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Friday 29th March 2024

Is breeding cats a good way to make some extra cash?

Cat Breeding

‘They make a lot of money off those cats, you know.’ My aunt said to me one day, as we discussed my ragdoll cat, Moomin. When I responded that, in fact, they do not, this was something that my aunt couldn’t believe. ‘They charge £500 a cat!’ she retorted.

To a certain degree, I don’t blame her for making this assumption – £500 is a lot of money. With popular women’s publications like Grazia making claims that breeding your pets is a quick way to make some extra dosh, it’s not hard to see why people, like my aunt, would internalise this as fact. The truth of the matter is a little bit more complicated than getting fluffy knocked up and selling her offspring to whoever hands you a large pile of cash. I spoke to breeder, Margaret Lynch, about the actual cost of breeding:

So, how much does breeding cats actually cost?

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If we’re just talking about basic overheads, to obtain a breeding quality queen (we’re talking about a female cat with no genetic issues, and who is of general breeding standards) they could cost anything between £700-1000.

Next, you have stud fees. Unneutered males are smelly, and generally don’t make great pets, but if you wanted your own stud he’d cost between £1000-2000, and would need to be housed separately from females – stud runs are a further £2000. The fees to hire a stud are between £200 and £500 – and if your female does not get pregnant, you may have to pay these again for a different stud.

As a breeder, to make sure everything is okay with your cats, and to tell you which patterns they’ll have, you’ll also have to pay for genetic testing. Each test will cost you £30.

To be a reputable breeder, you must also register with the GCCF, which will typically cost you about £41 for a litter of four, but will vary depending on the size of the litter.

Food for cats can cost up to £20 per month per cat, and kittens shouldn’t be leaving their mother until they’re at least 12 weeks old (so that’s at least £60 per kitten for food).

Don’t forget the other essentials like litter trays – each cat needs their own litter tray, and one spare. Litter for the tray can easily cost around £50 per month, depending on how many cats you have.

You will also need plenty of good quality cat furniture – this can easily total £500. Plus kittens/cats need toys which will cost about £10 a month. It is also advisable, as a responsible breeder to microchip your kittens, this will cost between £15-40 per cat.

Worming your kittens costs £10 per cat, and vaccinations are £35-£80 per kitten; reputable breeders will have two sets of vaccinations completed before the kittens leave for their new home.

Extras

Many people who breed also ‘show’ their cats, which is, in a way, essential if you want to build up a reputation as a good breeder. If you want to show your cat, fees per show per cat cost between £30-50, not including cage accessories like show whites (£20 per cat), and drapes (which can be up to £200).

What if something goes wrong?

In terms of vet bills, the sky’s the limit, especially if you have a bout of diarrhoea in a litter of kittens. If mum needs a caesarean section, that can be pretty costly, too, and is likely to even run into the thousands.

So, the bottom line is that breeding cats is an expensive thing to do. For most breeders, this equates to a very time consuming hobby. Not included in my list are little additions, such as time taken off work, and travel to studs, and shows. Regardless of what Grazia might have you believe, breeding is not an easy way to make some extra cash, and people do end up losing money from it. Added to which, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think all that cat hair makes a very nice accessory!

Maddy Sutherland

Maddy is a freelance illustrator who lives in Glasgow. She's recently graduated and is working hard to make ends meet. Self-employed? Read Maddy's experiences here.

7 Comments
  1. . You are encouraging people to breed cats to death. Are you mad . What a bad example to set. I’m disgusted.

  2. Just reread your blog I’m unemployed and skint. But pimping out my cat for money thankfully didn’t enter my head.
    Without being a bitch it’s very irresponsible.

  3. this is such nonsense! your might as well add in the cost of your electric bill to keep the cats climate controlled… the rubbage bill to dispose of the cat litter.. i mean you just found so many unnecessary costs to list its ridiculous.

  4. My sister-in-law been breading Maincoons for 20 years. She does well over $100.000 a year. When she 1st started her business she started with 2 cats and her cattery has grown over the years. She breeds the females on average of 2 -3 years. After 2-3 years she re homes them with loving families at no fee. She operates her business this way because she fills the majority of the cats life should be somebody’s loving pet.. I have to agree with cat your list of prices is nonsense. Your dollar amounts are way off. Also regarding vaccinations I don’t know of a cattery that doesn’t do their own vaccinations . The cost for vaccinations averages out to be about 40 cents per kitten per shot. Her kittens leave With their 1st set of shots and DE worming. They also go to the vet once before going to their new homes. After the examination and series of test you purchased their health certificates. All her kittens come with a health certificatecertificat. Regarding vet bills when you 1st started out Your business all the money 1st make needs to go into a .separate account for emergencies. That’s how Diana started out for her business and the account has grown quite largely through the year. This alleviates any stress of how you’re going to come up with money for those and expected emergencies.

  5. This article concerns me not coz its inaccurate but beauae ur aski g the wrong question and answering with the wrong things

    The reason breeders r so contractual is there r 3types of breaders

    The kitten or puppy farms we all j ow what those r about
    The good ppl who like cats who do it for pleasure

    And there is a inbetween ppl who r not puppy or kitten farmer’s but dont care for the animal

    I did a paper on breeders and breeding and interviewed one of the good kind

    I also learned a lot about the problems if u do it for money u would naturally tty and breed as many as u can as soon as u can this is not good for the cats. Otherwise if you do it with a good hap inbetween the cat gets to old before u have bread from it a lot
    (I have a ex queen rehomed cat we got a 5 for example) thats about averidge for the retiring age of a queen or stud

    Why isnt the costs of human kind breedibg mentioned at all in this and how it mean that esch queen doesnt have a very big profit margin.

  6. NO, YOU SHOULD ADOPT YOUR ANIMAL NOT MAKE MONEY OFF THEM, SHAME ON YOU. IF YOU WANT MORE MONEY THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE BETTER IN SCHOOL. BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE YOU THINK YOU CAN RIP PEOPLE OFF. IF YOU WANT MORE MONEY GET A BETTER JOB.

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