When looking for a bengal cat to buy, you might be surprised by how much their price tag is up front.
The short answer is bengal kittens cost around $1,500 – $3,000, and adult bengal cats cost around $500 – $1,500.
This high price tag is warranted for several reasons, mainly, the cost of breeding bengals, the care that bengals need from a breeder, the rarity of bengal cats, and the need for specific cats for bengals to be bred with.
How Much Do Bengal Kittens Cost?
Bengal kittens tend to cost around $1,500 – $3,000, however, there are differences in this price across different regions and from different bengal cat breeders.
Generally, you do not want to pay less than $1,500 for a bengal kitten, since this would most likely mean that you are being scammed or the bengal kitten might not have been bred ethically according to health standards.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are bengal kittens whose price exceeds $5,000 in some cases – this can be due to their color or genetic background.
The price of a bengal kitten will mainly come down to how common bengal cats are in your specific area, how much care and quality control has been given, the filial generation of that kitten, its color, and its genetic background.
How Much Do Adult Bengal Cats Cost?
Adult bengal cats will cost significantly less than bengal kittens on average.
Usually, adult bengal cats for sale are retired queens or males that the breeder is now hoping to find a home for.
These bengals can be as low as $500 – $1,000 at times depending on their age, health, and the demand for bengals in that area.
There can be options to adopt bengals as well – these cats will typically have less verification that they are in fact bengals, so it may be more difficult to find a bengal of the F3-F6 generation type if you are going the adoption route.
Of course, adoption is an awesome way to find a bengal cat needing a new home and should be considered if you are interested in skipping the high-energy kitten stage and bringing a more chill bengal into the family.
Which Color Bengal Cat Is the Most Expensive?
Another large factor that can determine the price of a bengal cat is the color and pattern of the bengal’s coat.
The main bengal cat colors are: brown, black, snow, blue, silver, and charcoal.
Of these colors, brown and snow bengal cats are the most common and blue bengal cats are the least common.
Since brown bengal cats are more common, they will tend to be less expensive than blue and black bengal cats, for example.
You can expect blue bengal cats to cost over $3,000 and brown bengal cats to cost within the $1,500 – $2,000 range.
Why Are Bengal Cats So Expensive?
Bengal cats are so expensive because being a bengal cat breeder is time consuming, costly, and can be difficult to do in an animal-first way.
Breeding and owning several bengal cats requires a ton of energy, time, and passion for cats to do well.
To breed bengal cats, you need to make a significant upfront investment to own and take care of multiple bengal cats and also will need to adhere to any regional guidelines regarding the legality of bengals.
The initial investment to become a bengal cat breeder is typically well over $10,000 with annual costs of over $3,000.
Since each bengal cat litter produces around 3-6 bengal kittens, each kitten needs to be sold for over $1,000 just to break even after 3-5 years.
The difficulty of being a bengal cat breeders is outlined fully in this post from Elysian Bengals who only made $8,000 after their 3 first years of breeding bengal cats.
Luckily, as there is high demand for bengals, more bengal cat breeders join the market every year, and there has been an improvement both in quality and best practices as well as a decrease in the overall price of bengals year over year.
Still, the costs and maintenance required to be a bengal cat breeder means that bengals will be significantly more expensive than other cat breeds for many years to come, with some bengals being worth as much as $40,000.
How To Know If Buying a Bengal Cat Is Worth It For You
Before buying a bengal cat, you should consider whether or not this is the right decision for you.
Bengal cats are a large responsibility and the choice of whether or not to become a bengal cat owner should be taken seriously.
Not only do bengal cats cost more than other cats, they can also require more attention and care depending on their personality and filial generation.
Bengal cats will also need food, water, litter, toys, vet visits, and more, further adding to their total cost.
You should only buy a bengal cat if you can give it attention and at least 30 minutes of play time per day as a kitten and are able to be at home with your bengal for the majority of the day.
If you are unable to be home with your bengal, you should at least have one other person in your house or a nanny who can ensure that your kitten is not isolated and will mature in a healthy way.
Bengal cats, unlike other, fully domestic cats, can be walked on a leash and will enjoy physical, outdoor activities like going to parks or exploring nature.
For these reasons, buying a bengal cat is right for you if you can afford their costs and have the time free during the day to care for them and help them burn their energy in a creative, non-destructive way.
All this aside, bengals will positively impact you in many ways and will add back value to your life in other forms, as long as you have the finance and time to properly welcome a bengal cat into your home.
Photo attribution: source
