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ABOUT US

We are a small cattery raising all of our kittens underfoot and lovingly socializing them for their forever homes. We offer some of the most beautiful and sought after Traditional Siamese and Balinese kittens in United States. Kittens leave home tested for FeLV/FIV, vaccinated, parasite treated and come with a Health Contract. Our goal at Siamese Royalty is to raise high-end, low coefficient, imported bloodlines which produce greater genetic diversity than typically found in United States.

NEW!  2022 CALENDAR AVAILABLE

Cattery Cost Overview:

Have you ever considered what the costs associated with a good breeding program are? It's hard for the average person to fully comprehend the enormous expenses behind a good breeding program without having had first hand experience. For example, few understand that the greatest challenge for any breeder is the prevention and management of infectious disease, which is often manifested through behavioral problems in a multi-cat situation.  A pedigreed Siamese or Balinese Breeding cat from a reputable breeder will typically cost anywhere between $1200-$2000, depending of the quality of the bloodline with registration and breeding rights.  This can prove to be an expensive ordeal without any guarantee of a favorable outcome.  All breeding cats must be registered.  In addition, breeding cats need to be an outstanding example of their breed; of sound health, well-rounded temperament, and cosmetically superior than "pet quality" cats. Outstanding examples of the breed are far and few, making the price of a well pedigreed breeding cat very expensive. There are many factors that go into the cost of breeding pedigree cats, including, but not limited to:

              Expense # 1: Summary of Health and General Maintenance of Breeding Cats & Kittens:

The purchase of a high quality breeding cat must be healthy, without diseases, parasites, or genetic defects. The veterinary testing includes a physical exam, stool exam for parasites, blood tests (FIV, feline leukaemia), proBNP blood test/Cardipet test for HCM & other heart diseases, and it's also wise to do PCR testing for hard-to-detect parasites.

The purchase of an excellent stud that often sprays requires a well appointed stud quarters. The area needs to be of adequate size, sterile, well ventilated, and naturally lit. This is a very expensive and challenging task. A responsible breeder will want to protect their stud from possible exposure to disease. Additionally, repeating of blood tests must be performed prior to each breeding task. Food, litter, routine veterinary bills, countless paper towels, clean and new bedding, air filters, and other basic maintenance costs will vary depending on the quality of the food and litter, the number of toys and special furniture items purchased for the cat(s) and more. Costs per cat average of $500 per year to maintain one healthy adult cat - and it can average as much as $2000 per cat per year, especially as cats age.  A queen can only be bred 1 to 2 litters per year for a maximum of 5 years after which she must be spayed, retired and re-homed. In addition, a new breeding cat, male or female for various reasons may prove to not be a suitable breeding cat, and the effort and expense of finding a replacement must be repeated yet again, not to mention the financial loss of keeping such a breeding cat for an entire 12  months or more.  The kittens will require at least two vaccinations, one at age 9 weeks and one at age 12 weeks. The cost of $35 per kitten if the vet does it, or $5 each if the breeder does it. So that's five kittens X 2 vaccinations X $35 per vacc = $135.00, or alternatively it is $30.00 if the breeder does her own vaccines.

Expense # 2: Registration Fees (plus membership $40 and at least $20 per year thereafter)

The breeder must pay to register the cattery name with at least one cat association (CFA requires $60 to be paid for a five-year registration), pay membership dues ($40.00), must register her new breeding queen ($15), and must register each litter produced ($12). There will be at least one litter per year and at least one kitten kept and registered per year thereafter.

Expense #3: Reference Books (about $100 the first year and at least $20 per year thereafter)

The breeder must purchase at least two or three textbooks to help them learn the art of feline husbandry, breeding decisions, veterinary screening, genetic screening, rearing kittens, caring for females in heat, caring for pregnant and lactating females, common feline diseases, feline nutrition, and much much more. Most libraries are unlikely to keep specific books on hand that address these matters.

Expense #4: Kitten Rearing Equipment (about $145 to $230 for first litter and at least $30 per year thereafter, or for every subsequent litters)

The breeder needs special equipment to rear litters of kittens. At a minimum, the breeder needs a heating pad designed specifically to be safe for kittens to keep them warm ($40). Hypothermia is the leading cause of death of young kittens. Also the need for clean bedding, cleaning disinfectants, special urinary enzyme deodorizers to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks ($80), feeding tubes and feeding syringes for weak or sick kittens ($10), KMR kitten formula ($40), kitten litter box, at least two small litter pans made for kittens ($15), an accurate scale to weigh kittens every day ($15 to $100), first aid and kitten delivery kit (latex gloves, rubbing alcohol, Betadine, Kaopectate, syringes, antibiotics, lactated ringers, Albon, Terramycin, Oxytocin, eyedroppers, etc about $300).  You must replenish, repair, replace some of the kitten equipment each litter $50.

Expense #5 Advertising: (advertising, breed promotion, networking, about $160 per year minimum, phone calls, and other modes of communication, about $120 per year)

The breeder needs to advertise kittens, to promote the cattery, promote the breed, and network with other breeders. Advertising of kittens can be done various ways, such as pets4you, & CFA cat magazine, this will cost an absolute minimum of $800 per year. Cattery promotion such as, Breeders Referral List & Kitty Sites, involves a form of year-round advertising, which will cost at least $100 per year independent of kitten advertising. To do these things a breeder must join at least one cat association and at least one breeder's club at a cost of about $100 per year in dues. The breeder must have a good website, this may include the cost of a web designer and other related web designing such as ongoing web maintenance. The added cost of keeping a website posted on the Internet around $120 yearly. They may need business cards, and must take photos of breeding cats and all kittens for cattery documentation, advertising, and other purposes. The breeder must have good Internet services and a phone provider that includes long distance phone calls, as a courtesy in returning calls received from kitten Buyers and even those merely curious about the breed. All these forms of communication come at a cost that is hard to estimate accurately, but I would say a bare minimum of $80 per month.

Expense #6 Diet:

Queens eat twice as much during their pregnancy and up to three times as much while they are nursing kittens. She will need special premium quality food that is approved for pregnancy and lactation.  Kittens can die within hours if they are not nursed during the critical hours of birth due to feeding problems. Emergency formula must be kept on hand, along with feeding tubes, and feeding syringes. Kitten formula needs to be made fresh costing anywhere between $20-30 depending on the number of kittens.  The kittens will begin to eat solid food at age 4-6 weeks and will be eating almost entirely solid food at the age of 8 weeks. At 8 weeks of age and upwards, each kitten eats about two 3-ounce per day of premium food rated for growing kittens and will eat perhaps 1/8 cup of dry premium kitten food each day. What they don't eat, they spill/spoil, scatter, or play with which must be discarded. The kittens will stay with their breeder until the age of 12 weeks and sometimes for much longer. So that's a minimum of $240.00 per kitten.

Expense #7 Cat Alteration and other Veterinary Care:

Each kitten must be spayed or neutered prior to adoption. This is responsible breeding that prevents new owners from unintentionally failing to neuter kittens in time to prevent accidental litters. Breeders aim to preserve their bloodlines but also want to avoid adding to the number of homeless cats on the streets and in shelters. If you can find a good low-cost early neuter clinic (not always possible), average cost of neutering is $150.00 per kitten X four kittens = $600.00. NOTE:  If you can't find a low-cost neutering clinic, it will cost you about $280.00, not including pain medication and any antibiotics).  In virtually all litters there is at least one kitten, during the 12 weeks of living with the breeder, that requires veterinary attention due to an umbilical infection, failure to thrive normally especially during the weaning process, getting poked in the eye by another kitten, developing an upper respiratory infection, developing a minor eye infection during the period when the eyes are starting to open, needing a re-examination after neutering, sometimes born with a minor birth defect, developing a mysterious limp, swallowing a foreign object, or many other possible calamities. Kittens are like toddlers. They have a talent for getting themselves into mischief and picking up bugs from exploring the world with their mouth. The veterinary costs typically vary from a $50 exam (to be on the safe side) to $350 emergency surgery or treatment (off-hours).

On the odd occasion, the queen may require a C-section to deliver her kittens or may require treatment after the birth of the kittens due to lactation diarrhea, intestinal obstruction, mastitis, hemorrhaging, uterine infection, or other complications. The costs associated with treating these problems may run up to $1200 for an emergency off-hours C-section. Also, if C-section is required up to half of the litter may die due to side effects of the anesthesia. Kittens may also be lost due to the effects of complications that occur from the stifling of the queen's milk production which lead to kitten dehydration.

Total Cost per Litter: in best case scenario where all goes well, breeder

does her own vaccinations,and somehow no kitten gets sick = $1000.00

OTHER COSTS WORTH CONSIDERING

Unfortunately, the more cats you have living together, the higher the costs climb. Consider the added wear and tear of the home and furniture due to kittens and cats running amok. Remodeling alone can run into thousands of dollars per year.  The cost included in replacing all the carpets with laminate, tiling or hardwood flooring, for example, can be quite significant. Also, take into account the many hours invested into kitten socialization, the sleepless nights spent helping queens deliver kittens, the sometimes necessary tube feeding kittens back to health, the hours spent cleaning litters pans, bedding and feeding bowls.  Additionally, added sacrifices are made by staying at home, foregoing family functions and vacations for the sake and well being of our cats.

As breeders we experience many unique and challenging circumstances and expenses unknown to buyers. Consequently, buyers generally do not understand, nor appreciate, the enormous investment reputable breeders make on each kitten when initially confronted with the purchase cost of a kitten.  And lastly, the years that it takes to acquire skills and experience that go into a solid breeding program, which equally deserves to be mentioned.  

When buying a kitten from a reputable breeder you are helping the breeder cover some the expenses associated with breeding pedigree cats. The buyer's purchase cost not only secures a wonderful high quality pet but the investment also enables the breeder to continue to do all that is required to maintain and even improve the standard for the breed that they work with.

With multiple cats and multiple litters you will, despite the best vaccination and quarantine systems, occasionally end up with illness. Those may be minor or they may be serious, but they have the tendency to cost a great deal of money and time. It's very much like running a day-care center full of young children who succumb to every new virus and bug that's out there.  Summarily,  buyers might consider the enormous costs, work and sacrifice associated with breeding cats responsibly before jumping to conclusions about the breeders motives when pricing kittens for sale.

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