How much does a ragdoll cost? Or how to get a ragdoll

One of the most frequent comments on my social media pages is the question of cost.  The most common message in my inbox is a simple two words, "how much".  I get it, we all want to know the cost, it's what gives us permission to dream or is the catalyst for filling a piggy bank.  It's both a simple question for me to answer and a difficult one.  The simple answer? $2200.  A slightly longer answer: It depends on your region, the quality of the ragdoll, the purpose of the ragdoll, the medical status of the ragdoll $900-$8000.  The nitty gritty?  Well, here goes.....

My ragdolls come spayed or neutered, vaccinated at least twice, and microchipped.  Those are hard costs that come from outside my home and don't waiver much.  They are influenced by region, so you may find that a kitten can receive these same medical procedures in middle America for half (or even less) of what I pay here in California.  I provide a genetic health guarantee that doesn't (theoretically) cost me anything but is supported by money spent to properly vet every cat in my cattery so that I can feel certain about the health of my kittens.  The cost of litter and food fluctuate based on the market, and I don't scrimp on important things like nutrition.  There are the often ignored expenses like registrations, advertising, promotional materials, office supplies, laundry soap, business licenses, etc.  And then there's the time.  Time is such a challenging thing to account for and monetize.  I spend SO much time cleaning up, feeding, nursing, snuggling, and playing with cats and kittens.  Not to mention the time spent on social media and the hours spent chatting with potential adopters and past adopters.  Do I love it?  You'd better believe it!  But does that time have value?  Indeed it does.  Some breeders don't hold outside jobs, they expect their cats to support the household. I'm not one of those, I work for a living, and hope that the cats can support themselves.  Do they?  Mostly not really.  So I work some more.  And then I rush home to love them up.  When you're getting a ragdoll for $900, I would wonder which of these things that breeder sacrificed.  You really should ask before you buy.

"But $2200 is a lot of money, Trish, and we're in a recession".  I get it!  Trust me, I buy gas and groceries too.  I was recently bagging up my groceries at the market thinking that maybe the cost of food will be the thing that finally helps me slim down.  Sometimes the money just doesn't exist, that's a real thing.  Sometimes the money can be saved.  Grab that piggy bank the first time you contact me in January, and it's really possible that you'll have enough saved by the time kittens are ready to go home.  Especially if you start making your own coffee or lunch.  Go ahead, ask me how I know, or when was the last time I ate lunch out.  The average cat lives to be 15.  That's $146.66 spent per year to purchase your ragdoll.  Twelve bucks and some change per month.  Think about the things you blow twelve bucks on and how much pleasure they bring you versus how much pleasure a ragdoll cat could bring you.  Are there other costs associated with keeping a ragdoll for 15 years?  Of course there are, this isn't meant to be a lesson in accounting, just a suggestion  A suggestion that while it seems like a lot of money up front, it pays off in long term joy.  

What about adopting from a shelter for $200?  Sure!  If that's an option for you, I support it.  I personally donate hundreds of hours each year to local rescues.  Let's talk about how they can adopt out a kitten for only $200.  Some of them are government funded, others survive on grants and donations.  They live on the kindness of vets and volunteers, who give them steep discounts on medical care and hours of free caregiving.  I'd be willing to bet that if rescues had to pay for staff and pay full price for vetting, those kittens might actually cost more than mine.  Because time is money, except for when it is volunteered.  If you can score a ragdoll from a shelter, I say do it, I did!  But if you can't, and you want a healthy, happy kitten who is well socialized, well fed, registered, and is a shining example of everything a ragdoll should be, it's going to cost you......about twelve dollars a month.