WildCrest Maine Coons Southern California · TICA registered cattery

The Ash
Litter.

Three smoke kittens, born 26 July 2026.
Fox and Bear are accepting applications. Wolf is under breeder evaluation. Home at about 13–14 weeks — late October into early November, readiness permitting.

Start an application Meet them
Bear, Wolf and Fox, three smoke Maine Coon kittens, sitting together
Bear, Wolf and Fox.

A litter named for where our story began.

The Ash Litter is WildCrest's very first litter, named in honor of Asher — the Maine Coon who started our story and inspired the heart behind WildCrest.

Fittingly, all three kittens are smoke. Their coats are darker at the tips and lighter at the roots, creating the soft, shifting appearance that gives the smoke color its name. It made Ash feel even more meant to be.

WildCrest is a home, not a facility. The kittens were born in our living room and are raised underfoot — around the vacuum, the doorbell, and our two dogs and our other cats. This is our first litter, and we're being slow and careful about where they go.

Fox, Wolf and Bear

Born 26 July to Xena and Ostin. Going home at about 13–14 weeks — late October into early November — neutered and vaccinated. The date follows the kitten, not a diary.

A note on sex: our own reading is that all three are female, but we are waiting on our vet to confirm it before we put it on each kitten — we would rather leave it blank than tell you something we would have to take back. It will be settled at their next appointment and posted here.

Fox, a black smoke Maine Coon kitten

🦊 Fox

Applications open

Black smoke

Playful · Curious · Cuddly · Bright · Sweet

More about Fox

Fox may be the smallest of the litter, but certainly doesn't let that slow anything down — bright, playful and curious, with a sweet affectionate side that makes Fox especially endearing. Fox was the first of the litter to open their eyes and the first to purr, and has stayed an alert little thing who likes to know what's happening in every corner of the room. 

Fox enjoys playing and wrestling with the others, but is just as happy to settle in for cuddles and a good nap. Took a good while to decide that solid food was worth giving up the milk bar for — but once ready, worked it out entirely on their own terms. Fox likes to follow, patiently sits and observes, with such engaging eyes. 😆

Wolf, a black smoke Maine Coon kitten

🐺 Wolf

Under evaluation

Black smoke

Curious · Social · Confident · Vocal · Independent

More about Wolf

Wolf is the little adventurer of the Ash Litter — curious and observant, often the one exploring beyond the group and checking out what everyone else is doing.

What makes Wolf especially charming is that after playtime with the siblings, Wolf will often seek out the humans and come hang out with us. 🥹 There's a nice combination of independence and social interest — we've watched Wolf confidently wander off to explore or nap alone, then choose to come back for human company. Wolf has also been the most vocal of the litter, and isn't shy about having an opinion. 😂

We're still deciding whether Wolf stays in our program. If Wolf is released, we'll say so here first.

Bear, a blue smoke Maine Coon kitten

🐻 Bear

Applications open

Blue smoke

Easygoing · Gentle · Playful · Relaxed · Sweet

More about Bear

Bear has been our easygoing one from the beginning — relaxed, sweet, and generally happy to go along with whatever is happening. As a tiny baby, Bear's favorite activities were nursing, sleeping, and occasionally sleeping belly-up, which made the name feel even more appropriate. 😆

Growing up, Bear has become playful with the others while keeping that laid-back nature — comfortable being handled, and not one to make a fuss about being picked up. Bear took the transition to real food very seriously: once Mama's leftovers turned out to be available, especially with a little rotisserie chicken involved, the milk-bar enthusiast suddenly became much more interested in the dining options. 😂

Where love, heartbreak and a promise became WildCrest

WildCrest Maine Coons was born from both love and heartbreak.

Our journey began with our first Maine Coon, Asher. Like so many people who meet this incredible breed, we fell completely in love — with the size, the personality, the affection, and the little quirks that make Maine Coons so special.

But our time with Asher was far too short. We lost him to a genetic condition, and the experience changed the way we looked at breeding forever. What began as grief became a desire to understand more: genetics, hereditary disease, health testing, pedigrees, responsible breeding practices, and the enormous responsibility breeders take on when they choose to bring kittens into the world.

The more we learned, the more we knew that if we ever became breeders ourselves, we wanted to do things thoughtfully. And that became the beginning of WildCrest Maine Coons.

WildCrest is still at the beginning of our journey. We're intentionally small and home-based with our cats as family first. We're not interested in growing quickly. We'd rather take our time, make each pairing with purpose, and know every kitten we bring into the world.

Their parents

Xena and Ostin are both black smoke, both from imported Ukrainian lines, and both registered with TICA here as well as with their registries of origin — Xena with ICFA, Ostin with the World Cat Federation.

Genetic panels for Xena, Ostin and Gemma have been completed. All three are clear of the MyBPC3 variants linked to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Maine Coons, as well as polycystic kidney disease and cystinuria type B.

An HCM echocardiogram — which looks at the heart itself rather than the genes — is also part of our health screening as our cats mature.

Ostin and Xena lying side by side on a kitchen counter
Ostin, left, and Xena.
Xena, a smoke Maine Coon, sitting

XenaQueen · black smoke
Tassel Ears X.Xena

Ostin, a silver smoke Maine Coon

OstinSire · black smoke
Ostin Happy House 

Gemma, a young Maine Coon female

Gemma — Gemma Happy House — is our future queen. Born 18 July 2025, black silver marbled torbie. 

What comes home with your kitten

Thirteen to fourteen weeks, never sooner

Longer than most breeders. They stay with Xena and their littermates until each one is medically, developmentally and socially ready — which is why we give a window rather than a date.

Age-appropriate vaccinations and veterinary care

FVRCP vaccinations and deworming, plus a written health check from our vet at the time of their spay or neuter, shortly before go-home.

Neutered or spayed

Done before they leave, at our cost. Pet kittens are not sold intact.

Registered

Their TICA registration is transferred into your name once the balance clears.

A written contract

A two-year genetic health guarantee, and our promise to take a cat back at any age if your circumstances change. The guarantee asks two things of you: a vet check within 72 hours of bringing your kitten home, and keeping vaccinations current.

A bag of home

Current food, a blanket that smells of their mother and siblings, and a toy — so the first few nights smell like the only place they have ever known.

How it works

  1. Send the interest form

    A few minutes, and it commits you to nothing. It doesn't reserve a kitten — it starts the conversation.

  2. We talk, and you choose

    A call or video chat. You meet the cats, we hear about your home, and we tell you honestly which kitten suits it. Ask us anything.

  3. Reserve your kitten

    $500 holds your kitten and comes off the price — refundable right up until they go home. You read and sign the agreement before any money changes hands.

  4. Going home

    Weekly photos and videos until collection day in Southern California, at about 13–14 weeks. Then we stay in touch for life.

Price

$3,500

The same for every kitten, whatever the sex or color. Neutered, vaccinated, TICA registered.
$500 refundable reservation payment · $3,000 balance due no later than go-home day.

Our kittens are placed as pets and we don't sell breeding rights. They leave neutered, and their TICA registration transfers into your name once the balance clears — so showing in the Alter class stays open to you.

We keep our pricing the same for every kitten. A kitten is officially reserved once the reservation agreement is signed and the reservation payment is received.

Reservation terms

In plain language, so there are no surprises. You'll get all of this in writing before you pay anything.

The $500 is a refundable reservation payment
Not a non-refundable deposit. It is credited to the purchase price when the sale completes.
It stays refundable until ownership transfers
Including after you have chosen a specific kitten. Change your mind at any point before your kitten goes home — just let us know in writing, and we'll refund you within 30 days.
If we cancel, the same applies
We refund within 30 days. Or, if you would rather, we can hold your payment for a future kitten.
The $3,000 balance is due no later than go-home day
It needs to have cleared before your kitten leaves us.
The interest form does not reserve a kitten
A reservation needs three things: an approved family, a signed reservation agreement, and the reservation payment. The purchase agreement comes later, before your kitten goes home.
Reservations can move
To another kitten or a future litter — just ask. If we offer you three suitable kittens and none is right, it affects where you sit in the queue, never your right to a refund.
Go-home is a window, not a date
We aim for roughly 13–14 weeks, but it follows each kitten's veterinary, developmental and social readiness. We will not send a kitten home early to meet a calendar.

Questions people ask

What does smoke actually mean?

The hair is white at the root and colored at the tip. Standing still they look solid black or solid blue; moving, the pale undercoat shows through. It's a coat pattern, not a separate color, and it has no bearing on health or temperament.

Can we visit before we commit?

We do video rather than in-person visits. Kittens this young have immature immune systems, and every visitor is a risk we cannot undo. You will get video calls and regular clips, and you will meet your kitten properly on go-home day. It is caution, not unfriendliness.

Do you ship?

We do not ship kittens or use flight nannies. Kittens are picked up in person at an agreed-upon location in Southern California.

How big do they actually get?

Males usually reach 15–20 lb and females 10–14 lb, and they carry on filling out until around four years old. Anyone promising you a 30 lb cat is selling something.

Are they good with dogs and other cats?

They have grown up alongside our two dogs and our other cats since birth, so neither is a novelty to them. We have no children in the home, so we can only tell you what the breed is generally like with them rather than what we have seen ourselves — and we would rather say that plainly.

What if we can't keep the cat?

If life ever changes, please contact us first.  Our cats always have a place back with us at any age, for any reason.  Full return and rehoming terms are outlined in our agreement.

Do kittens come with papers?

Yes. Your kitten's TICA registration is transferred into your name once the balance has cleared. They go home neutered and without breeding rights, but being registered means TICA's Alter class is open to you if you ever want to show. Also in the folder: the contract, the full veterinary record, and the spay or neuter certificate.

When is the next litter?

Nothing is planned yet. Our younger female, Gemma, will not be bred until her health screening is complete and we are satisfied with the results. When we do plan a litter we will announce it on our kittens page first, and families already on our list hear before anyone else. To join the list, send the interest form and say you have a future litter in mind.

Apply for Fox or Bear

The interest form takes a few minutes. It isn't a commitment on either side — it's just how we start the conversation, and it tells us enough to match the right kitten to the right home.

Open the kitten interest form

Rather just write to us? wildcrestmainecoons@gmail.com

Watch them grow up on Instagram and TikTok.