Choosing the Right Breeder: A Checklist for Responsible Pet Parents
Bringing a Maine Coon kitten into your life is a joyful and life-changing experience—but choosing the right breeder is just as important as choosing the right kitten. With so many options online, it can be difficult to separate ethical breeders from profit-driven operations. That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive checklist to help families investigate breeders with confidence and clarity.
Use this guide to evaluate transparency, legitimacy, and ethical standards—because your future feline deserves nothing less.
✅ The Ethical Breeder Checklist
🔍 1. Scrutinize Online Reviews
- Read both positive and negative reviews carefully.
- Look for specific details about the kitten, breeder, and experience.
- Be cautious of generic praise or overly emotional complaints.
- Check for review consistency across platforms (Google, Yelp, Facebook, Reddit).
- Watch out for review floods—multiple posts in a short time may indicate manipulation.
🌐 2. Explore Their Website and Social Media
- Look for clear policies, health guarantees, and educational resources.
- Check for photos and videos of the breeder interacting with kittens.
- Review their social media engagement—ethical breeders often share updates, answer questions, and post behind-the-scenes content.
- A lack of transparency or vague information may be a red flag.
📹 3. Request a Live Video Chat from the Cattery
- Ask for a FaceTime or Zoom call from inside the breeder’s cattery.
- Observe how the breeder interacts with their cats—and how the cats respond.
- Confirm that the person on the call is the actual breeder, not a third-party caretaker.
- Look for consistency in location, environment, and demeanor.
- Ethical breeders welcome scrutiny and enjoy connecting with families.
🚫 4. Avoid Cargo Shipping
- Cargo transport can be traumatic and dangerous for kittens.
- Many ethical breeders will not ship kittens via cargo under any circumstance.
- Look for breeders who offer personal delivery or in-person pickup only.
- Ask about their transport policies and why they’ve chosen them.
🧠 5. Evaluate Their Screening Process
- Ethical breeders qualify families before placing a kitten.
- Expect questions about your home, lifestyle, experience, and expectations.
- A breeder who sells to anyone without screening may prioritize profit over welfare.
- Look for breeders who care where their kittens go—and follow up after adoption.
💬 6. Assess Communication Style
- Ethical breeders are responsive, respectful, and informative.
- They should be willing to answer questions, provide documentation, and explain their practices.
- Beware of breeders who pressure you to commit quickly or demand deposits before you’ve met the kitten.
- Transparency is a sign of integrity.
📄 7. Ask for Documentation
- Request:
- Health records
- Vaccination history
- Genetic testing results
- Pedigree information
- Spay/neuter agreements
- Ethical breeders provide these without hesitation.
🏡 8. Look for Signs of Ethical Breeding Practices
- Small-scale, home-based catteries are often more hands-on and nurturing.
- Breeders should raise kittens in their own home, not outsource to other families.
- Watch for signs of volume breeding or kitten flipping—these are red flags.
- Ask how many litters they produce per year and how they socialize their kittens.
🐱 Final Thoughts: Trust What You See, Not Just What You Read
Choosing a breeder is about more than ratings—it’s about relationships, responsibility, and real-world transparency. Ethical breeders don’t hide behind websites or reviews. They welcome questions, offer full disclosure, and prioritize the well-being of every kitten they raise.
At Bella Maine Coons, we believe families deserve honesty, education, and a genuine connection. We invite you to use this checklist, ask the hard questions, and choose a breeder who shares your values.
