How much does it cost to keep a cat?

I'd agree with all the posters who recommened you get a cat from a rescue centre. Ours came from the RSPCA and she's fab. She eats half a tin of cat food a day and we go through a large bag of dry stuff (Asda's best!) about every 2/3 months. She goes to the vets once a year for injections, worming etc and that costs about £40. She hates using the litter tray so we havent the cost for that and we wont allow her to eat our dinner scraps (good way to lose the food you have prepared for dinner that way). I'd guess unless you are getting an old cat they can be as expensive as you want them to be. Get one and enjoy.

hi rach,,it costs a heart to keep a cat, cos you definately lose yours to it.

lots of luck!

xx

By mistake bought a 'sausage' of dog food instead of regular cat food. Bubbles loves it.29p from Lidl. Should last the week.

There is lots of fabulous advice in this thread. I'd like to add a few of my thoughts though.

Some people have mentioned collars - and it's true that lots of people do like their cat to wear one, if only for the bell which scares the birds away when they are about to be jumped on. Personally I am against collars, even those which have a piece of elastic, or which are designed to come apart should kitty get caught by it. The most useful thing to do is have kitty injected with a microchip. Most vets these days have these available. They are a one time spend, about £15. The advantage is that if kitty is separated from you for any reason then cat rescue centres and vets can scan the animal and send the number from the pet to the identichip database holders to track you down. This is so much more peace of mind than a collar. A friend of mine used to complain that kids stole her pet's collars, even those which had a tag with her number on, so that's worth bearing in mind too.

The other thing I would recommend wholeheartedly to you is to not feed tinned cat food. It does terrible things to cats' teeth. I had to have my now departed kitties go through several operations to have teeth removed just because of the food I gave them. The best thing is a good quality dry cat food. Iams have a bit of bad reputation lingering, but Hill's Science food is very good. It seems expensive - my current two beasties eat it - they love it, they are in perfect health with perfect teeth. They are the correct weight for their ages and they don't eat very much of it, so it lasts a long time, works out about 30p per day per cat. I keep it in a great big tupperware box which I got from Dunelm Mills for £2.50 so it doesn't go stale. Occasionally they get fresh meat (raw or cooked), and sometimes fish eg tinned tuna or sardines in water - but never ever wet cat food...it is vile what it does to their teeth in the long run. And they only ever get tap water to drink.

Perhaps, if you think you will definitely get a cat, you could put a "wanted" note on Freecycle for a cat carry box (essential for vet trips), an unneeded scratch post, dishes and so on. That should save you a few pounds if you get some of the necessary bits before August - https://www.freecycle.org. Argos is one of the cheapest places around for pet hardware if you prefer brand new.

I love my cats so much. "Love me love my cats" - I could never be without them, they are wonderful. You'll enjoy being a kitty mom.

Do not forget the cost of your cat to the environment

Cats are protected perdators - they kill millions of birds, amphibians, mammals and insects every week in the UK.

Cat litter helps to fill land fill sites.

Rach - put some bird feeders, nesting/insect boxes up in your garden, or window - encourage wildlife into your garden, let your lil one enjoy the natural world, not a barren lifeless one - destroyed by an alien hunter.