Supercoons Yogi photographed by Lynda Du Vallier
United Maine Coon Fanciers of Australia was established in 2001 and is the original and oldest Breed Association of the Maine Coon cat in Australia.
UMCFA began as a dedicated group of early breeders who shared a common passion for introducing Australia to these majestic, gentle giants of the Cat Fancy. They committed, at great personal expense, to importing cats from health tested lines from around the world to be the foundation of the Maine Coon cat in Australia.
UMCFA’s early mission was to ethically breed healthy kittens who were a true representative of the breed standard as first established officially in 1976 in the cat’s native country of The United States. Health testing of all breeding cats and breeding true to type was foundational to all they did. Breeder Members of UMCFA all made a commitment upon joining UMCFA to heart test for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), and x-ray for Hip Dysplasia (HD).
Their steadfast commitment to increase the limited gene pool by regularly importing new tested lines and establish a health and testing results database for early breeders to work with, ensured the breed's early and rapid success in Australia. UMCFA’s founding members are those who, today, we can thank for the Maine Coon cat being one of Australia's most popular breeds.
Time went by, many of UMFCA’s early breeders retired, and for a period of years UMCFA became inactive. In early April 2020, a fresh group of breeders began discussing the need for a National Breed Association. They turned to UMCFA and thank the original members who gave their blessing for UMCFA to become our National Breed Association for the Maine Coon cat. Our current members, both Breeder and Pet Owner, wish to acknowledge and honour the wonderful legacy UMCFA’s founders have left for us to continue working with today and building upon into the future.
UMCFA began as a dedicated group of early breeders who shared a common passion for introducing Australia to these majestic, gentle giants of the Cat Fancy. They committed, at great personal expense, to importing cats from health tested lines from around the world to be the foundation of the Maine Coon cat in Australia.
UMCFA’s early mission was to ethically breed healthy kittens who were a true representative of the breed standard as first established officially in 1976 in the cat’s native country of The United States. Health testing of all breeding cats and breeding true to type was foundational to all they did. Breeder Members of UMCFA all made a commitment upon joining UMCFA to heart test for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), and x-ray for Hip Dysplasia (HD).
Their steadfast commitment to increase the limited gene pool by regularly importing new tested lines and establish a health and testing results database for early breeders to work with, ensured the breed's early and rapid success in Australia. UMCFA’s founding members are those who, today, we can thank for the Maine Coon cat being one of Australia's most popular breeds.
Time went by, many of UMFCA’s early breeders retired, and for a period of years UMCFA became inactive. In early April 2020, a fresh group of breeders began discussing the need for a National Breed Association. They turned to UMCFA and thank the original members who gave their blessing for UMCFA to become our National Breed Association for the Maine Coon cat. Our current members, both Breeder and Pet Owner, wish to acknowledge and honour the wonderful legacy UMCFA’s founders have left for us to continue working with today and building upon into the future.
Sillynx High Voltage, Shezvan Hey Senorita, Rumplteeza Beach Babe - Photos Sherry Van De Beek
- To promote testing of Maine Coon breeding cats for genetically inherited diseases such as Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) and Hip Dysplasia(HD)
- To work collaboratively with our veterinary radiologist, Dr JL Richardson, BVMS,FANZCVS (RADIOLOGY) to establish a Maine Coon cat breed average score for Hip Dysplasia(HD) and commit towards improving this average
- To assist genetic diversity of the Maine Coon by maintaining a database of health screened breeding cat results owned by UMCFA members in Australia
- To encourage and support breeder members to import selected quality Maine Coon cats from tested ancestry to improve genetic diversity
- To offer a Mentoring Program for Maine Coon breeders
- To protect the Maine Coon cat from distortion of any of its naturally evolved features by encouraging selective breeding toward the breed standard, and not for the popular opinion of the day
- To protect the purity of the Maine Coon cat breed by selective breeding towards the standard of perfections, without hybridization involving other breeds
- To assist prospective Maine Coon owners by providing links to breeder members of the United Maine Coon Fanciers of Australia
- To provide useful and informative resources and links for existing and potential Maine Coon owners
- To provide a forum for discussion about Maine Coon Cats open to all members
- To promote the popularity of Maine Coon Cats to cat lovers Australia wide
- To assist cat-owners in general by providing information on care, health, diet and exercise regimes
