Personal Finance, A4
So you want a cat. Sure. At least forty seven million US households feel the same way. But taking care of a living being is a huge financial responsibility. Of course, costs will depend on the age, size, and general health condition of the cat you adopt but all possible costs should be considered before one signs the adoption papers. Here’s how you own a cat on a budget:
Costs only included in the first year are represented in blue. Annual costs are in red/yellow.
Adoption fee: This fee varies on age where young kittens are more expensive than the adults. For the sake of generalizing, a young adult American shorthair would cost about $75-$150. A kitten would cost from $200 to $300, so if you’re a cat lover on a budget, you should consider adopting an older cat.
Spaying/neutering: Most likely, an adult cat from an adoption agency is already spayed/neutered so you wouldn’t have to pay this. However, if you adopt from a breeder or adopt a young kitten, the surgery can cost up to $200 depending on the cat’s size, age, and health. With that in mind, the cheapest option would be adopting from an agency.
Medical fees: An initial medical exam will cost about $130 but will be a one time thing. In order to keep you cat healthy, they’ll have to undergo annual routine checkups which can be divided into four sections: office calls, vaccines, fecal exam, and heartworm test.
The office call, which is a regular examination, will cost about $50.
Vaccine boosters will typically be done two to four times a year and will cost you $20 each.
The annual fecal exam will cost about $35
The annual heartworm test, which tests for heartworm disease, will cost $45
In general, the annual medical cost of a healthy cat will be $190. These are the typical procedures for any cat but if your cat has a disease and needs to undergo surgery, these costs can very easily go into the thousands.
Food: Wet food cans range from $0.56 to $1.50 depending on the brand. Dry food bags will cost about $20 (but ranges from $7 to $38 at petsmart). It’s healthy for a cat to receive both dry and wet food. Dry bags will last around two and a half months, meaning that you’ll go through about 5 bags a year. That’s $100. As for wet food, a can will last four days. That’s $91 a year. In total, food will cost $196 a year but can differ based on the cat’s needs.
Pet Insurance: This may not be mandatory but is important to consider. A decent coverage plan will cost $360-$600 a year. By taking this option, you’ll be covered if your cat has a medical emergency, which could save you thousands.
Equipment: Cat collars will be about $8 and ID tags fall at around $8 as well. I’d suggest getting your cat an ID tag so that they’re able to be identified if they run away. As for toys, you don’t have to spend anything. Sure, you can purchase a $9 string toy but cats typically enjoy a simple shoe lace or twig much better anyway. Scratchers are good for their claws and can cost $35. If you’re on a budget, just glue rope to a wooden pole. Cheap brushes will be $3.40 but it is suggested that you purchase a Furminator, which costs $30. While more expensive, it collects hair much better, which avoids matts and visits to the professional groomer (which can cost $50). Litter boxes will be $10 and scoops $5. In total, equipment will only cost $61 initially.
Standard cat litter will cost about $10 a box and needs to be changed monthly. A box will likely get you through three months, adding up to $40 annually.
In total, it will cost $876 annually and $1,167 the first year. With this in mind, it’s important to note that if you can not afford to pay these costs, you should not adopt a cat. Some may think they’ve found a loophole by adopting a free farm/stray cat. However stray cats typically have a lot of medical issues which will cost a fortune to overcome (I should know! I adopted a farm cat who now requires medicine everyday. I also own a stray who has appetite problems. While it’s good to give care to a cat that needs it, it’s financially safer to go with the healthy agency cat!)
Therefore, those wanting to adopt should wait until after college to take another life into their care. Throughout college, you can set aside savings for pet ownership to prepare. Many of us want to own an animal but it would be wiser to wait until we are financially stable before signing that adoption contract.
Works Cited
Allen., Meredith, et al. “The Annual Vet Visit Cost: What to Expect.” PetCareRx, Published by: PetCareRx, 13 Aug. 2013, www.petcarerx.com/article/the-annual-vet-visit-cost-what-to-expect/1276.“American Shorthair Kittens for Sale.” Adopt a Dog or Cat Today! Search for Local Pets in Need of a Home., www.adoptapet.com/s/adopt-an-american-shorthair.
“Cat & Kitten Health Care Costs: Check Ups, Vet Visits, And Care Expenses.” Catological, 26 Apr. 2019, www.catological.com/much-cat-healthcare-cost/.
“Facts Statistics: Pet Statistics.” III, www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-pet-statistics.
That is interesting. It is expensive to own animals in general. I don't like cats personally, they scare me. I wouldn't want to spend that much on an animal. I might be able to t until I'm out of college and have the money.
ReplyDeletePeople always talk about how you need to be financially stable to take care of a kid, but you rarely hear people say that you need to be financially stable to own a pet! It's super important that potential pet owners know about these fees so they don't rush into getting, say, a cat and finding themselves struggling to provide for it. I have a dog myself so I know the costs are a little different based on the type of animal (Cooper's a bigger animal and eats way more food than a cat does), but overall owning a pet is quite the expensive endeavor.
ReplyDeleteThis is very fascinating. I know many people who get animals, especially cats, during or right after college and they probably don't understand the cost of the animal. I personally have two dogs and although it is not a cat, it probably costs the same amount. I just didn't know how expensive the cost of a house pet in general would be especially for people with 2 or more pets.
ReplyDeleteMost people never really think about the costs of pets before they buy one. They just think "I kind of want a cat!" and then they go out and buy one, but your blog posts reminds everyone of all of the costs and responsibilities of having a pet. You can't just get it for a few months, you are committed to the costs until the cat dies (unless you give it away). I also liked how your post had a few tips for how to save money (make your own toys and scratchers) this way even if you aren't in the MOST financially stable situation, you can still work your way around the costs and still get a pet. This post is very informative and reminds everyone to think before they act.
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting topic you covered. Something that sometimes cna go overlooked. While I’ve always known having pets takes money, I’ve always chalked it up to that “they’re expensive”. Crunching the numbers really puts it into perspective. I’ve heard and seen multiple college students talking about getting a cat or saying they already have a cat. Perhaps because they are often lower maintenance than dogs it seems like a good idea, but cats definitely have their expenses too. Going into college, the expenses of a cat, or a pet in general is definitely something that can’t be seen as a one time purchase and is deserving of being factored into the monthly budget. Medical expenses alone are enough to make one want to sigh, but take into account emergency surgeries or medication and these skyrocketing expenses can make one want to cry. We’ll have to be more careful and less impulsive about our choices. Lastly, I think it's interesting to look at the generally morally positive decision of getting a cat that is in less than perfect condition versus the more financially stable and beneficial decision.
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting to read and see how much a cat actually does cost finically. I think it would be interesting to compare to a dog and see which one is more expensive. I agree with you whole hearted to not adopt an animal until you absolute know you're finically stable. With this if you were to adopt a animal now and you're not finically stable you're not giving this animal a better life than it has in a shelter, there they're given food, time to play and there essential things they need. When you're not stable you may not be able to feed them, take them to a vet etc.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really thoroughly researched topic and opened my eyes to some of these kinds of expensive I would never even think of. This made me realize just how expensive a pet in general is.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting information, I own a cat and had no idea that the costs add up to this amount of money and did not realize the expenses of the animal. It is very expensive for many families which result in either not getting a cat or having to give it away. I would be curious to know the percent at which people need to give away their pet because they did not have the financial ability to keep them because they were unaware of the costs prior to getting the animal.
ReplyDelete