How Much Is a Scottish Fold? Kitten Prices from 18 Catteries (2026)

How much is a Scottish Fold? From a registered US cattery, plan on about $2,600 for a pet kitten with folded ears. The median pet price is $2,600, and half the catteries start between $2,275 and $3,000 (18 catteries in 10 states, checked November 9, 2026). The full range of posted starting prices runs from $1,500 to $3,500. Kittens with straight ears, which come from the same litters, cost less: a median of $2,000 at the 13 catteries that price them separately.

Before you pay, know what the folded ears mean. International Cat Care, a veterinary charity, says the gene that folds the ears also affects cartilage throughout the body and causes painful joint disease, and it considers breeding these cats unethical. We cover what the vets and the breed’s registry say further down, so you can decide with the whole picture.

The kitten is only the start. Most catteries that state a deposit ask $200 to $500, usually non-refundable, and the first-year basics add roughly $439 to $1,686 (from our new kitten checklist). Every price below comes from the catteries’ own websites. How we collected them is at the end.

Scottish Fold kitten prices at a glance

We recorded one number per cattery: the lowest price it posts for a pet Scottish Fold kitten with folded ears. Where a cattery posts one price for folds and straights alike, that price counts. It’s the low end of a posted range at 11 catteries and a fixed or “starting at” price at 7.

Measure	Pet kitten price (folded ears)
Lowest	$1,500
25th percentile	$2,275
Median	$2,600
75th percentile	$3,000
Highest	$3,500

Two catteries start under $2,000, 3 between $2,000 and $2,499, 6 between $2,500 and $2,999, and 7 at $3,000 or more.

Undated pages ran higher. The 7 listings with a kitten, litter or page date from the past 12 months had a median of $2,500; the 11 undated ones, $3,000.

A Scottish Fold sits near the top of the breeds we’ve priced. With similar rules, the median pet price was $1,500 for a Siamese, $2,000 for a Persian, $2,500 for a Ragdoll, $2,750 for a British Shorthair and $3,000 for a Maine Coon.

How much does a Scottish Fold cost? All 18 catteries, anonymized

We don’t name the catteries. We can’t vouch for any of them, and a named price goes out of date. Names and links stay in our data file. The ID says where we found the cattery: C from CFA’s directory, T from TICA’s, and W from a web search (see the method below). Two catteries don’t say which state they’re in.

ID	State	Folded ears	Straight ears	Spay/neuter	Deposit
T11	OR	$1,500	$2,500	Not stated	$500
T07	WA	$1,800	$1,400	Not stated	$500
W08*	NY	$2,000	$1,800	Buyer’s job	$400
W06*	FL	$2,100	Not listed	Not stated	Not stated
W02*	TX	$2,200	$1,200	Not stated	$100 (wait list)
T06	CA	$2,500	$2,000	Included or by contract	Not stated
T08*	CA	$2,500	Not listed	Not stated	Not stated
T10	NY	$2,500	$2,000	Included	Not stated
W12	NE	$2,500	$2,250	Not stated	$200 (wait list)
W01	MD	$2,700	Same range	Not stated	Not stated
T13*	n/s	$2,800	$1,900	Included or by contract	$350 (wait list)
C03*	PA	$3,000	$1,800	Buyer’s job	50%
T05*	PA	$3,000	$2,800	Included	$250 (wait list)
T19*	FL	$3,000	$2,500	Not stated	Half the price
T03*	NV	$3,300	Same price	Buyer’s job	$500
W03	NY	$3,500	$2,500	Included	$300 (wait list)
W05*	n/s	$3,500	$2,500	Included	$250 (wait list)
W14*	PA	$3,500	Same price	Included	$250 (wait list)

An asterisk marks the 11 undated listings: their pages show no kitten, litter or update date from the past 12 months. “Same price” or “Same range” means the cattery posts one price or range for both ear types; “n/s” means the state isn’t stated.

Folded or straight ears: the price difference

Not every kitten in a Scottish Fold litter has folded ears. CFA’s breed profile says the folded ears come from a dominant gene, and that responsible breeders only pair a fold-eared cat with a straight-eared one. Their litters have both kinds. CFA has accepted the straight-eared cats for championship since 2022, and many catteries sell them as Scottish Straights.

In our data, straight-eared kittens were usually cheaper. Thirteen catteries posted a separate straight-ear price: the median was $2,000, against $2,600 for folds. At 12 of the 13 the straight-eared kitten cost less, typically by $500. One cattery listed its straight-eared kitten for more than its folded ones.

What the price includes

• Spay or neuter: 5 catteries include it, and 2 more do it before the kitten leaves or require it by contract. At 3 it’s the buyer’s job; one contract asks for it by 8 months. Eight don’t say. If you pay for it yourself, our spay cost guide compares 24 clinics’ posted prices, and when to spay or neuter covers the timing.
• Registration: all 18 claim registration with TICA, CFA or WCF, or are listed in TICA’s or CFA’s breeder directory. We record that as claimed and didn’t check each one with the registries.
• Sales tax: one cattery adds Nevada sales tax to its price; check whether your seller does.

Deposits and payment

• Deposit: 11 catteries state a fixed amount, from $100 to $500 (median $300). Several are wait-list fees rather than a hold on a chosen kitten. Two more ask for half the price up front. Most call the deposit non-refundable, so read the terms before you pay.
• Payment: two catteries name only payment apps, such as Zelle, Venmo or Cash App, for deposits. Money sent that way is hard to get back if something goes wrong, so pay a deposit only to a cattery you’ve checked (see the scam section below).

Before you buy: what the fold gene means

The same gene affects the joints. International Cat Care (iCatCare) says the genetic mutation that makes a Scottish Fold’s ear cartilage fold also causes abnormal cartilage and bone, a condition called osteochondrodysplasia, which leads to painful arthritis. It says how severe it is varies from one cat to another: some cats show no signs of pain, others minor signs that may worsen over time.

Signs to know. iCatCare lists reluctance to move, a stiff walk, limping, trouble jumping up or down, and short, misshapen limbs. Pain may also make a cat hide, eat less, groom less or have accidents outside the litter box when climbing in hurts. iCatCare says there’s no treatment for the disease itself, but a vet can help manage the pain. At home it suggests low-level beds or steps, raised food and water bowls, a litter box with low sides, and ramps and rugs.

Where the vets and the registry differ. iCatCare says it’s unethical to keep breeding cats with a mutation known to cause significant painful disease, and it has joined the British Veterinary Association to raise awareness of the problem. CFA still registers and shows the breed. It says responsible breeders pair folds only with straights to reduce the arthritic and bone problems, and that a tail’s flexibility should be checked gently and often, since stiffness can be an early sign of other health problems. Both say the ear fold and the cartilage problem are linked; they disagree on whether breeding should continue.

We report what they say; the choice is yours. If you love the breed’s look and personality, ask breeders how they pair their cats, and think about whether a straight-eared kitten or another breed would suit you as well.

How much does a Scottish Fold cost in the first year?

Add the start-up costs from our new kitten checklist, checked October 7, 2026. Must-have supplies cost $131 to $349. First vet care, with exams, vaccines, tests, a microchip and spay or neuter, costs $308 to $1,158. All in, the checklist puts the start-up costs at about $439 to $1,686. With a $2,600 kitten, that’s roughly $3,040 to $4,290, before delivery and before the ongoing cost of food and litter (our cat cost guide adds up the years after). If the cattery has already done the shots, microchip or spay or neuter, take those off the vet bill.

If you’re weighing pet insurance, buy it before any sign of a problem shows. Our guide to what cat insurance covers found that all six insurers it compared cover hereditary and congenital conditions in the base plan, while conditions your cat had before coverage began are usually excluded.

Scottish Fold kitten scams: check before you pay a deposit

Popular, photogenic breeds are favorite bait for fake sellers. The script is the usual one: cute photos, a low price, a deposit through a payment app, then “shipping” fees and no kitten.

Our data gives you a yardstick. Only 2 of the 18 catteries started under $2,000, and none under $1,500. A folded-ear kitten advertised for a few hundred dollars by a seller you can’t trace is a red flag. We also left out two sites that sell kittens from “partner catteries” or a catalog of many breeds, and two that named no registry. Reach a cattery through contact details you found yourself, such as a registry listing, not through an ad. Before you send a deposit, run the checks in how to spot a kitten scam, and see questions to ask a cat breeder.

How we collected these prices

• Where we looked: CFA’s Find a Breeder listings for the Scottish Fold (5 listings on November 9, 2026), TICA’s breeder list filtered to the Scottish Fold (28 US cattery websites), and web searches for US Scottish Fold catteries (15 sites; marketplaces, directories and price-guide blogs skipped). That’s 48 websites; 1 of the 18 that passed came from CFA, 9 from TICA and 8 from web searches.
• What we recorded: only what each cattery’s own pages showed on November 9, 2026. Each gives one number: its lowest posted pet price for a Scottish Fold kitten with folded ears, or its one price for both ear types. We kept kittens under 6 months old and price lists that apply to kittens.
• Who we left out (30): 14 posted no Scottish Fold kitten price of their own, 6 sites couldn’t be read, 2 named no registry, 2 sold through partner catteries or a multi-breed catalog, 2 had no Scottish Folds, 1 was outside the US, 1 said it would only soon offer the breed, 1 listed only sold kittens, and 1 didn’t say which breed its priced kittens were.
• Dates: a listing counts as dated when a kitten, litter or page update is from the past 12 months (7 of 18). The rest are marked undated.
• The math: percentiles use linear interpolation (the same as Excel’s PERCENTILE.INC).
• Limits: a posted price isn’t a quote, and the kitten you want may cost more (several catteries price by color). Breeding rights cost more and aren’t counted. We didn’t contact any cattery, and we don’t own a cat.