Coonyham Maine Coons
Coonyham Maine Coons - we are located in two locations in
California's
San Francisco Bay Area (in the East Bay), where we have been showing
and
breeding Maine
Coons since 1989. We are breeder members of the Maine
Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association (MCBFA), having joined MCBFA
in 1989. Coonyham-bred Maine
Coons have been shown in many domestic and international cat
associations.
We personally enjoy showing our cats and kittens with The
International Cat Association (TICA). We have a favorite look and
expression
that is distinctively "Coonyham". Our cats are large, healthy and
typey and for the most part, they show well with a "look" is generally
well received in most cat associations worldwide. Internationally, our
cats have competed with some of the best cats being shown in all breeds
and they have competed well. :-) Not only have we bred fourteen
TICA
International Winners and numerous TICA Supreme Grand Champions, TICA
Outstanding
Sires and Dams but we have also bred a number of CFA Grand Champions,
Grand
Premiers and CFA Regional Winners.
One handsome male we bred - DM, GC Coonyham Surfer Dude of XTC recently
achieved his CFA DM by siring 15+ CFA Grand Champions.
Congratulations
to his owners - RC and Mary Smith of XTC Maine Coons. Our
own
most memorable achievements
have been to twice earn "TICA Maine Coon Cat of the Year" with our
males
Navarro and Rough Rider. Those small black and orange ribbons and
titles means more to us than any other award, trophy or rosette earned
by our cats. :-)
Showing cats permits one to develop friendships with breeders and
exhibitors
around the world. We enjoy exhibiting our cats and have shown them at
cat
shows over much of North America and Western Europe promoting both TICA
and Maine Coons in general. The Coonyham cattery name is registered in
ACFA, CFA and TICA.
It is also gratifying to breed cats who have contributed in some small
way to other breeders' breeding programs. Maine Coons are made up
large and long, interwoven families. It can be humbling and
exciting
to make up a portion of a pedigree. Our success is built on the
trust
of those breeders who have sold us our cats, permitted us to use their
studs and also to those breeders who came before them. No cat
springs
up from nowhere - we thank those who have helped us. Our success
is their success as well. :-)
What we do?
Maine Coons are wonderful companions and this is why we breed them. We
breed for a healthy, typey, large lapcat with a wonderful personality.
We are committed to breeding only healthy and sound cats; therefore we
ultrasound the hearts of our breeding cats over the age two for hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy and we also screen for hip
displasia via x-ray (usually between 1-2 years of age). We want to
produce beautiful kittens who are both a tribute to their parents and
an
excellent example of the breed. We've added photos of kittens sold as
pets
to our photo-album page because we feel that every Coonyham Maine Coon
is a star. :-) While our goal is to create gorgeous show
quality kittens, we will usually have beautiful pet-companion
quality
kittens available as well. Every so often, we will have an older,
retired adult available (these are usually spayed females) for
adoption.
We are interested in Maine Coon rescue and have our name listed with
several
local shelters so check out our special page on possible rescued
or special needs Maine Coons if this interests you. While we don't
breed for quantity (in fact, we have only one litter per year); we do
breed for quality,
health and a super loving temperament in our kittens. The show
successes
are just the icing. That said, here are the answers to some of the most
frequent questions we are asked...
What color....?
Our kittens are produced in a variety
of colors; usually brown, blue and red tabbies and torbies
(tortoiseshell
tabbies) with and without white markings. Occasionally, we have silver
and red-silver tabby kittens. A few years ago, we've had some fun
solid colors - black, black and white, tortoiseshell and
blue-tortoiseshell.
Tori is homozygous for silver and since she is a smoke tortie (i.e. is
a solid or self cat), she has produced black smokes, red smokes and
smoke
tortoiseshells. What's left? Since we concentrate on type,
health,
size and temperament, we let Mother Nature play around with the colors
(and recessive genes for solid and dilute). We know the genetic color
possibilities,
but the end results are often capricious and fun. :-)
How big....?
Our adult Maine Coons are typically within the average size and weights
of 14-18 pounds for males and 9-12 pounds for females but we do
sometimes
have males and females who are larger than average. We do NOT
breed
for size nor emphasize size in our breeding program so if you are
looking
for the largest cat possible, please look elsewhere. We
cannot
guarantee size and have had the smallest kitten in the litter turn out
to be the largest adult at maturity - go figure.
What do they look like....?
If you would like, you can virtually tour our cattery, starting with
the
males
or the
females. We have
had a lot of success in showing brown tabbies both with and without
white,
but many folks who have seen
Sundance,
Santana,
Navarro
or Lone Star winning
at cat shows may not know that we have Coonyham stars in different
colors
and patterns such as solid
black,
red tabby,
silver
tabby
and blue
tabby and white.
Where can I find a Maine Coon Cat....?
There are many Maine Coon breeders
in
the USA and Canada. Most are dedicated to the protection, preservation
and promotion of the breed. Anyone desiring a well socialized, loving
companion
kitten or adult is welcome to contact us. We prefer to sell our pet
kittens
and retired adults locally. Our
show quality kittens have been sold to loving homes throughout the USA,
Canada, Europe and Japan.
We urge anyone looking for a pet kitten to check out their
local
Maine Coon breeders. Also, if you're considering a kitten from a
breeder, see
TICA's
pet kitten brochure on what to expect from a responsible breeder.
We
and other Maine Coon breeders welcome inquiries from serious,
responsible
pet owners who will keep their kittens safely indoors, protected from
harm
and stresses, will not declaw their kittens and who will alter their
pet
kittens prior to six months of age. We have been altering most of our
pet
kittens prior to their leaving us at 12 weeks of age or older and the
results
have been great!
We have kittens available every so often so please check out our
list
of available pet kittens if you are interested in being owned by a
great
big, beautiful, bundle of love.
Other sources of information on Maine Coons....?
We suggest you read the Maine
Coon FAQ sheet. Consider joining MCBFA,
the Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association, as a fancier member
which
will give you the quarterly Scratch Sheet.
How can I find you....?
Coonyham Maine Coons is Sharon, Laura and Joe Cunningham - our cats are
our beloved friends and companions and we have homes - not catteries.
We
are not a *business* with open hours but we will make appointments for
people who are seriously looking to purchase a Maine Coon kitten or
adult
AND who are interested in the kittens/cats which we are currently
offering.
You may reach us by e-mail at info @ coonyham.com .
We are located in the San Francisco East Bay Area. Please be
persistent if you are truly interested in a kitten or cat from us as we
sometimes get swamped with our other lives and and with travel.
Our cat club, Fog City Cat
Club, which we founded in 1999, puts on a
nice
show every year. We hope to see you at the next Fog
City Cat
Club show in Pleasanton, October 25-26, 2008
Thank you for your interest in this wonderful breed of cat and we
hope
you enjoy visiting our web site. We have hundreds of photos and
links
embedded throughout the pages but we have avoided putting animations,
music
and large photos up in order to speed up the site's load time -
Enjoy!
Laura & Sharon
Our web site was originally designed for us by Jean
Marie Diaz of Ambar
Maine
Coons. Thank you Jean!!
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Last modified: October 19, 2008
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