05-04-2007, 05:01 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: KL
Posts: 1,001
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Why Are Kittens So Expensive
Why Are Kittens So Expensive
(a common, but often unasked, question)
While BYB's and pet shops may make money selling kittens, most legitimate breeders do not even cover their own costs. It's a very expensive hobby. Most of us WISH we could just break even, but can't. It may look like a gold mine to you, but let's go through the expenses involved and you'll see that turning a profit would be a rare event for a breeder. We do this for love of cats, not money (and most of us hide the REAL expenses from our spouses!).
As an example, buying a top show quality female, with breeding rights (which may have restrictions on how we can sell the kittens), may cost $800 to more than $l300. Males are more and can go as high as $2,000. Showing her to the preliminary title of "Champion" can add another $500-$2000 to the investment. Showing a male or female to the title of Grand Champion, or Regional/National Winner, can be from $1000 to more than $20,000! Maintenance, supplies and veterinary care generally cost breeders about $500 per cat per year. By the time a cat is first bred, at about a year old, the breeder will have invested several thousand dollars. Then there is a stud fee for the breeding, which may be $500 - $l000 per litter. Kitten shots cost breeders about $l00 per kitten - and that's if there are NO problems to be treated. Kittens stay with breeders for 3 months or so, and have to be fed, cuddled, and cleaned-up-after for all that time. Separate, special areas of the house are often customized for the cats to use as a cattery or nursery - and some cattery set-ups cost $5,000 or more to build. If all goes well, fat healthy kittens are born - but there are always the disasters, such as C-sections that run $750 and up. Sometimes, after all the investment is made, a cat is found to be infertile. Good breeders make a huge investment into "doing it right", by having the right breeding cats and facilities. Both pet shops and BYB's reap profits, by cutting corners (not having quality cats as parents, not showing, not keeping kittens until the proper age or providing proper prenatal and kitten veterinary care) - and then they charge the same price as the reputable breeders. And those caring, professional breeders make huge sacrifices in their personal lives, and shed lots of tears, in trying to create succesful breeding programs. BYB's are "one hit wonders" - they take your money and are gone. Most legitimate breeders are going to be pretty darn annoyed if you neglect to send photos and check in once in awhile!
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