Are Ragdoll Cats Expensive? A Guide to the Price of Ragdoll Cats

If you love Ragdoll cats and are thinking how nice it would be to share your life with one, at some point you’ll start thinking about cost. You’ll likely wonder if Ragdoll cats are expensive and if so what is the average price to buy one.

From my perspective there are two strands of thinking in terms of Ragdoll cats ownership:

1. The initial price of Ragdoll cats
2. The ongoing costs of caring for Ragdolls

Are Ragdoll cats expensive? What kind of outlay and ongoing fees does it take to own a Ragdoll?

In this post I’ll try to provide a realistic guide to Ragdoll cat prices and what kind of financial commitment you’ll need to consider to provide ongoing care for one.

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The Price of Ragdoll Cats

A pedigree Ragdoll cat (i.e. a cat whose ancestry is traceable) bred by a reputable and trustworthy breeder will cost a minimum of US $700 (UK £600). This price can increase dramatically though if the Ragdoll parents are show winners.

Similar to the progeny of champion horses, if a Ragdoll show winner produces a litter, the price of the kittens will increase with the likely demand for them. It goes without saying that it’s expensive to win cat shows.

Purchasing a pedigree cat is generally not cheap. Providing the care required to keep a pedigree Ragdoll in peak condition, as well as taking them to competitions and entering them involves substantial investment.

As a result, if one or two competition winning parents have kittens, this will affect the price of the Ragdoll cats in the litter. Consequently, a Ragdoll cat with show winning parents may cost US $1,500 (UK £1,300).

The price of non-pedigree Ragdoll cats will be much lower. Since the lineage of non-pedigree cats is unknown, the desirability in terms of showing means the price a breeder can charge diminishes.

The price of non-pedigree Ragdolls might be in the region of US $300 (UK £260). It may be that the cat does have pedigrees in its line, but it can’t be proven.

A Note on Pedigree Cats

At this point it’s worth clarifying just because a Ragdoll doesn’t have a proven pedigree, it doesn’t mean to say it’s not a purebred Ragdoll cat. However, a Ragdoll with a pedigree will have a clearly documented line that proves its line has not been diluted.

The one thing to be careful of regardless is how reputable a breeder is, especially when dealing with non-pedigree cats. You should vet any breeder to ensure they are who they say they are and that they adhere to responsible breeding practices.

Check people’s credentials and make sure to ask Ragdoll cat breeders questions to find out more about them. Unscrupulous breeders don’t care about the litters their cats produce and are only interested in profiting from them.

Rescue Centers

Another potential way to acquire a Ragdoll might be cat rescue centers. Sometimes purebred cats, even cats of pedigree standard, can end up in a rescue center. However, because Ragdolls are a highly desirable cat breed in the US, Ragdolls tend not to remain there long before someone picks them up.

The price of Ragdoll cats from rescue centers will vary enormously, but you might expect to pay up to $1,000 US (£880 UK) depending upon the history of the cat and the rescue center housing it.

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Are Ragdoll Cats Expensive?

I guess this is a hard question to answer, since how expensive anything equates to something personal. Some of us make concessions for the price of certain things and others have a large disposable income that affects price perception.

So are ragdoll cats expensive?

Well it’s clearly subjective. Personally, I understand that some people would feel Ragdoll cats are expensive and if we think about price in isolation, $1,500 is a lot of money.

Of course there is a difference between price and value and a purebred Ragdoll from a reputable breeder shouldn’t be cheap… after all, we’re talking about a life here.

On the face of it, purebred pedigree Ragdoll cats are expensive. That said, reputable breeders invest substantial sums of money to ensure healthy Ragdoll litters… and those that take them to win competitions invest even more. 

Additionally, acquisition isn’t the only cost. As with all animals, there are ongoing costs that need consideration. So… you may consider that the purchase price of Ragdoll cats isn’t expensive, but perhaps ongoing costs make ownership more of a financial burden.

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Ongoing Price of Ragdoll Cats

If you’re seriously considering the price of Ragdoll cats without factoring the ongoing cost of providing a home for one, you may end up realizing they are more expensive than you first imagined.

Aside from the initial outlay, the ongoing price of Ragdoll cats (or any pet actually!) might include:

• Food
• Pet insurance
• Veterinary expenses
• Bedding
• Toys
• Cat sitting
• Clothing
• Collars
• Tagging

This may equate to around $250 US (£220 UK) each month for the Ragdoll’s lifespan.

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Summary 

Are Ragdoll cats expensive? Well, in my opinion they’re not cheap… but then should any animal’s life be considered inexpensive?

As with any pet, the initial price of Ragdoll cats may be expensive but it should be remembered that you’ll need to pay for ongoing care… Ragdolls need food and medical care just like all of us!

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Do you believe Ragdoll cats are expensive? Perhaps you have a view on the price of Ragdoll cats? Please leave a comment in the section at the bottom of this page.

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