Before setting out to find a new feline companion one should give some serious thought to how much keeping a cat costs and whether or not they can truly afford to keep one. Owning a cat is a serious commitment.
Keeping a cat as a pet, can be rather expensive however there are ways to cut down costs and whether or not you can afford to keep a cat as a pet is really up to how much you make financially and how well you take care of your cat. For instance, keeping your kitty indoors and up to date on his or her vaccinations can really save you a lot of money in the long run as it decreases your cats chances of contracting a nasty disease or parasite, etc.
In any case, cats are a wonderful companion and will enrich your life in all sorts of ways, so in the end the expense is usually worth it. Before searching for a cat, it is important to keep in mind that he or she needs a “forever home”, so before you make that leap it is important to consider all of the costs that are involved in keeping your cat healthy and comfortable for the rest of his or her life.
The Cost Of Buying A Cat
How Much Does Getting A Cat Cost?
Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- Do I want a kitten or a cat?
- As a pet?
- To breed from?
- To show?
- To buy?
- To adopt?
- To rescue?
Other Things To Consider When Searching For A Cat
Pedigree kittens and kittens in general are much more expensive than older cats. Sometimes certain breeds can even cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. A cheaper route to go, and very beneficial to kitty is adopting a cat from a rescue shelter. Cats that are found here are usually already up to date on vaccinations, have come in as strays or from being abandoned or surrendered, and would be very grateful if you adopted them and gave them a forever home.
The other perk to adopting is that not only are you doing these poor cats a favor, but it is also usually cheaper to adopt as it usually just requires a small adoption fee, in most cases about $50-65. When adopting you will be asked to fill out an application and then notified if you pass the background check and application process before being able to take kitty home. Sometimes you will even receive a certificate for a free wellness exam that is good for a year. This can help tremendously with cutting costs down.
The Costs Of Keeping A Cat
Things you will need to buy just once:
- Food bowl
- Water bowl
- Litter box or tray
- Litter scoop
- Grooming set (brush, flea comb, etc.)
- Bed
- Scratching post
- Pet carrier
- Toys
- Microchipping (optional)
- Collar and I.D. tag
Ongoing Cat Costs
Things you will need to continue to buy:
- Food
- Litter
- Veterinary bills
- Annual vaccinations
- Flea and worm treatments
- Pet insurance (optional)
Useful Tips For Budgeting Your Pet Expenses
Before getting a cat here are a few useful tips you can utilize to budget your potential pet expenses for kitty. Afterwards if you decide to keep your cat, you can always go back and edit your budget to make paying for kitty each month a lot easier and less stressful.
- Copy all of the items above into a spreadsheet or write them down on a piece of paper. Research all of the costs by searching online or in your local area, and then add up all of the costs to find out the total.
- Visit your nearest pet store and price all items on the onetime costs list
- Check online to see if you can buy certain items such as food and/or litter for a cheaper price or have them delivered. Sometimes there are lots of savings or coupons online or perks if you buy items in bulk.
- Be on the lookout for special offers or discounts on pet foods in your local supermarket.
- Sign up as a member at your local pet store for additional coupons and savings. Many times once you become a member, after your purchase a certain amount of items you will get additional savings or can have coupons emailed to you or sent to you in the mail.
- Talk to your neighbors or friends with pets and call at least two local veterinary clinics to ask about the cost of annual vaccinations and health checkups. Another good thing to ask about is flea and parasite treatment as these sorts of things happen from time to time. Contacting a groomer may be another option you want to ask about.
- Shop around and search quotes online for annual pet insurance. It may seem like a costly expense, but it is minor compared to what you will pay in veterinary bills should your feline friend end up needing surgery. If you can afford it, get it. You’ll be glad you did.
- Consider applying for pet credit cards. It may sound silly, but there are a few different banks and/or companies that offer credit cards specifically for pets. The good thing about these credit cards is that many of them are not only for your cat’s health issues but can sometimes even be used for your own medical expenses as well. Be sure to read the fine print to see what your card will cover.
Care Credit Card
One great credit card out there is from Care Credit. It can be easily applied for online and if you have well enough credit it only takes a few minutes to get approved and is usually sent to you in the mail within a week or two. The other cool thing? After applying, many times they will give you the card info right away so you can charge the card in the meantime if you absolutely had to.
For a person with average/good credit you can easily get approved for at least $500-700 or more in a matter of minutes. Having this card really helps as most veterinarians accept it and it comes in handy when your cat needs to make an emergency visit to the vet but you don’t have the money to pay the cost upfront. Just charge it on your card and pay it off later, or pay a minimum balance monthly until you can make a payment in full. Another cool thing about this card is that sometimes you can get additional immediate discounts off of your vet bill for using it.
http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/
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