There are financial obligations with being a responsible owner of any animal, but purebred cats have specific costs that may be higher than a kitten for adoption at a shelter. If you are not in a financial position to meet these costs, it is better not to adopt a purebred cat. If you have a tight budget, but you are willing to make sacrifices for the purebred cat of your dreams then you may be able to accomplish that goal. Purebred cats are not budget-friendly and it is important that you are financially stable before trying to take one home. In this article, we will focus specifically on the Scottish Fold breed of purebred cats – but many key points can apply to all purebred cats.
Basic Scottish Fold (Purebred Cat) Needs:
All purebred cats have certain basic needs. For your Scottish Fold purebred cat to have a long and healthy life – these are the basic minimums that must be met.
These needs include:
· The cost of the purebred cat
· Food, of the highest quality you can afford
· A safe indoor-only environment with limited access to outdoors
· Spay or neutering, provided by a veterinarian
· Up to date vaccinations provided by a veterinarian
· Annual vet visits
· Emergency veterinary care when a cat is sick
If you are not prepared to pay for these, you are not ready to afford a Scottish Fold purebred cat.
Costs of Cat Care
These costs vary by location, size, age, and health of your cat, and are just general estimates. We are in New York City and our prices are reflective of city living, it may not be exact to your circumstance, but they will give you a sense of the costs you would incur:
Cost of Scottish Fold: Scottish Fold are exceptional purebred cats, and they are not cheap. Expect to pay $1900-2500 for a Scottish Straight and $2400-$3500 for a Scottish Fold. Other purebred cats may have similar price ranges.
Quality food: Good quality cat food can cost between $25-$100, depending on your preference of feeding kibbles or raw. In our cattery, we only feed raw and high-quality wet foods to all our cats. This is especially important for the Scottish Fold breed because of their lazy, docile nature, they are more prone to weight gain.
Litter box and litter: You can obtain a regular plastic litter box for $20 or go all out for a deluxe self-cleaning box for $600-$700. Depending on brand, a 14 lb bag of litter may cost you $15-$25 and will most likely be able to make it last a month for just one Scottish Fold Cat.
Spay or neutering: There are many low-cost spay and neuter clinics in the United States that might provide the service for under $50 for neuter and under $70 for a spay. We do not recommend this, as these low cost clinics usually send the cat home on the same day and perform very high volume amounts of surgeries a day. We believe in having the cat monitored overnight with the vet is the best practice and a private vet would be able to accommodate this. Private vet may change $200-$400 for a spay and neuter surgery. Many cat breeders recommend this surgery done by 6-8 months. In our cattery we have a strict spay and neuter contract to prevent behavioral issues in male and unwanted pregnancy in female cats.
Core vaccinations: The cost will vary depending on the risk factor in your own cat and rabies laws in your area. There are many low-cost vaccination clinics available for these vaccinations. Expect $80-$100 for the complete first-year series and boosters every year.
Annual veterinary examination: A comprehensive physical exam for your purebred cat, including dental and a blood profile, will run from $100 to $200.
Emergency veterinary care: It is not possible to estimate these costs, since they vary as to the age, condition, and issue that brought your purebred cat to the vet to begin with. Veterinary insurance can help mitigate these costs. If you decide to not purchase insurance for your purebred cat, set aside some money every month for a "vet emergency fund" of at least $50 per week or get a credit card and have it handy for emergencies only.
Hard Times
We all face hard times in life whether it’s the death of a spouse, illness in the family, or a loss of income that will affect the care that you can provide to your purebred cat. Lets explore some areas in where care can be compromised:
Cost of Purebred Cat: If are in on a tight budget we do not recommend cutting corners and searching for a bargain purebred cat through an online bazaar. You will pay dearly for it in the long run. You can consider adopting from a shelter that specializes in your purebred cat breed of choice.
Cat food expenses: Buying cheaper, lower quality food for your purebred cat during this time is an option. You do not need to buy the most premium brand, or you can supplement their usual feedings with dry food which is usually more budget friendly. We do not recommend this long term because it leads to weight gain and health issues in the long run. This can certainly be done until finances improve.
Cat litter savings: Litter costs can also be mitigated by purchasing the largest bag available and store brands that are budget friendly.
Payment plans from the veterinarian: Some veterinarians will allow you to pay off an emergency bill in weekly or monthly installment. Just make sure to ask!
Borrowing funds: Borrow from family, friends, or your local bank. Some banks (depending on your credit worthiness) will allow interest free loans. Make sure to read the fine prints of when the loan needs to be repaid to prevent paying fees or interest. Care Credit (U.S. and Canada) offers interest-free loans for up to one year for veterinary emergencies.
Pawn or sell possessions: If you want to declutter look around your house and see what you can afford to give up, then hold a yard sale or sell your items online.
Emergency veterinary treatment is harder to gauge. If you have a good working relationship with your veterinarian, they may be able to work with you on a payment plan. You are only able to establish this relationship if you have brought your cat to their appointments regularly. This goes on to show the importance of being a responsible cat owner.
The Tragic Price of Irresponsibility
Poor breeding practices causes sufferings for millions of cats – and purebred cats are affected, nonetheless. Unethical and irresponsible backyard breeding contributes to many of the problems that purebred cats – especially Scottish Folds suffer from. There are many people who ignorantly seek bargain prices from backyard breeders and kitten mills – this demand fuels poor breeding practices. These purebred cats that never should have been born end up with debilitating health and behavioral issues. The exasperated owner, who tried to search for a bargain now must pay severely to fix these issues that could have been mitigated if they just purchased from a good cattery.
If you purebred cats and cannot afford to provide responsible care the best thing to do is do the unselfish thing and do not hunt for bargain prices. This will only fuel that kitten mills and backyard breeders. You can try to adopt from adoption centers or set a budget to save up for the cat of your dreams. Good Catteries will often take people on their waitlist – similar to the one we have at Queens Scottish Fold. You can use this time to budget wisely for your future purebred kitten.
By now you should have an idea of whether you are ready to be a responsible purebred cat owner. If you are interested in adopting a Scottish Fold from a TICA registered cattery, look no further than www.queensscottishfold.com You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook - our DMs are always open. We look forward to helping you find the kitty of your dreams!
