why leopard bengal kittens are so pricy?

when i checked the local classifieds,the seller usually asking $1000 and up for each kitten.

can somebody tell me why this breed is such pricy?

thanx a lot

I'll move this to the Breeder's Corner where the most knowledgeable people can answer that.

Actually, most purebred kittens are pricey. Bengal kittens though are usually priced according to quality. The ones with the not so flashy coats will be much less (around $500.00 or so) The ones with the very nice quality coats will be more.
The reason is because breeders spend a lot of money on thier cats, and they don't always get really high quality kittens. Basically you get what you pay for, if you want to pay less your going to get a cat which is average looking. But just be sure to have someone with a trained eye look at your kitten before you make the purchase as you do not want to purchase a lower quality cat at a higher quality price.

Originally Posted by CuteminiCute

when i checked the local classifieds,the seller usually asking $1000 and up for each kitten.

can somebody tell me why this breed is such pricy?

thanx a lot

Click to expand...

Because they are BEEEWWWWDIFUL cats! hahaha
But then i'm biased.

But in all seriousness, from what I can see most purebred cats are in similar price brackets.

In my case while I LOVE the look of Bengals, it was more so they're personality I was after, so I was happy enough to buy "pet quality" kittens, that were that bit cheaper, but still have the personality and overall look I was after

While some backyard breeders (BYB's) may make money selling kittens, most legitimate breeders do not even begin to cover their own costs. In fact, most dive deeply into their own savings and other resources just to keep on breeding. It is an extremely 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 and overall benefit of the breed, not money!! And most of us hide the REAL expenses from our spouses!

As an example, buying a top quality female, with breeding rights (which may have restrictions on how we can sell the kittens), may cost $800 to more than $1000. Males are more. Sometimes, a registered breeding male can cost upwards of $2000!!! 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 may have easily invested several thousand dollars out of pocket. And all of this doesn't even begin to cover the costs of showing the cats! To take a cat to the title of Grand Champion or Regional/National Winner can be from $1000 to more than $20,000!

If the breeder isn't fortunate enough to own their own male, then there is a stud fee for the breeding, which may be $500 - $1000 per litter. The required series of kitten shots cost breeders about $100 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. More and more breeders are opting to have their kittens spayed or neutered before going to their new homes and in some areas, this early neutering can cost in the neighborhood of $200 - $300 per kitten!!!

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. BYB's reap profits by cutting corners (not having quality cats as parents, 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. We cannot dismiss the fact that 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!

Hope this answers your question.

Yeah whay gayef said is so totally true but she forgot to add the cost of food. Good breeders buy the best food. I swear im running down to trader joes every three days to buy a whole cart of canned food-lol. Now my kittens are eating solid too and boy do they eat alot!
Now that the kittens are eating solid that means a whole lot of stinky poop and not just in the litter box-its everywhere. So every day im running after them cleaning up
lots
of stink and gagging while im doing it.
I don't want to lock them up because I want them to be socialized. And don't forget to add in the cost of cat litter for all those cats and kittens. I have heard too many times that breeders are making easy money
off the backs of thier animals. ha!!! yeah try being a breeder for one week, no wait, one day and see how easy it is. Its hard work with minimal if any profits and then you have to see all your hard work go to another family. Im just beginning to see how difficult this all is and I don't know that I can handle doing this for too long. If I wouldn't have invested all this money already I would have quit
by now and this is my first litter!

most kittens who come from registered breeders will cost around $1000 and more, much more! You should NEVER get a kitten based on price (unless you're shopping comparative breeders). Buy a kitten based on parents, cattery, breeder's disposition and the way they're raised and cared for

$800-$1000...wow I wish it was that little! Eveery breeder i've spoken to (and i've spoken to a LOT on my search for the perfect breeder) has quoted me minimum of $1,500 for a breeder queen. The girl i'm getting is show/breeder quality with the best bloodlines i've ever seen and she is going to cost $2,250. Though I would be wary of someone charging a flat rate for her kittens... Most of the breeders i've spoken to charge $500-$700 for pet Bengals even if they are breeder quality because they are going to be spayed/neutered.

If you are really interested in getting a Bengal retired breeders are a great option, they usually cost much less and are higher quality than even pet quality. There are also Bengal Rescues available at the Bengal Rescue Network.

You can find Breed Specific Rescues listed here:

Meowhoo.com

Bengals are so expensive here in NZ because they are so rare. We only have a few bengal breeders. A pet quality bengal can sell for $1500 NZ$ where as we sell our pet quality Persians for $300 NZ$

I do think pedigree cats are over priced though.

Bengals also seem to have smaller litters than some other pure breed cats.