Meet Your Breeder

My name is Michelle, I am a registered Maine Coon Cat Breeder with the cattery name (prefix) LOVING LYNX. Feel confident in an established and experienced breeder having raised cats for 20 years. I am easily proven 100% real, avoid the kitten scams. You will find that LOVING LYNX cattery is a dual registered cattery with both CFA and TICA. I am known throughout the world for outstanding quality.

For two decades, I raised the elusive Savannah Cats of which I produced some of the most rare, exotic and expensive domestic cat that exist. I’ve even sold kittens for $20,000. I have raised cats from my own multi-generational bloodlines which have been placed around the world. I have had the great fortune to place cats with many wonderful homes (typical repeat clients) and even a few celebrities.

My family home is situated in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, only a small drive away from Knoxville, Tennessee.

Even with proper screening finding quality Maine Coons is very difficult. I had cats from so-called top bloodlines from top catteries and found I had to remove them from my program due to undesirable traits. My vision is to select the wildest looking lynx-like Maine Coons with optimal health and competently sound temperament. I have a fully stocked NICU for kittens. This includes two incubators and all the bottle feeding items.

All of my kittens are raised in our home, underfoot. The main kitten area is an entire 2,000 sqft area in our house. Which is a cat’s paradise full of toys/trees/etc. It is organized chaos that is always clean and well maintained. Kittens roam throughout my entire house, the main kitten area is for learning to use the litter-box and also being in a safe area at night. When raising our kittens we apply what we call a "Kitten Development Program" that is based off; Puppy Culture by Jane Messineo Lindquist (Killion).

Early on breeding, I was introduced to the Maine Coon Cat. It was rumored that some whereas large or larger than the Savannah (Worlds Tallest Domestic Cat Breed). They also have completely different temperament where the Savannah Breed is hyper, intense, demanding compared to the Maine Coon Breed extremely gentle, docile and low energy level. I wondered if such a cat was possible. Such a fantastic cat does exist but many bloodlines have issues. I believe in breeding responsibly, which means testing the parents of each litter for all DNA testable health conditions. All of our adult cats in our breeding program are DNA health tested prior to reproducing.

Pictures of my Maine Coon Cats, past and present……

The International Cat Association

LOVING LYNX is a current member in good standing.

TICA Member In Good Standings Since 2006, Over A Decade! Verify that I am a breeder that is TICA registered by asking for their membership card, their voluntary code of ethics, and the TICA.org website listing.

1. TICA Membership: Proof that a breeder is TICA registered however this can be done by any person and does not in any way prove being reputable, even scammers are registering with TICA.

2. TICA Voluntary Code Of Ethics: The voluntary code of ethics is for breeders that voluntarily want to sign and agree to TICA's codes by; being a member in good standing, agreeing to breed discriminately, and also finding good homes for the kittens.

3. TICA Listing: In order to purchase a breeder classified ad (TICA Listing), You must be a TICA member in good standing and a member of the Breed Section or Working Group for the breed you want to advertise.

Cat Fancier Association

LOVING LYNX is a current member in good standing.

As a breeding member of the CFA, I pledge that I understand the principles of integrity, fairness, and respect for potential kitten owners and fellow breeders.

1. I acknowledge that my cats and kittens are getting the best possible veterinarian care, testing, up-to-date immunizations, attention, and the living environment available.

2. I have agreed to follow the Maine Coon Breed Standard as set down by the breed committee and will only place breeders that meet this standard.

3. I will try to make every kitten adoption one that best fits the situation for the kitten as well as the adoptive parents. If an issue arises, I will work with the kitten’s new family to ensure they are happy.  I will always take back all kittens or cats that I have placed if necessary.

4. I agree to honor all contracts as written. 

Facebook

My Facebook page has thousands of pictures and videos dating back years. Again this verifies that I am indeed 100% real and not a scammer. My Facebook is public, no login is required.

What is a kitten scam?

Internet scams are now preying on innocent pet buyers not knowing what to avoid. It is not just cats, it happens with all animals… horses, chickens, dogs, cats, birds and many more! Thankfully once you know the signs you can easily notice a scammer.

Scammers are getting smarter, they will build websites with many pages. Typically scams have a whole ring of sites. When one website gets taken down they have the website content saved and just post it under a new name. Scammers do pay for Google ads, so they rank first in search engines. Overseas scammers throw together a 5-7 page website, pick up a $20 prepaid track phone, and off they go! They steal photos from Google images from legit breeders and steal text from random websites. One gets taken down two more come up. They scam people for a living. Scammers will contact you at the last minute asking for more money to cover additional fees, for example “registration costs” or “customs fees”.

Please do not refuse to see the warning signs because you want them to be true. 

What to look for in your breeder?

• The breeder microchips the kitten so if lost it is returned.

• The breeder will take back a kitten if homeless.

• The breeder gives age-appropriate shots.

• The breeder gives parasite prevention.

• The breeder spays & neuters kittens prior to placement. Preventing potential pyometra and accidental litters.

• The breeder makes sure to keep a kitten till a minim of 12 weeks old. Both CFA & TICA ethics state a breeder should keep kittens till 12 weeks at the minimum. This ensures the kitten is emotional and physically ready. Allowing a kitten to leave younger can compromise its emotional well-being and immune system for its entire life.

Can you verify the breeder?

• Verify that the breeder is registered with CFA or TICA.

• The breeder can verify registration by providing their cattery numbers.

• The breeder can provide a verification listing through TICA.org. This listing can only be obtained by a registered TICA member with a signed code of ethics.

• Unfortunately, many potential owners don’t know what to look for in a breeder and fall victims to scam websites promising cheap-priced kittens from a “reputable breeder”. NEVER EVER think you are buying a Maine Coon Kitten for the cheap price of $500–$1000.

Can you navigate the breeder’s website?

• The breeder’s website is easy to navigate.

• The breeder has a website that educates about the breed.

• The breeder has a website that tells about their program.

• The breeder can produce pictures of available kittens.

Are the parents health tested?

Minim DNA testing is for HCM, SMA and PKD mutations. However other disorders include:

1. Blood Disorders

2. Cardiac Disorders

3. Endocrine Disorders

4. Immunologic Disorders

5. Metabolic Disorders

6. Muscular Disorders

7. Neurologic Disorders

8. Neuromuscular Disorders

9. Ocular Disorders

10. Renal Disorders Including PKD

11. Skeletal Disorders

Are the kittens registered?

• Breeder registers each litter providing buyers with registration paperwork/number.

• Beware a breeder stating they don’t want to “deal with paperwork,” or they are “just producing pets.” They probably don’t have usable registration papers.

• If the Seller bought a Maine Coon with no breeding rights and then reproduced, that means they disregarded the legal contract they signed. You do not want to do business with a “breeder” who ignored a contract they agreed to uphold.

• It costs a breeder $10 to register a litter of kittens with TICA or CFA. Ask yourself why would a breeder discount a kitten hundreds or even thousands for a non-registerable kitten that is purebred? Retired cats and cats with special needs could considerably cost less than the quoted average price. You would still be looking for the above-mentioned qualities in a breeder.

How old is your kitten?

The breeder makes sure to keep a kitten till a minim of 12 weeks old. Both CFA & TICA ethics state a breeder should keep kittens till 12 weeks at the minimum. This ensures the kitten is emotional and physically ready. Allowing a kitten to leave younger can compromise its emotional well-being and immune system for its entire life.

The bitterness of a poor-quality animal will linger long after the sweetness of a cheap price is forgotten.

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