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Interested in Buying a Big Cat?

How much is that “kitty” in the window?

See the cub petting video that got more than 17,000,000 views:

https://fb.watch/p3R8Ly3cBE/

If you are thinking it might be really cool to have a big cat as a pet, take a few minutes to consider the costs.  But first, check out the slideshow to see what it means to the cat.  Most people think the cost of the cat is a big expense, but that is just the beginning. (Although keep in mind that statistics show that 98% of the exotic animals bought as pets die in the first 2 years.)

We Currently Host Over 40 Cats Due to Big Cat Owners No Longer Able to Properly Care for their Cats

We have 40+ cats representing 10 species and more than a quarter of a century of experience in caring for them so our estimates can be trusted as pretty accurate, if not conservative.  It is cheaper by the pound for us to buy 17,000 pounds of meat at a time than for you to buy a week’s worth for one cat.  People have done it for less, but the cat suffers from nutritional deficiencies or physical and psychological impairment due to lack of space and opportunity to be a cat.  If you think these figures are high, just try and cut corners and see how huge your medical and subsequent bills will be.

Purchasing an Exotic Kitten Costs Are Extremely High

Exotic cats range in price from a $900.00 Bobcat to a $7500.00 tiger cub.  Most of the mid-size cats, like Servals and Caracals, cost $1700.00 to $2800.00 and Ocelots can run as high as $15,000.00.  The more rare the cat, the higher the price.   Even though it may be a cute and cuddly cub right now, within the year they will reach almost their full size and will be spraying (no matter how young you neuter him or spay her) so you must have some things ready when the cat comes home.

Veterinarians Are Difficult to Find and Visits Can Be Up to $20,000 Per Visit

You will have to have a veterinarian on call who has already agreed to take care of your wild cat.  There are not very many with experience and fewer still who will want to deal with the liability of having their staff exposed to your big cat, not to mention their regular clientele.  You will have to have a stainless steel squeeze cage that is capable of holding your cat at its max weight.  We’ve had tigers who weighed in excess of 800 pounds and was 12 feet from nose to tip of tail.  A small squeeze cage will cost you 1,250.00 used and you could easily spend $20,000.00 for one big enough for a lion or leopard.  You will need a forklift to move a tiger and they rent for $500.00 per day with an operator.  Even our vets, who do nothing but cats, and have done ours for many years, will not bring a big cat into their office unless it is already confined to the squeeze cage.

How will you transport your cat to the vet for all of its yearly vaccinations, check-ups, and boo-boos?  Even a little cat, in its squeeze cage isn’t going to fit into your compact car.  You will need a van and it has to be in tip-top shape because being stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, or worse yet, traffic, with a freaked out wild cat in the heat, rain or snow is a nightmare of extreme proportion.  Been there, done that, and bought the $38,000.00 van to keep it from ever happening again.  If you are dealing in small to mid-size cats you might find a dependable minivan for $25,000.00.  You can’t rely on borrowing one because believe me when a cat needs emergency veterinary treatment it is always at the most inconvenient times.

Housing Big Cats Like Tigers and Lions is Very Costly

Most states have cage requirements of varying standards.  In some states, you must have no less than 5 acres if you want to own a big cat.  Acreage, where I live, is $100,000.00 per acre, but a lot of rural places near you may be as low as $10,000.00 per acre.  Most states and federal guidelines require then that you have an 8-foot perimeter fence which on 5 acres can easily run $8000.00.  You are not allowed to use this outside wall as any part of your cage, so your cage will be another $5,500.00 for a small to mid-size cat, like a lynx to $10,000.00 for a lion, leopard or tiger.

You will need a roof to prevent escapes so consider in your design how you will support it.  These are just your first year, start-up costs.  You will never be able to move with your big cat because the Captive Wildlife Safety Act prohibits moving big exotic pet cats across state lines.  Many progressive states are banning the practice of keeping wild cats captive and you could be investing tens of thousands of dollars and then when your pet dies you cannot buy another one.

Basic Health Expenses for Big Cats will Cost Thousands a Year

Some costs keep reoccurring every year.  Good food and vitamins for a mid-size cat will run you $7500.00 per year and for a big cat closer to $10,000.00 per year.  You have to be able to defrost it for them every day and 15 pounds of bleeding meat in your kitchen every day is a health hazard unto itself.  If your cat just gets it’s annual shots and doesn’t need any emergency care your vet bill will be about $127.00 to $250.00 depending on the size of the cat.  They have to be vaccinated every year for rabies and all the regular cat diseases.  Worming your cat every month, if you do it yourself will cost $145.00 to $160.00 and flea prevention costs $320.00 to $450.00 per year per cat depending on size.  You will have to learn a new trick every month for fleas and wormings as the cats hate both and can smell you coming a mile off.

Permits for Exotic Big Cats Are Difficult to Obtain and… Expensive!

You will need state and federal permits and if you have never dealt with these governmental agencies you are in for a lifetime of headaches and heartbreaks that just won’t stop.  None of them want to deal with “pet people” and they will do everything in their power to make you wish you had never brought home that little bundle of joy.  You have to pay for the privilege and these licenses and dues can run you well over $200.00 per year.  If you don’t keep your permits up to date they can confiscate your cat and kill it.

These agencies will often require you to carry liability insurance and that can run you $1000.00 to $15,000.00 per year depending on your safety record.  Most homeowner’s insurance policies will cancel you if they find out you have an exotic animal and many states are purposely reporting your permit status to the public to make it easier for your insurance carrier to find out.  If you have a mortgage on your home, you have to have insurance and may not be able to get it, which means you could be foreclosed.

Some things are fun, like buying toys for your exotic cat, but you can’t buy them stuff on the racks because they will destroy and eat it, and then you’ve got some major medical bills.  Our big cats like an indestructible ball that weighs 125 pounds and costs $250.00 including shipping.  The smaller cats can get along with a $50.00 ball, but that is just one ball and they need lots of things to keep them entertained.

All wild cats, neutered or not, male or female, will spray bucket loads of urine all over everything they wish to claim as theirs (including you) because this is how nature has taught them to guard territory.

Having worked with 150+ cats, representing 23 species for 40+ years I can assure you that there is no way to prevent this behavior.  Anyone who tells you otherwise doesn’t have a mature cat on their hands yet.  The reason I mention it here is that the urine is very caustic and will destroy their cage walls in a very short period of time, so you will be constantly rebuilding.  You don’t even want to know what it does to the sheet rock walls of your house or to wood.  Those trips to the vet will leave your car smelling like a sewer and nothing will get that smell out.

Consider also that nature has hard-wired exotic cats in such a way that once they are mature they no longer feel any love for their mother and if they run into her in the wild will kill her for the territory.  Even if you raised them with all of the love and nurturing that their natural mother would provide (and she would die to protect them) they will not feel love, nor respect for you as the parent when they are full grown.  Thousands of years of instincts tell them that you are competition and that their survival depends on them being solitary.

This is the most frequent email we get from exotic cat owners: “Hey, I’m really in over my head here!  I got this thing as an infant. I bottle-raised it. Everything was great. But I can no longer handle this cat. I cannot housebreak it. It tries to attack people. I just don’t know what to do with it.'” This was an actual quote about a serval, but we have had hundreds of similar letters about every kind of exotic cat, including hybrid cats.

To sum it all up, you can expect to invest almost $25,000.00 your first year into owning a small to midsize wild cat and your annual expenses will cost you around $7500.00.  If you want the big cat experience, the setup cost is over $100,000.00 and the annual care is over $10,000.00 IF you have no emergencies and no one gets hurt and sues you for millions of dollars.  Everything has a price and this is the price of doing right by the animal.  Are you really prepared?

Read what happens to all of the animals who don’t work out as pets HERE.

Find out how many people are mauled or killed by their precious wild cat “pets” at https://bigcatrescue.org/big-cat-attacks/

Find out what the leading cause of big cat abuse is here:  https://bigcatrescue.org/cubs

Real letters from real exotic pet owners:

Hi: I have two male servals, the oldest male who is five urinates and sprays all over the house (although he will use the litter box as well) What do you recommend to remove the smell of cat urine from my home, we have removed all the carpets and now have wood and ceramic tile, but the place smells horrible, I have tried soapy bleach, ammonia, and an enzyme product but cannot find anything that gets rid of the small. The house looks spotless all the time, but just reeks. Can you help me out? I love my cats and never get rid of them for this reason, but I would like to cut down on the stifling odors. Thank you Cheryl

Thinking about a hybrid cat, like a Bengal Cat or Savannah Cat instead?  See what real hybrid cat owners say about it.

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102 Comments

  1. It didn’t matter how much money one had to spend, but one risked losing one’s life if maintaining it. go and live in the wild is the solution for you if you want to keep the big cat.

  2. 34 years ago, when I was 4 yrs old,my mother took my brother and I to Colorado. I don’t remember much of the ride but do remember we camped in a tent and I found a kitten crying. I put it in my back pack with grass and a granola bar. On the way back to Illinois it was crying and crying. My mother heard it and if it was todays society they would have considered it child abuse the way she beat my behind. Anyways, she stopped at a store and got bottles. I remember my older brother feeding him but he just cried. When we got home he seemed better but scared. He slept with mom and she babied it. I remember going to the vet to check his age and his shots and the vet told my mom then that this isn’t a normal kitty it was a bobcat. My mom was so frazzled and the vet was asking questions and giving my mom numbers of people to call. Well she took us home and we tried to make it work. The kitten was my best friend but now looking back he was being dominate with me. We lived in the country and our neighbors were quite a distance away. As our cat got older he got more aggressive. He was breaking things, spraying a horrible smelland being very verbal about his dislikes. We started letting him outside and he would always come back in the garage every morning and I would sneak him in my room a lot. He ate cat food but also raw meat and whatever else he drug to the house. It wasn’t until he was old that he started to really get aggressive. My mom knew someone that knew someone who had tigers by assumption Illinois, she got with her and had her vet come check our cat. He was drooling a lot and just didn’t want to be messed with. The vet said he was fine but was more concerned about his demeanor and wanted to do blood tests. I will never forget the next day I was getting ready for school, and heard the goats screaming outside, I went to look and just screamed, my brother pushed me back inside and told me get the shotgun, which I didn’t I was froze in shock. Our cat was in the pasture slaughtering the goats. There was dead pigmy goats everywhere. He was grabbing them by the neck and taking them down after he finished one he would chase another one and kill it. He killed 15 goats that day. We ended up having that vet lady make arrangements for him to go somewhere he would be safe and could live partially wild. It wasn’t his fault. He was a wild animal that was confused. Just seeing his power and what he could do if he wanted made me aware of their true strength. Anyways, thank you for your article and sorry for rambling.

    1. That was a great story! I’m glad it didn’t come to the point where he harmed you or you harmed him.

  3. I like the helpful information you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly. I am quite certain I’ll learn many new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!

  4. sounds like the only real way to have a big cat safely, is to have hundreds of acres of land up in Canada or Texas, with lots of wild game on it (hares, rabbits, skunks, rats, mice, squirrels, etc. etc."

    But I think that, if given that much freedom, your cat would stop coming home.

  5. What is wrong with some of you people. These are wild animals! what right do you have to "own" them. Not to mention the incredible dangers they pose to not only you but to society. it breaks my heart thinking that there are so many people who knowingly and willingly support exotic animal import and imprisonment.

  6. Jason Harrold Does Candice really look like someone who would be on teh same page as you on this subject Jason? She is taking selfies in the mirror. She's another socially domesticated human.

  7. when i was little i was so damn determined to have one of every kind of big cat there was. of course now that i'm older and understand these aren't just 'cute kitties'. it would be a pleasure to have one of these beautiful animals as company but i prefer they reside in the wild like they used to.

  8. "I want" is so selfish and immature. As the owner of a cat rescue with various degrees in biology, i find that most people aren't even capable of taking care of a regular house cat, although they will tell you otherwise as they aren't fully educated about the animals' true needs. Yet, some "want" big cats?!? This is soooo scary to me! Too many children trapped in human adult bodies…

  9. What?
    Even if a wild cat is miraculously domesticated, it still has the natural instincts, even in small house cats, to hunt. Be it a playful act, the dangers are there, even kill by expressing theirselves in cat kind of way.

  10. If you want a big cat experience, why not take what you would spend in the first year, donate it to a wild cat rescue, and volunteer at the rescue. They need the funds, and the help. 🙂

  11. I've wanted a bobcat for years now, and I didn't know how much it would cost, I was thinking about buying a 5 acre property in like Nevada, or something. But I didn't know it would cost that much. Wow, that's for saving me from a financial downfall

  12. Carole Baskin Im the one that started this, and I have to agree with big-cat rescue, however I would like to add something, I do know that 'owning' a big cat is not a responsible thing to do but short of ed-populating the areas in Africa where the big cats are in danger what can be done to assure that they do not disappear, altogether? The real problem in the 'stone-age 'goat herders' that keep killing off the cat's and taking the land they, (the cat's) need to survive. the second big problem is china, 95% of the pouching in the world can be layed at there door, and that will not change until the western world forces them to do something about it. as for me i'm all for de-populating Africa, and turning it into a large animal preserve.

  13. Okay, the current theory is that cats domesticated themselves, Yes, this is a thing. Wild cats would hunt the rats in the pyramids and around the temples. They just got used to the presence of humans. This can happen all the time with animals. The difference is, the Egyptians started putting human contact into the picture after the wild cats were already used to being around them. Call me an idiot, but there has been extensive research done on this subject.

  14. Own? We have such a messed up perception of ownership. Something that we did not create… its said. Work on protecting these great animals, ensuring they survive and thrive in the animal. not in a chain link fence. People used to and still do think its ok to own people. its just not right. Freedom, live and let live. We keep destroying creatures and habitats simply to satisfy our own wants, pleasures and desires with total disregard to ecosystems, locally and globally

  15. You're probably thinking of the domestication of today's house cat. House cats domesticated themselves in Ancient Egypt. No wild cat is domesticated. There is a difference between the word "domesticated" and the word "tamed".

    Humans have only tamed about 3 species out of the other millions that are out there. Horses, cats, and dogs.

    Domestication is when a species has gone through generations and generations of breeding and genetics while being selected for certain traits that are desirable to humans.

    Taming is a process in which a wild animal is subdued into adapting and submitting to a human's control.

    Huge differences.

  16. Thank you for your article. That is outstanding and honest. I think maybe it is even harder than you stated to own big cats, but you didn’t want to come across too strong or afraid it might turn people off.

    In my case, I want to raise Savannahs and Bengals. I had considered having a Serval to use for breeding purposes, but I’ve read on multiple sites about the urine spraying that is uncontrollable.

    I plan to have a separate attached cattery, air conditioned, and with separate quarters for cats that do better alone than mixed with others. Or perhaps just separating some of them. Either way, the cats would not be allowed inside the house except when I am with them to watch them.

    The Savannahs and Bengals I hear are not too bad about the spraying. I imagine an F1 Savannah is still going to spray even after having him fixed (since he would be sterile anyway).

    Fantastic article. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

  17. I think that this is the reason for several big cat attacks on humans. Because people only look at the cute side to them they are not fully aware of the consequences and responsibilities for having these kind of animals. My opinion is that if anyone should be in possession of any type of big cat it should be someone who is a professional at comprehending their behavior like a naturalist or vet.

    Big lion, small apartment, private owner with no clue how to take care of him-Bad idea.
    Tiger-huge ranch owner is licensed vet with ph.d in biology-ok idea

    Big cat in a large protected park being looked after by forest rangers and naturalists-best idea yet

  18. Thanks for the article.
    I was doing research on whether it's possible to have a lynx as a cat, and your article really put things in perspective 🙂
    And, on a side note, I really like the design of your site.
    Thanks.

  19. Sharon Ihlefeld Obviously the reality check this whole subject was supposed to give, isn't getting to some. Such a shame.

    I know it can cost easily 20grand to take care of and maintain a healthy Cheetah.

  20. Great advice! I like the brutal honesty. If only people saw past the cuteness and realize that the reality of owning these beautiful animals require so much more than majority of us can provide, plus not being able to properly take care of it does more harm than good to the animal. Sure, owning a tiger is on my bucket list, but for my happiness and theirs, I'll leave it to the experts at sanctuaries/zoos and simply visit them instead.

  21. Zahid Hassan, They're trying to stop the domestication of wild big cats so why would you ask if you could adopt one? Its good that your donating money though!(: I'm saving up right so I can donate a decently big amount of money to bcr because i'm also so passionate about big cats and love what you all are doing at bcr! Take Care!

  22. Zahid Hassan, They're trying to stop the attempted domestication of wild big cats so why would you ask if you could adopt one? But its good that your donating!(:

  23. what about cheetah's I'm not fixing to go buy one, however I understand they were 'domesticated' as far back as ancient egypt, and are very adaptable to living with people., yes there are the same needs as other big cats, and they will spray but are they as aggressive? and would it help to preserve genetic diversity, and the species if 'owning' them was leagle, and feasible?

    1. No captive breeding of exotic cats helps them in the wild. All they need are safe places to live and plenty of prey and they will breed like…well…like cats. Cheetah don't often end up in private hands because they are so inbred and do so poorly in captivity that they rarely live long enough to be dumped into the pet trade. Most of those who do have them as pets bought them from dealers in the wild, under the guise of "rescuing" them, when in fact they are just plucked from the wild and sold to the highest bidders.

  24. I saw a commercial to "adopt" a tiger. I like the idea of it. I send "adoption" money to sponsor the tiger and it is taken care of in a natural habitat. I get cards, pictures and a little stuffed tiger. That is my idea of adopting a tiger.

  25. I saw a commercial to "adopt" a tiger. I like the idea of it. I send "adoption" money to sponsor the tiger and it is taken care of in a natural habitat. I get cards, pictures and a little stuffed tiger. That is my idea of adopting a tiger.

    1. Just wanted to say thank you for writing this article and for posting comments from exotic cat owners. It really made me rethink my plans for purchasing a pet. I was planning to buy a Serval and was about to schedule a meeting with a breeder. After reading what the actual costs are just to feed the cat, and what my house would smell like, I’ve decided not to get one. The food alone would cost quite a bit and the people who cut corners are likely shortening the lifespan of their pet. I look at it this way, I’m an animal lover and would never want to feed my pets anything that would make them sick. It’s cruel. And I was only planning to get a Serval. They are only a medium size cat and somewhat manageable. To that guy on here wanting a Leopard, you’re crazy! Even if you get it when it’s a baby, don’t play rough with it. Because it will probably play rough as an adult and might even accidentally kill you just trying to play with you. I think I’m just going to go to the Humane Society and adopt a cute little tabby. Best of luck to all of you. Some of you are REALLY going to need it.

      1. OMG ?YES THEY ARE VERY AGGRESSIVE YORDS PEOPLE , AND ( THEY ARE A (WILD )BIG CAT THAT MEANS YOU CAN ( NOT) TRAIN THEM , NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO ,- THEY WILL ( ALWAYS ) BE WILD !❣️
        THAT CAN ( NOT ) BE TAKIN OUT IF THEM . THERE ARE HUMANS THAT THINK THEY CAN TRAIN THEM , BUT IN THE END THE ANIMAL ENDS UP DIEING OR THE HUMAN DOSE ? THERE IS NO TRAINING A WILD BIG CAT , THE ONES THAT YOU SEE ON T.V OR IN ZOO’S ARE HUMERING THE HUMANS AND IT LAST A VERY SHORT TIME . ONCE A WILD CAT GETS PAST THE FIRST YEAR THEY ARE NO LONGER SWEET LITTLE BUNDLES OF FUR , THEY INDEPENDENT AND EQUIP WITH 4 PAWS THAT HAVE RAZER AT THE END OF EACH TOE AND A MOUTH FULL OF VERY LONG Deadly TEETH .?
        PLEASE THINK TWICE BEFORE PURCHASING ,
        ALSO KEEP IN MIND YOU MIGHT HAVE A LOT OF ACREAGE OR LAND BUT KEEP IN MIND THE COST OF VETS , FOOD , AND UR FREEDOM CAUSE WHEN U OWN A WILD BIG CAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A ADULT ON THE PREMISES AT ALL TIMES .
        AND IF JUST ONE OF YOUR NIEBORERS ARE SCARED , YOU WILL BE FORCED TO GET RID OF THE BIG CAT YOU LOVE SO MUCH AND ALL THE TIME AND MONEY INVESTED WILL BE FOR NOTHING , THE LAW DOSE NOT CARE HOW MUCH YOU’VE SPENT FOR THAT WILD CAT . PLEASE REMEMBER ALL ?BEFORE PURCHASING ONE .?????❣️

    1. I ALWAYS DREAM TO HAVE A PET LIKE LYNX OR BOBCAT ITS SO CUTE…BUT YOUR INFORMATION MAKE ME THINK TWICE TO FULFIL MY DREAM.

  26. just become a zoologist like me and then u can take care of tigers and other animals every day then at the end of the night u go home knowin u did somthing great and when u wake up u can do the samething all over again.
    love bebe<3

  27. this information is the best I have found so far and my love for big cats is even greater than ever. I have wanted a tiger as long as I can remember but with this info I see now that I have much to learn as for now I will keep my demestic cats lol. it is truely sad how people think that they can handle such amazing creatures and yet lead them to death, I think everyone for this helpful information and like to say keep up the good work.

  28. I love and respect all big cats. I think what Big Cat Rescue is doing is huge. Now, I’m ignorant to big cat behavior compared to our pros on this site, and probably better stated I’m ignorant to my own behavior, but all I can say is that before I get into a Tiger cage with a live Tiger I’ll have a tranquillizer gun in my hands. Is that silly?

    Just me functioning on that that fifth brain cell left,

    Don

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