ensure that ALL our kittens (pet & show), are loved and adored by their future families, we spend hours on our hands and knees kissing and hugging our kittens and exposing them to other cat lovers. This makes them fearless and trustful of humans and willing to go anywhere with their new owners.

Health tests: we first test the adults for possible Maine Coon specific conditions such as HD, HCM, PKD (details on the Pawpeds website). Additional DNA tests to determine whether or not our breeding cats are carrying the MyPBC3 mutation, are performed at the Veterinary Cardiac Genetics Lab at the Washington State University under the supervision of Dr. K. Meurs . Results tell us if a particular future parent carries one or both genes possibly leading to HCM in later years. Heterozygous cats (N/HCM) if exceptional, may be used in our breeding plans, only with those mates not carrying the mutation (N/N). We limit our litters to 3-4 per year.

Information for breeders: we perform the DNA testing on kittens for the HCM genes if necessary. For any other treatment, our Maine Coons are in the excellent care of Dr. Alice Mills of the Lexington Hospital For Cats and Drs. Gilpin, Myers, Vice & McCord of the Gainsway Small Animal Clinic in Lexington.

Price range and WHYs - Price varies according to pedigree, pet or show/breeding qualities, which can be determined at 6 weeks after birth. Our pet kittens are sold for $1'000, and the price range of our breeding/show kittens varies between $ 2'000 - $2'800. Altered show kittens are priced at $1'800. Showing experience has taught us that as breeders we must recognize the fact that it would be wrong to say that all kittens are born with equal personalities or breed characteristics. Hence, the "show/breeder" and "pet" quality distinction. From young parents whose offspring have not yet attained adulthood, we do not sell kittens as breeder/show. Also, a "pet" kitten may be as beautiful as a show kitten, but all the socializing will not change the kitten's aversion to crowded environments or to being handled by strangers in a stressful environment which could disqualify him/her at a show. Whereas, a "show & breeding" kitten must have the required physical characteristics, but will also happily accept being handled by strangers at shows and will have no problems with crowds or cameras. Therefore we feel it is important to evaluate kitten characters and physical development (as each kitten is different irrespective of the socializing and loving care given to them). This is to ensure that our kittens will be fully appreciated by their future families/breeders. Each kitten is first and foremost in our hearts, and meticulously receives loving care and attention irrespective of "category". Persons who we entrust our kittens with, are persons who agree with our conditions below. Our kittens are de-wormed, receive a full medical examination, two vaccinations (rabies, FPV, FeLV, FHV-1 & FCV), electronic chip (optional) and DNA tests (for breeders) before they leave their mother at the age of 14 weeks. Please contact us for further information.

Breeding style - We push hard on the health program, socializing, diet, dental hygiene and the procurement of exceptional lines. We encourage questions on breeding, health, diet, living standards, character, and any questions our future customers may have.

Your reservation - we do not accept advance payments for reservations, due to the uncertainties of nature, although we can keep you on our waiting list. When the pair of your choice are pregnant, we will inform you a few days before we place a notice on our Current Projects page. We will require confirmation of your interest with a down payment of $500 (or as convenient). This amount is fully reimbursable should you change your mind 30 days before the kitten is to leave our home. Later than 30 days, half the amount will be reimbursable.

Conditions for breeding/show kittens - our customers agree through a written contract to:

have loving family lives for our kittens, they will not be allowed outdoors without enclosures, will never live in cages, and will never be de-clawed

the buyer will show our show kittens at least to a Champion level within 10 months of acquisition.

our breeding male kittens will not be used for stud services

our breeding lines will never be mated to Maine Coons without at least a 5 generation pedigree

Show alter kittens will be neutered before the age of 6 months

Related to ALL our kittens - the new owner will preferably pick up their kitten from our home, agrees to return the kitten/cat to us should the owner be unable for whatever reason to keep the kitten/cat, and will give us regular updates on the progress of our kittens with pictures.

Responsibility & Disclaimer - All our kittens leave us at the age of 14 weeks with a certificate of good health supplied by our veterinarians, and will have received their rabies, leukemia, and distemper vaccinations. We advise our customers to have their kitten checked by their own veterinarian immediately, and to keep the new kitten separate from the other family animals for ten days (but not isolated from human company). We will not take responsibility for any disease contracted by the kitten during this 10 day period and thereafter, unless certified by the veterinarian that the kitten was infected prior to arrival at the new owner's home. In such a case, our maximum liability will cover the veterinarian charge for this 10 day period, or the full reimbursement and return of the kitten to us with its full medical file including lab reports and invoices. If the kitten was sold as a breeding cat, it must be returned to us un-neutered/spayed to allow us to obtain a second opinion before the final decision is taken to neuter the kitten.

Diet

Our Mission

Ven's Passion is a Maine Coon breeder. The Maine Coon is a breed known for it's distinctive appearance and exceptional character.

True to the Maine Coon's reputation, we provide show kittens only if they have the following guaranteed characteristics:

Free of hereditary or communicable diseases
XXL size
Lynx-like Ear Tips
Prominent Square Muzzle
Rippling Muscles
Heavy Bones
Healthy Silk Coat
XL Long body & Tail
Sociable Companion & Dog-like affection

Our breeding cats are cleared yearly of HCM, HD, PKD, FIP, FeLV and have been DNA tested for the gene mutation causing HCM. Please feel free to ask questions!

Our Mission:

· To strengthen the breed, with the assistance of our veterinarians and the cooperation of reputed international Maine Coon breeders.

· To share our experiences & provide full visibility on questions of health and breeding.

Ven's Passion is a member of :

THE INTERNATIONAL CAT ASSOCIATION (TICA)

THE CAT FANCIERS ASSOCIATION (CFA)

FEDERATION FELINE HELVETIQUE OF SWITZERLAND (FFH)

recognized by the

FEDERATION INTERNATIONAL FELINE. (FIFe)