My primary veterinary hospital is one of the now-rare independent ones, and my primary vet is one of the owners. That gives her both the leeway and the mandate to do a lot more rescue volunteer work than some others, and sometimes it shows.
Her: *cuddling Gaia* 🥹 "I don't know that I could justify paying [CAD]$3000 for a cat."
Me: "Fair, it's not for everyone. I'd just wanted a Maine Coon specifically since I was 11 and reading Anne McCaffrey books."
Her: "Yeah, like with dogs, you get specific personality traits with the breeds, and it's not like that with fancy cats."
Me: 🤨 "Dr. [name], when I say that Leo is the epitome of a Ragdoll, I am talking about physical AND personality traits... CFA and CCA have personality traits written into their breed standards for a reason."
Her: 😮 "They DO???"
Me: 😅 "You really do focus on rescue work outside of me and my fancy cats, don't you?"
It led into a conversation about just why Gaia was as expensive as she was that I feel might be educational for people here (under the cut, with bonus photos of cute Maine Coons):
Ashvale does yearly echocardiograms with specialist veterinary cardiologists on all breeding cats (and some spayed/neutered relatives of breeding cats, just in case), which, if you've ever had to get one of those in Canada, is about $600/cat these days. It's more locally ($895 for the echo, and $255 for the consult), but that's with one of the best veterinary cardiologists in Canada. Ashvale usually takes them to Maine Coon-specific cardiologists in Ohio, as many of the premiere MC breeders are Ohio-based and sponsor/run ECG clinics specifically for responsible breeders to bring their cats.
Extensive DNA testing from UC Davis to minimize the risk of perpetuating HCM, PKD, PKDef, PRA, SMA, as well as colour-typing and blood-typing is expensive. It won't completely rule out HCM as we haven't identified all the mutations that cause it, but it will minimize the risk. Blood typing is important because neonatal isoerythrolysis can lead to complete loss of litters after birth. Colour typing isn't as important for health, I'll admit, but it does make it easier to identify harder-to-ID colours like Gaia's little sister's blue-silver classic patched tabby (there was debate whether she was patched, whether she was smoke instead of silver, etc.), and therefore easier to plan litters for the people who're looking for a specific colour.
(Requisite kitten tax: Gaia's little sister:
Long growth periods as well as long holds mean that kittens frequently go to their forever homes at 16-22 weeks, meaning they frequently have their third set of vaccines and will only need annual vaccines going ahead. This costs additional money.
The long growth period and long holds mean you get a more socialized cat who has had all the time to learn bite and claw inhibition, how to approach new cats/animals, and, if the cattery has a good socialization program, things like car rides, new people, brushing (coat AND teeth), and harness training, but it also means time, effort, and FOOD costs. Ashvale's socialization program is in its infancy, so I borrowed some of the stuff from Minoos-Okinaneko's program, but it's still time and effort and money.
An ethical, good breeder will also be sterilizing kitten rooms and maintaining a high level of cleanliness, and that means a LOT of litter changes (and kittens can't use clumping litter! So they're having to use multiple different litter types for the household!), pet-safe disinfectants, and the tools, time, and space to apply them safely.
Kittens are fragile. It's heartbreaking. Queens' milk can dry up overnight for no discernible reason. Kittens can just... die, even past the 'safe' 8 weeks, or 12 weeks, or 22. Litter sizes can't be predicted. And you're sinking love, time, and energy into each kitten and all your breeding cats.
and finally: Ashvale's cats are expensive because, despite the cattery being new, the owner has been showing Maine Coons since she was a teenager, and Gaia's littermate brother is the #1 all-breed cat nationally in CCA. Even Gaia, with how little she's shown in CCA (and she only started in September in CCA, when the show season starts in MAY and there's usually a show at minimum every two weeks within our region) is in the top 10 regionally for Maine Coons - when she shows, she shows WELL. In addition, 5/8 of the first litter have their Grand Champion/Premier, and the other three just have owners who wanted high-quality, healthy pets and didn't want to show. (high prices also dissuade casual interest and protect your outbound kittens)
Anyway, it was a very productive conversation. I want to stress that:
I was amused, not annoyed, because I know my vet is dog-and-rescue-focused; the cats she sees (and owns) are primarily domestic/village cats, and it was just a funny moment of, "Oh. Right. You don't have many fancy cat clients, LET ME OFFER RESOURCES ON BREED-SPECIFIC TRAITS AND ETHICAL BREEDING."
the hospital is not anti-breeder, far from it: they're the main support for a lot of ethical dog breeders because they do fertility work to ensure wider gene pools and healthy parents. They just don't have many (any?) catteries as clients, and my vet definitely doesn't.
Sciroo's Peggy of Ashvale, EM, aka "Icy", Gaia, Fredrik, and Celeste's mom. She didn't show much before becoming a breeding queen, and neither Fredrik nor Gaia got her longer coat type, but she's honestly an amazing mom.
SMGC IC AM Pascal Bellamoondo of Ashvale, CBW, DCRW, CNW, aka "Pascal", Gaia, Fredrik, and Celeste's dad! Ashvale also has his full brother as an alter (Luxxxy, aka "Cage-Licker Supreme").
this is my kitty, Lily... she passed away just over a year ago and I miss her very much... I'm going to post some photos of her because she was so very pretty and lovely and I want to share her with the world. And I hope she can live forever in her internet form.
