Independent guide · Updated October 2026

Getting a cat? Start with real numbers

Adopt or buy, choose a breeder, spot a scam, and know what the first year costs. We collect and date the prices ourselves, and every health or safety point links to a vet or official source.

New kitten checklist
How we research
  • Prices we collect and date ourselves
  • Vet and official sources, linked
  • No sponsored rankings

Before you bring a cat home

  1. Adopt or buy?Shelter fees next to breeder prices
  2. Choose a breederWhat a good one does, and the red flags
  3. Spot a kitten scamCheck the seller before you pay
  4. Pick the right ageWhen a kitten is ready to leave its mother
  5. Get readyWhat to buy, and what it really costs

Latest guides

Card: how to contact a cat breeder. On 104 US cattery websites checked Oct 21, 2026, 85% showed an email address, 66% a phone number, 57% a waiting list, 46% a kitten application, and 18% invited a call or text. Best first step: email or the breeder's contact form.

Buying a cat

How to contact a cat breeder

How to contact a cat breeder: where to find them, email or call, what to put in your first message (with a sample inquiry), and what 104 catteries ask buyers for.

Checked October 21, 2026 · By Anisur Rahman

Card: how much a British Shorthair costs. Posted prices at 24 US catteries on Oct 20, 2026: a median pet kitten price of $2,750, with the middle half at $2,500 to $3,300 and the lowest pet price $2,000; a median deposit of $500; and $308 to $1,158 for first vet care.

Costs

How much a British Shorthair costs

What 24 registered US British Shorthair catteries charge for a pet kitten (median $2,750, checked Oct 20, 2026), plus what the price includes, deposits, extras and first-year costs.

Checked October 20, 2026 · By Anisur Rahman

Card: best scratching posts for kittens, a buyer's guide. A good post is tall enough for a full stretch, has a heavy base that doesn't wobble, and a sisal or rough fabric surface; small kittens may like cardboard too. Put it near where your kitten sleeps. Kittens start scratching at about 5 weeks.

Supplies

Best scratching posts for kittens

What vets and cat welfare groups say a scratching post needs, and four posts and scratchers compared from the makers’ own specs. Not a hands-on test.

Checked October 19, 2026 · By Anisur Rahman

Card: what is a backyard cat breeder? Warning signs: kittens always available, kittens sold at 8 weeks or younger, no mother to see, no health tests or contract, and listings on general classifieds sites.

Buying a cat

Backyard cat breeders

What a backyard cat breeder is, how one differs from a responsible breeder, why it matters for the kitten, what US law covers, and what to do instead, from ASPCA, CFA, iCatCare, vet and federal sources.

Checked October 18, 2026 · By Anisur Rahman

Card: how much a Ragdoll cat costs. Posted prices at 31 US catteries on Oct 17, 2026: a median pet kitten price of $2,500, with the middle half at $1,975 to $3,050; spay or neuter included at 15 of 31; a median deposit of $400; and $308 to $1,158 for first vet care.

Costs

How much a Ragdoll costs

What 31 registered US Ragdoll catteries charge for a pet kitten (median $2,500, checked Oct 17, 2026), plus what the price includes, deposits, extras and first-year costs.

Checked October 17, 2026 · By Anisur Rahman

Card: kitten vaccination schedule (AAHA/AAFP 2020). FVRCP from 6 to 8 weeks, repeated every 3 to 4 weeks until 16 to 20 weeks old; FeLV, 2 shots from 8 weeks; rabies usually from 12 weeks. An FVRCP or rabies shot cost $15 to $46 in our Oct 2026 price check.

Kitten care

Kitten vaccination schedule

Kittens get core shots from 6 to 8 weeks, then every 3 to 4 weeks until 16 to 20 weeks: what vet guidelines say about FVRCP, FeLV and rabies, with prices.

Checked October 7, 2026 · By Anisur Rahman

How we research

Our full method →

1

Collect real prices

Breeder prices from public listings, shelter adoption fees, insurers’ published prices and retail prices, each one dated, with the raw data kept.

2

Check expert sources

Health, age, safety and the law come from vets and official bodies: Cornell, AAFP, ASPCA, International Cat Care, CFA, TICA, the FTC and the BBB.

3

Show the method

Every guide says where its numbers come from, when they were checked and what we left out. We don’t test products or pets hands-on, and we say so.

Who’s behind Cat Buyer Guide

Cat Buyer Guide is edited by Anisur Rahman and published by PPC Optimizer Pro LLC. We don’t own a cat, so we don’t pretend to review pets or products hands-on: our value is careful, dated research you can check. More about us

Looking for the old Cat Buyer Guide?

This domain changed hands in 2026. The cat breeders who ran the old site, its forum and its cattery lists are not part of this site, and we can’t help with their kittens or accounts. Old links now lead to new guides on the same topics. More about the change