(Please read and confirm receipt!)

Email Olga at kittens@eurocoonsmainecooncattery.com or text at 913-563-0043 to confirm.

Hello, and welcome to our great EuroCoons Family!

If you are reading these instructions, it means that you have embarked on a fantastic journey and are about to experience what it's like not only to own an authentic 100% European Maine Coon kitten but, most importantly, one of the Premier EuroCoons' kittens! We are confident that you will find no equivalence to one of our precious babies, who are everything a Maine Coon dream can be: large, exotic looking, extra loving, cuddly, and yes, your EuroCoons kitten will come pre-spoiled when they leave our home and cattery. So, please be prepared before your pick-up date! 

Below, please see general info on care for your new and unique EuroCoons fur baby.

Here you will find everything from what you need to bring to pick up your kitten - to information on their high-quality diet, supplements, toys we use at the cattery, and some grooming tips and suggestions for grooming supplies.

Please note that we provide a care package, so you have some things on hand. Please ensure you bring a carrier (airline approved for those who are flying). For those driving to pick up their kitten, we suggest a sizeable rigid carrier or a large soft-sided crate that zips up, such as this EliteField 3-Door Collapsible Soft-Sided Dog Crate for transporting your precious cargo in peace and comfort. 

Below is a list of items that you must order in advance BEFORE arrival at our home and cattery:

1. Food, supplements, and water bowl, perhaps a fountain in addition
2. At least two litter boxes. The rule is two litter boxes plus one per each cat in a household. The reasoning for that, and it is true, is that many cats will not use the same litter box to do their various potty business.
3. Litter as suggested below or any will work, but we prefer natural cat litter, if possible, before six months of age.
4. Small cat tree, not taller than 4-5 feet, or a hammock

Please note that we will only let a kitten leave with an enclosure, which is a crucial piece - not to forget!

So let us start with the details of the items mentioned above.

Maine Coon Diet, Treats, and Supplements

Main Diet

Your kitten's main diet consists of 3-4 feedings of Raw Cat food daily. Your raw food mixes should vary and rotate in protein: chicken or turkey; we favor turkey, beef, rabbit, quail, and venison; lamb is too fatty and hard on their tummies, at least until your kitten turns one year old. Suppose you choose to try lamb later on. In that case, you should feed lamb in moderation, or any other fatty meats, with particular attention to tummy upsets, such as vomiting or diarrhea.

Treats

We do not buy commercial treats for our Maine Coon cats or kittens. Instead, we may use freeze-dried raw foods and treats, but only on occasion. At EuroCoons, we treat our cats to healthy human foods, such as cooked meats: chicken, turkey, beef, pork (tenderloin only), salmon, some hearts (chicken or beef), gizzards, and livers. In addition, we enjoy scrambled eggs, bits of cooked bacon, non-aged, low-fat cheeses, cottage cheese, goat cheese, full-fat yogurt, and goat's milk. Occasionally we may open a can of tuna in water only, or we prefer to add sardines to our cats' diet. 

For picky eaters, we may use canned food such as Ziwi to mix into raw, or you may prefer to mix a can of tuna or sardines to "spice things up ." But with such a vast rotation of proteins, you should always be careful to resort to canned foods at any time. Remember, the key to optimal growth and size potential is not only genetics; it's part of it, but an abundance and a variety of high-quality nutrition. Unfortunately, expensive does not always mean high quality, so please steer clear of Royal Canin, Science Diet, and wet Prescription Diets. Remember, the goal of those companies is not your cat's health and longevity. It is all about their bottom line, unfortunately. A quick word on non-holistic veterinary care: please be prepared and know that nutrition training is not required at veterinary schools. Pet food giants, such as Science Diet, approach graduating veterinarians at the start of their practice, so most require additional training in that field. 

We encourage you to stick to the same diet throughout the kitten's lifetime, with 90% or more of their diet being raw food, not dry or canned, especially during the first few years of life. Because during the first 12 months, kittens go through much development of their digestive system and get their baby teeth, and then adult teeth come in. Kittens' tummies and gums are sensitive. Therefore, they can not and will not eat as much dry food as they require to support proper development. As our experience shows, canned food causes digestive issues 99% of the time because of all the fillers and preservatives they have to add, even to the best-canned food brands. Ziwi is the only canned food we found closer to the raw, but it still can't substitute raw diet and is pricey. Freeze-dried raw is another good option, but again not as good as a natural diet of raw foods and is quite a bit more expensive than professionally made raw diet mixes.

At EuroCoons, we feed all our cats raw food and some canned for those picky eaters – this is their diet for life!

Finally, we have two companies we use for raw food delivery.

Darwin's Natural Pet Products, and Hare Today 

At Darwin's, we order Turkey and some Chicken formulas. At Hare Today, we purchase beef and other above proteins unavailable at Darwin's. We especially love this beef mix .

With Darwin's, you can start with your first order being a "trial" and get 10 pounds of raw cat food for only $14.95. And here is the link to the trial. 

Please ensure you order before Sunday, so you receive your order by Thursday of the following week. So, if you are picking up your kitten, let's say, on the second weekend of the month, I would order two weeks ahead to allow enough time for missed or non-filled orders. Raw diet keeps in the freezer for a long time! It also comes frozen and delivered straight to your door!

Please subscribe once you have your order amounts and frequency all figured out!

Both companies have lots of helpful information to educate pet owners on the benefits of raw. So make sure to check that out!

We genuinely believe, and our experience demonstrates, that Raw is the best nutrition we can provide for our babies and the best advice we can give you for the future of your new kitten! We do not receive any commissions on sales of any food. 

Of course, there are other brands of raw foods as well, like, Vital Essentials, Stella and Chewy, Primal, and others. However, due to the high percentage of vegetables and fruits felines do not require, our cats simply dislike them. 

Feeding Schedule

Kittens need meals more often, smaller portions of raw 3-4 times a day or every 4-6 hours. After you pick up your kitten, they will be going through growth spurts almost continuously, so please ensure to increase portion size or the number of servings as required. You will know your kitty needs more if they finish their meals fast and entirely. We also feed our adult cats three times a day with raw and homemade meals! So basically, there is always food available. It is just like free-feeding dry food, just free-feed holistic instead. 

Please review the food section and let me know if you have any questions. We can always jump on the call to discuss any questions you may have, and I always give support and suggestions throughout the kitten's life.

How to Serve Raw

 Raw comes frozen to your door from Darwin's or Hare Today. You keep it frozen. It takes at least 24 hours to defrost in the fridge. And it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours after. But we never keep it that long, to be honest. Two days - max!

When it's time to feed, I take a package; it will be one square for you, as your kitten will eat no more than half .25 to one perforated cube of .5 pounds. Then I drop it in hot water (boil it before to kill any possible bacteria). In 10 to 20 minutes, the package defrosted, slightly warmed, and ready to eat. Repeat the instructions if you feel the pack isn't warm and the water is cold. If you open the package and the middle is still somewhat frozen - break it up, mix well, and pop it in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds (depending on the power of your microwave.) But the pack should be warmed after the second round and must be mixed and then served.

Canned Food

Below you will find the link to the canned food that your kitten can eat if needed. As I have mentioned, we like to give our kittens a variety of foods and proteins to cover the most extensive spectrum of nutrients and train kittens' tummies to accept new foods in a less stressful way to their digestive system.

Ziwi Peak Beef Recipe Canned Cat Food

Ziwi Peak Venison Recipe Canned Cat Food

You may find more variety of Ziwi on Amazon or the Ziwi site. 

Also, while not ideal, you may like to have digestive aid food on hand just in case of any food-related tummy upsets, and we use

Blue Buffalo Blissful Belly Digestive Formula. But that should not and will not happen if you follow the instructions outlined above.

It is very important to properly introduce the new kitten into a new home. We recommend 2 litter boxes in a small room where the kitten will feel safe, such as the master bedroom or another bedroom if there are other animals in the master suite. Isolation to that “safe room" is very important for up to a week, sometimes two, so the kitten learns the smells and where his safe area and litter boxes are. Then the kitten can be GRADUALY introduced to other rooms of the house. The litter box travels with the kitten if the kitten is moved to another room. Basically, we cannot expect a little kitten to know where the litter box is if he doesn’t know the lay out of the house. And it takes a while to learn it for a young kitten. They are just like children. If they play too much they may forget where they are supposed to go and need potty breaks. So bring your kitten to their litter box often if you play or just enjoy being around the house together!

Toys:

 All kinds of scratching pads and cat toys/loungers. They love them! 

All cats love a good laser, a water fountain, and of course, a cat tree.

Please make sure you have a cat tree set up prior to the arrival of your kitten. We recommend a medium size to start with, something for a kitten not too tall (up to 5 feet at most) Cat tree is a must not a luxury. We recommend a tree per cat in every major area of the house (where you spend most time in) like bedroom and living room for example. And a scratching post or lounger in every area where the furniture is that you do not want to be scratched.

Catastrophic Creations

I advise my clients against using any kind of collars around their kitten's neck (it will damage the coat) and be very gentle with brushing tails (hard brushing of the tail will turn Maine Coon's Tail into a regular cat's tail, at best, speaking from personal experience :( 

Pick up time and vet visit:

If you haven't scheduled your pick up time yet, please do so as soon as possible.

Please keep in mind that we schedule others to pick up their kittens on the same day and we ask that you are as close on time as possible.

We try to be flexible and accommodating, that is why we provide at least 3 days for pickup. If the kitten is not picked up on one of those days, please know that the deposit becomes forfeit and the kitten will be available to another family for adoption.

I will also email the contract/protection agreement for your review in the next few days.

It will again outline the process of bringing them home and at least 72-hour separation period, as well as the new patient appointment with your vet info. We ask that you set up a new patient appointment and take your new kitten for a vet check within 48 hours of pick up to verify their good health.

Please let me know if you have any questions. And of course, you can contact me any time you need after the pick-up. We ask our families to stay in touch and send us pictures and regular updates as much as they would like and is possible.

Thank you, 

Olga with EuroCoons

 Genetic Test Results for all EuroCoons Beeding Cats

please select and download Genetic Test Results for your kitten(s)' parents