Siberian Kittens: Adopt or Buy in Australia?

Should you adopt or buy a Siberian?

It depends on whether you want the breed or the kind of cat. If papers matter to you, a registered breeder is the honest answer, because purebred Siberians are rare across the rescues we aggregate. If what you want is a big, fluffy, easygoing cat, rescue has longhaired and medium-haired cats all year, and the fee includes desexing, microchipping and vaccination.

If allergies are the reason you are looking at Siberians at all, read the allergy section before anything else. It changes the decision more than price does.

• A registered breeder. Few publish a price; the one current price we found was $3,850 including GST. The trap is a seller who says “registered” or “hypoallergenic” without proof.
• A rescue, shelter or council pound. A few hundred dollars, all vet work done. The trap is a label: a fluffy moggy listed as a “Siberian” is still a moggy, which is fine as long as you know it.
• An online ad. The highest risk, especially when the ad leans on allergy promises.

What does a Siberian kitten cost in Australia?

Few breeders put a price online. No Australian cat council or club publishes a Siberian price guide, and Cats Victoria (GCCFV) says kitten pricing is up to individual breeders and varies by breed. In November 2026 we read the websites of Siberian catteries that show registration with an Australian cat council. One published a current price on its own site: $3,850 including GST for a kitten sold desexed, microchipped, vet checked and with pedigree papers, on a page updated in September 2026, with a note that some colours may cost more. One breeder is not a range. Another cattery's price was dated 2021, so we left it out, and most publish no price at all.

Reference figures only, not quotes. The breeder price was read on the breeder's own website, not on a listing site, and breeders and rescues set and change their own prices, so check with them. Rescue fees usually include desexing, microchipping and vaccination. Fees in other states are in our guide to kittens for sale in Australia.

Ask every breeder what the price includes. Cats Victoria says a kitten should be 10 weeks of age or older, vaccinated, desexed and microchipped before it comes to you, and suggests asking about a health guarantee.

Is a Siberian hypoallergenic?

The Siberian often appears on lists of hypoallergenic cats. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), the peak body for allergy specialists in Australia and New Zealand, is plain: as all cats have sebaceous glands, all cat breeds can cause allergies. RSPCA South Australia lists the Siberian among breeds considered hypoallergenic, but says on the same page that no animal is 100% allergen free.

We found no Australian allergy authority that backs a breed-level Siberian claim. Two more points from ASCIA matter if you plan to test a kitten. Up to 50% of people who are allergic to animals do not get symptoms straight away, so a short visit proves little. And cat allergen can stay in a home for up to six months after a cat leaves. ASCIA's first advice for people who are sensitised and have symptoms is not to bring a pet into the home.

In practice: if you are mildly allergic and still want a cat, get medical advice first, then judge the individual cat over several long visits. A longhaired rescue cat you have tested that way is a sounder bet than a Siberian kitten you have never met. A breeder who promises you will not react is selling, not informing. Our guide to hypoallergenic cats in Australia covers the evidence and the testing in full.

What do the registries say a Siberian is?

The Siberian is a recognised pedigree breed. The Coordinating Cat Council of Australia publishes a Siberian standard alongside a separate one for the closely related Neva Masquerade, and the Australian Cat Federation lists the Siberian among its recognised breeds. The Cat Fanciers' Association in the US accepted it for registration in 2000. The CFA description gives a good picture of the cat:

Source: Cat Fanciers' Association Siberian profile and standard, read 10 to 11 November 2026. Australian councils publish their own standards; ask your breeder which one their cats are registered under.

Only papers prove a pedigree. A fluffy rescue cat with a big ruff might have Siberian ancestry somewhere, or might not, and no shelter can tell you which from a photo. For most people that does not matter: you are choosing a personality, and a foster carer can usually tell you whether a cat is calm, cuddly, shy or bold.

Which health tests should a Siberian breeder show you?

The Australian Cat Federation publishes a list of minimum recommended DNA health testing for each breed it recognises. For the Siberian, its October 2025 list names the tests below. Ask for the written results for both parents, with each cat's name or microchip number.

Sources: ACF DNA health testing by breed (October 2025) and the ACVIM consensus statement, read 11 November 2026. A buying checklist, not veterinary advice.

On the heart: the ACVIM consensus statement on feline cardiomyopathies says most cats with HCM are not pedigree cats, and the Siberian is not among the pedigree breeds it names as at increased risk. There is no Siberian HCM DNA test on the ACF list either, so a clear DNA panel says nothing about the heart. A breeder who has had breeding cats scanned by a vet can show you the reports; ask. The ACF list also says Neva Masquerades are freely interbred with Siberians and should be tested for the same diseases.

How do you check a Siberian breeder?

Australian cat registration runs through several bodies: ANCATS (Australian National Cats), the Australian Cat Federation and its state member bodies, and the Coordinating Cat Council of Australia and its members. We could not verify an active Australian club for the Siberian alone, so the councils are your check.

1. Confirm the registration yourself. Ask which council the breeder is registered with, then check with that council, not through a link the seller sends.
2. Check your state's number. NSW, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT all set rules for kitten ads. The state-by-state table is in our kittens for sale guide.
3. Ask for the DNA results. PKD and PK deficiency for both parents, as above, and whether the parents' hearts have been scanned.
4. Expect what Cats Victoria lists. A kitten 10 weeks or older, vaccinated, desexed and microchipped before it goes home, with a health guarantee.
5. Ask how they handle allergies. A good answer sends you to your doctor and offers long visits with the kitten. A promise that you will not react is not a good answer.

What do Siberian scams look like?

Scamwatch says scammers set up fake websites, social media profiles and marketplace listings for popular breeds and pets that do not exist. Its advice: view the pet in person or on a video call, check the breeder is legitimate, and compare prices, because a very cheap pet is likely a scam. It also warns about being asked to pay by money order, pre-loaded card, or to several different accounts. Siberian versions of the pattern:

• A cheap “registered” kitten. A price far below what registered breeders charge, with papers you cannot confirm.
• Allergy guarantees. ASCIA says all cat breeds can cause allergies, so a guarantee is a sales line, whoever makes it.
• No visit. The seller cannot meet you or do a live video call with the kitten and its mother.
• Copied text and photos. Run a reverse image search on the kitten photos and search a sentence of the ad.

If you have already paid, contact your bank straight away and report it to Scamwatch. The full checks are in our kittens for sale guide.

Is a Siberian the right cat for you?

• Good fit: a home that wants a big, sociable, playful cat and does not mind weekly grooming.
• Think twice: a home with no time for a longhaired coat, or a budget that cannot stretch to a four-figure kitten plus vet care.
• Not a reason to choose one: allergies, for the reasons above.

Temperament varies between individual cats in every breed, and a foster carer can tell you how a particular cat behaves with noise, children and other pets. Not sure what kind of cat suits you? Try the what cat breed am I quiz, or dog or cat? if you are still deciding on the species. Weighing a dog too? Other adopt-or-buy guides in this set cover the Lagotto Romagnolo, Pomsky and Schnoodle.

Where to find a Siberian or a longhaired rescue cat

Purebred Siberians rarely turn up in rescue, while domestic medium and longhaired cats are listed all year. So the practical plan is to watch the breed page, set an alert, and look at the fluffy moggies while you wait.

Siberian listings in the big cities

• Siberian cats for adoption in Sydney
• Siberian cats for adoption in Melbourne
• Siberian cats for adoption in Brisbane
• Siberian cats for adoption in Perth
• Siberian cats for adoption in Adelaide
• Australia-wide: the Siberian breed page.

Longhaired cats for adoption

• Long-haired cats in Sydney
• Long-haired cats in Melbourne
• Long-haired cats in Brisbane
• Long-haired cats in Perth
• Long-haired cats in Adelaide

If a kitten is what you want, see the kittens in Sydney or kittens in Melbourne. Before you apply, the adoption readiness check takes five minutes, and our guide to adopting a cat in Australia walks through the process.