STORY
Sorry to disappoint folks, but when you speak to me I will not have a Spanish accent as my business name may connote. I am from the good ol' USA. Nacho Mama's Kitty is just my humorous way of saying these are not your average cats. I have lived my entire life in the Carolinas and my accent will prove it.
My father, J. Richard McDuffie, was a renowned dog and horse breeder since before I landed in the world in 1963 and up until the time of his passing in 2006. Throughout my life, he sold dogs all over the US and Canada and sold horses throughout the southeastern US. While breeding and raising animals was just part of our every day life in my childhood home, little did I know that I was learning by osmosis. The two main concepts about breeding that were hardcore instilled into me were to work with only top quality breeding stock with no known issues and to fiercely protect them from outside impurities. These two principles are the foundation of my cattery today where I raise the finest quality European Maine Coon cats.
LOCATION
Nacho Mama's Kitty European Maine Coon Cattery is conveniently located near the South Carolina - Georgia state line in Aiken County, South Carolina. We are easily accessible via I-20 and are thus within easy driving distance from most of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and beyond.
We generally meet our out of state (out of SC) buyers in Augusta GA and we meet our SC buyers in Aiken County, SC. For those who wish to fly, we will meet you at the Augusta Regional Airport in Augusta GA. If you prefer flying to one of the larger airports, check out estimated driving times (below) from surrounding major cities.
If you are unable to travel to pick up your kitten, we can recommend courier services that will deliver nationwide for a fee. We do not ship our babies via unattended cargo service.
ESTIMATED DRIVE TIMES FROM SURROUNDING MAJOR CITIES:
Columbia SC - 1 hour
Charleston SC - 2.25 hours
Greenville SC - 2.25 hours
Atlanta GA - 2.25 hours
Savannah GA - 2.5 hours
Charlotte NC - 2.5 hours
Asheville NC - 3.25 hours
Raleigh NC - 4.5 hours
Jacksonville FL - 4 hours
Birmingham AL - 4.5 hours
Knoxville TN - 5 hours
Virginia Beach VA - 7.5 hours maine coon
BREEDING CATS
How can a Maine Coon cat be European, didn't they come from Maine? Well, yes and no. While no one knows exactly how Maine Coons came to be, the theory that seems to get the most traction and make the most sense is that because Maine Coons are most closely related to Norwegian Forest cats, Vikings probably brought over cats on their ships to America's east coast in days of old and these cats mated with domestic cats in America thus creating what we know as the American Maine Coon.
So, are European Maine Coons the original Viking cats? No, probably not. During the 1990's due to the popularity of Maine Coons, many cats were exported to Europe (primarily Russia) where selective breeding programs focused on setting traits in the breed to result in longer ears and ear tufts, more square muzzles and longer bushier tails. While the size and disposition of the American and European Maine Coons remains mostly equal, American Maine Coons have a softer more rounded face resembling a regular domestic house cat, while European Maine Coons have a more structured lion like face.
Some of the American Maine Coon proponents allege that the selective breeding process may cause a higher incidence of genetic issues; we test all of our breeding cats for genetic markers that have demonstrated problematic at times for Maine Coons (American and European) and any cats that test positive for those markers are not allowed into our breeding program., therefore all kittens produced here will also be negative for those markers.
All of our breeding cats are considered of European lineage as they have been imported from Russia and Moldova.
Oh, and don't let anyone convince you that a Maine Coon is a cat that has a racoon as an ancestor .... this theory gets floated around sometimes but it's not true.
ME
My name is Renee Holland. Although I'm a good few years older than my tried & true Rosie the River headshot which I used for my real estate business years ago, I refuse to give it up because if I ever needed a symbol of tenacity it is in cat breeding as this is not a glamrous path as many may think. Basically, I'm a feline farmer with rugged hours, physical labor and lots of trial & error. It really does take nerves of steel but the flipside is it can be tremendously rewarding. For my own morale boost, Rosie stays.
I graduated from the University of South Carolina many moons ago with degrees in Criminal Justice and have owned businesses (not cat related) for over 30 years. Having cats as my co-workers is a happier frame of mind and work than all my previous endeavors and it keeps me young by keeping me hopping (literally).
I'm a people person and a business person so when you call me, expect to deal with one of each. I appeciate your interest in my cats and l look forward to helping you learn about the fabulous Maine Coon cat breed.