How much does it cost to keep a cat?

LADY_A_5

in my local poundland, they have a 'pet' section
they do the tray liners in there. 7 pound is ott really for what they are!

foxxymynx

cat litter - £6 a week
food - £8 a week

that's all I pay and I have 3. They don't go outside so they don't have jabs. They eat a mixture of wet and dry food. They do get treats but not all of the time. The expensive part is getting everything they need when you first get them - litter tray, climbing frame, bed, toys etc

lowis

i wouldn't say my cats are kept in style...doesn't everyone with indoor cats use liners? i have no access to a hose and garden for cleaning out a tray - and find the idea of using my bath for this unacceptable.

my biggest concern is the litter cost - that is the area i am working on to reduce. as i live in a flat, my cats are indoor cats, so the litter is changed regularly (no other toilet for them to use) - but i have to find a cheaper and longer-lasting brand. i am going to give the tesco one a try as it seems to have been recommended alot on the thread i started on that topic.

next biggest cost is the insurance because they are old...almost £50 for the pair of them. this is non-negotiable though.

rita-rabbit

Umm - I think the cost partly depends on how fussy you are & partly on how much you spend on litter. There are threads about this & I don't want 2 go in2 details about that.

Personally I used liners briefly & found it way too fiddly. I do use the bath when washing out the tray but tip the water into the toilet - it's a matter of getting the routine right really. I run the tap until it's scorching & put some in the empty tray with bleach & scrub & tip that water straight into the toilet & repeat until clean. Obviously I wear rubber gloves for that.

If you insist on throwing out all the litter every time it's used it will cost you a fortune. I use clumping litter & just scoop out the clumps formed by liquids & the obvious solids - simply topping up. Having read comments about sludge would suggest that some pet owners feel the need to clean after every visit - I don't (every other day is fairly routine) & by then clumps are nice firm `biscuits'.

I feed my 2 dry food & only weekly @ most wet - this means there is alot less `waste' in the tray so I save money on the food & on litter & time on cleaning. This btw is a result of a decision I took regarding their health of changing them from wet but is a great bonus.

Cost can by minimised by how much you spend & how much you want to clean!

As I buy both food & litter in bulk I don't really work it out weekly or monthly. However Burns is the best quality & value for dry food on the market that I have tried.

coolio_2

Has anyone tried the loo seat adaptor to train their cats? Therefore eliminating need to clean and the cost involved with a litter tray?

Sirbendy

oh yes, I have a litter Kwitter....:) Hex used it to the second tray level with the smaller hole, then had a sulk..then we moved, and it was back to a tray for a while..now we're moving again! I'll be using the kwitter at the new flat though..it's a big bathroom, and I'm sure when he sees Fudge sat on it, he'll stop being such a chicken.

I've noticed "our" new loo has a pushbutton flush...I did wonder if I could maybe get them to use it and then walk over the flush button..what are the chances?

Jem buys our food in bulk..it's the whiskas pouches, and off the net it works out really cheap for months. Litter is the tesco clay stuff - lasts quite well. Occasionally we give them cheapie cat biscuits, but..that apart, they nab food from the guinea pigs (grass pellets, yum) and cheese/lettuce from us.

They've both been chipped, chopped and jabbed, and are indoor cats (I like my boys safe), and I'm impressed at the economy of feeding them..:)

Toys and so on...nothing spent. never underestimate the hours of entertainment in ratchet cable ties, ping pong balls from the science dept, shoelaces, ex-pc laser pointers that the kids have damaged, light pull cords and so on. Elastic is no good..Hex has a direct approach to anything on elastic..eat the cord, no more boing. Boring. Cable ties, I buy from the pound shop..they get dragged off and hoarded quite quickly.

We have big, free velvet curtains, one of which is doing "door duty"..that keeps fudge entertained when he's hanging from it. I think possibly their biggest toy is the stairs, and the rails at the top where they can play "swat the human" as you climb.

I'm contemplating wrapping a length of pipe in sisal and fixing it to the wall or hanging it..it's cheap, and they LOVE sisal.

Kimberley

lowis wrote: »

Here's my monthly costs excluding yearly jabs:

Insurance for 13yo = £19.50
Insurance for 14yo = £27.55
Food = £20.00 ish
Litter tray liners = £7.00
Litter = £50.00 ish (currently being reviewed!)

so that's about £125 a month :eek:

yes...i know the litter is pricey...hence my thread on economising

The litter does sound pricey. I only use 1 bag of catsan a month and my cat is an indoor one. Even for two cats i'd only use 2 bags which would cost only £20 a month. So where and what cat litter are you buying? :eek:

lowis

i've been using Thomas, I have just ordered the Tesco one that has been recommended to see how they get along with that. it arrives saturday

how do you make 1 bag of catsan last that long? how many litres is it?

Kimberley

lowis wrote: »

i've been using Thomas, I have just ordered the Tesco one that has been recommended to see how they get along with that. it arrives saturday

how do you make 1 bag of catsan last that long? how many litres is it?

I feed my Oscar on a Raw diet and this makes his poo firm and solid and odour free so I don't need to change the litter that often and the wee clumps up. When I scoop each day the Catsan is hardly wasted.

ashlea170706

Hi can someone tell me where i can get wood pellet cat litter at the moment i am using asdas own but i have to change it twice a day because of the odour even though my kitten is only on dry food. thanks ash