20 Most Expensive Cat Breeds in The World

For ‘ailurophiles’ to shell out on expensive cat breeds is trivial. It is the companionship of these felines and their meowing around the house that counts. Moreover, cats are known to help their master relieve stress and anxiety.

According to a recent survey published in Journal Times, a cat lover on average tends to spend over $25000 in their life for taking care of cats. So you can imagine how enthusiasts don’t mind having the most expensive cat breed.

It stands to reason, that well-bred cats need grooming, good nutrition, and other care, so they are a bit pricey compared to adopting cats from a shelter home.

Let’s get into reading about 20 of the most expensive cat breeds in the world!

20 Most Expensive Cat Breeds

A stunning cat breed taken from a breeder is bound to be expensive because there is basic care, a litter box, grooming their fur, housing, feeding them high-quality food, etc. 

Listed below are expensive cat breeds and essential information on why you need to splash out cash for their care!

1. Norwegian Forest Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$400-1500	Norwegian Forest Cat	36 inches	18 lb	16 years

As the name suggests, Norwegian cats are from Norway and reasonably priced. You can adopt this breed as it is meant for homes. Their affectionate personalities create the utmost comfort between the owners and the cat. 

Interestingly, their thick coated bodies have the ability to ward off water easily. They are gentle with kids and can mingle well with dogs. While cats have mesmerizing eyes, Norwegian’s eye colors are copper, blue, green, or gold. 

To take good care of this cat breed, one needs to brush their fur every week, bathe them once in a few months and ensure to keep their ears clean every week.

It is recommended not to leave excessive cat food in the bowl because these cats tend to overeat. They can be fed twice a day.

2. American Shorthair Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$500 – $1500	American Shorthair Cat	8-10 inches	Male: 11-15 lb Female: 8-12 lb	15-20 years

American Shorthair was known as Domestic Shorthair and in 2020, Cat Fanciers Association declared it as the most popular breed. This expensive cat breed uses its skill of keeping insects away.

They are smart and fairly active. Playing actively challenging games is something they enjoy the most. If you plan on getting an American shorthair home, you need not carry her or him around, they prefer staying independent. 

These cats are muscular, with a big head, wide eyes, and medium-sized ears. For the most part, they are born with a silver tabby although available in different other shades.

In terms of grooming, their hair has to be combed three to four times a week to eliminate dead hair and avoid having dry skin. As a matter of fact, these cats are healthy but if they remain too lazy, they are bound to get obese.

3. Selkirk Rex Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$800 – $1500	Selkirk Rex Cat	9-11 inches	Male: 11-16 lb Female: 6-12 lb	14-15 years

This plush,wool-body, and thick curly hair breed is born with white, chocolate, cream, black, and a few other colors. Not just with children but these cats are good with adults and senior citizens too.

Medically they mostly keep good health. Having said that, it is necessary to still take care of their health by giving them foods rich in Omega fatty acids for healthy hair.

These cats should be combed once a week to remove the unwanted dirt and it should suffice. Unlike other hairy cats, this expensive cat breed doesn’t shed off too much hair.

It is worth mentioning that these curly-whisker cats are attractive. Their fury body gets them all the attention. They are loving, independent, gentle, and social.

4. Egyptian Mau Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$800 – $1,600	Egyptian Mau Cat	7-11 inches	8-12 lb	9-13years

Among the other domestic cats, only Egyptian Mau’s have spotted skin, interestingly the spots aren’t a result of cross-breeding, they are naturally there on the animal’s body. Appearance wise, Egyptian Mau’s are a blend of Burmese and Siamese cats.

Unlike many other expensive cat breeds, these cats can run at a rate of knots touching a speed of 30 miles an hour. That being said, they can keep up with a good pace because of their long hind legs.

They are friendly and affectionate with their family members but they prefer being most close to only one family member. Put them in water and you will notice the gala-time they have. 

Speaking of health, they are prone to suffer from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which leads to heart failure. Therefore, these cats must be given medication lifelong.

The Egyptian Mau resembles a cheetah and its eye color is either blue or green. It is believed that this breed is a descendant of the wild African cats.

5. American Curl Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$800-$2,000	American Curl Cat	9-12 inches	5-10 pounds	12-16years

Americal Curl is one of the cutest among the other expensive cat breeds. They are super active and friendly with family and even outsiders. It has silky short or long beautiful fur with different colors and patterns.

These cats love to hop and jump around everywhere possible. They keep themselves physically fit and love exercising. They would enjoy sitting beside their owners but wouldn’t enjoy it as much on anyone’s lap.

Going back to their roots, this breed was found with curled ears, and 2 people named Joe and Grace Ruga, named and adopted this cat breed, and ever since they were considered a breed.

Of all the other expensive cat breeds, American Curl is the nosiest and meows loudly for food or when he/she welcomes you home. They can be to themselves but at the same time, they are cheerful and adaptable.

American Curl’s ears must be kept clean to avoid infections and their hair needs to be brushed twice a week. They need to be well-fed to slumber in a cozy spot.

6. British Shorthair Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$800-$2,300	British Shorthair Cat	12-14 inches	9-18 lb	14-20 years

British Shorthair is the largest cat. It is born black, golden, silver, white, red, cream, or cinnamon coated. These cats have an impressive plush texture. 

Their eyes are captivating and they are either orange or copper colored. Built-wise, these cats have broad body and nose. Their tail is thick and their legs are muscular.

Reminiscing on their roots, they were founded in Britain in the 19^th century. Later in 1970, Cat Fanciers Association and the International Cat Association recognized this breed as the 5^th most popular in the US.

Although British Shorthair cats are loving and friendly, they are not keen on gaining the utmost attention. They are highly energetic as babies but they get lazier after a few years. 

7. Himalayan Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$500-$2,500	Himalayan Cat	10-12 inches	7-12 lb	15 years

Yet another expensive cat breed is the Himalayan. It is an offspring of Persian and Siamese. These cats are calm and naughty. They are usually born with fawn, blue, cream, white, or chocolate fur. These beauties love staying on their owner’s lap.

Their neck, legs, bodies, and tails are thick. They have long hair and fur with small ears and big round eyes. What’s unique about these lovely cats is the coloration around their eyes and mouth.

These cats were not recognized and declared a breed until 1948 but the Cat Fanciers Association in 1957 recognized them as a breed. Himalayan cats have great bone weight. 

Quality of health is determined by the shape of their heads. Toy-dog face cats are prone to have dental and respiratory concerns. Whereas,doll-face Himalayan cats barely have health issues.

8. Russian Blue Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$400-$3,000	Russian Blue Cat	10 inches	Male: 10-12 lb Female: 7-10 lb	15-20 years

These smart Russian Blue Cats by every means ensure to find small spaces at home. They are affectionate and friendly. Cats belonging to this breed are born silver-blue, well-built, and bright green eyes.

Russian blue cats are the best home pets for those allergic to cat fur. These cats have soft and dense fur, they don’t shed it much. This breed is known to have a triangular shaped head, large ears, broad forehead, and good bone density. For the most part, their fur is silver coated. 

They are fast runners and have great body strength. Loyalty like dogs is ingrained in their personality. To tap their existing intelligence or ability to hunt, it is quintessential to keep these cats engaged with fun activities. You will be happy to know that maintaining their fur and taking care of their health won’t be a big deal. 

9. Scottish Fold Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$500-$3,000	Scottish Fold Cat	8-10 inches	Male: 9-13 lb Female: 6-9 lb	11-14 years

Scottish Fold is one of the most expensive cat breeds because it is highly intelligent and ultra cute with folded ears. Besides, it has many other special qualities such as it is calm when necessary, quick at getting trained, highly tolerant, and way too friendly with animals and humans.

For being extremely good-looking and sweet, they easily attract attention. Not much maintenance is needed if you wish to adopt this adorable feline. They love all but choose to stay close to one person in the family.

Most importantly, the Scottish Fold’s tail should always be handled with care. Reason being, pain and tail stiffness. One eye contact from a Scottish Fold will leave you gazing at it. Their eyes are bright, huge, and enchanting. 

If you are expecting this breed to jump around all day, you will only find them lazing. They are amazing eaters but their diet needs to be kept in control at the same time.

10. Ragdoll Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$800-$3,500	Ragdoll Cat	9-11 inches	Male-12-20 lb Female-8-15 lb	12-15 years

This blue-eyed pretty Ragdoll cat breed is well-built.  These cats have silky long fur. Their physical traits are a blend of Persian and Birman breeds. They are affectionate, smart, easy-going, and lap cats. Speaking of how they look, their necks are short, their heads are broad, paws are round, and their tails are bushy.

Ragdolls are classified into five categories based on their coat patterns. They are colorpoint, bicolor, mitted, lynx point, and tortie point. These cats are either born black, white, gray, lilac, cream, or blue. 

Unlike the other cat breeds, these cats love being held and pampered in their master’s arms. They are a bit laid back but they shower dog like affection. 

Their meowing is melodious and sweet. You might get to hear them when they need your attention. They love warming themselves up in one of the corners of the bed or sofa, they don’t prefer hopping around.

11. Maine Coon Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$1000-$4,000	Maine Coon Cat	10–16 inches	Male: 13-18 lb Female: 8-12 lb	9-15years

Back in the 50’s, Maine Coon’s were rare. In 1985, they got back their popularity, and ever since they aren’t rare. This expensive cat breed has some commendable hunting skills because of its athletic body and pointed ears.

Their fur coat is unique, thick, and looks royal with a glossy texture. This breed has special markings and 60 plus coated colors. They generally have blue or green eyes. For the most part, they have copper or gold colored fur.

The owner needs to groom this breed on a regular basis. These cats are dependent, which means they love being with their family and don’t like being left alone.

Given the fact that they have good hunting skills, their ability to explore and stay active is on point. Their meowing is comparatively noiser than the other cats.

12. Siberian Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$1,200-$4,000	Siberian Cat	9-11 inches	15-20 lb	18 years

Siberian Cats are fun-loving and affectionate, they make the best companions as they are loyal and love being around people. This breed is available in pointed shades and bold colors. 

This expensive cat breed needs to burn out its energy with engaging games. Although these cats love being friendly, on the whole, they are independent. Siberian Cats love running around large spaces.

These powerful cats have considerably strong limbs. Their thick and long fur looks fantastic. Interestingly they have a long and thick tails. Furthermore, these cats are problem-solvers and their intelligence is intriguing.

Siberians come down from 1000 AD. However, they gained popularity by The International Cat Association in 1996.

13. Peterbald Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
1,700-$5,000	Peterbald Cat	8-12 inches	7-14 lb	15 years

Peterbald is a rare and expensive cat breed that is an offspring of tortoiseshell oriental shorthair with a hairless cat. Even maintenance wise. They are loyal, friendly, sweet, and get easily attached to people. 

In 2005, this cat breed was given championship status by The International Cat Association. They are either fully bald or have shorthair but still their sleek and long bodies look great. They are born with one of the five coats – flock, straight, chamois, naked, and brush.

These cats have an extremely soft and velvety skin texture. Their triangular heads, long pointed ears and cute tails make them look even more unique.

14. Toyger Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$3,000-$5,000	Toyger Cat	18 inches	7-15 lb	10-15 years

The Toyger cat breed is drop-dead gorgeous and if you fall for Tigers, these are your kind. For their stunning looks, they are rare to find and difficult to breed.

Despite the wild look on their face, they are friendly with people and can be domesticated. They love mingling so they wouldn’t appreciate being left single.

Their usual coat colors are white, black, and orange. You will get to see hazel brown color eyes when you give these cats firm eye contact. Their temperament is not bad and they are calm in nature.

These cats might not be a right fit for you if you cannot run around and make them exercise often because their energy levels are exorbitant. They were considered for cat shows and received recognition from The International Cat Association in 2007.

Although it might not seem like they are high maintenance cats. Their fur needs thorough brushing every week because this expensive breed tends to shed a lot of hair.

15. Persian Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
1,500-$5,500	Persian Cat	10-15 inches	7-12 lb	12-17 years

Persian Cats have a chubby and round face with big eyes. This doll like cat breed is known for jumping around. Besides, they have strong legs and body. Most of us are glued to feeling their silky coat. At the same time, their fur keeps shedding off.

These pretty cats have copper, blue, or green eyes, and their fur patterns are either black, blue, cream, or chocolate. They do not demand constant attention.

16. Sphynx Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$2,000-$10,000	Sphynx Cat	8-10 inches	6-14 lb	9-15 years

These almost nude and charming cats are born with shades of brown, gray, or reddish colors. This expensive cat breed is friendly with people and other cats. They need a considerable amount of attention and prefer staying cozy in their owner’s lap.

These cats cost a bomb as reputable breeders invest a lot into taking care of them. Despite being called nude cats, they have soft fur, prominent whiskers, and visible eyebrows that enhance their appearance.

Their pigmented skin has many colors and markings. This medium-sized cat is active, and has a round belly, and long toes. Their wrinkled fur is what makes them look different from the others.

17. Bengal Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$4,000-$10,000	Bengal Cat	13-16 inches	8-15 lb	12-16 years

These expensive impressive-looking Bengal cats are an offspring of Asian leopard cats and domestic tabbies. Bengal’s are curious investigators, they love to observe insects, chase them, and hunt at the right time. So, they are smart, active, and playful. 

Bengal Cats are classified into two types – Spotted and Marbled. Their forehead depicts the letter ‘M’ right above their eyes. There are marking and spots on their body. What sets them apart from the other cats is their tail. It is either streaked or spotted with dark colors.

This is a healthy breed but requires good nutrition to keep good health. You’d simply sway your hands pampering their soft coated fur, and that’s a reminder that they need to be regularly groomed.

18. Khao Manee Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
7,000-$11,000	Khao Manee Cat	10-12 inches	8-10 lb	10-12 years

Khao Manee Cats are rare and one of the most expensive breeds across the globe. Originally, these cats are from Thailand and they got their recognition in 1999 in the US. However, it is still in the process of being recognized in the UK.

This breed is mischievous, dedicated, and attention seekers. Well, they deserve all the attention for the beauties they are. You can rest assured that these cats are family pets.

 They have attractive blue, green, or gold eyes. Some cats have two different eye colors. Their athletic body is used for running all over the place. These cute white cats have ears away from each other.

Since this breed loves attention, one must ensure not to leave these cats alone. They detest being all alone. 

19. Savannah Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
$10,000 – $25,000 ‘	Savannah Cat	14-17 inches	12-25 lb	12-20 years

Among the expensive cat breeds, Savannah looks the wildest but in reality, this breed is a domestic one. These cats are independent, and loyal, and tend to get easily attached to their owners. They are large and thin. Furthermore, they have large ears and brown coated fur filled with spots.

In 2001, The International Cat Association recognized this breed but they got their championship eligibility only in 2012. Yet another interesting fact about Savannah’s is they are the tallest cats and their height is recognized by the Guinness Book World Record. 

It is simple to train and groom Savannah. You’d love their brown eyes as it resembles their fur color. These cats are never lazy, they are always on the move.

20. Ashera Cats

Price	Breed Name	Average Height	Average Weight	Lifespan
22,000-$125,000	Ashera Cat	54 – 58 inches	26- 33 lb	25 years

Ashera turns out to be the most expensive cat breed so far. These cats only appear to look like leopards, but they are calm in nature. Give them all the attention and they are more than happy. 

These cats live the longest when compared to the other cats and they have qualities like that of a dog. Basically, Ashera is the offspring of an Asian Leopard cat and an African Serval. Also, one of the tallest cat breeds.

They are energetic in nature and love grasping the tricks you teach them to play. Personality wise, they are so much like Savannahs. If the owner doesn’t make their routine constructive, they are ought to destroy things at home.

FAQs on Expensive Cat Breeds

Take Away

To adopt or buy the most expensive, exquisite, and peculiar cat breed to be your alley for life is worth it if you are moneyed. Typically, the most expensive cat breeds are Asher, Toyger, Peterbald, Persian, Sphynx, and Savannah. 

More than choosing the most expensive cat breed, look into adopting a breed that will win your heart and add colors to your life. Bookmark our website to read more stuff related to Cats.