Adopting a Maine Coon in Leeds: rescues, rules and costs

Our live count sits at the top of this page. It takes in any Maine Coon or Maine Coon cross that a rescue we list within roughly 25 miles of Leeds has posted, with a link through to that rescue, and it usually reads zero, because pedigree Maine Coons seldom go through general cat rescues, and we found no Maine Coon rescue anywhere in Yorkshire. The long-coated cats near the city are mostly domestic longhairs, on our Leeds long-haired cats page. For the breed itself there are two routes, both outside the county.

Rarely because of anything the cat did. The Maine Coon Cat Club gives examples such as someone at home turning out to be allergic, a family emigrating, or a couple splitting up. In its experience the majority have no known medical or behavioural issue, while a minority do, and certain cats need a household with no children or other animals.

Price is only half the question; the other half is what has been done. An owner rehoming through the club should be able to tell you about neutering, jabs, the microchip and the last vet visit. Strawberry's cats leave it neutered, vaccinated, chipped and treated for fleas and worms, with 5 weeks' free insurance (its homepage), and lifelong insurance is a condition of adopting (its adoption page).

Breeders charge £200 to well over £1,000 for a registered pedigree kitten (Cats Protection); ask them just as much about vaccinations and vet checks. Once the cat is home, food, insurance and the rest cost the same however it arrived: £79 a month or more, according to PDSA.

The GCCF rates the breed as healthy on the whole and flags two inherited conditions. The first, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), makes the heart wall thicker, cutting the volume of blood pumped per beat and risking heart failure; a DNA test exists for Maine Coons, and breeders can also have a cat's heart scanned. The second, hip dysplasia, cannot be found with a simple gene test, which is why breeders can have a cat's hips X-rayed instead.

• Has it been screened? Maine Coons sit in the higher-risk group for HCM, according to International Cat Care, which describes screening as a heart ultrasound (an echocardiogram) together with a blood sample or cheek swab sent to a laboratory. Ask whether this cat has had either.
• Don't assume tests were done. Strawberry's policy is a routine vet check at vaccination time; DNA tests, scans and X-rays are not done on every cat as standard.
• Knees, waistline, ears and coat. Alongside the hips and heart, PDSA names patellar luxation, where the kneecap slips. The GCCF adds that the breed is prone to weight gain, that those big ears want regular cleaning checks, and that spring brings a heavy moult.

Indoor space matters. The GCCF describes the largest domestic breed it recognises, high in energy and slow to mature, taking up to four years; it wants space to play and a very strong climbing frame that will bear its weight. It developed as a working cat in the countryside, which shows in its weatherproof coat. PDSA says Maine Coons often chat loudly with their owners and would rather run around than sit on a lap.

Unless a listing says otherwise, Strawberry rehomes its cats to indoor homes. Council tenants should check first: Leeds City Council needs written permission for any pet and its policy does not allow cats in flats or maisonettes with a communal entrance, high rise blocks included. If you take on a cat through the club, find out whether it has lived indoors or had a garden, so you can match the setup it knows.

Rehoming is not a shop. With a rescue, you put yourself forward for one cat and, if the match is approved, pay a fee towards its care. Kittens hardly ever appear: the Maine Coon Cat Club calls a kitten needing a new home very rare, and many of its cats are older. Whatever is available near Leeds right now is on our Leeds Maine Coon page.

Buying from a breeder instead? Look for one registered with a body like the GCCF and insist on meeting the kitten and its mother in their own home; Cats Protection warns against buying on the strength of a video or a social media post. A breeder should be able to show HCM DNA results for both parents (GCCF). Suspicious adverts are worth passing to Report Fraud, Action Fraud's successor.