Adopting a Maine Coon in Sheffield: rescues, costs and health

The live count at the top of the page covers any Maine Coon or Maine Coon cross listed by a rescue we work with within about 25 miles of Sheffield. It is usually zero: pedigree Maine Coons rarely pass through general cat rescues, and we found no Maine Coon rescue in Yorkshire. Big, shaggy domestic longhairs do come up, and they are on our Sheffield long-haired cats page. For the breed itself, both routes are outside South Yorkshire.

Usually because of the owner, not the cat. The Maine Coon Cat Club gives examples such as an allergy in the family, emigration or a relationship ending, and says most of the cats on its page have no known medical or behavioural problem. A minority do, and some need a home with no children or other animals.

Ask what has already been done. A private owner should know the cat's history: whether it has been neutered, which jabs it has had, whose details are on the microchip and the date of its last vet visit. Strawberry's cats are neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and treated for fleas and worms before they go, with 5 weeks' free insurance (its homepage); after that, its adoption page requires cover for the rest of the cat's life.

A breeder's registered kitten costs £200 to well over £1,000 (Cats Protection); ask the breeder the same questions about jabs and vet checks. Once the cat is home, PDSA puts the running costs at £79 a month or more, however it arrived.

The GCCF names two inherited conditions in the breed. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) makes the heart muscle thicker, so less blood leaves the heart with each beat, and it can end in heart failure. Maine Coons can be DNA tested for it, and a breeding cat's heart can be checked by ultrasound. Hip dysplasia is harder: no simple gene test exists, so a breeding cat's hips can be X-rayed instead.

• Has it been screened? International Cat Care puts Maine Coons among the breeds at greater risk of HCM and says screening tests are available. Ask whether this cat has had one.
• Don't assume tests were done. Beyond the check its vet makes at vaccination, Strawberry's policy says it does not DNA test, scan or X-ray every cat.
• Joints and weight. PDSA also lists patellar luxation, where the kneecap slips out of place. Ask how the cat moves and whether it is a healthy weight.

Plan for size and energy. The GCCF calls the Maine Coon the largest domestic breed it recognises, slow to mature (up to four years) and high in energy, needing plenty of room to play. A sturdy climbing frame that takes its weight is worth the floor space. PDSA describes a talkative cat that loves company but prefers running about on the floor to curling up on a lap.

If you take a cat from an owner through the club, ask whether it has lived indoors or had a garden, and keep to what it knows at first. Strawberry places its cats indoors unless a listing says otherwise. Traffic is part of the decision in Sheffield as anywhere: The Sheffield Cats Shelter road-checks every address and, where the roads fail, considers the home for an indoor-only cat instead.

Rehoming is not a shop. A rescue picks the right home for each cat, and the fee you pay if it picks you goes towards the cat's care. Kittens hardly ever come up: the Maine Coon Cat Club says a kitten needing a new home is very rare. Anything listed near Sheffield today is on our Sheffield Maine Coon page.

If you decide to buy, look for a breeder registered with a body such as the GCCF and meet the kitten with its mother at home; Cats Protection warns against buying from a video or a social media advert. Ask to see the parents' HCM test results. If an advert looks like a scam, tell Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud).