You will find as well that as you get to know breeders and visit cats your own requirements adjust slightly as you gain knowledge and experience.

Do your research - TALK to breeders - pick up that phone! Honestly breeders will respond to emails but phone calls are better

Some breeders may discount slightly for a pair but don't expect it. I would be exepecting to pay for a good quality BSH somewhere between 400 and 500 depending on pet or show neuter quality but somewhere between the two.

You don't have to get two pedigrees though - a BSH kit and a rescue cat/kit is an option and a reputable breeder will suggest that option too ...

I think the difficulty here is that you have a combination of 1. wanting cats locally in a relatively expensive area 2. not wanting to pay the local rate and 3. only wanting to get one when you work. Is it not possible to go further afield? (though of course the amount you save on the kitten may well be eaten up in petrol costs) Consider (as has been said) having two kittens even if one is just a moggy, there are plenty of beautiful moggy kittens needing homes.

Liz

I do recommend if you work that two kittens would be better,so they have each other for company during the day, it's fairer on the kitten.

I had a lady visit me 2 weeks ago to meet my cats even though I told her I would be having no more kittens available in the colour she wanted until early next year. When she arrived we chatted, I let her meet the cats/kittens and we got on really well and above all I liked the home she could offer one of my cats. I explained to her that the wait would be very long and perhaps she ought to contact other breeders in the meantime..but no she said she liked how we breed and how well the cats are cared for. Turned out to have been a lucky visit because she is now going to have the kitten I was going to keep for showing/breeding but have decided to let go to a pet home...needless to say she is over the moon!

Its satisfying as a hobby breeder when people comment on how well cared for our cats are, even the electrician who came round on Tuesday said "Blimey, these cats live better than I do!" lol

I would say £400 is below the average price in my area, Kent/London border for well bred BSH kittens.

You could go for an older British that is up for adoption. We found Harley on preloved website aged 11 months I just went to see him and fell in love. I paid £170 for him and he is worth a MILION I got a bargain
You could go for a couple of young British or a Young British and a Moggy kitten. It's kitten season now and moggie kittens are just as cute

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Id say get two kittens i was going to get one and then decided to get two as i work full time and so does my OH and they have been brillant little kittys x

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Mummy to Dexter and Ollie <3

I would def recommend checking out rescue options, as that is how I came across my two lovley ladies

I had lost my Molly, an old lady at 21 years old, and couldn't cope with an empty house (don't tell my hubby I said that !!)

My search probably took me 3 weeks, and in that time I viewed/had options on several BSH - all fully GCCF registered - and all within a reasonable drive from home. Honestly, I actually had to turn people down once I had made my choice, so it can be done !!

The only difference was that I didn't require kittens - to be honest, I prefered the idea of adopting older kitties for several reasons :
1. They're def litter trained
2. You can meet the cat, not wonder what they will be like when they're older
3. Most Important for me : I could rescue a cat that otherwise would be in a rescue/put down/unwanted or "unable to keep" pet
4. (More relevant to yourself but valid none the less) They didn't cost £450 each, even though they are both full pedigree from good breeders.

The two girls I adopted were between 11 & 18 months old, and are an absolute joy. Please do not dismiss an older cat because you want to be able to play - trust me, my two chase each other (and yes, I join in too) round the house on a regular basis, and also like to use me as part of the running track on occassion as well Yes, I have the scratches to prove it !

Good luck with it all.....I'm sure that you will find your ideal option given a little time and patience.

what a nice thread - when we got Minnii, our first pedigree, she came from Suffolk to Scotland! We picked up a local ginger tom kitten for company for her even though I didn't work. Two kittens are such fun to watch.

Do your research - if costs are too high maybe go for two moggies (around your area they can sell for stupid money though - I saw a bog standard black and white moggy for £300 at one point!!! - but cheaper than £400.) Or save that little harder and get what you want.

My next girl is going to set me back a HUGE amount - but . . . she will be waited for and what I want - and that's it really we all have our prices we are willing to pay and then you have to find something to fit it - don't expect to haggle with breeders they don't like it, the prices are what they are because of a lot of reasons (but NOT greed), vacs, vets bills, registration, food, litter, the potential cost of a caesar, etc - if you were to JUST factor in the time spent with the preggy mum and the kittens after they were born it would work out at a rate of 38p an hour - then add stud fees of around £400 (I believe for BSH), vacs for each kit about £50, worming and flea treatment (just in case) about £20, extra food for mum when she's preggers (she can eat 4 times her normal amount) about £50, trips to the vets for snap tests about £70, petrol to get to the studs - about £75, etc That totals about £850 on an average litter of 4 - often breeders only get 1 or 2 kittens. And that doesn't cover the day to day running costs, or the cost of the queen herself which can be really high! My new girl will be between £1200 and £1500, and there is no guarantee she will be able to conceive, get pregnant on the first trip to the studs, have more that one kitten (if at all), not have a difficult birth and need emergency vet intervention at a great cost (the average caesar costs over £500 and isn't insurable) etc etc.

All this to say that's why breeders charge 'so much' - many hobby breeders especially make a loss - I certainly did with Minnii - sold 3 kittens (from two litters - a two and a one) for £375 (total £1125) and had costs of over £3500!

LOL, I drove from Lancashire to Oxford for 2 of our pedigrees and to West Sussex for another!!!

i had a bsh from the breeder in hornchurch. i think she is still breeding and her name is pauline cross prefix pollyfelina. i am talking about 12 years ago but i think she is still breeding

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If you're saving to move, why are you looking for a kitten now, surely it would be better and less stressful on the kitten to wait until after the move.

I agree with those that have suggested getting two moggy cats or even a couple of older kittens/cats from breed rescue unless of course you are planning to breed in the future in which case you will need a heck of a lot more than just £400 as your budget

Personally I don't see the need for two to keep each other company whilst you're at work. I worked full time when I had my persian kitten and she was quite content at home during the day. She had the run of the downstairs and I would leave my blanket on the chair so she could snuggle up to something with my scent on it although most days when I got home, she'd be sitting on the window sill or asleep on the back of the settee.
It could be different with BSH's maybe they need the company, if so then perhaps you should rethink your chosen breed

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ShazaLhasa
My fabulous furry friends