About Us
WHO WE ARE
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A husband & wife team, Dark Moon is SACC registered Maine Coon cattery located in the seaside suburb of Muizenberg, in the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa.
Breeding is a hobby which requires financial stability to cover all necessary health examinations, screening, testing, emergencies , high quality food, as well as bringing new bloodlines into our breeding program. We both have jobs beside our breeding hobby: Karlo is a town planner working for a private firm and Lenka runs her own small business in the fashion field as well as being a mom/taxi driver to their 2 tween/teen children. Breeding also requires constant education and gaining new experiences on ongoing basis. We attend cat shows regularly, webinars and seminars whenever possible, and share breeding experiences with other breeders - locally and internationally via online forums. |
Our goal is to breed healthy and beautiful cats who comply with the breed standard - cats with excellent substance, strong legs, long bushy tail, shaggy hair, large ears with lynx tufts and most importantly - a calm and loving temperament.
Our cats play very important part in our family and share our home (and beds) with us. All of our cats are living in harmony with each other in loving and stress free environment. Our garden is safe and secure and provides extra space for our cats to run, climb trees, roll on the grass as well or catch butterflies and other creatures. We alternate the time between our working boys and girls so each of them gets the run of the house, catio and garden.This way we make sure our cats get enough exercise and mental stimulation so they are happy at all times.
Kittens are born in one of our bedrooms and receive lots of love, cuddles and attention from early days. From about 5 weeks of age kittens "graduate" to the Kitten Playroom, where all the fun starts with many more cat toys and kitten "gyms" to play with. Once kittens have received their first vaccinations, they get the run of the house, play in the catio, meet our other cats, dogs and extended family members and friends. This way they get used to different sounds in our relatively busy family environment, learn to climb cat trees and play with different "playmates" (big and small) so they settle really quickly and easily into their new homes.
Our cats play very important part in our family and share our home (and beds) with us. All of our cats are living in harmony with each other in loving and stress free environment. Our garden is safe and secure and provides extra space for our cats to run, climb trees, roll on the grass as well or catch butterflies and other creatures. We alternate the time between our working boys and girls so each of them gets the run of the house, catio and garden.This way we make sure our cats get enough exercise and mental stimulation so they are happy at all times.
Kittens are born in one of our bedrooms and receive lots of love, cuddles and attention from early days. From about 5 weeks of age kittens "graduate" to the Kitten Playroom, where all the fun starts with many more cat toys and kitten "gyms" to play with. Once kittens have received their first vaccinations, they get the run of the house, play in the catio, meet our other cats, dogs and extended family members and friends. This way they get used to different sounds in our relatively busy family environment, learn to climb cat trees and play with different "playmates" (big and small) so they settle really quickly and easily into their new homes.
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ABOUT THE MAINE COON BREED
The Maine Coon is one of the largest domesticated breeds of cat. It has a distinctive physical appearance and valuable hunting skills. It is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America, specifically native to the state of Maine where it is the official state cat.
Maine Coon is characterized by a prominent ruff along its chest, robust bone structure, rectangular body shape, an uneven two layered coat (with longer guard hair with a silky satin undercoat) and long, bushy tail.
Maine Coons are known as the "Gentle Giants" and possess above-average intelligence, making them relatively easy to train. They are known for being loyal to their family and cautious - but not mean - around strangers, but are independent and not clingy. The Maine Coon is generally not known for being a "lap cat" but their gentle disposition makes the breed relaxed around dogs, other cats, and children. They are playful throughout their lives, with males tending to be more clownish and females generally possessing more dignity, yet both are equally affectionate. Many Maine Coons have a fascination with water and some theorize that this personality trait comes from their ancestors, who were aboard ships for much of their lives. Maine Coons are also well known for being very vocal cats. They frequently chirp and "talk" to each other and their owners.
Source
The Maine Coon is one of the largest domesticated breeds of cat. It has a distinctive physical appearance and valuable hunting skills. It is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America, specifically native to the state of Maine where it is the official state cat.
Maine Coon is characterized by a prominent ruff along its chest, robust bone structure, rectangular body shape, an uneven two layered coat (with longer guard hair with a silky satin undercoat) and long, bushy tail.
Maine Coons are known as the "Gentle Giants" and possess above-average intelligence, making them relatively easy to train. They are known for being loyal to their family and cautious - but not mean - around strangers, but are independent and not clingy. The Maine Coon is generally not known for being a "lap cat" but their gentle disposition makes the breed relaxed around dogs, other cats, and children. They are playful throughout their lives, with males tending to be more clownish and females generally possessing more dignity, yet both are equally affectionate. Many Maine Coons have a fascination with water and some theorize that this personality trait comes from their ancestors, who were aboard ships for much of their lives. Maine Coons are also well known for being very vocal cats. They frequently chirp and "talk" to each other and their owners.
Source
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MAINE COON HEALTH
We try our best to ensure our kittens are as healthy as possible by testing and screening our cats for breed specific genetic diseases. However this doesn't guarantee that your Maine Coon will never be affected by these conditions, as the possible influence of non-genetic factors such as age, gender, weight or environment (diet, injuries, activity level etc.) can also contribute to overall health problems.
It is strongly advised to take out a pet health insurance to assist with unexpected veterinary bills or emergencies.
Genetic testing for HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy), SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy), PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) and PKDef (Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency) is being performed via Inquaba Biotec laboratory (Zoomics) and HCM echo-cardiograms by a specialist Dr Ivan Mendelsohn BVSc from Vet-Scan Mobile Ultrasound. General routine vet checks, vaccinations and hip x-rays are done by our trusted veterinarian Dr Liam Bebbington BSC HONS.BVSC & team from Blue Cross Veterinary Hospital.
Health screening results and pedigree information can be viewed on our website in each of our King's and Queen's pages.
We try our best to ensure our kittens are as healthy as possible by testing and screening our cats for breed specific genetic diseases. However this doesn't guarantee that your Maine Coon will never be affected by these conditions, as the possible influence of non-genetic factors such as age, gender, weight or environment (diet, injuries, activity level etc.) can also contribute to overall health problems.
It is strongly advised to take out a pet health insurance to assist with unexpected veterinary bills or emergencies.
Genetic testing for HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy), SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy), PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) and PKDef (Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency) is being performed via Inquaba Biotec laboratory (Zoomics) and HCM echo-cardiograms by a specialist Dr Ivan Mendelsohn BVSc from Vet-Scan Mobile Ultrasound. General routine vet checks, vaccinations and hip x-rays are done by our trusted veterinarian Dr Liam Bebbington BSC HONS.BVSC & team from Blue Cross Veterinary Hospital.
Health screening results and pedigree information can be viewed on our website in each of our King's and Queen's pages.
WHAT WE FEED
Maine Coons take up to 4 years to reach maturity and we believe a correct nutrition is the key to a happy and healthy cat.
Cats are obligate carnivores which means their diet requires nutrients found only in animal flesh. While obligate carnivores might be able to ingest small amounts of plant matter, they lack the necessary physiology required to digest it. As cats are predators, their natural diet consist of birds, rodents and even small rabbits. Most available commercial diets are loaded with carbohydrates, which cause food allergies and digestive issues, but it can also cause cats to become overweight and contribute to medical conditions such as diabetes, hip dysplasia or heart issues.
Our cats and kittens are fed a combination of nutritionally balanced DIY raw diet, as well as pre-made raw food from Chefs4Pets , who offer a great variety of premium quality frozen raw pet food delivered straight to our door.
Benefits of feeding balanced raw diet:
* Healthy gums with shiny teeth
* Glossy coat with minimum shedding
* Optimal weight with visible muscle tone
* Stronger joints and improved mobility
* Sufficient water intake with minimal drinking from water bowl
* Smaller, firmer, less smelly stools. Raw fed cats pass stool only every 2-3 days
* Better health and increased life expectancy as issues such as food allergy, obesity, diabetes, urinary infections and kidney disease can be prevented by feeding balanced raw food
Feeding unbalanced raw diet can seriously harm your pets and this is the reason why vets discourage raw feeding. Vets are on receiving ends of raw diets done incorrectly, having to deal with patients with nutritional deficiencies. Luckily there are several companies producing balanced raw food so correct raw feeding is no longer a problem in South Africa.
Please do your research properly to make sure your raw meals are balanced or buy from reputable and DAFF registered
pre-made raw food suppliers.
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This article by a US vet provides excellent overview on raw feeding for cats.
Our research sources:
Cat Nutrition
Dr Lisa A Pierson
Dr Karen Becker
Cats Completely Raw And Proud
We Feed Raw S.A.
LittleAngels Pet Nutrition
Our research sources:
Cat Nutrition
Dr Lisa A Pierson
Dr Karen Becker
Cats Completely Raw And Proud
We Feed Raw S.A.
LittleAngels Pet Nutrition
FOLLOW US
Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram , where we post regularly any kitten updates, news or fun facts from our daily life with our Maine Coons.
Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram , where we post regularly any kitten updates, news or fun facts from our daily life with our Maine Coons.
REGISTRATION BODIES
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We are registered with The Southern Africa Cat Council (SACC) since 2015 and abide by SACC Code of Good Practice.
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We are registered with World Cat Federation (WCF) since 2016.
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