Cost of Cats

In the future I plan to own a pure bred cat. The two breeds I'm interested in is the Sphynx and the Abyssinian cat. I was just checking the prices on so-called responsible breeders websites and was overblown on how much they cost! The Abyssinian is the cheaper of the two as they generally go for 700 and up. The Sphynx could go for 900 and up. There is difference amongst the prices when it comes to show and pet with show cats typically costing 1000 and up.

I don't know if it is just me, but I don't believe cats should cost that much. I mean, I understand paying 800 and up for a dog. Dogs were bred for a variety of tasks, and what you can do with a dog has almost endless possibilities. Cats are bred only with companionship in mind. There isn't much you can do with a cat unless you want to become one of those cat trainers who, in their words, take a year for a cat to be train to do a trick. Dogs also have more in terms of health problems so making sure to find a breeder health testing their dogs is a must.

I mean, there are people selling these cats lower than typical price, some as low as 300. I honestly don't see myself paying more than 400-500 dollar range for a cat. I might try the rescue route for these cats too. There just doesn't seem to be any justification for having cats cost so much.

How much are you welling to spend for a cat?

Well, I paid $700 for my Ragdoll from my breeder, of course that was back when I had quite a bit more money in my bank account (it was before I moved out of my parents)! Now, would I spend that much? Heck no!

I would definitely explore the rescue option. I am always seeing Ragdolls on CL.. and they're legit Ragdolls too (not the "Oh it's fluffy, therefore it's a Ragdoll or Maine Coon" LOL). Not sure if it's the same with the breeds you're looking for, but you never know.

You can also email breeders to see if they have any retired adults available. They'll usually rehome them at a much lower price than kittens.

Yeah, I read about breeders selling retired adults for less money. To me, show cats wouldn't go for no more than 500-600. I just don't see how cats can go for a cost similar to that of dogs. I mean, the common justification I read on breeders sites on why their cats go for so much is because since cats are so expendable to so many people( which is so true) only the people welling to pay up to a thousand for a cat are truely looking for the cat's best interest. That just isolates a large number of people who are welling to spend as much on their pet but not on buying the pet. I mean, Kai was brought very cheaply by my parents and he is given the best quality food, toys, and vet care whenever needed.

Is there much in the way of health testing and such for cats? Showing costs, breeding costs, etc? Because "we charge a lot so people value them" is pretty empty...basically a varient of "we can so we do"...

I mean one reason that well bred dogs can have substantial pricetags is the cost of various heath testing and prooving out temperament/working ability, not to mention the cost of actually having the litter (depending on how it's done and if things go wrong).

I can understand why cat breeders charge similar amounts to dog breeders. I really don't know much about cat breeding, but I assume that cost of titling cats is a good bit (show entry fees, traveling, etc), health testing, food, vet costs associated with the litters, etc.

In general, cats live longer than dogs... so I can't see how a well bred cat costing $500-1000 is expensive.

After having quite a few brilliant cats that were just generic mutts...I think the most I'd be willing to pay for a cat is the $50 adoption from a shelter. Definitely not knocking those that purchase a purebred cat from a breeder, but the traits I like in a cat are easily found in many cats waiting for a home so that's the route I'm going to go.

For example, a friend of mine adopted a cat from the shelter a few years back and she's trained him to walk on a leash, wear a sweater, and ride in the car. He goes everywhere her dogs go and he gets groomed once a month along with her dogs as well (as she's allergic to cats and needs to keep the dander and hair under control). He acts JUST like an Abyssinian. Very outgoing, talkative, trainable, interactive, and if you don't pay attention to him he gets depressed and sulks. In the shelter environment he was pretty much deemed unadoptable because he was an adult male black cat who not only was self mutilating himself in his kennel due to sheer boredom, he would lunge and swat at anyone who walked near his cage (he was trying desperately to play).

ETA: I can see why breeders charge multiple hundreds for their cats, and I have no problem with that. I just personally wouldn't pay it. LOL

I'm with Jessie. I can't see how breeding cats if you health test and show is less than dogs. In fact IME its harder to have multiple cats in a home and be a 'small' breeder than dogs. You pretty much need a cattery from what I hear, but we small dog breeders don't need a kennel.

Would I pay that much for a cat? Not likely but I don't see why someone should lose money just because you don't think their cat is worth it. If you don't think its worth it adopt....

You can buy purebred dogs for 300 too, but they generally aren't the breeders you want to be supporting.

Yeah I don't really see breeding show cats of a particular breed as being much different than breeders of small companion dog breeds, tbh.

Would I pay that much? probably not.. I am not a cat enthusiast and am really not interested in breeds. I don't even like cats all that much, but most I would pay is $100. and that cat would need to have the works (shots, s/n, healthy, etc...)

but I can see WHY they charge that much. Some of the same reasons dog breeders do... it costs a lot of money to breed any animal the RIGHT WAY. health testing, showing, finding a sire/dam with the right temperament/health, stud fees, c-sections maybe, cost of getting a litter vetted etc..

GOOD Cat breeders aren't as popular as dog breeders, which of course probably puts the price up. Shows are fewer and further in between, gene pools smaller, quality animals limited (shipping semen, AI, buying a quality full reg. animal from another breeder etc..), health testing not as popular so probably more expensive.

and of course seeing that there are so few cat breeders (relatively) and blood lines are usually well protected in rarer breeds.. There are fewer kittens, dams, sires, blood lines etc.. to go around. and I know quite a few people who are into pure-bred cats. and there are very few kitty-mills/cheap alternatives sooo..supply/demand.. they can push the price as high as they'd like to cover cost and be picky about the homes their kittens go to.

Saying that cat breeders shouldn't charge that much because cats are just companions is like saying that chihuahua breeders or other companion animal breeds shouldn't charge that much because they are "just" companions. ..which is ridiculous. It still costs A LOT to breed an animal well. and as Dekka said, sure, you could find a lot of pure bred animal breeders (cat or dog) that don't charge that much.. but chances are, they are cutting corners.

but yea, would never go to a breeder for a cat. I don't really care that much about pure breeding and such..
I would probably just pick some old shelter cat that looks grumpy and funny lol

There are health tests for cats too. Each breed has things that need be tested for, there are costs of showing, etc. Saying cats should cost less because they're cats is rather offensive. Cats are fine companions and aren't of lesser value than dogs.

You can often find cats in rescues (even purebreds like Sphynx), so that's an option if you really don't want to pay breeder prices. My two Persians were found as strays at separate times..one by someone who found him and could never find the owner and the other was picked up by animal control and I adopted her when her stray hold was up. Of course, just as with dogs, you won't have an idea of any health issues they might have. You can also often find breeders rehoming adult retired breeding cats for a lower price than that of the kittens.

Nothing says you HAVE to pay a larger amount for a cat, but nothing says you have to have a purebred cat either.

We find our Persians so pleasant that it's the only cat we'll have in the future.

Which is why I made the destinction between cats and dogs. I would pay up to 800 or more for a dog and would be pretty suspious of breeder of say, germans shepherds who are giving out puppies for 300. I'm not too familar with the cat world, but cats generally have less health problems, easier to take care of compared to dogs, and are breed strictly for companion or show.

I mean, there is a distinction of cost between animals of all kinds. Rats, what wonderful creatures they are, cost between 10 to 30 dollars. Ferrets tend to go for 60 and up. Rabbits tend to go for 40 and up, some are less. People show rabbits as well and the cost for them is somewhere around 100 and less. Rarer pets, of course, are much more expensive. I don't see why the cost of owning a well-bred cat should be such a dramatic difference. It probably due to the fact that, along with dogs, cats are the most popular pets to have and can afford that cost.


Do I think cat prices need to be lowerd. Yes I do. It is an opinion. It is not like I could actually do anything about it. This is more of a rant than anything.

To say that cats are of less value to dogs is really offensive to people. Cat people think cats are worth just as much or more. And cats can have so many health issues... Most things you see with dogs, cats have heir own version.

I have to ask... Where on earth are you finding $60 ferrets? even mill ferrets are $200+. I wouldn't touch a $60 ferret with a 10 foot pole. It's even more important for ferrets to be health tested than dogs, IMO, since so much can go wrong so young. I'm looking to buy a ferret from a breeder in the future, and I'm easily looking at spending $500. Heck, even a ferret from rescue is $150-200 (Kinda sad I don't even know how much we charge)

It isn't about being of lesser value. I'm pretty sure owners of rats can vouche that rats are much more than the cost of 10 dollars. Rats can be trained too and are even bomb sniffers in some countries. I'm pretty sure almost all of you on this forum do not see your animals as property, but family members. Yet you "brought" them and have ownership of them. They had a price tag and that price usually depended on the money worth of the animal. A rat is no more than 10 dollars because they are of lesser value than a dog. An owner might not think that, but I highly doubt that same person would spend 800 for a rat. Cats are GREAT companion animals. I've own one and can say without a doubt. They are still less value than a dog. Same as rabbits. There isn't much a rabbit can do, which is why their price tag is what they are. Exotic animals do not count for this.

I mean, if not, lets make ALL companion animals up to 800 or more. Why not? All companion animals should be expensive because they are all worth it. That is not how it works! Just because I would buy a rat for 20 does not mean I see them as less of a family member or I wouldn't spend out of my pocket to make it healthy. That is the most important thing.

I doubt that I would ever pay that much for a cat...but I'm not a cat person. The two cats I have now are technically my brothers and we picked them up as strays. We did spend around $1000 on them in the first six months, but that was all vet related (and all routine, they were healthy). I don't have any problem spending money on a cat that I already own, but I personally wouldn't spend much on the actual acquisition of a cat.

That said, I could see why some people would. I don't know anything about the cat world, however a quick google search brought this(http://www.mcbfa.org/breedcats.html) up. Based on that, it looks like breeding cats (responsibly) has many similarities to breeding dogs.

Maybe it is because your in Canada, but the starting range for a ferret here is $60-$75 going up.

The prices make perfect sense to me as well. If I were going to a good breeder, I'd expect to pay about the same as I would for a breeder dog.

I prefer hybrid cats myself, Savannahs and Safari's, Chausies, etc, so I expect to pay even more, much more, for one of those. When I was looking for a Sphynx, I didn't see much in the way of less than about $600 for pet quality.

Just to add: Rockefeller came to us discounted because he was only a month over the mark for the discount on the adoption drive for kittens 6 months or younger. In all, though, it still came to just under $200 to adopt him from the local shelter, while they were inundated with kittens during kitten season. And he's not even a purebred, despite being identical to a Turkish Van.

Just on this note.. Cats do have quite a few health problems/health testing for example...

Well, you've got the "basics" - blood panel, viral screening, diseases that can be passed down such as FIV and FeLV.
http://www.cathealth.com/diagnostictests…
http://www.cathealth.com/FeLV.htm
http://www.cathealth.com/FIV.htm

Once you get past the basic tests to ensure they're in good health, you need to take a look at the possible health conditions within that breed. For example, the Maine Coon, Persians, and Ragdolls susceptible to HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy)
http://www.cathealth.com/FlHCM.htm
And then there's two eye problems known to affect the Burmese..

- Breeding quality kitten $1500-2000 each (same goes for dogs/cats) more so for cats of proven/champion parents .
- and just like with dogs, no good breeder of healthy cats is going to give you a kitten with breeding rights without knowing you first. So you've gotta be at shows, be around in the breed, etc... which is even more $$
- Stud fee (AI, shipping semen, buying another male cat, etc..) $$$
- General health/vet program for cats.
- The Queen must be vaccinated right before she is bred or in some cases during the pregnancy. Most high quality breeding cats are tested for FIV & Feline Leukemia prior to every breeding.
- All breeding cats must be tested for Hip Dysplasia
-The HCM screening is done annually, at around $300 per year. on ALL cats.
- Cat rearing supplies/kitten supplies.
- DNA tests for specific genetic diseases
- Vaccinating each kitten in the litter
- Feeding the kittens
- General care for all the cats (food, litter, etc..)

and that doesn't even include showing and titles..

and as for "use".. chihuahuas, maltese, toy breeds etc..etc.. are all dog breeds that are only bred for companion and show. Frankly, these days, I'd say about 40% of quality dog breeders are only breeding for companion/show (not that they don't preserve instinct.. but still, their dogs aren't working sheep or hunting for example).
doesn't make the dogs any less expensive to Ch., health test, show or breed..

Even without show or anything else, health testing is EXPENSIVE. and finding the RIGHT breeding quality (even just health/temperament wise) sire/dam is expensive, regardless of breed.

and even in the US a well bred ferret ( health testing, temperament etc...) does run about $300+ at a good breeder
just some random examples.
http://www.scarletts-happydookers.com/kits2012.html
http://www.gfxferret.com/

Savannahs, if anyone's interested, can run for up to, and above, $20,000. $800 really doesn't seem so bad

If you want cat from a breeder, I think that's a fair price. Cats live long and I'm sure there's an abundance of health testing available. If you want a cheap cat, go rescue one.

I'm in the US..ferrets here are just under $200..and those are pet store, mill bred ones.

Cats can have a multitude of health issues..they can get hip dysplasia, heart issues, thyroid or kidney problems, etc. Some of these can be screened through DNA testing, and reputable breeders do this. A simple search on the OFA site shows cats with hip and cardiac testing, amongst others. In addition, there's the standard FeLV/FIV and other blood testing. I believe showing cats is a little different than with dogs as well


Here's a small rundown http://www.mcbfa.org/breedcats.html

Cats require housing (if they have a male on site, they usually, though not always, have their own area to stay in), feeding, showing, etc..same as dogs. What makes them less expensive than a small dog?