If you have fallen for one of these fluffy long-haired cats and are desperate to get your hands on your own Maine Coon kittens for free, you have come to the right place.
Maine Coon kittens are in high demand, and usually not available for free. However, individuals should look in these 10 places, to source a free Maine Coon kitten: Cat Cafes, Catteries, Breed Related Maine Coon Organisations, Veterinary Practises, Adopt a Stray, Online Social Media Groups, Cat Shelters, and Rescue Centres, Breeders, Classified Ads, Maine Coon Adoption Services.
In this article, I will show you the top 10 places to find either free or low-cost Maine Coon kittens.
Why Maine Coon Kittens Are Hard To Find
Maine Coon kittens and cats have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially in the United States where the Maine Coon cat breed was voted in the top 3 cat breeds to own.
So why is the Maine Coon such a popular family pet choice?
The following Maine Coon characteristics help to explain why the world has gone crazy for this particular pedigree cat breed:
- Docile
- Gentle nature
- Dog-like personalities
- Physical large proportions
- Friendly cat breed
- Maine Coons are good with other pets and animals
- Highly intelligent
- Love of water
- Hardy cat breed
- Long shaggy fur
- Massively affectionate cat breed
For more details on Maine Coon characteristics, click here to review my in-depth article on the subject matter.
Maine Coon Kittens For Sale
With an average selling price of $1000 in the United States, it’s not surprising that countless individuals search for Maine Coon kittens for sale on the internet, hoping to discover their perfect kitten that won’t break the bank.
Understandably, finding a free Maine Coon kitten can be a frustrating and difficult process, since this popular kitten breed just isn’t easily available.
For those of you who are happy to put in the time, effort and commitment though, your search for the kitten breed of your dreams hopefully will not be in vain.
Just make sure to keep checking my top 10 places to find Maine Coon kittens for sale.
To make things simple for you, the table below lists 10 key places that potential buyers should search for a free Maine Coon kitten:
| Where To Look | Description |
|---|---|
| Cat Cafes | Find your local cat cafes, and grab a cuppa coffee! |
| Catteries | Has the cattery mistaken a Maine Coon, for a standard long-haired kitten? |
| Maine Coon Organizations | Breed related organizations have great connections and contacts with local breeders |
| Veterinary Practises | Is the vet treating a pregnant female Maine Coon? |
| Adopt a Stray | Keep your eyes peeled for stray Maine Coons, without a home |
| Online Social Media Groups | Engage regularly in these online groups, other users know you are keen to own a Maine Coon |
Rescue Centres | Did they rescue, or are they looking after a Maine Coon? |
| Breeders | Keep in close contact with breeders, particularly those breeding show quality kittens |
| Classified Ads | Scan online classified ads for a free Maine Coon kitten |
| Maine Coon Adoption Services | A low-cost option to buying a Maine Coon kitten |
Where To Find Maine Coon Kittens For Free
It is impossible not to fall head over heels in love with this massively docile and affectionate cat breed.
Not only do they unconditionally love their owners like no other cat breed can, but they are also very dog-like in their nature.
The highly intelligent Maine Coon also has a reputation for being extremely tolerant and is known for getting on well with other household pets.
Furthermore, their gentle disposition and laid-back attitude to life also make them particularly suited to families with young children.
If you are at all worried that a Maine Coon cat might not be friendly, take a look my this article so you know the facts.
So, onto the most important part … where to find Maine Coon kittens for free!
Below are my top 10 recommendations for the best places to look…
Before you start frantically scanning my list though, please remember that the search process may take you months, or even years.
Therefore, to increase their chances of success individuals should ensure they keep in regular contact with all these free Maine Coon kitten channels.
Finding a FREE Maine Coon kitten can be challenging, so keep an open mind if you spot a low-cost Maine Coon during your search.
A lower price healthy Maine Coon kitten is definitely still a bargain, even if you have to pay a small contribution for them.
10 Places To Find A Maine Coon Kitten For Free
Start your search for a free Maine Coon kitten, in any of the following 10 places:
1. Cat Cafes
If you live in the city, you will likely have seen cat cafes starting to pop up all over the place.
Whilst this trend hasn’t yet reached the more remote countryside locations, the United States has begun to increasingly adopt this business concept over the last few years.
I guess you’re wondering what a cat cafe is, right? … don’t worry, you are not alone.
These cafes are basically the same as regular cafes, the only difference being that our furry feline friends roam freely around you, whilst you sip on your coffee!
The unique selling point of these cat cafes is that customers are permitted to interact with the many cats walking around the cafe.
In addition to buying a coffee and cake, you can often also purchase a cat!
If buying is of interest to you, ask the staff which cats are available for sale.
You might be lucky enough to spot a free Maine Coon kitten, or a low-cost Maine Coon kitten wandering around the cafe.
For US residents, here are a few recommended cat cafes for you to grab a coffee, and chill around felines of every cat breed:
- ColonyCat Cafe, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Mewsic KittyCafe, Nashville, Tennessee
- Give Purrs a Chance, Berkley Springs, West Virginia
- PounceCat Cafe and Wine Bar, Charleston, South Carolina
- KonekoCat Cafe, New York
- Crumbs & Whiskers, Los Angeles, California
Whilst the United Kingdom might not yet have gone crazy for cat cafes, these businesses are definitely starting to appear in various cities.
With so many cat lovers in the UK, it’s likely that this business model will become increasingly popular over time. In the meantime, check out the following UK cat cafes that I found on Google:
- Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, London
- Kitty Cafe, Leeds and Nottingham
- Pause Cat Cafe, Bournemouth
- You and Meow, Bristol
- CatPawCino, Newcastle
- Cat Cafe, Manchester
2. Catteries
Don’t be like the rest, assuming that catteries are only interested in selling their kittens.
Whilst this might be their normal business model, it is not completely out of the question to find a cattery that may be looking after a rescued Maine Coon kitten.
Sad scenarios also occur, therefore a Maine Coon kitten may have been abandoned in the catteries boarding facilities.
These organizations tend to be well connected to local breeders, therefore, they may know a breeder that is looking to rehome some of their kittens, because they have too many.
Individuals should therefore keep in regular communication with their local catteries, making their desire for a free or low-cost Maine Coon kitten known.
Don’t forget to leave your contact details with the cattery!
If you can prove you are a worthy owner of a pedigree or mixed Maine Coon kitten, you may luck out by being sold a low-cost Maine Coon kitten.
3. Maine Coon Organizations
Have you thought to check the breed-related Maine Coon organizations in your country?
These organizations are incredibly passionate about the Maine Coon cat breed and will always be keen for all Maine Coon kittens to find loving homes, where this treasured pedigree cat breed is cared for correctly.
Whilst Maine Coon organizations do not run a Maine Coon adoption service themselves, they may be able to help you find a Maine Coon kitten for free.
This is because they might be aware of a registered Maine Coon breeder that is retiring or need to find homes for their kittens.
Some of the well-known breed-specific Maine Coon organizations include:
- TICA
- CFA
- GCCF
- Maine Coon Breed Society
4. Veterinary Practises
Whilst veterinary surgeries are one of the last places you would think to find a Maine Coon kitten for free, don’t rule this option out.
This is because professional vets meet countless owners and cats every day, so are well placed to know of owners looking to either sell their Maine Coon kittens for a low price or even give one to a loving home for free!
5. Adopting A Stray
So you’ve seen a stunning long-haired cat wandering around the streets, for the last few weeks.
Their fur looks a little disheveled, and you are questioning whether the kitten is underweight, or not. Couldyou have stumbled across a stray Maine Coon kitten?
Work slowly to gain the trust of this loveable and affectionate cat breed. Check the kitten for a collar as it will likely detail who the kitten’s owners are.
The next step is to take the kitten to your local veterinary practice, to check for a microchip that identifies who owns the kitten, and where they live.
Whilst you might have found a Maine Coon kitten, please keep in mind that this kitten is not automatically yours.
Instead, you should do everything possible to find the kitten’s owners as it is likely it accidentally got out of a home nearby.
If this is the case, there will be a very upset owner and family desperately searching for their kitten.
It is your duty and moral obligation to return the said kitten to its rightful owners. If the kitten has no collar or microchip, check the local signposts for missing cat signs.
If you have honestly done your best to locate the Maine Coon kitten’s owners, but cannot find them, then you are one remarkably lucky individual.
Maine Coon kittens are extremely pricey (see my article for details) and popular, so finding a Maine Coon kitten for free is almost unheard of!
Make sure you give the kitten a loving home, full of love, joy, and happiness.
6. Online Social Media Groups
Join all your country-specific Maine Coon online social media groups!
Stay active on these platforms, scouting out any possible free Maine Coon kittens nearby.
Make sure to tell the community that you are looking to find a Maine Coon kitten for free, or at a lower cost.
If the community members trust that your intentions are good and that you deserve a free Maine Coon kitten, they might disclose their knowledge of possible places to source a cat.
Whilst being active in these communities, it is very important that you are respectful, polite, and sensitive to the group’s feelings and opinions.
Many of the users will likely have paid a small fortune to be lucky enough to own their beloved Maine Coon kitten, so might not think you should just be ‘given’ a free Maine Coon kitten.
Always ignore the haters that think this, maintaining a friendly approach.
7. Cat Shelters And Rescue Centres
One of the best places to find a Maine Coon kitten for free is in a cat shelter or rescue center.
If no Maine Coon kittens are listed as available, don’t despair. Instead, regularly check the organization’s updated photo list, to see if a Maine Coon kitten has slipped through the net.
This happens more often than you would think since many staff working in these organizations will list the kitten in the ‘long-haired kittens’ group since they do not know how to recognize this specialist cat breed.
If you think you have spotted a Maine Coon kitten in one of these establishments, visit the shelters to ascertain if the kitten is a purebred or mixed Maine Coon kitten.
Don’t forget to take this Maine Coon guide with you, so that you know what to look for when trying to spot one of these treasured cats.
There are a large number of cat shelters and rescue centers across the world, so keep your mind open to traveling further, to reach your dream kitten.
Below are a few examples of different cat shelters and rescue centers in the US and UK:
| United States | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| ASPCA | RSPCA |
| The Cat House On The Kings | Blue Cross |
| Kitten Rescue – Los Angeles | Feline Friends London |
| Best Friends | Four Paws Cat Rescue |
8. Breeders
Finding a breeder giving away their Maine Coon kittens, for free, might sound somewhat counterintuitive. However, keep listening!
Many breeders will deliberately breed Maine Coon kittens for show purposes.
They do this, hoping to produce a perfect Maine Coon kitten specimen that can be entered into the highly competitive cat shows.
Breeders then sell their remaining Maine Coon kittens via the standard methods.
Keeping in regular contact with the local breeders might therefore prove advantageous for you. Fingers crossed!
Whilst it is highly unlikely, never rule out the possibility that one of these breeders has too much on their plate, therefore wishing to sell their Maine Coon kittens for a price lower than average.
Alternatively, you might just be the most fortunate of buyers, and be offered a Maine Coon kitten for free! So, are you feeling lucky?!
Could my United States registered Maine Coon breeder guide be of use to you? Find out now!
9. Classified Ads
Don’t forget to scan the classified ads in the newspaper, or online on a regular basis, to see if you can find a Maine Coon kitten for free.
Whilst this might be a somewhat time-consuming task, the joy you feel from owning your very own Maine Coon kitten will far outweigh all the time and effort you spend trying to find one.
Maybe I’m biased (ok, don’t answer that, as I definitely am!) but the Maine Coon cat breed is worth the wait, so don’t give up on your search.
I have literally never come across a more loving, gentle, and affectionate cat breed than the famous Maine Coon.
To start you off, take a look at these websites, where US classified ads are listed:
- Ads Globe
- USA Online Classifieds
- Craigslist
- USA Today Classifieds
- Oodle
For my UK readers, why not check out these websites which post UK classified ads:
- Search Buzz
- UK Classifieds
- Gumtree
- Preloved
- Free Ads
10. Maine Coon Adoption Services
Last, but not least, are the Maine Coon adoption service companies.
As the title indicates, these organizations have been set up to find Maine Coon kittens and cats a loving home to go to.
Don’t expect to find a free Maine Coon is one of these adoption companies.
Instead, potential owners should expect to pay for a Maine Coon kitten, at a seriously knocked down price.
The cost you pay will likely be to cover the kitten’s board, medical needs, food costs, staff costs, etc, incurred during the process of housing the Maine Coon kitten.
Where Do Owners Buy Maine Coon Cats?
The safest place to purchase a Maine Coon kitten is from a registered Maine Coon cat breeder, yet the Maine Coon price often leads cat lovers to buy their cats elsewhere.
Katrina Stewardson, the Director of Maine Coon Central, conducted unique research on 150 Maine Coon cat lovers, on Maine Coon Central’s YouTube channel, in October 2023.
She asked a poll of 150 voters where they got their Maine Coon cat from.
The survey revealed:
- 33% of owners purchased their Maine Coon from a Registered Maine Coon cat breeder
- 8% of voters bought a cat from a Non-Registered Maine Coon cat breeder.
A staggering 23% of viewers voted that they found their Maine Coon at a shelter! So, do not give up hope of finding a ‘cheap’ Maine Coon!
Below are the results of Maine Coon Central’s users’ vote:
Conclusion
If you have read my entire article, you should know exactly where to begin your journey to becoming a Maine Coon kitten owner.
Whilst finding a Maine Coon kitten for free will not be an easy task, it will be a worthwhile one.
Keep your mind and heart open, by not ruling out mixed Maine Coon kittens who are just as deserving to live with kind and loving owners.
It is possible that these kittens will not share all the characteristics associated with the Maine Coon cat breed, however, depending upon their genetics, it is possible that they will be just as loving, affectionate, and clever as a purebred Maine Coon kitten is.
For those of you lucky enough to find a Maine Coon kitten for free, check out the following useful guides:
- Best Maine Coon cat brushes
- Best toys for Maine Coon cats
- Top 5 Maine Coon Cat Foods
