Beautiful, but so expensive

[Cherrypies]

We have all heard how a lot of cat shelters are having a tough time rehoming, and if anything lots of people are having to think about rehoming, there existing pets.
So how can the RSPCA justify 800.00 for two kittens, a ridiculous price.
They say Britsh shorthair, Most cats are described as that, unless an actual breed, like a Persian.
www.rspca.org.uk/local/findapet/details/essex-south-west-branch
I am not a fan off RSPCA anyway, but this is just ridiculous.

Link isn't working properly, it takes you to RSPCA but not particular kittens. But £400 a moggy is ridiculous.

400poundkittens

These are presumably pedigree BSH cats. But I've not seen pedigrees being priced higher than mogs at rescues before.

I don't have a problem with that . These breeds are expensive and it clearly says the price is more than normal to help the costs of care for other cats coming in .

A quick look at some of their other ads shows that most of their cats are described as 'British Shorthair crossbreed'. Whilst Google tells me that 'British shorthair' is a kind of pedigree cat - and also suggests (I don't actually know whether the kittens go for the prices listed on the ads or whether they're optimistically priced) that this is actually cheap for the breed. Like a pp, I've no problem with it being used to fund the care of other animals.

British shorthair is a pedigree breed. Your standard non-pedigree moggie is usually known as 'domestic shorthair' (or 'domestic longhair' if fluffy).

I was going to say that a moggie is a domestic shorthair.

I totally agree. All shelters seem stupidly expensive now, has the credit crunch passed them by? We would happily re home a cat - all our previous ones have been rescued- but not at a couple of hundred quid!

If you can't afford a couple of hundred quid can you afford the ongoing costs of looking after a cat. Mine cost about £100 a month for the two of them.

It's not just a couple of hundred is it though? It's 800 , plus buying all the stuff they might need in one go. A lot of people can afford £100 a month and can easily justify it, less so nearly £1000 (once you add it all in) in one go.

If people are that concerned about money they probably shouldn't get pets. I know it may sound harsh but social media is full of pet owners desperate when they then can't afford the £2k vet bill and of course don't have insurance... cats are thought of as cheap pets because you can buy low quality dry food for a few pounds but looking after a cat properly is not cheap.

Agreed. And it’s not as if owning a pair of pedigree cats is like some kind of basic human right that should be attainable for all. It’s responsible for shelters to put the barrier to entry at a point where people are properly committed and won’t end up bringing the cats back at the first hint of a vet bill. @JustAnotherManicNameChange - pricing is not about making it an attractive price point so people can justify an expensive ten or so year commitment

I thought British shorthair was a standard moggie. Mine are described as this by the vet and insurance company but they definitely weren't an expensive breed (both given to me by people who just wanted to be sure the kittens would be loved )

British Shorthair is a distinct breed and kittens from a breeder can easily sell for £1,000 plus. There’s some risk of confusion with “domestic shorthair” or DSH which is the official description for moggies.

I probably spend £25-£32/month for each cat. That includes expensive food, a % of their annual jabs and parasite control. How do you get to £50 each?

The charity isn’t there to benefit the new human owners by providing cheap kittens.

I’m sure their new guardians will be thrilled with their fluffy new overlords.

This question here us why is the charity putting a 'mark up' on pedigree kittens over moggies.
It costs no more to look after a BSH than a DSH.

It's a pedigree breed and £800 for a pair is very cheap indeed.. breeders would charge at least that and probably more for a single kitten.
My local rescue does charge more for pedigree cats and kittens.
It makes sense to charge more as the demand will be there and it helps them to cover more of the costs for other cats too.

They're pedigree, they're cheap..and there's no waiting list.

A total steal for someone wanting that type of cat.

Given that it's a charity, I'm not sure why it shouldn't make some money. Especially at a time when so many covid-pets are being gotten rid of.

I imagine it’s because if they didn’t charge the market rate, the new “owners” would be much more likely to sell them onwards as the market rate. So why not cut out the middle man?

Adoption fees for mixed cats are still £60-£100.

Sadly that had occurred to me too...

I shouldn't have looked. Now I really really want to adopt them.
You could expect to pay double that buying from a breeder.

Well said . Too many people think just feeding an animal is enough . Very few think of huge vet fees

Please tell me your secret!

My kitten insurance is £13 a month, pet health plan £16 a month. She eats Meowing Heads cat food, 90% meat so good quality, and that’s nearly £2 a pouch. One a day currently so £60 a month. Cat litter on top is another £20 a month, so the total is almost £120 a month for one kitten.

Oh and two bags of Royal Canine kitten dry food at £8 so another £16 a month.

She is almost as expensive as my children 😂