If you’re on our website, you probably have somewhat of an idea about Maine Coons. Mostly, that they are big, and that’s intriguing enough to maybe consider them for your new pet!

The Maine Coon cat is a majestic breed renowned for its large size, tufted ears, bushy tail, and luxurious fur. Originating in the United States, particularly in the state of Maine, these gentle giants are often dubbed as "gentle giants" due to their friendly and sociable nature. With tufted ears and tufted paws, they exhibit a distinctive appearance. Maine Coons are characterized by their intelligence, making them easily trainable and interactive companions. Their long, water-resistant fur helps them adapt to colder climates. Known for their chirping and trilling vocalizations, Maine Coons are quite communicative.

Step 1-Complete our online application on our website. Once we receive and review this, we will contact you to review available kittens or future litters expected.

Step 2-Follow us on Facebook at Bella Del Gatto Mainecoons and message us to let us know that you recently submitted an application. We can send you pictures, videos or set up a video chat to see the kitten that you are thinking of adopting.

Step 3-Once you have chosen your kitten, you will receive a purchase contract via email to view and sign electronically. A $1000 non refundable deposit is required to reserve your kitten. This is to ensure that we find serious adopting families who truly want to adopt our kittens. Deposits may be used for an alternate kitten or future litter ONLY if your kitten is unable to be adopted due to illness or any other unforeseen circumstance. Please be sure that you love the kitten that you reserve and ask for pictures and videos to get to know your kitten as the deposit is non refundable. This means if you reserve a kitten and Bella Del Gatto holds this kitten for you, vaccinates your kitten and obtains a Florida Health Certificate for your kitten, you will not get your reservation deposit back if you "change your mind". The FL Health Certificate, vaccines, health testing, de-worming and microchip is all paid for by the cattery prior to adoption of your chosen kitten. Please consider adoption carefully prior to signing our contract and reserving a kitten.

Step 4-Arrange a date/time to pick up your new kitten. Pick up is in Cape Coral FL in person, or at RSW Fort Myers airport. Bella Del Gatto can recommend courier transport service to your home but this will be an additional cost discussed between you and the courier.

We make payments very easy for all of our families. We accept payments for deposits via Zelle and only accept Cash upon pick up. In order to ensure that buyers are serious, our non-refundable deposits are $1000 and will be applied to your total balance. Please make sure that you love the kitten that you reserve and can fully commit as too many families reserve kittens and then back out at the last minute after our cattery has gotten all required testing and documentation for your adoption. Please respect our cattery and be 100% certain before you ask us to reserve a kitten. A lot of time and money is invested into each adoption and we want our kittens to go to loving homes with their siblings when reserved.

The information for these payment options will be in your purchase contract emailed to you when reserving your kitten.

Known as “Gentle Giants”, these little kittens double their size in the first 8 months. They grow very fast but mature very slowly. Maine Coons continue to grow until they are 4-5 years old. Females average 12-17 pounds and males average 15-25 pounds{the side of a small to medium dog}. Every cat is different and genetics play a big role into the cats size.

Maine Coons are known for their beautiful manes and long bushy tails. This long fur and luxurious coat requires daily brushing and TLC. The kitten will need to be brushed daily from a very young age to get them used to the brushing.

Failing to brush your kitten for even a few days can result in painful matting of the fur which will require the fur to be shaved. Pay special attention to the mane, the belly and the rectal area. Use a brush designed for Maine Coons and/or long haired cats. Your kitten will thank you.

We wean our kittens from Mother's milk to Royal Canin Mother and Baby wet pate and dry kibble while in our cattery. We then transition our kittens to Fancy Feast Naturals and Nulo wet pate. We transition to Nulo dry kibble . We feel that the ingredients in these foods are healthy and natural. The ingredients should be primarily meat and not by products and multiple other ingredients that cats cannot digest. We also feed boiled chicken a few times a week for extra protein.

We give all of our kittens and adult cats Nu Vet supplements daily with their wet food. This provides numerous benefits for the kittens inside and out and we require the continued use of these supplements for all families purchasing our kittens.

A link with the exact brands and flavors that we feed will be given to each family prior to adoption.

We are happy to support you with whatever food option you choose for your new kitten but it is very important to keep your new kitten on the foods that we feed for at least 2 weeks and wean them properly if you decide to change foods.

Have fresh water available to your kittens at all times. We recommend an automatic water dispenser with a built in filtration system.

Kittens are always hungry so if they are not eating, a trip to your Veterinarian is in order. You cannot overfeed your new kitten, so let them eat when they are hungry and feed several times per day.

If your kitten is ever under the weather, you can feed boiled chicken and white rice or plain meat flavored baby food with no rice or other ingredients.

Do not feed your new kitten milk as kittens cannot digest cow's milk. Give fresh water at all times.

Kittens are like toddlers, always getting into everything that they shouldn’t and requiring constant supervision. Baby proof your home just as you would if you had a little human running around. Make sure that cleaning supplies are stored in closed cabinets and out of reach. Keep toilet seats closed at all times and sliders to the pool closed to prevent accidental drowning.

Keeping your new kitten in a small contained room initially is the best advice we can give to ensure their safety. Kittens tend to hide and get stuck in small spaces if given free range of a home. Think under the washer and dryer or refrigerator or stove. Constant supervision is needed while your kitten is still small to keep them safe.

We test ALL of our breeding cats extensively for over 50 genetic diseases, FeLV/FIV and parasites. We do annual echocardiograms to ensure that our cats do not have any genetic heart defects that could pass on to your new kitten. Our promise to you is that we will not send your kitten home unless he/she is healthy and cleared by our cattery Veterinarian. We depend on the expertise of our Veterinarian team and want to ensure a healthy, happy adoption every time. Every single kitten in our cattery will be fully vaccinated up until 12 weeks old, de-wormed, tested for FIV{Feline Immunodeficiency virus}, andFeLV{Feline Leukemia} and given topical flea/tick/heartworm prevention. The kitten will be examined from our cattery Veterinarian before leaving our cattery and only leave our home if the Veterinarian says the kitten is healthy. We do not micro chip while awake any longer so microchipping will be done at the time of the spay/neuter while under anesthesia, so that the kitten does not experience pain from the procedure. The cost of microchipping is around $25.

If for whatever reason, your kitten becomes sick while under our care, we will hold your kitten for observation and treatment until your kitten is able to go home with you. We take every precaution to quarantine any sick kitten immediately to ensure the health and well being of all of our cats in our cattery. Health and well being is our number one priority.

In addition, we provide you with a free 30 day trial of Trupanion Pet Insurance for any sudden illness or injury after your kitten leaves our cattery. We will provide you with the information upon pick up. There is no deductible and no waiting period. Your kitten will be covered immediately once you call to provide Trupanion with our cattery code. We want to ensure that your kitten is covered until you can get coverage of your own.

As a Nurse owned and operated cattery, we are able to quickly identify signs and symptoms of illness and take appropriate measures to treat and quarantine any kitten showing symptoms immediately.

Once you take your kitten home, you assume full responsibility for your kitten's health and must take your new kitten to the Vet within 3 days to establish care. Per our contracts, it is very important to feed the recommended diet for a minimum of 2 weeks and properly wean your kitten if you choose to change his/her diet. It is also extremely important to quarantine your new kitten from other pets for 14 days. Failure to do the above, could result in illness, stress, bowel changes, vomiting etc. Bella Del Gatto is not responsible for owner negligence or failure to adhere to the contract signed. We put a lot of love and effort into our kittens and hope that you will take their health and well being seriously. We do not want to hear that one of our kittens became sick for one of the above reasons. Thank you for taking your kitten's health seriously.

A lot of time, energy, love and attention and finances go into raising Maine Coons. It is a 24/7 job. As Breeders, we spend a small fortune to feed our cats, keep them healthy and provide a safe nurturing, clean environment for them to live and flourish. This is not just our passion but a full time job. Our kittens start at 3k. We understand that 3-5k is a lot of money but if you want a pedigree kitten, you have to invest the money and be able to afford a pedigree kitten. Cost of healthcare alone to vaccinate, do extensive health testing etc, is very high. Quality food and vitamins is very high. The cost of the average breeding cat to produce a kitten for a buyer like yourself is between 4k-10k plus travel of about 2k to get a quality breeding cat. The testing involved for a breeding cat is extensive and expensive. Breeders rarely make a profit and if they do, it is used for an unexpected C section{$4,000} for their female Queen or a trip to the urgent care for a fading kitten. We should charge more but try to be fair.

Our prices are set and based on a variety of factors such as color code, age and sex of the kitten. Some color codes are highly sought after and very rare and therefore are set at a higher price because we pay a higher price to produce these rare, stunning kittens. Prices are not negotiable. If you are only concerned with which breeder will sell you the cheapest kitten, I don't think that you will be the best family for our kittens. Your top priority should be how the kitten is raised and loved and cared for. The health of the parents, the breeder's years of experience. The temperament of the kitten.

We are a TICA registered cattery, owned and operated by a Nurse of 25 years. All of our cats are registered and full blood Maine Coons with registered pedigrees for both parents on file.

Your new kitten will already have their vaccines through 12 weeks of age and required de-worming treatments and Heartworm, flea and tick treatments prior to pick up. Your kitten will receive a spay/neuter contract to ensure the health and well being of your kitten. Your kitten will come with 30 days of free Trupanion insurance to cover any illnesses or accidents. You will receive our cattery code to activate your insurance. Please be sure to activate that the day you bring your kitten home.

Bella Del Gatto pricing varies as mentioned above. Maine Coon pricing is between $3000-$5500 depending on the above mentioned factors. These are prices for kittens sold as pets only. Breeding rights are only sold to an approved TICA registered cattery on a case by case basis and is an additional fee. Our pricing is comparable to most TICA registered breeders in the state of Florida.

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of quarantining your new kitten for a minimum of (14) days from any other household pets. Traveling can cause stress and stress can induce illness.

It is recommended that you set up a small room in your home for your new kitten with all of the necessities{litter box, cat tower, cat bed, toys, scratching post, food and fresh water}. Interact with your kitten as much as possible during the day as kittens do not like to be left alone.

If you have other pets, your new kitten and your current pets will be able to smell each other through the door and get used to each other through sense of smell.

Take your new kitten to your local Veterinarian within 3 days of adoption for a quick check up to see how the kitten is doing after traveling to his/her new home.

Do not give your new kitten free reign in your nice, big home. Kittens are notorious for getting into trouble and injuries can happen if they are given too big of a space to roam around. Remember that they are just babies who have no regard for safety.

Start brushing your new kitten on day one and make this a part of your daily routine to create bonding and to prevent painful matting of your kittens fur. Touch your kitten’s paws frequently to get them used to this. This helps with nail trimming in the long run.

Enjoy your new baby; you are their whole world so spend as much time as you can with them.

We partner with a company called Spay Secure to protect your kitten’s health. Spay Secure uses binding contracts to ensure cat sterilization at a healthy age. They will follow up with you to provide you with advice and reminders, ensuring your kitten’s sterilization is completed on schedule. Please view the following link for more information. https://owners.spaysecure.com/how_it_works

We are happy to say that we have many trusted couriers who will transport your kitten via in flight cabin with a pet nanny or via vehicle if local. The couriers that we recommend are all fully licensed and insured and USDA registered for peace of mind. Your kitten will never be left unattended.

Couriers that we recommend:

Paw Paws Express-Contact at 833-729-7299 or online at pawpawsexpress.com. They transport for domestic and international travel.

Love at First Flight-Contact at 702-670-0016 or online at safepetdelivery.com-Flies in cabin with all pets. Bilingual.

We have multiple other trusted couriers if you need assistance with picking up or shipping your kitten safely. Please never ship your kitten cargo for the health and well being of the kitten.

We screen all of our breeding cats for 50 genetic health diseases as well as DNA testing. We screen for FeLV/FIV{Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus}. We screen for parasites via a fecal PCR.. We also do additional testing on the breeding parents such as Echocardiograms to ensure that our breeding cats are healthy enough to deliver and produce healthy kittens. None of our breeding cats have any genetic diseases that will be passed down to your kitten. In order for a kitten to acquire a genetic disease, at least one parent must be a carrier for that genetic disease. As a carrier, only about 50% of the kittens may be a carrier. We do not breed carriers so that none of the kittens will acquire a genetic disease or be a carrier for the disease.

Imported adult cats: We sometimes sell adult cats that we might have acquired for our breeding program but were unable to use for our program. In this case, we guarantee that your adult cat will be cleared for all 50 genetic health diseases, FeLV/FIV and negative fecal sample prior to adoption. Since these adult cats were not born in our cattery, we cannot guarantee anything beyond what we are able to test for genetically. We do our due diligence to test the adult cats the same as we do our own to ensure no genetic diseases are present, the cat is free from parasites at the time of adoption and they are negative for FeLV/FIV. All cats are de-wormed, given monthly topical for fleas/ticks/heartworm. This is our only guarantee for adult cats that have been imported outside of the USA.

We do NOT guarantee that your kitten will never get sick. This is unrealistic. We provide you with all of the tools to raise your kitten on quality food, supplements, proper dental care and immunizations, de-wormers, flea/tick and heartworm prevention etc. It is your responsibility to continue this regime once your kitten is under your care. Kittens do get colds, diarrhea, vomiting, fevers etc, especially if around other pets that go outdoors. Kittens can get injuries if your house is not kitten proof. There are a lot of environmental and external factors that can contribute to illnesses and injuries and its important to read our Kitten Take Home Information and treat your kitten like a small child who needs to be safeguarded and see the Veterinarian regularly for check ups, dental care etc. Maine Coons are highly susceptible to periodontal disease{gingivitis} and this is why daily brushing of your kittens teeth and gums is imperative. We brush daily and cannot be held responsible for neglect on a pet owner's part. Gingivitis can be quickly improved with daily brushing. We do not guarantee that your kitten will never get gingivitis at they are very prone to juvenile gingivitis and if their gums and teeth are not cared for properly post adoption, the gingivitis may worsen. Please take this seriously as gingivitis can turn to stomatitis, a very painful mouth ulceration that can cause your kitten to stop eating. Proper gum and tooth care is essential from a young age.

We are here to support you along the way and offer our advice and expertise. We cannot be held responsible for things that are beyond our control. We provide our kittens with all of the love and care that we can, along with all required vaccinations, preventatives and testing to ensure the healthiest kitten is given to you at the time of adoption. Please continue to take great care of your kitten and if you notice any signs of illness, get to your Vet immediately as kitten illnesses can be more severe than an adult kitten. We raise these babies from their very first breath and they are like our babies. We want to hear happy updates and see healthy babies growing and thriving.