How much to budget for 2 kittens?

libbeter

Hi
I'm fairly new to these forums and looking to get 2 kittens soon, but just wanting to check how much a month should I budget for cat related expenses? I'd been thinking 50-60per month, but is this about right? Want to be sure we have plenty in budget to be able to look after them properly. I grew up with cats, but haven't had any since leaving home and now want to get 2 for my kids to grow up with.
Thanks

Libbeter

lowis

i think that should cover your needs...food, insurance, litter, toys, vaccinations, worming, flea treatment.

i spend about £100+ a month on my two, but £45 of that is just for insurance (they are old pensioner cats so the premiums are high), i also spend about £25 to £30 a month on litter (they are indoors-only), and food costs about £20 to £25 a month (2 bags of premium dry food). treats are usually off my dinner plate and most of their toys they like are free of charge - fingers under a blanket, paper bags, string with something tied on the end, each other! i do not worm them or deflea them - they have never had either, being indoors-only - so no cost there.

GettingHitched

Ive recently got 2 kittens myself ( have the scratches to prove it! ) il give a quick run down of what ive spent on them

Kitten 1 £50 (rescue)
Kitten 2 £30 (rescue)
Vaccinations 2 x £27 for each kitten
Neutering £40 each
Toys £20
Cat Carrier £10 x 2

Monthly
Food ( Im feeding Burns and RAW ) about £10ish
Insurance (Direct Line) £15 per month
Worming and Flea Treatment ( as and when ) about £5.00
Litter ( im using basics/value) £1.16per bag and im using about 1.5 bags per week

( now im going for a lie down in a darkened room LOLS )

Il be honest, it is the set up that is the most expensive part, I point blank refuse to compromise on food (no cheapy food) but once the first 6mos are outta the way, its just food, insurance, litter and worming/flea

loulou123

It varies so much on a monthly basis, and im sure my partners cat is trying to bankrupt us!

Essesntials -
Food - has to have special tins of diet food estimate £30.00 per month
Insurance - £15.00 per month
Cat litter - £20.00 per month
Wormers/fleaers - £not sure on a monthly basis

But be prepared to have some money put aside for other events, in the last 2 months we've had to pay out for:

Treatment at vets due to her eating a wasp and her mouth swelling up,
Treatment at vets after her fighting and tearing her ear,
Treatment and medicine for constipation
A blood test on liver function,

All of these things were counted as different problems so not worth claiming on insurance and paying excess for each one.

We've also had to buy - a water fountain (the vet recommended one as her constipation caused by not drinking enough) a new scratchie (hers was demolished) and a new sofa (after finishing off her scratchie she decided to take apart the sofa) we returned home one day to discover this!

We love her to bits and she is worth all this trouble and money tho : ) and up until the last fewweeks shes been very reliable!

libbeter

Thank you all for your replies, that's a big help. Gettinghitched, thank you so much for an idea of 'start up' costs, I bought a discounted scratching post today and so excited, just get to have a good holiday first. We're thinking about going to a rescue place, but unsure if they're going to object to us living an upstairs maisonette - we have a cat flat from previous owners and it's a fairly quiet street.
Loulou123 sorry to hear about the worry and expense your kittie is causing you, I am currently building up my emergency funds anyway, so should hopefully be ok there.
Thanks again

nanokitten

Emergency fund is a grea idea - it cost me £101 to find out my kitten was teething when she started pawing at her mouth a couple of hours after the surgery closed for easer weekend (£100 for the emergency call out and £1 for the injection!).

Worth getting them microchipped if the rescue place hasn't done it already (cheaper if done under anaesthetic when neutered) ~£17 each

Don't spend too much in advance on cute beds / toys etc as I have found mine far prefers folded up crisp packets to any shop bought toy and slept in her bed for maybe two or three days before moving onto the second shelf up in the bathroom and never looking at her bed again (a cardboard box with a hole in one side and an old jumper is much better).

roguebrogue

nanokitten wrote: »

Don't spend too much in advance on cute beds / toys etc as I have found mine far prefers folded up crisp packets to any shop bought toy and slept in her bed for maybe two or three days before moving onto the second shelf up in the bathroom and never looking at her bed again (a cardboard box with a hole in one side and an old jumper is much better).

Ditto on that! I bought my kitty no toys apart from the 2 or 3 that came with her and a few hand me down ones from friends.

She loves rolled up tin foil!

And as for beds, nothing is as good as my lap/chest/face/bed, so she doesn't even have a bed!

GettingHitched

Mine sleep in their cat carrier ( evil owner that I am ) if they cant get to that, they snuggle down with one of the dogs.

I just bought cheap bowls for their food ( you could easily spend a small fortune ) a lot of their toys, are hand me downs from previous felines who we have owned. Im kinda seeing it, that if we spend not very much on start up, then the money we save can be used to cat proof the garden/buy them decent food ( whiskas and ilk are banned from this house ) etc. They really dont care whether its a crisp packet or a fake £5 mouse.

loulou123

exactly the same here, mines just as happy with a balled up crisp bag, or shoe lace being dragged along than any fancy cat toys. She does have a bed, but only sleeps in it if shes scared (like fireworks time of year) otherwise she'll be on us if its cold, or under our bed on the rug (im sure she thinks its a bunk bed lol)