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Tour the
Maine Coon Cat
Cattery
The
Nursery
The
nursery is approximately 400 square feet and is divided into kennels.
It was unfinished when I started my breeding program so I sealed and painted
the brick walls, installed indoor/outdoor carpeting to cover the cement
floor and put up fluorescent lights that are on timers so I can set the
day length. I installed an exhaust fan that draws the stale air to
the outside and I run air purifiers so the cats have a constant supply
of fresh air. I have two smaller kennels with linoleum on the floors
for mothers who are expecting and there are four larger kennels with carpeting
where the kittens are moved when they get older. We keep a radio
playing during the day so the kittens can become accustomed to different
sounds as they are growing up.
The
Play Room
The
play room is a mud room attached to the back of the house. There
are two large windows that look out over the deck and back yard where I
have a carpeted ledge that the cats and kittens can get on to look outside.
The kittens are moved into this room once they get a little older so they
can get used to being part of the household on a daily basis.
We think
it is really important that they have somewhere to play, in the same way
we can unwind and play foxy bingo
or go for a run, they need fun things to do as well.
Small
Stud House / Kennel
The
small stud house is a 6 foot by 6 foot insulated building with two windows,
a people door and a cat door. The inside walls are covered with masonite
and the floor is covered with linoleum for easy cleaning and disinfection.
The cat door leads out into a 6 foot by 12 foot kennel that has a roof
over it to protect the cats from the weather. The building is heated
with a baseboard heater during the winter to keep it warm. In the
summer when it gets hot I put a large fan outside with a mister attached
to it that is also attached to my hose and it sends a cool mist into the
kennel for the cats to cool themselves. We keep one male and one
or two females in this area.
*The
wonderful Maine Coon sign hanging in front of the kennel was given to me
by my good friend, Cherie Lachance. She bred the cats that started
my cattery and we became, and remain, good friends. Cherie has retired
from breeding her cats and gave me her wonderful sign! It was made
by a friend of hers using a chain saw and it is one of my most treasured
possessions.*
Progression
of our cattery
We
now have a 200 square foot building for our studs with separate kennels
to house four of them at one time. They also have forty foot outdoor
runs that go out into our backyard so they can run, play with bugs and
lie around in the sunshine when they want. We will post some photos
of our new stud house soon.
We
have had the inside of our garage sheet rocked and finished off for our
girls. They also have a large outdoor enclosure where they can go
outside to get fresh air and run some energy off when they want.
They are right next to the boys' stud house and outdoor runs so they can
all still interact with each other. We are not finished with this
project but will be posting some photos of it as a "work in progress".
Tina
Thompson
Cameo
One Maine Coons
Missoula,
MT
(406)542-8676
Contact
Us
cameo-1@msn.com
406-542-8676
  
   
    
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