Beginning of 2025 Update

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ OUR CURRENT GENERATIONS HAVE EVOLVED TO F4 AND f5 NOW. WE HAVE NO EARLY GENERATION LITTERS PLANNED FOR THE MOMENT!

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Another year has passed with some successs. We are seeing a bit more consistency now in the litters.  Heads are great, so is boning, structure, size and temperament. My F4 boy Coydog needs 1 more final to grand which is I think unheard of for a fourth generation Maine Coon. There were also some set-backs. The consistency in the litters can still go back and forth from generation to generation. Sometimes what we expect in the next generation simply isn't happening because of all these poly genes. Especially when mixing different foundation lines then we have a ton of heterozygosity but kittens can have some funky traits at times lol.  Aside from that, not all of the testing in the F3 cats was successful so we had do some selection in that regard also.  Thankfully, we have a pretty much perfect line going with Coydog and his offspring now. So you'll think wow that's awesome!! Well yes, except Coydog now has to be neutered early, due to hormonal behavior. I only keep certain boys for a long time that can have free run of the home like we able to do with Jelani, for example. This can be tricky for foundation breeding. It is satisfactory that Coydog has sired a total of 6 healthy litters with 4 different females over the past 2 years. Yes, the better method would have been to create a little bit more gene diversity here, by mixing his pedigree with a greater variety of different bloodines. Oh well, some of his brothers are in breeding also and will be used in a different program with different gene constellations. I am extremely picky who gets these new pedigrees and expect the same from my colleagues whom I shared with. I am not a mathematical thinker but common sense tells me that with a good selection of breeders the genes will slowly and faithfully enter the gene pool, globally.  The cats are sitting at F5 now with most of my breedings.

 

So 2024 was a good year but the consistency is not quite where I'd like to see it. This always happens when mixing different foundation lines together. In our case here they were even mixed back again with third wave foundation lines. Those third wave lines were established not too many years ago, some still sitting around  F6.  So a ton of (not all desireable) genes are meeting at F4 and F5 generations still, and they're doing a litlte bit of their own thing still. :-).  The outcome would be different if the lines were mixed with a common, 15-20 generation pedigree where most cats are technically siblings and half siblings (yep1). So in a a case like that, traits could actually be easily fixed within a couple of generations. That's just not how my current foundation pedigrees were established but this fact should enourage other breeders. The look can be quickly and drastically improved, depending what method we use.  Overall I think I am happy with the results of the past 6 years after my breeding break. Now I am getting older and the passion for early foundation work is on its way out, once again. Thankfully there are other breeders around who are still fully emersed in the heavy foundation work. I'd like to concentrate on creating showeable generations in 2025 and 2026. Perhaps we will go back a couple of generations again after that? ...... Likely not but time will tell! 

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This spring of 2025 it will be 6 years of intense testing and careful selection in my newer program, a program that had shrunk to a bare 2-3 heads, out of an original group of 11 prospective foundation cats! All early full- and part foundation kittens are now in pet homes, except my f3 girl Coyote III that I am still retaining for breeding this year. She's on melatonin at the moment because we have not decided yet how to proceed.   I also still have a few F1 and F2 full foundation cats living with family and might draw offspring from them later on. 2023 was the first year where a very small number of F4 and F5 kittens from two of the lines were strategically placed with a couple of select breeder colleagues who faithfully test for HCM by echocardiogram and also for HD. One of my F4 litters was raised by my mentoree Aniko Vig of Morwenna (under very close  supervision). Aniko was able to retain a boy from this breeding for her own program. Then in 2024 a few more were placed with responsible breeders. Some of my other lines are being held back for another year or two, until I can feel more comfortable releasing them.

 

Note: I would not release foundation bred Maine Coons into breeding unless I was able to work with a line for several years. I also consider it unethical to place untested, unproven F1, F2 or F3 cats into breeding, especially also with newer breeders. :-(

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​Some of my kitten owners passionately support Maine Coon foundation breeding. Pet kittens from an early foundation project will be sold for a reduced price but will receive ACA or CFF registration papers. They come with the same care, certified health guarantee and sales contract as my regular Maine Coon kittens. They will have superb temperament and quite nice quality, just not yet the fully the desired size and type.

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​New Foundation Pet Kitten Prices:

F2, full/part foundation PET kittens will be adopted out for a small fee.

F3, part foundation PET kitten: starting at $ 1,500 

F4, part foundation PET kitten: starting at $ 2,500

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No Part Foundation Breedings planned at this time!​​​

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