If you’ve decided to get a purebred cat, be prepared for a fairly high price. In return, you’ll know that when your kitten grows up, it will be just what you wanted. That goes not only for its looks (color, coat length, body type and other traits) but also, to a large extent, for its personality. So when you buy a purebred kitten from a professional cattery or an experienced breeder, you’re paying not only for the costs of its birth and early care but also for the hard work that went into its early socialization and into shaping the personality typical of the breed.
For example: In the US, popular British Shorthair kittens come in many colors, and their prices vary widely, usually from about $1,500 to $3,000. Their close relatives, the Scottish Straight and the Scottish Fold, fall into a similar price range: about $1,000–$3,000. A beautiful spotted Bengal kitten usually costs about $1,500–$3,000. Kittens of the giant Maine Coon cost about $1,500–$3,000 on average; read more in our article How much does a Maine Coon cost? You’ll find a fuller price list below.
What Goes into the Price of a Purebred Kitten?
1. The cost of buying the breeding cats that the kittens come from.
2. The cost of caring for the mother cat and her kittens. This includes kitten food, litter and supplies, plus vet care: checkups, vaccinations, deworming, microchipping and, for many breeds, genetic and heart screening of the parents.
3. Related expenses, including:
- entering cats in shows, including registration fees and travel to shows;
- paperwork: cattery registration, registering the kitten’s name, pedigree certificates and litter registration with a registry such as the CFA, TICA or GCCF;
- in some cases, a stud fee paid to the owner of the purebred male.
4. The breeder’s own work. Breeders don’t just invest money in buying and caring for purebred breeding cats and raising litters; they also put in daily work caring for, socializing and training the kittens (for example, litter training).
5. The kitten’s class. Kittens from the same litter often have very different prices because of how they’re evaluated and classified for future breeding and showing.
The least expensive are pet-quality kittens. These kittens have small cosmetic flaws that don’t fully match the strict breed standard, so they’re meant only as family pets. They aren’t shown or bred and are usually sold spayed or neutered.
Breeder-quality kittens cost more. They meet the breed standard more closely and are used in breeding programs.
The most expensive are show-quality kittens. These kittens have ideal breed traits, represent the breed at its best and compete at shows.
6. The rarity of the breed also affects a kitten’s price.
To get a rough idea of prices, take a look at the approximate cost of kittens of specific breeds below.
You might also like:
- names for British Shorthair kittens;
- names for Scottish Fold kittens;
- names for orange kittens;
- beautiful names for girl cats.
Kitten Prices by Breed
Here are approximate prices for a pet-quality kitten from a registered breeder in 2026. Breeding and show-quality kittens usually cost considerably more.
| Breed | US (pet quality) | UK (pet quality) |
|---|---|---|
| Abyssinian | $1,000–$2,000 | £800–£1,200 |
| Bengal | $1,500–$3,000 | £800–£1,500 |
| Birman | $1,000–$2,500 | £800–£1,200 |
| British Shorthair | $1,500–$3,000 | £800–£1,500 |
| Cornish Rex | $800–$2,000 | £600–£1,000 |
| Devon Rex | $1,000–$2,500 | £800–£1,200 |
| Donskoy | $1,500–$3,000 | rarely available |
| Kurilian Bobtail | $1,000–$2,500 | rarely available |
| Maine Coon | $1,500–$3,000 | £1,000–£2,000 |
| Persian | $1,000–$3,000 | £700–£1,200 |
| Peterbald | $1,200–$3,000 | £800–£1,500 |
| Ragdoll | $1,200–$2,500 | £800–£1,500 |
| Russian Blue | $800–$3,000 | £700–£1,200 |
| Scottish Fold | $1,000–$3,000 | not registered by the GCCF |
| Siamese | $800–$2,000 | £600–£1,000 |
| Siberian | $1,500–$3,500 | £800–£1,500 |
| Singapura | $1,000–$2,500 | £800–£1,200 |
| Sphynx | $1,500–$4,000 | £1,000–£2,000 |
| Toyger | $1,500–$4,000 | £1,000–£2,000 |
Prices vary by region, breeder, bloodline and color, so treat these as a rough guide.
In conclusion, remember that a purebred kitten isn’t bought for a year or two. If you divide its price by the number of years it will live with you and bring you joy, the cost of a pet doesn’t seem so high after all. And if a pedigree isn’t important to you, don’t forget about shelters: adoption fees are usually about $50–$200 and include spaying or neutering, vaccinations and a microchip.
