About Jellico Dream Maine Coons, LLC

My late wife Peyton and I bought our first Maine Coon many years ago. Even though we also rescued, bottle fed and decided to keep forever nearly 20 stray kittens over the years, we fell in love with the majestic Maine Coon when we first saw one, and we swore we’d never again be without one.

Peyton called her Maine Coons “puppy dog kittens.” She called them that because Maine Coon cats can be larger than some dogs and have a personality that in many ways resembles a puppy dog more than a cat. They are smart, they tend to be calm and affectionate, they tend to come when they are called, and they like to be close to their owner instead of being stand-offish and skittish.

Peyton even taught one of her longtime Maine Coons named Choctaw to sit, shake, play fetch, and catch treats with his paw. He also travelled all over the country with us. I would take Peyton with me on our business trips, and she would take Choctaw. He flew in the airplane cabins with us. He rode in the cabs and rental cars to and from hotels. And he walked into hotels in the busiest cities in the country on a leash and harness, performing his tricks on Peyton’s command for all the gawkers. Choctaw was a 30-pound giant, and he loved to show off for Peyton. Choctaw was Best Man at our wedding, too.

Over the years, many Maine Coons have owned me. Currently I have three neutered male Maine Coons of different ages as personal pets. My five most recent Maine Coons all came from the same breeding stock, until recently owned by Moosehead Maine Coons in Beaver Cove, Maine. Every kitten I bought from Moosehead was incredible, so I kept going back. And I soon became friends from afar with Kari and Brock at Moosehead, whose kindness to me never ceased.

In 2024, life’s journey took them away from breeding, and so they decided they would need to neuter and spay their Kings and Queens and try to find homes for them. Knowing firsthand the amazing animals these particular Kings and Queens had produced, when I heard this news I soon offered to adopt them all intact and start breeding Maine Coons myself through Jellico Dreams Maine Coons, LLC. Kari and Brock readily agreed.

What came together from that is my small, family run cattery, located on a farm in a small community near Dothan, Alabama that once was known as Jellico. I had already chosen to retire here after a 40-year professional career in Birmingham, and matching this incredible breed of cats to owners who appreciate and love them is something I know Peyton would approve of me doing until we meet again.

Peyton would not stand for a Maine Coon to be treated like anything less than royalty, so Jellico Dream’s Kings and Queens live in climate-controlled comfort, but also have free access to outside runs through pet doors. They receive daily attention from me and I have fun giving it. The Queens also take turns spending time in my own house one or two at a time when not expecting kittens.

Shortly before their litters are expected, I move the Queens to protected areas in my home that are not accessible to my other animals. Peyton’s mom and brothers, who live on farms right next door to mine, pitch in when needed, especially with socializing of kittens starting around 4 weeks of age. My kids and grandkids also help when they visit from Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama. My two gentle Old Style German Shepherds help too, just as their predecessors helped with all of Peyton’s rescue cats over the years.

As a family, we try to get the kittens well started on socialization with people, children, dogs, and other cats, so that the kittens are just a little more prepared for whatever may await them in their forever homes. And just as Choctaw was a frequent flyer, our kittens can fly in the passenger cabin to their new homes throughout the continental United States courtesy of pet transport services with whom we can connect you. If you prefer to pick your kitten up personally in Alabama or at a nearby airport, that’s fine too of course.

Yes, we have Maine Coon kittens for sale.  But only to folks we are confident will love them as much as they need and deserve. We are not a first come, first served kind of breeder. It is very hard to part with these gorgeous little heart melters.  We have to know they are going to a good life full of love and fun and laughter and caring. The joy that comes from making both an owner and a kitten very happy is why we do what we do.