01/01/2025
So, let’s break down the initial cost of starting a cattery… before you judge educate.
Every breeders prices differ based on many factors.
Here are some of my costs associated with having a TICA registered Maine C**n Cattery.
Cost for Feline genetics and husbandry education courses and books: $500 the first year and at least $50 a year thereafter
Cost to register cattery name and be an active member of a cat association: $50/year
Cost to obtain a business license if needed in the county/state/province: $25-$100
Cost to register your cattery as an LLC (we chose to go this route for taxation and legal purposes): $50-$150
Cost to register and maintain a domain name: $10-$20/year (or more depending on how popular the domain name is)
Cost for intact cats with breeding rights: $2000-$6000 or more per breeding cat
Cost to design a website: $500-$2500
Cost for initial business supplies (business cards, phone, laptop, photography equipment etc.) – The price for these things can vary greatly and is therefore not included in the total upfront cost listed below.
Cost to accommodate the home for cattery life (pulling up carpets, putting down hard surface flooring, building a catio or stud enclosure etc.) – Again, the price for these things varies greatly and is therefore not included in the total upfront cost!
TOTAL COST to start a cattery: $40,000-$80,000
(or MORE depending on how many breeding cats you start with, what type of business supplies you purchase, and how extensive you go with the home improvements you invest in to accommodate cattery life)
Then, there’s the realization of ongoing costs like veterinary visits, including emergency care and pet insurance:
Wellness exam: $75-$125
Age appropriate vaccinations: $10-$60/year
In-house f***l test (and dewormer as needed): $25-$45
Flea, tick, and heartworm preventative: $5-$55/month
Idexx PCR lab work (URD, Diarrhea): $150-$500
Pet insurance: $50-$250/month
Emergency care: $150-$250 (this sum is for initial triage appointment and does not include the cost of treatment)
Cost of routine care:
Cat food and supplements
Food and water bowls
Cat Litter and litter boxes
Grooming supplies or quarterly grooming
NOTE: We currently spend upwards of $2k a month on these things!!
After you account for all the expenses of starting a cattery, properly health screening future breeding cats, and participating in exhibition, it’s also important to consider any additional costs for operating a cattery.
This is not an exhaustive list, but here are some of the top things that come to mind that many breeders will purchase once, monthly, or annually in order to effectively run their cattery.
Enrichment (monthly average cost for cat trees, toys, beds, treats, scratching posts, wall perches etc.): $50-$100+
Clearly Loved Pets kitten enclosures: $460-$680
Urine Away: $55-$75 per gallon
Rescue disinfectant: $45-$65 per gallon
Paper towels (monthly cost): $65
Paper plates (monthly cost): $40
Washable p*e pads at $30 each: $30-$360+
Stainless steel litter box at $60 each: $60-$600+
Cat/Kitten/Litter Registration Fees (monthly cost varies): $10-$50+
Miscellaneous (milk replacer, birthing supplies, supplements etc.): $100-$500+
Microchipping Kittens: $20-$100 per kitten
Spay/Neutering $220 +
Go-Home Day kitten kits (week of food, toys, etc.): $50-$200+
And, if the breeder or breeder’s partner isn’t doing it themself, then there's also the cost for…
Preparation of business tax returns: $300-$3000
Routine cleaning of the cattery: $500/month or more
Pet sitting while away for shows: $60/day or more
Managing Cattery website: $20-$80/hour
Social Media Coordinator: $100-$4000/month
Photographing kittens and cats: $10-$100/hour
Grooming: $80-$120/each cat
MISC administration work (reviewing applications, doing phone interviews, maintaining cattery and veterinary records etc.)
Continuing feline education courses
Taking all of these things into consideration, using the low end estimates, and assuming a breeding cat immediately conceives and has no emergency care needs (for herself or her offspring during or after pregnancy, labor, delivery, and all the way until kittens’ go-home day), an average sized litter of 4-5 kittens will break the bank at an expense of $25,000 or more. These figures do not take into consideration the time and expertise of the breeder either!
Ethical and responsible preservation breeders will spend many months leading up to having their very first litter, preparing to start their cattery. They will spend countless hours studying feline genetics and husbandry, pedigrees, and the written breed standard so they can choose the very best breeding cats for their program, and so that they can make the best decisions for future pairings. This knowledge also aids them when selecting which kittens to keep in order to continue the very important work of preserving the breed, which kittens to allow to be shown in exhibition, versus which kittens to allow to go to pet only homes.
Breeders will take days off of work or time away from family to travel for shows, and leading up to and immediately following an expectant queen’s delivery date. Not to mention, they will also spend at least 12 weeks (minimum) with the litter once it is born, caring for the kittens, cleaning up after them, socializing them, and then just before they are ready to go home, working to determine which personality type is best suited for each applicant.
After all of this, the very best breeders will even provide a lifetime of support to you and your new kitten.
Much love
Aniya
