The TrueKitten Blog
Straight, honest guides on buying and breeding Maine Coons — how to spot a scam, what a reputable breeder actually needs, and how a verified marketplace protects everyone.
Yes. UC Davis puts HCM incidence at 5.4% in Maine Coons without the A31P mutation and 5.4% in cats with it — the DNA test cannot see the heart.
An echocardiogram is a snapshot, not a certificate. Why breeding cats are rescreened on a schedule, and how to tell whether a result is still meaningful.
Negative, carrier and affected are three different things, and two of them get confused constantly. How to read an A31P result without over- or under-reacting.
The real per-cat cost of doing Maine Coon health testing properly — DNA panels, cardiologist echoes and hip evaluation — and why it shows up in kitten prices.
Spinal muscular atrophy sounds alarming and is easy to screen out. What the SMA test detects, what an affected cat's life looks like, and why carriers are fine.
· 2 min read
How to read a cat's echocardiogram report
A walk through the parts of a feline echo report a buyer can actually use — what the wall measurements are, what 'equivocal' means, and what to ignore.
A step-by-step check anyone can run on a health-test document — what to confirm, where to look it up, and the one detail that defeats a forwarded PDF.
An honest comparison of the ways to buy a Maine Coon kitten online — classifieds, directories, and verified marketplaces — judged on screening and recourse.
· 3 min read
Finding a Maine Coon breeder in California
How to find a reputable Maine Coon breeder in California and buy safely — why West Coast prices run higher, verifying registration, and the in-person handoff.
