Bombay Cat Price: You Are Paying for the Pedigree
$500-2,000 pet-quality in the US, £50-250 on live UK listings, and one Australian source we label as exactly that. Plus the two-source buyer checklist. Read August 2026.
Published August 21, 2026 4 min read
Contents
One framing before the figures. The Bombay is rare, and the vs-black-cat page carries the dated registry counts. With a breed this rare, the paperwork IS the product. A black kitten without registration papers is a black kitten, at a black kitten's price. The market below shows exactly that split.
United States
Pet-quality Bombays run $500 to $2,000 across three independent guide sources. A named show tier sits at $2,000 to $2,500+ (single-sourced, so labeled). The one active named cattery with a posted price, Bombay Paws, lists at a flat $800. GoKitty's live marketplace spread ran $0 to $1,000. The $0 listings read as rehomings. Adoption and rescue fees run $15 to $300 across four sources. Those are bundled shelter fees (vaccines, chip, neuter), never comparable line-for-line with a breeder price.
United Kingdom
The live Pets4Homes sample ran £50 to £250 (22 active listings, independently re-confirmed the same day). Almost none of those listings claims registration. Britain's Bombay is the Asian Shorthair line, thin on the ground. The marketplace mostly sells black cats wearing the name. One guide article's £400-800 estimate sits far above the live sample. We print both as what they are, and the gap is the finding: in the UK, the word Bombay on a listing usually is not the .
Canada
Kijiji's live listings ran CA$60 to CA$1,300 across five provinces. One warning from our research worth passing on: a "$600 to $1,000" sentence appears word-for-word identical across three different province pages of one breeder-directory site. Templated boilerplate is one data point, not three, however many provinces it wears.
Australia
Single source, labeled in bold: AUD $700 to $2,000 from a breeder and $200 to $500 shelter, from one pet-content site (itself likely templated). No second Australian price source could be reached through any door. One genuinely Australian fact comes from the registry side. 's own breed history states Australian programs used a Black BRITISH Shorthair in place of the American Shorthair in the founding cross. That makes a third variant of the breed, unique to that market.
The buyer's checklist, two named sources
publishes numbered find-a-breeder steps; publishes its own scam red flags. We keep them as two named lists rather than one anonymous blend. One CFA flag deserves the spotlight, because it pairs with the law. Most reputable breeders release kittens between 12 and 16 weeks.
A kitten offered at 6 to 8 weeks is a red flag, even though 6 to 8 weeks is the LEGAL minimum everywhere a sourced floor exists (US federal transport rule and Maine/Texas statutes; England, Scotland and Wales; Quebec; Victoria and NSW). Legal is the floor; reputable practice is materially later. And no Bombay anywhere triggers hybrid-ownership law: this is a fully domestic breed, with no Bengal-style paperwork anywhere.
The registries, market by market
US: and , whose founding accounts differ in dates and are told separately on the profile. UK: the Asian group (the British Bombay is a black Asian Shorthair, a different lineage). Canada: , whose own outcross rule allows F1 registrations. That rule is materially looser than what the same registry applies to some other breeds. Australia: and , with the British-Shorthair founding variant above.
Four markets on one card (named sources, 17/08/2026)
| Market | Published figures | Shape of the market |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $500-2,000 pet; show $2,000-2,500+ (single-sourced); one cattery at $800 flat | The papers are the product |
| United Kingdom | Live listings £50-250, mostly unregistered | The word Bombay is usually not the here |
| Canada | CA$60-1,300 live listings, five provinces | Templated directory boilerplate counted once |
| Australia | A$700-2,000: ONE source, labeled single-source | 's own founding cross used a Black British Shorthair |
The vet's take
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a Bombay cat cost?
August 2026: US $500-2,000 pet-quality (show tier $2,000-2,500+, single-sourced; one named cattery posts $800 flat); UK live listings £50-250, mostly unregistered; Canada CA$60-1,300 on live listings; Australia A$700-2,000 from a single source, labeled as such.
Why are UK Bombay prices so low?
Because most UK listings are not the pedigree: Britain's Bombay line (GCCF Asian Shorthair) is scarce, and the £50-250 live cluster is black cats wearing the name. A registered kitten will price like a pedigree, not like the cluster.
Is it cheaper to adopt a Bombay?
Rescue fees run $15-300 in the US, but true Bombays in rescue are rare (the registry counts explain why); what shelters have in abundance is beautiful black cats, at bundled-fee prices that include vaccines and neutering.
What age should a Bombay kitten come home?
CFA's own red flag: 6-8 weeks is too early even though it is the legal minimum in every market with a sourced floor; reputable breeders release at 12-16 weeks. Registries recommend 12 weeks; check the legal minimum where you live.
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This is information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot tell you what is wrong with your cat. Our rule is a simple one: if something is wrong with your cat, call your vet, and call an emergency clinic if it is out of hours. Nothing you read here is a reason to wait.
Medical information applies to every reader. Prices, legal duties and common practice do not: unless stated otherwise, they are given for the United States, and they differ in the UK, Canada and Australia, and often between states or provinces. Check with your own vet and your own local authority.
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