Those of you with pets, what do you guess they cost you per year?

[gwendolyn]

Sorry for the nosy financial question, but I really would like to get a cat (or possibly two) sometime within the next year. However, I am not sure what the average costs would be to expect as far as vet bills, litter and food. Clearly some costs can not be predicted, but if you have any idea what your average pet costs are monthly/annually, that would be very helpful. Additionally so if you live in the UK!

 

[neatfreak]

A lot.

No really, our cat for now (while she is young and healthy) is a few hundred a year. Our dogs on the other hand...well it isn't cheap to feed 2 80lb dogs!

The big expenses come with the vet bills. So if you have a healthy cat the vet bills are very reasonable. If not though or if they have an accident it can easily run into the thousands.

On the other hand a friend of mine's cat has a few health problems that she's developed recently and my friend has spent over $4000 this year on the cat between special food, scans at the vet, checkups, etc. So it's hard to predict.

Basically having a pet is a commitment and the daily expenses aren't bad but the unexpected expenses can be killers.

 

[Deelight]

A pure guesstimation on the calculator off the top of my head I would say my two furballs cost me easily $2.5k a year probably more, geez I have never thought about it

.

That guesstimate includes food, clipping (they are both long haired), flea treatments, vaccines and kitty litter routine stuff.

This does not include the unexpected costs like the time the little one ate boogy board and ended up on a drip at the vet near death or the time the older one nearly lost and eye do to the fact he doesn't blink properly.

I would say we run into an unexpected cost at least once a year for one reason or another but it is really those costs that can throw you for six.

In saying all that I adore my cats and even though they annoy me from time to time I reckon they are worth every cent

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 11/8/2008 10:30:10 AM
Author: neatfreak
A lot.

No really, our cat for now (while she is young and healthy) is a few hundred a year. Our dogs on the other hand...well it isn''t cheap to feed 2 80lb dogs!


The big expenses come with the vet bills. So if you have a healthy cat the vet bills are very reasonable. If not though or if they have an accident it can easily run into the thousands.


On the other hand a friend of mine''s cat has a few health problems that she''s developed recently and my friend has spent over $4000 this year on the cat between special food, scans at the vet, checkups, etc. So it''s hard to predict.


Basically having a pet is a commitment and the daily expenses aren''t bad but the unexpected expenses can be killers.

Aye, I am all too familiar with how much the unexpected vet bills can be--while cat-sitting for 2 friends of mine, I had to authorize a $3500 surgery or else the kitty would have died!

My question was more an estimate of what is paid for food, regular vet-check ups--that sort of thing. And part of the reason I''m after cats is because they *don''t* eat as much as two 80-pound dogs!

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 11/8/2008 10:31:39 AM
Author: Deelight
A pure guesstimation on the calculator off the top of my head I would say my two furballs cost me easily $2.5k a year probably more, geez I have never thought about it

.


That guesstimate includes food, clipping (they are both long haired), flea treatments, vaccines and kitty litter routine stuff.


This does not include the unexpected costs like the time the little one ate boogy board and ended up on a drip at the vet near death or the time the older one nearly lost and eye do to the fact he doesn''t blink properly.


I would say we run into an unexpected cost at least once a year for one reason or another but it is really those costs that can throw you for six.


In saying all that I adore my cats and even though they annoy me from time to time I reckon they are worth every cent

Thanks, Dee, that is helpful! I adore animals as well and really miss having pets in the home, but I am also very aware how quickly the everyday costs can add up and wouldn''t want to seriously look into getting any animal without having a realistic idea of the finances involved. Of course, by the time we''d seriously be looking to adopt some kitties, we should have plenty in savings for all sorts of unplanned emergencies, so I think I''m probably just being overly cautious about this. Just wouldn''t want to be an irresponsible momma!

 

[Deelight]

Date: 11/8/2008 10:43:11 AM
Author: gwendolyn

Date: 11/8/2008 10:31:39 AM

Author: Deelight

A pure guesstimation on the calculator off the top of my head I would say my two furballs cost me easily $2.5k a year probably more, geez I have never thought about it

.



That guesstimate includes food, clipping (they are both long haired), flea treatments, vaccines and kitty litter routine stuff.



This does not include the unexpected costs like the time the little one ate boogy board and ended up on a drip at the vet near death or the time the older one nearly lost and eye do to the fact he doesn''t blink properly.



I would say we run into an unexpected cost at least once a year for one reason or another but it is really those costs that can throw you for six.



In saying all that I adore my cats and even though they annoy me from time to time I reckon they are worth every cent

Thanks, Dee, that is helpful! I adore animals as well and really miss having pets in the home, but I am also very aware how quickly the everyday costs can add up and wouldn''t want to seriously look into getting any animal without having a realistic idea of the finances involved. Of course, by the time we''d seriously be looking to adopt some kitties, we should have plenty in savings for all sorts of unplanned emergencies, so I think I''m probably just being overly cautious about this. Just wouldn''t want to be an irresponsible momma!

Caution is definitly good and so is pet insurance , our vet recommended we get it for our smaller kitty because seriously that cat (while so cute and slightly psychotic) is a little stupid. He eats anything and everything, ribbon, paper but boogy board is his fave. And our older one for some reason every time he goes to vet they find something wrong with him

and he goes about every 2-3mths and is as happy as pie all the time.

All the bills I listed are spread out over the year so it is not to bad, if you get short haired cats no need to clip (not that you really would need to in England) and I buy their food in bulk so it is really a monthly expense .

The love and affection they give is seriously priceless .

 

[diamondfan]

my dog, with high end food, grooming here and there (she is a water dog so does not need tons of baths), pet poop removal (a non issue with a cat), boarding, supplies, and vet check ups runs me in the thousands. But she is worth every last penny to me. She is actually fairly low maintenance.

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 11/8/2008 10:49:57 AM
Author: Deelight
Caution is definitly good and so is pet insurance , our vet recommended we get it for our smaller kitty because seriously that cat (while so cute and slightly psychotic) is a little stupid. He eats anything and everything, ribbon, paper but boogy board is his fave. And our older one for some reason every time he goes to vet they find something wrong with him

and he goes about every 2-3mths and is as happy as pie all the time.


All the bills I listed are spread out over the year so it is not to bad, if you get short haired cats no need to clip (not that you really would need to in England) and I buy their food in bulk so it is really a monthly expense .

Aye, it''s probably close to what I had in mind already anyway. And I shall definitely look into pet insurance!

The love and affection they give is seriously priceless .

I know!! I can''t wait to have a furball to love again.

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 11/8/2008 10:54:59 AM
Author: diamondfan
my dog, with high end food, grooming here and there (she is a water dog so does not need tons of baths), pet poop removal (a non issue with a cat), boarding, supplies, and vet check ups runs me in the thousands. But she is worth every last penny to me. She is actually fairly low maintenance.

Oh, I am sure she is worth every penny and then some! I hope my thread doesn''t make it sound like I would think otherwise about anyone''s pets--just want to make sure James and I have adequate funds coming in and in reserve before we add to our little family.

I hadn''t remembered about boarding costs--thank you for reminding me of that, DF!

 

[diamondfan]

No implication at all sweetie! Just noting that she is so special to us that while yes, she costs money, her place in our home is priceless. She is a lovebug.

Cats are not as tough in terms of boarding, if you go away overnight sometimes you can just leave food and water. A dog is tougher to leave, they get so upset at you sometimes they get destructive! Cats are somewhat chill about it.

 

[iluvcarats]

Our healthy 2 year old Lab is just food and water (and the occasional furniture he decides too snack on

)
Our elderly Black Lab who passed away in July was a different story. She was on 3 different medications and was getting accupuncture treatments. It was expensive, but as others have said, worth every penny!

 

[iluvcarats]

Date: 11/8/2008 11:15:07 AM
Author: iluvcarats
Our healthy 2 year old Lab is just food and water (and the occasional furniture he decides too snack on

)

Our elderly Black Lab who passed away in July was a different story. She was on 3 different medications and was getting accupuncture treatments. It was expensive, but as others have said, worth every penny!

The medicine and accupunture was about $300 per month.

 

[Pandora II]

Gwen, if you can wait till tomorrow I''ll ask my parents about the standard yearly vet costs over here - vaccinations, worming, fleas (Frontline is great) and annual check-up.

I''d estimate around £15 a week for food/litter for 2 cats.

It''s worth having insurance for vet bills - Tesco has a good one I think. Some of my parents cat''s have cost hundreds when it came to surgery.

Remember to factor in kennel costs if you are away on holiday.

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 11/8/2008 11:10:33 AM
Author: diamondfan
No implication at all sweetie! Just noting that she is so special to us that while yes, she costs money, her place in our home is priceless. She is a lovebug.


Cats are not as tough in terms of boarding, if you go away overnight sometimes you can just leave food and water. A dog is tougher to leave, they get so upset at you sometimes they get destructive! Cats are somewhat chill about it.

This is true, but since I am hoping J and I will be able to make somewhat regular trips back to the US to visit my family and friends (maybe a couple of times a year), it is worthwhile for me to consider boarding costs as well.

Your dog sounds absolutely lovely! I used to have a cat named Artie who was also a lovebug and sometimes I can almost still feel him snuggling me in bed! Do you have any photos in your Who''s Who? I would love to see her.

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 11/8/2008 11:17:24 AM
Author: iluvcarats

Date: 11/8/2008 11:15:07 AM

Author: iluvcarats

Our healthy 2 year old Lab is just food and water (and the occasional furniture he decides too snack on

)


Our elderly Black Lab who passed away in July was a different story. She was on 3 different medications and was getting accupuncture treatments. It was expensive, but as others have said, worth every penny!

The medicine and accupunture was about $300 per month.

Oh goodness, iluvcarats, I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your pup. It''s always so hard.

Thank you so much for sharing your info and experiences.

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 11/8/2008 11:18:16 AM
Author: Pandora II
Gwen, if you can wait till tomorrow I''ll ask my parents about the standard yearly vet costs over here - vaccinations, worming, fleas (Frontline is great) and annual check-up.


I''d estimate around £15 a week for food/litter for 2 cats.


It''s worth having insurance for vet bills - Tesco has a good one I think. Some of my parents cat''s have cost hundreds when it came to surgery.


Remember to factor in kennel costs if you are away on holiday.

Pandora, that would be ideal, to know what the vet bills are (roughly)! I will check up on Tesco''s pet insurance as well. Thank you so much, my dear!

 

[diamondfan]

Date: 11/8/2008 11:29:24 AM
Author: gwendolyn

Date: 11/8/2008 11:10:33 AM

Author: diamondfan

No implication at all sweetie! Just noting that she is so special to us that while yes, she costs money, her place in our home is priceless. She is a lovebug.



Cats are not as tough in terms of boarding, if you go away overnight sometimes you can just leave food and water. A dog is tougher to leave, they get so upset at you sometimes they get destructive! Cats are somewhat chill about it.

This is true, but since I am hoping J and I will be able to make somewhat regular trips back to the US to visit my family and friends (maybe a couple of times a year), it is worthwhile for me to consider boarding costs as well.


Your dog sounds absolutely lovely! I used to have a cat named Artie who was also a lovebug and sometimes I can almost still feel him snuggling me in bed! Do you have any photos in your Who''s Who? I would love to see her.

I might have, I feel like I do but cannot recall. If not I will try to get Ali or someone to help me post some!!!

 

[Rhea]

Food & Treats - about £25/month
Litter - about £20/month
Toys - not much, she doesn't loose them, about £10/year
Yearly vet - £55-£205, depending on what's being done
Food, water bowls and bed - not replaced very often, about £50 every couple of years

She's 10 years old and an inside only cat. I personally don't think she cost that much. Finding a food that she didn't throw up was time consuming and expensive, but the food that she ended up with doesn't cost that much. We buy her litter in bulk at Costco for a bit of savings.

She isn't groomed and we don't board her so that cuts costs down.

 

[bee*]

Booster injection for both - €45 each.
Worming every three months - €8 euro a go
Flea treatment €12 per month
Food for mups- €80 euro for a 12kg bag which lasts about 5 weeks
Food for Manolo- €20 per bag which lasts about three weeks
litter for Manolo-about €10 per month.

I''m fortunate in that I get a good staff discount on all of the above in work and my mother''s is a dog groomer by profession so poor Amber is dumped in the bath more often than she would like!!

 

[omieluv]

Good question!

I am in the US, btw. The adoption fee for my cat was $125, which included all of her shots/vaccinations (I adopted a 1 year old cat). I had her on a premium cat food, which was $11 (USD) per bag for I think 9 pounds. Her cat litter is about $11 and I always buy her the largest pail I can find in Tidy Cat Litter.

Everything was going well, until last year when she needed surgery to remove 3 stones in her bladder. The cost of the procedure was $1350 and the insurance I had for her reimbursed me $500. However, I now have to feed her a prescription diet, which costs $40 per bag, which I have to buy every 3 months or so. I do not mind paying a bit more for her food, as we do not have to buy it frequently. Other than her proceedure, she is not very costly.

Keep in mind the breed of the cat might influence medical issues, just as in dogs. So be sure to research breeds very well before making a decision, or just adopt a mixed-breed cat from your local animal shelter. There are no guarantees, of course. If I were you, research pet insurance plans and find a good one so you can have peace of mind. The pet insurance I have does not cover as much as my mother's does, so I plan to switch to hers. Had I been on the other plan, I would have had to pay 90% of the vet bill after a $200 deductable.
There has been a thread started related to pet insurance, if you have more questions, go ahead and post them there!

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Our two dogs cost of well into the thousands. Grooming, vetting (including shots), raw food, clothing (yes...they have a clothing allowance), treats, toys...it''s not cheap, thats for sure. But, it''s worth it.

 

[katamari]

I highly recommend two cats! I couldn''t live without my two, and even though I live on a grad student budget they are worth every penny. I think the estimates here are pretty standard. I estimated about $900 a year, but mine get groomed, premium food (which costs at least 5xs what Cat Chow costs), and more toys than they need. Plus, one of my boys has a medical condition that takes daily meds and a few vet trips to address, which adds to the estimate.

 

[omieluv]

Gwen, many apologies if you answered this previously, but, will your cat be an indoor cat or outdoor cat? I ask because if it is an outdoor cat, you could have higher vet bills if something were to happen to the cat if it spends the majority of its time out doors.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

If you can, try and find a short hair cat so you don''t have to worry about a groomer.

My two cats cost about $20-30 a month to feed because I use a special food for cats with skin issues (food with omegas in it).
Litter is about $15 a month.
Deworming stuff $50 a year.
Advantage for fleas about $100 a year.

When we go on 2-3 day vacations, we leave enough food and water out for them. If we''re gone longer, my MIL comes over and gives them fresh supplies and does the litter. A few summers back, we went on an 8 day vacation and she came over twice and they were just fine that entire time. That was when we had more than 2 cats. Luckily they''re very independant.

 

[Kelli]

Sorry, but I have NO IDEA!! I''m horrible with finances and I''m sure it''s probably better that I don''t know LOL! But I''ve had two big (ish) dogs for a while now and just got (found) a third one and we spoil them rotten. It''s probably way more than you''d spend on a cat though, they probably eat less!

 

[movie zombie]

5 cats, cat litter, cat food. then there are the vet bills for 3 cats on meds 2-3 times per day along with visits to said vet and special testing. we spend THOUSANDS per year. lots of thousands some years when we had cats with cancer......i actually don''t want to know. i did check one time and it was $38k in a two year period...since then, i don''t ask but we do seem to have favored status at the vets.

movie zombie

 

[coatimundi_org]

One 16 pound 2 year old pup(Gary)--and I think he cost us about 1K a year(give or take) and that includes grooming, K9Advantix, shots, check-ups, organic food/treats, and toys. Not too shabby!

 

[Rhea]

Gwen, keep in mind moving costs if you''re planning to return to the US. We spent $1000 on transportation for one cat a couple of years ago plus the cost of several vet appointments in the lead up to the move to get our papers signed and run various tests. It might be easier moving to the US from the UK because the UK doesn''t have rabies, which is what most of the tests and sign offs seemed to be about.

 

[shimmer]

My 12 yr old lab cross costs $225/month for food and arthritis medication and supplements. He has to have blood tests every 6 mos which costs $300 each. Plus annual vaccination are $2-300. He only drinks bottled water (so cute!) so that''s $5/week. I don''t clean his teeth annually, but I should and that costs $3-400.

He had a lumpectomy 2 yrs ago (two 6in diameter fat lumps removed) that cost $2000. Wish I never did it as they just came back again (and it was dreadful what he went through trying to recover).

I''m in Canada.

 

[gemgirl]

I''m estimating that my two pups cost me about $2200.- a year between private Vet care for their yearly physical and shots, heartworm meds, once a month baths and nail clipping, and food and treats. Not bad really for all the unconditional love we both receive in return!