Don't get me wrong I completely agree with what you are saying to a certain degree but I disagree that only those that can afford high prices or don't want to know what the price would be upfront would make the best owners.

My cats (and I've had many) are thoroughly spoilt but I do have a budget that I can't go over and it's wasting everyone's time for it not to be made clear.

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Oscar and Jasper (or one ear and two ears as dh calls them) black rescue mogges

RIP my sweet baby Dexter, Snow Bengal 19/5/14 to 5/3/15 and my lovely dear old friend Muskey, Brown Burmese put to rest aged 15 on 14/11/15.

Debbie

I'm not saying that people who can afford expensive cats make better owners.

But I don't like it when people make that the number one priority. For me, when choosing a kitten (as I've been that person lots), I research the best breeder then look at the expense. Then I narrow down my choice. I would never automatically rule anyone out of the decision on price alone. Health, screening and breeding ethics will always come first.

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Lollo

The vast majority of cat breeders will not have prices on their website. Those that do are in a minority.

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Lollo

It's just my own personal view mostly that I wish breeders would be more upfront with their pricing.

There's a set amount I would pay which I think is reasonable (probably around the £500 mark) but over this (and some do charge more for the same quality pet) I wouldn't pay. I also took over 12 months to decide which breed of cat I wanted which would suit our family. Even so no guarantee and whatever our kitten (personality or otherwise) would turn out to be he would have a loving home here for life.

I know we are not talking personally here but in general, but money is not my number one priority either. If it was I wouldn't have spent the amount of money I have done so far and put the time and effort into researching foods etc if it was. He'd still be stuck on Kitten Whiskas for instance, which the breeder had him on.

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Oscar and Jasper (or one ear and two ears as dh calls them) black rescue mogges

RIP my sweet baby Dexter, Snow Bengal 19/5/14 to 5/3/15 and my lovely dear old friend Muskey, Brown Burmese put to rest aged 15 on 14/11/15.

Debbie

I personally don't have a problem with prices not being displayed on breeders websites.
What I DO have a problem with however, are breeders who don't give the full
registered pedigree names of the sire and dam of the kittens they are advertising.
Some just give their pet names which to me is very unprofessional and would make me think that they have something to hide.

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http://www.bengalcat-ziggianshowcats.co.uk

Also, most breeders do this as a hobby. It's not a business. I certainly am lucky if I break even! Displaying prices in a website takes you over into a grey area of business versus hobby breeder.

If I knew the perfect home for one of my kittens but that person could not afford one. I may be slightly flexible with costs. But not if that person discounted me in the first place because of costs.

Don't forget that the price to screen cats for health related issues is extremely costly. It may have cost the breeder several hundreds to get her girl pregnant only for there to be two kittens. These kind of hints are factored into pricings.

I would much rather wait another 12 months for a kitten from the right breeder than choosing to compromise on something to get a cheaper one.

Some prices are based in markings and conforming to type which are less important as a pet buyer. So it's worth knowing why they are more money.

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Lollo

Yes I understand there are probably a lot of factors I am not taking into consideration and I realise that it is a labour of love and I really do respect how much they love and care for their cats/kittens and want only the best for them.

I just find I am put off contacting a breeder if I don't know the price upfront. That's just how I feel.

I did contact a few when I was looking for Dexter but the prices were far too high, and it all felt a bit awkward. I managed to find a breeder who did quote her prices and I contacted her and that's how we got our gorgeous boy.

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Oscar and Jasper (or one ear and two ears as dh calls them) black rescue mogges

RIP my sweet baby Dexter, Snow Bengal 19/5/14 to 5/3/15 and my lovely dear old friend Muskey, Brown Burmese put to rest aged 15 on 14/11/15.

Debbie

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Lollo

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Lollo

I don't understand, you could quite easily list everything you do that is included (health screening, chipping, vac's e.t.c) then put the price at the bottom, if your site has everything there on how you breed kittens/how good your set up is e.t.c then thats great and will get people interested, however i think you will lose a lot of interest when you don't put a price. Actually i know you will lose interest as i myself am not bothering with these people, as you said anyone looking for a pedigree cat will know the cost but as I'm sure your fully aware there is great variation in cost from as low as £250 to as high as £1k, so how am i meant to work out how much 'breeder A' wants for their kittens? guess? phone/email you say, ok so ill phone/email 50 breeders? then wait days for a response from all of them to decide what i want to do? ridiculous.

I think its just the dealer seeing what they can get out of each particular buyer, there simply isn't another explanation.

Again you have said you don't want the potential new owner of one of your kittens to be price orientated yet clearly the quality of the kitten IS price orientated, quality costs money everyone knows that, so if you have a good a setup and your kittens are of a good quality then they will be more expensive than a lower quality setup and lower quality kitten and yet no one knows how much more expensive because you won't price them until the second you answer the phone to a potential buyer, its almost as if its like 'how much money do i need today'

- This post is going to come across as though i am directing it personally at you and i assure you i am not and i apologise if you are offended its just a generalisation from what i have seen and everything i have said is just my opinion.

You talk as if it's a car you are buying not a living creature....

You say the price of a Bengal kitten is 250 a 1000 pounds... Well, I for one would not buy one for £250. I would be well aware that, unless there were special circumstances, that there is no way that kitten comes from health screened parents and I doubt very much the kitten is or can be registered. I know this because I did my research... I would expect to pay 500-750 for a kitten from health screened parents that was well socialised. I appreciate some breeders will charge more and I may pay more if I was looking for a specific quality or coat pattern etc.. But I would never compromise on buying from health screened lines. Never.

And I don't worry about losing interest from people as I always have far more enquirers than kittens. This year I had 6 available kittens and in excess of 20 people waiting for them. If you discounted me based on not showing prices on my website then that's your loss not mine....

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Lollo

I said i was not directing my posts at you, if you have many people waiting then clearly listing a price is not an issue for you, you obviously have a good set up going and must be well regarded, and if i discounted you then maybe it would be my loss, but then with so many people waiting it would be a waste of time phoning you up wouldn't it?