Ray du Soleil - Our Story
We would like to welcome you to our small Maine Coon Cattery located in the windy city of Chicago, Ray du Soleil (translates to: Ray of the Sun). For over twenty years, cats have been part of our lives and to us they are the greatest companions. For seventeen years, we were very fortunate to provide an exciting and spoiled life to our beloved cat Niunius. He was a red tabby part persian cat, who had many great adventures. It was very hard for us when he left this world.

We were always fascinated with the beauty and nature of the great Maine Coon. When we brought our first Maine Coon Vinnetou from Europe, we fell in love with this breed and this is when we decided to create our own cattery. Our first breeding Maine Coon had to be a red boy, in honor of our Niunius. We named him Fiji, like the island, bright orange as the sun! He's our handsome lion stud, sweet, grand in size, with a wonderful laid back temperament.

It has become our passion to raise this magnificent breed and meet cat fanciers from all around the world. Known as the “Gentle Giants” these cats are very social, fun, extremely intelligent, and have exceptionally sweet personalities. We strive to breed Maine Coon cats that represent the ideal characteristics of the breed. Participating in our daily lives, our cats are raised under foot (cage-free), they're just part of our family. Kittens are handled from birth in their nursery which is the master bedroom, after the first weeks they graduate to "kindergarten," one of the other bedrooms, where they learn how to use the litter box and begin exploring their world. Our kittens have constant human contact, they're exposed to sounds and everyday activites, for proper socialization. We treat our cats as children, and we have created the optimal environment for them to develop and grow. Check out the photo gallery and see how our cats live: http://www.raydusoleil.com/slideshow2/sellfolio.html

Our breeding program includes top European and American Grand Champion lines that are healthy, friendly, ideal in type, and have extraordinary personalities. We carry all colors including browns, silvers, blues, reds, creams, torbies, with and without white, mostly classic tabby pattern, and occasionally solids (black and tortie). Check out the 'offspring' page to see our previous litters. We show our Maine Coons in TICA (The International Cat Association) and CFA (Cat Fanciers’ Association) throughout the Midwest region.

Regularly vaccinated and tested, our cats are clear of FeLV, FiV, HCM. We're very selective with our breeding cats. At the age of two we begin echocardiograms to make sure our cats have healthy hearts. Our kittens are monitored and examined by our veterinarian who comes to our home. They are vaccinated at the age of eight and twelve weeks. We strongly believe in feeding our cats grain-free top quality food. Our felines enjoy a balanced holistic nutrition in order to stay healthy, strong, and live a long, happy, and fun life!

From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank our loyal friend Joanna Purta, for her boundless aid and kind care for our cats.