Cats have been one of the most popular animals to take as a pet for a long time, but buying a kitten comes certainly at an expensive price. A domestic cat can be your friend or playmate. If you are looking to adopt cats from a shelter, it will only cost you around 50-100$.
But if you are looking to buy a purebred kitten, the average cost can be around 300$ to 1000$. A show-quality kitten costs the highest, ranging from $1000 to $3000. But their price can go even as high as $15000.
The price of a kitten mainly depends on its breed, color, and coat quality. It also depends on the demand for a cat and how much of it is available for purchase.
Adoption Shelter vs. Cat Breeders
As we have stated the difference in cost between adoption shelter cats and cats for purchase, one might ask why there is such a difference between them. The cats available for adoption in shelters are mostly stray cats or cats that are abandoned by their owners.
These cats are often mix-breeds and poor in health conditions. Due to the limited funding for a shelter, these cats cannot be raised in the best way possible. On the other hand, a purebred cat is raised with utmost care.
They stay in the best environment possible. A cat breeder wants to make a profit to reinvest in his breeding while an adoption shelter merely charges you for the cost of raising the cats. Shelters also receive donations from charitable foundations from time to time to help their cause.
These factors raise the cost of purebred cats drastically when compared to the adoption of shelter cats.
Why are Kittens so Expensive
The reason why cats are so expensive lies in their breeding process. Cat breeding is not as simple as just putting two potent domestic cats of the opposite gender together and waiting for them to reproduce.
In cat breeding, you must have cats of pure breed, high potency, and proper health. A breeding female cat is called a queen and a male one is called a stud. To breed a purebred cat properly, you need to buy these cats of breeding quality from a licensed cat breeder.
You might even need to buy them from outside of your country which can significantly raise the cost. Then you need to house them separately to prevent unplanned litter and sprayings. To make sure the offspring do not carry any genetic diseases, you need to properly vaccinate your queen and stud. You also need to check their health condition by routinely visiting a veterinary.
You also need to maintain a healthy diet for the cats to ensure healthy growth. So you need proper nutritious cat foods for them. Also, a pregnant cat requires a higher calorie intake and needs more food accordingly.
To breed cats, you need to be a license holder. Having a license for breeding means you need to pay a certain amount of fee annually. After your cats produce offspring, you need to take special care of that kitten. This means routine health checkups, vaccination, proper housing, and proper diet management.
All this certainly comes at a very high cost. So when a breeder puts up a cat for sale, he needs to set a price that will cover all the breeding expenses, create profits, and make sure he can reinvest in the future. So when it comes to purchasing cats, the expensive price actually makes sense if you consider the efforts and costs it took in its breeding.
List of Most Expensive Cat Breeds
When it comes to prices, there are a few cats that can shock you with their price. Here is a list of the 15 most expensive cat breeds-
- Ashera Cat (Up to $125000)
- Savannah Cat ($10000-$50000)
- Bengal Cat ($10000-$25000)
- Khao Manee ($10000-$110000
- Sphynx Cats ($1800-$9800)
- Persian Cats ($1500-$5500)
- Toyger ($3000-$5000)
- Peterbald Cat ($2500-$5000)
- Ragdoll Cats ($1000-$5000+)
- Siberian Cats ($1200-$4000)
- Maine Coon Cats ($1000-$4000)
- Scottish Fold Cat $500-$3000)
- Russian Blue Cats ($500-$3000)
- British Shorthair ($800-$2000)
- Egyptian Mau ($800-$1800)
Frequently Asked Questions
Regarding the prices of kittens, there are a few questions that are frequently asked. Here are a few frequently asked questions or FAQs-
Why are Kittens so Expensive in the UK?
The basic reason behind the high price of kittens remains the same, the cost and effort behind breeding. Like in any other country, kittens in the UK also go through extra care while being bred.
During the pandemic, there has been a high demand for kittens in the UK. Due to that, the price of kittens has gone up almost a 40% in July 2020 when compared to the prices in July 2019. To prevent unscrupulous sales of kittens that endanger them, the UK has been very strict about its licensing policy. These policies make the cat breeders pay fees at an annual rate.
To prevent the extra sale of cats, the prices are being increased to limit the purchases. These factors make kittens very expensive in the UK.
Why are Ragdoll Kittens so Expensive?
Ragdoll Cats are one of the most expensive and desired groups of kittens. Ragdoll kittens have to be bred selectively with extreme care. They are a very rare breed to get your hands on, which makes them highly desired by cat lovers.
Many breeders have to ship their breeding quality ragdoll cats from abroad, increasing the cost drastically. A normal pet quality ragdoll costs about $1000. But a show-quality ragdoll with breeding ability can cost well over $5000.
Why are Bengal Kittens so Expensive?
Any list of the top expensive cats is bound to have a Bengal kitten in them. Bengal kittens are genetically modified cats, first created in 1970. They are made by the crossing of domestic shorthair housecats and wild Asian Leopards.
As a result, they are significantly rare than normal domestic cats. Due to its closeness to wild animals in characteristics, it is illegal to own them in several jurisdictions. Bengal cats are also very hard to breed as they need the perfect environment for their growth.
The average price of a Bengal cat is around $10000 but the most premium quality ones can cost up to $25000.
Why are Siberian Kittens so Expensive?
As the name suggests, Siberian cats are mostly found in the Russian region. It is very difficult to get your hands on a Siberian cat as there are only a few reputed licensed Siberian kitten breeders.
They have thick double coats to protect them from the cold Siberian weather. Without proper care and nourishment, the coats make become rough. Also, their saliva produces fewer allergens than other breeds.
So they are a favored pick by those with an allergy. Due to these reasons, this breed is highly expensive.
Why are Candy Kittens Expensive?
Though the name might suggest otherwise, candy kittens are not any kind of cat food. Candy Kittens are a brand of vegan sweets and confections.
The reason they are expensive is that they are completely vegan. It is comparatively pricey when compared to other non-vegan ingredients.
The other reason is that they have reduced the number of crowdfunding investors from about 500 to 7. This has raised the price of candy kittens.
Why are Persian Kittens so Expensive?
Persian cats are a breed that has been by the human’s side for probably thousands of years. Being one of the most playful and very easy to recognize cats, there is a high demand for Persian cats.
The color and quality of Persian cats affect their price range. Few colors are coveted much among Persian cat lovers- such as white.
A white-colored Persian cat falls in the highest place in the price range spectrum.
Why are Maine Coon Kittens so Expensive?
Maine Coons are one of the largest domestic cat breeds in the world. A Maine Coon named Stewie holds the record for being 48.5 inches long- known as the longest cat in the world.
To ensure proper growth, the breeders need to be extra careful about their health and diet. Without a proper diet, a Maine Coon cannot grow properly.
As a result, it is costly to breed a Maine Coon, making it so expensive.
Why are Exploding Cats so Expensive?
While an average pack of Uno might cost you around $10, a pack of Exploding Cats for 2-5 players will cost you almost $20. A pack for 10 players will cost, around $30. The main reason behind this double price is because of its popularity.
The crowdfunding for Exploding Cats was one of the biggest in the history of the Kickstarter Campaign. After seeing the craze for this card game, Exploding Cats was priced high to see if it was still covered by the customers. The risk paid off, making it more expensive than most other card games.
Conclusion
Many think that buying a cat is a one-time investment. But to own a cat, you need to be mentally prepared and be willing to spend more. To let your cat have the same condition as the day you bought it, you need to keep it under routine check-ups, proper diet, and environment. If you can afford all these, buying a precious kitten might change your life for the better.