Independent guide · Updated November 2026

Getting a cat? Start with real numbers

Adopt or buy, choose a breeder, spot a scam, and know what the first year costs. We collect and date the prices ourselves, and every health or safety point links to a vet or official source.

New kitten checklist
How we research
  • Prices we collect and date ourselves
  • Vet and official sources, linked
  • No sponsored rankings

Before you bring a cat home

  1. Adopt or buy?Shelter fees next to breeder prices
  2. Choose a breederWhat a good one does, and the red flags
  3. Spot a kitten scamCheck the seller before you pay
  4. Pick the right ageWhen a kitten is ready to leave its mother
  5. Get readyWhat to buy, and what it really costs

Latest guides

Card: best cat beds, a buyer's guide. What a good bed needs: warm, raised but easy to reach, sides to hide behind, a washable cover, and more than one bed. Cats sleep about 12 to 18 hours a day, per Cats Protection.

Supplies

Best cat beds

What cat welfare groups say a cat bed needs (warm, raised, sides to hide behind, washable) and four beds compared from the makers’ specs, warranties and return policies. Not a hands-on test.

Checked November 8, 2026 · By Anisur Rahman

Card: how much a Scottish Fold costs. Posted prices at 18 US catteries on Nov 9, 2026: a median pet kitten price of $2,600 for folded ears, with the middle half at $2,275 to $3,000; straight-eared kittens a median of $2,000; a median deposit of $300; and $308 to $1,158 for first vet care.

Costs

How much a Scottish Fold costs

What 18 registered US catteries charge for a pet Scottish Fold kitten (median $2,600, checked Nov 9, 2026), what straight-eared kittens cost, deposits, and what vets say about the fold gene before you buy.

Checked November 9, 2026 · By Anisur Rahman

Card: how to introduce a kitten to a cat. A room of its own, swap bedding first, see each other through a barrier, short supervised meetings, one of each resource per cat plus one. FelineVMA says it can take days to months.

Kitten care

How to introduce a kitten to a cat

How to introduce a kitten to a cat: a separate room first, then scent swapping, a see-through barrier, short supervised meetings and one of everything per cat plus one, per International Cat Care and FelineVMA.

Checked November 11, 2026 · By Anisur Rahman

Card: best automatic cat feeders, a buyer's guide. What to look for: several small meals, settable portions, backup power, washable parts, and a microchip feeder for two or more cats. Kittens under six months usually do best on three meals a day.

Supplies

Best automatic cat feeders

What vets advise about automatic cat feeders (several small meals, a check that your cat eats, separate stations for several cats) and four feeders that fit: timed dry, Wi-Fi, wet food and microchip.

Checked November 6, 2026 · By Anisur Rahman

Card: how to travel with a cat in a car. A sturdy, easy-to-clean carrier, carrier training first, short practice drives, the carrier on the floor behind a front seat, and never leave the cat alone in a parked car. Food before the trip: none for about four to five hours, per International Cat Care.

Supplies

How to travel with a cat in a car

How to travel with a cat in a car: a sturdy carrier on the floor behind a front seat, a cat trained to the carrier first, no big meal before you go, and never a cat left alone in a parked car, from iCatCare, FelineVMA and the ASPCA.

Checked November 7, 2026 · By Anisur Rahman

Card: best cat toys for kittens, a buyer's guide. One of each kind: a wand toy put away after play, a toy on a wire, a soft toy to kick, a ball track and a food puzzle. Skip string, ribbon and yarn toys with kittens.

Supplies

Best cat toys for kittens

The best toys for kittens, chosen against vet and cat-welfare guidance: a wand toy, a wire toy, a kicker, a ball track and a treat puzzle, plus the string, ribbon and bell toys to skip.

Checked November 5, 2026 · By Anisur Rahman

How we research

Our full method →

1

Collect real prices

Breeder prices from public listings, shelter adoption fees, insurers’ published prices and retail prices, each one dated, with the raw data kept.

2

Check expert sources

Health, age, safety and the law come from vets and official bodies: Cornell, AAFP, ASPCA, International Cat Care, CFA, TICA, the FTC and the BBB.

3

Show the method

Every guide says where its numbers come from, when they were checked and what we left out. We don’t test products or pets hands-on, and we say so.

Anisur Rahman

Who’s behind Cat Buyer Guide

Cat Buyer Guide is edited by Anisur Rahman and published by PPC Optimizer Pro LLC. We don’t own a cat, so we don’t pretend to review pets or products hands-on: our value is careful, dated research you can check. More about us

Looking for the old Cat Buyer Guide?

This domain changed hands in 2026. The cat breeders who ran the old site, its forum and its cattery lists are not part of this site, and we can’t help with their kittens or accounts. Old links now lead to new guides on the same topics. More about the change