TrueKitten checklist
The Maine Coon Scam-Check
Maine Coon scams are common and getting slicker: wire the deposit and the “breeder” vanishes — the kitten never existed. And the classic advice has been beaten — scammers now forge registration forms and buy followers — so this checklist adds the tells real buyers learned the hard way. Run it on any breeder or listing before you send a cent.
5 red flags — walk away
- A deposit demanded before you've seen a live video of the actual kitten. A real breeder will happily hop on a live call with the kitten; a scammer stalls, because there is no kitten.
- No health testing, or vague answers about it — and remember HCM-DNA and HCM-echo are different tests, while “vet checked” is neither.
- A price that's too good to be true. A well-bred, health-tested Maine Coon is a real investment; a show-quality kitten at a bargain price is bait.
- Pressure to pay off-platform — wire, Zelle, gift cards, or an app. These have no recourse: once the money's gone, it's gone. “Another buyer is ready” is the urgency that makes you skip your own checks.
- Photos that show up elsewhere. Scammers reuse stolen photos, so the same “kitten” appearing on other sites is a dead giveaway.
More tells that give a scammer away
- Bad spelling and broken grammar running through the page, listing, or messages — sloppy, machine-translated copy is a common tell.
- It's the framing and context, not a single word: an anonymous seller pairing urgency with “free,” “adoption,” or “rescue” language is bait — reputable breeders sell kittens, they don't run “adoptions.” A “rehoming fee” is a classic hook too, but judge it in context — a genuine breeder may honestly “rehome” a retired adult cat, so the word alone isn't proof.
- A page identity that doesn't add up: the creator's name doesn't match the profile URL, the URL is just random letters and numbers with no real name, or the page was created only days or weeks ago.
- A seller who'll sell to anyone, no questions asked. A real breeder vets you — they ask about your home, your other pets, and your lifestyle. No questions back is itself a warning sign.
Do the checks — before any money moves
- See the kitten live on video — the whole kitten, from several angles and in more than one spot, plus the parents, not just a cropped face. Keep asking until you've watched it move.
- Reverse-image-search the listing photos (Google Images or TinEye) to catch stolen pictures.
- Verify registration at the source — not from a form they send you. Scammers steal and edit real catteries' registration documents, so a forwarded form proves nothing. Call TICA or CFA (or use the registry's own lookup) and confirm the cattery name and number yourself.
- Ask for HCM-DNA and HCM-echo results — both — plus SMA, PKD, and hip screening, and confirm the echo and hip results on OFA (ofa.org) and the pedigree on PawPeds.
- Call the references. Actually phone the breeder's vet and at least one past buyer — don't just collect names and assume they check out.
- Check that the microchip number matches the documents, so the paperwork belongs to this cat.
Insist on a safe purchase
- There's a written contract with the breeder's own health guarantee, agreed up front — not after the deposit.
- Nobody rushes you, and nobody asks you to move the payment off-platform to “save a fee” — doing so gives up every protection you have.
- Use a payment method with real recourse if something goes wrong, where the seller isn't paid before you've met your kitten in person.
Myths that get buyers scammed
- “They have tons of followers, so they're legit.” Follower counts mean nothing in either direction — they're cheaply inflated by bots, and a brand-new page with almost no followers is just as often a scammer who duplicated someone's cattery. Real breeders often have very few followers.
- “They're not on TICA's or CFA's breeder list, so they're fake.” That public listing is a paid spot many legitimate breeders skip — its absence proves nothing. What matters is that their registration checks out when you call the registry.
- “They sent me their registration form, so they're real.” A forwarded document can be stolen and edited; only registration you confirm at the source counts.
- “They won't let me visit, so it's a scam.” A closed cattery or a no-in-home-visits policy is normal biosecurity — viruses and parasites like giardia and coccidia ride in on shoes. A live FaceTime tour is the accepted substitute for an in-person visit.
If a seller pushes you to skip these checks — to pay by wire or app, to trust a forwarded form, or to hurry before someone else buys — they're asking you to give up every protection above. A reputable breeder welcomes every question on this list, and will have plenty of their own for you.
Authenticating a health document confirms it's genuine and matched to the cat — it is not a guarantee of the animal's future health. This checklist is guidance for buying and breeding Maine Coons safely, not legal or veterinary advice.