You may be a cat lover, but love can be an expensive business. Click through to look at the cats that will make you poorer by anywhere between a few hundred to over $100,000 (£650,000).
#19 OCICAT
Price: Around $800 (£520)
The Ocicat is a recent breed (originating in the '60s) which is named for its resemblance to the wild ocelot, although it is has no wild cat DNA.
#18 NORWEGIAN FOREST CAT
Price: $500 – $800 (£330 - £520)
A native of northern Europe, this breed is also called Skogkatt or “forest cat” in Norway. With long hair and a woolly coat, the Norwegian Forest Cat is adapted to cold climates.
#17 EGYPTIAN MAU
Price: $500 – $800 (£330 - £520)
This exotic-looking cat is known to be extremely intelligent and loyal. The Egyptian Mau has a Cheetah-like gait and its outgoing nature makes it a great companion.
#16 SIAMESE
Price: $200 – $800 (£130 - £520)
An export from Thailand (earlier called Siam) during the late 1800s, these sleek and elegant cats soon became a favorite in America and Europe, appearing in many cat shows.
#15 KORAT
Price: $600 – $800 (£390 - £520)
The color of this unique cat is described as silver-tipped blue that gives it a shimmering shine and a halo-like appearance. The Korat finds it genesis in the Korat province in Thailand and has especially sensitive powers of scent and sight.
#14 SELKIRK REX
Price: $500 – $800 (£330 - £520)
One of the newest breeds of cats, the Selkirk Rex was a result of breeding a housecat with a black Persian cat. The curly hair in this example is a result of a dominant gene: kittens of this breed born in the same litter are just as likely to have straight hair.
#13 SIBERIAN
Price: $700 – $900 (£450 - £585)
This bushy-tailed domestic cat has been around in Russia for centuries. The Siberian breed has featured in many Russian fairy tales and children’s books.
#12 AMERICAN SHORTHAIR
Price: $400 – $900 (£260 - £585)
Known for its longevity and robust constitution, the American Shorthair traces its origins to European cats brought into North America by early settlers to protect their cargo from rats.
#11 BRITISH SHORTHAIR
Price: $800 - $1,000 (£520 - £650)
The British Shorthairs are known for their dense coat, broad face and powerful body. The breed has been developed in a wide range of colors but the most common hue remains the ‘British Blue,’ a solid blue-gray.
#10 AMERICAN WIREHAIR
Price: $1,000 – $1,200 (£650 - £780)
A unique American breed, this cat is believed to be the result of spontaneous mutation in a litter of an upstate New York farm cats in 1966. Considered a rare breed, only 22 of such cats were registered as of 2003.
A unique American breed, this cat is believed to be the result of spontaneous mutation in a litter of an upstate New York farm cats in 1966. Considered a rare breed, only 22 of such cats were registered as of 2003.
#9 RAGDOLL
Price: $800 – $1100 (£520 - £715)
The V-shaped head of this breed was first developed by a breeder named Ann Baker in Riverside, California, U.S. in the 1960s. This cat is known for its mild and docile temperament.
#8 AMERICAN CURL
Price: $800 – $1,200 (£520 - £780)
One of the youngest cat breeds around, the American Curl is distinguished by its back-curled ears. The first American Curls showed up as a stray cats at the door step of an American couple in Lakewood, California in June, 1981: the breed is believed to come from a spontaneous mutation.
#7 SPHYNX
Price: $900 – $1200 (£585 - £780)
This hairless breed was first produced though selective breeding in the 1960s. Sphynxes don’t have a coat but their skin is covered with a fine layer of down. Whiskers maybe tiny, broken or totally absent.
#6 SCOTTISH FOLD CAT
Price: $800 – $1,500 (£520 - £975)
The Scottish Fold Cats trace their ancestry back to a white cat named Susie with unusual folded ears, found in a barn in Scotland’s Tayside region in 1961. A shepherd named William Ross later bred the cat.
#5 RUSSIAN BLUE CAT
Price: $1,000 – $1,700 (£650 - £1,100)
Famous for their plush blue coat, the Russian Blue Cat is widely believed to have originated in the Russian port city of Arkhangelsk.The breed most likely made its journey to Europe, specifically Great Britain, on sailing ships during the 1800s.
#4 PERSIAN
Price: Around $3,000 (£1,950)
Originating in Persia, the breed is referenced in writings dating as far back as 1684 B.C. They are known for their long flowing hair, and sweet and gentle personality.
#3 THE BENGAL
Estimated Price: $3,000 – $5,000 (£1,950 - £3,250)
With a close resemblance to an Asian leopard (a small wild cat, not the big predator native to Africa,) this brown spotted cat was first developed in the United States in 1963 when leopard cats were crossed with domestic cats.
#2 THE SAVANNAH
Price: Around $25,000 (£16,210)
Characterised by exceptionally long legs, the Savannah cat is a cross between a serval (a medium-sized wild African cat) and a domestic cat. Common colours are solid black, black smoke, and spotted tabby.
# 1 THE ASHERA
Price: $75,000 – $125,000 (£48,630 - £82,000)
An Ashera is a hybrid of genes from several cats, namely domestic housecat, the Asian leopard cat, and the African serval. Created by the Lifestyle Pets Company, the breed has patterns similar to a snow leopard and are sold for as much as $125,000 (£82,000).
