Are you sure you can afford that lovely little kitten you want? It is not only their acquisition cost that might be tough to reach but also their maintenance costs. Scottish folds need a little more money spent on their nutrition and total care as well as their medical expenses in order to keep them healthy. That’s the price you have to pay if you want to have a sensitive cat like the fold.
Cost Of Acquisition
Typical acquisition cost can vary a lot. They usually depend on 3 factors. The first and most important factor is whether you will adopt a Scottish fold or buy a kitten from a breeder.
Adoption Cost
Adoption is by far the cheapest choice. The only downside is that your Scottish fold might be at an older age, meaning you won’t enjoy him/her as a kitten. The good side is that adoption agencies and/or local shelters won’t ask for more than 100$. If you want to save money give it a try, you might be lucky enough to find kittens as well.
Kitten Purchase
Even if you choose to buy a kitten, prices again very a lot.
For example they vary between straight eared and folded Scottish folds. Because in ethical breeding only half of the kittens come with folded ears and because the folded ones are in higher demand, they cost more. If you want to save some bucks you can go for a straight Scottish fold, you get all the personality and amazingness of the breed without the folded ears.
Another factor which affects the cost significantly is the breeder. Usually the more reputable breeders sell kittens at higher prices. The more prizes a breeder has the higher the price. Cats intended for shows are also more expensive.
For a folded-eared kitten from a regular breeder you will pay somewhere around 600$
For a folded-eared kitten from a reputable breeder you can pay as high as 1000$
For a folded-eared kitten intended for shows you can pay 1500$ or more
There are some extra costs that might apply when you buy a kitten, such as shipping costs, vet check cost, first supplies. For more details on acquisitions costs have a look here and here, both articles can be very helpful.
Cost of Keeping A Scottish Fold
The main costs of maintaining a Scottish fold and a cat in general are the veterinarian services and food. If we are talking about folds, you shouldn’t do any discounts in neither of them. If your wallet can afford it go for the best vet you can find and shop the highest quality food. Quality food is usually the one with high amount of protein and very low of carbohydrate. Average Food Cost: 40$/Month
As for the vet usually you get what you pay for. Choose a doctor who is in love with his job and ideally deals with lots of cats. It would be great if he also knew about the special medical needs of Scottish folds, since they are prone to certain diseases as the grow old. Average Vet Cost: 300$/Year
Last but not least is the litter cost which is about 20$/Month. If you buy toys that can be another 30$/Year and you should also include a damage control cost from scratches, broken dishes etc… Another 50$/Year.
On average if we include all of the above the cost of maintaining a healthy Scottish fold is around 90$/Month or 1100$/Year. Of course this is not absolute, you can easily find a cheaper vet and certainly you can find cheaper food. If you want you can also skip the toys for your cat. Whatever you do I find it difficult to stretch your budget bellow 40-45$/Month.
Is a friend of yours thinking to buy a Scottish fold? Share this article with him so he can budget his purchase wisely.