New cat owners

loopylulu_3

My hubby has finally given in and said we can look at getting two cats. We are getting them from a rescue centre and they will both be around a year old (already have my eye on two that have been at the centre for over 6 months).
I know I need insurance but other than that I'm a total novice. I've only ever had horses before so don't know what sort of costs will be involved with cats. I know it will be a lot less than horses but my folks always paid for those.
The cats will come with their vaccinations and will be micro chipped and 'seen to'.
Can anyone please give me any help and any ideas about costs etc. Hubby will only go ahead if the costs are ok.
Thank you in advanced.

I_am_mad

Hi,

I am a new cat owner and my best piece of advice to you is to make sure you are 100% certain this is what you want. Costs would be your food, cat littler, litter tray, flea and worming treatments, booster vaccinations.

HTH

loopylulu_3

Thank you - I'm sure it's what I want as I've been pestering hubby for 18months. How often do you have to flea and worming treatments and how much do they cost? How much food and cat litter would you need for 2 cats?

rincey

Hi loopylulu

i have 7 cats ,all indoor cats ,its costs me around £25 per week to feed them wet food + dry bickys and cat litter,
1 tin of cat food with bickys should be fine per day for 2 cats ( 2 meals each) any more n you will end up with fat cats lol .
i only worm mine twice a year it costs a couple of £ per cat and i flee the at the same time ,useing frontline spray ( £25 ) for a large bottle this will last me ages but you can get smaller bottles or drops ,the cost come if your cat gets ill and you have to go the vets ,your looking at about £20 just to see the vet then theres treatment costs ,but hopefully your cats will be ok n wont need vets
good luck

meritaten

er - may I just say that there are more than costs to consider when taking on a cat(s). If you havent had one before - you say you had horses?- then you are in for a new experience!
Maybe its just me - but every cat I have had has been eccentric to say the least! have a little look on the funny cat story thread for some idea of what you are in for!
as much as I loved horses - I did find the cats more fun though!
compared to horses cats are vastly more intelligent, cunning, lazy, active, stupid (note all the contradictions here? - I have come to the conclusion they are all bi-polar!).
BUT - horses dont sit on your lap for hours when you are feeling down! they dont act as alarm clocks either! and they certainly dont bring you little gifts of freshly caught meat!

spike7451

loopylulu wrote: »

My hubby has finally given in and said we can look at getting two cats. We are getting them from a rescue centre and they will both be around a year old (already have my eye on two that have been at the centre for over 6 months).
I know I need insurance but other than that I'm a total novice. I've only ever had horses before so don't know what sort of costs will be involved with cats. I know it will be a lot less than horses but my folks always paid for those.
The cats will come with their vaccinations and will be micro chipped and 'seen to'.
Can anyone please give me any help and any ideas about costs etc. Hubby will only go ahead if the costs are ok.
Thank you in advanced.

Congrats on giving a couple of rescue purrballs a forever home!!:T

You could have a butchers at Purrs & Catchat.

http://www.catchat.org/forum.html

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php

rising_from_the_ashes

Awwwww, how exciting - was chuckling at Meritaten's description of them - soooooo true!

I have 2 (ages 5.5 and 3), rough idea of costs:

Litter (wood based) - 30 litre bag lasts 3/4 weeks & can get 2 @ PAH for £16
Food (pouches) - 1 per day (shared) - bulk buy when on offer - I got my last lot on a 3 boxes (12) for £6
Food (dry)* - 4kg lasts approx 6 - 8 weeks @ £24 (see below)

* There are so many different types out there so difficult to judge - mine are on Royal Canin which is on the expensive side - however they have VERY fussy pallettes (all my fault of course) and buying cheaper is a waste of time as they usually only eat 1/2 of it and the rest goes in the bin.

Treats - odd box of Whiskas pockets (buy when on offer @ £1), catnip (£2.30/box - lasts ages), the odd new toy etc = fairly negligible.

Insurance - £14/month (for both)
Boosters - £40/year (each - if they are going out get the one with the FIV incl)
Flea treatment - negligible £12 every 3 months of so?
Wormer - as above

Other things you'd need to get as a "one off" expense would obviously be:

• a litter tray (go for a big covered one, esp if you want them to share)
• a couple of scratching posts are essential (I have 4:o - but I don't have any scratched furniture so worth it IMHO)
• bedding - see what happens, mine have beds which they both use but can also be found curled up on their homemade beds which are basically an old pillow with a fleecy blanket over them
• bowls etc

Wow!:o sorry that was a long post! (and have probably forgotten loads!

Mama_Cat

Congratulations on taking the leap into cat ownership (although the jury's out on who owns who). Two cats are a nice balance and at a year old they will be grown up but still have playful 'kitten-ish' tendencies and not be stuck in their ways.

As well as the useful advice already given, it's worth thinking about:
toys,
pet carrier,
brush,
annual vaccinations if leaving them in a cattery,
cattery/pet sitting costs.

Insurance costs are not a necessity in the same way as food, but you may want to shop around to find the most suitable policy cover, excess and being MSE!

Lastly and also importantly, you should consider the cost in terms of time and energy - both yours and the new cats! You will need time to bond and they will want to settle, then the fun really begins!

Everyone was a novice owner at some time. Every cat is different, so enjoy the experience and take time and patience to learn what your cats will teach you. Have fun!

loopylulu_3

Thank you to everyone for the replies they have been really useful. Sorry for the delay in responding, my original post was done while waiting for my flight back from Vegas!

I have definitely been reassured about costs and hopefully hubby will be too. His only real worry is the cats messing up the house but even humans have accidents and break stuff!

Mrs_Z

Hiya!
We have 2 cats and I spend around £10-15 per week on food as I like to feed them on good quality wet and dry food. Both are on the elderly side and one is on permanent medication which now costs me about £30pcm. They use the garden as their toilet, so no cat litter expenses, I also do not insure them (but I've chosen to take this risk). I no longer vaccinate them, nor treat them for worms or flees for the sake of it. My local vet charges £35 for consultation + any medicines, or £17 for a follow up appointment (+ medicines). If you ever need to get blood tests or x-rays done, they are expensive, so you might want to look into insuring your kitties.

One thing I'd recommend above all - a decent scratching post!!! Cats do like to have a strech after sleep and a corner of a sofa is irresistible for them - ours got ruined in no time at all (that was before we got the scratching post).

And what about when you're going away? Who's going to look after your kitties? We pay for a cat sitter which I believe would equal cattery costs.

There are loads of books available on the subject from library - as well as internet. Hope you like early morning starts.... 4/5am is the best play/breakfast time.....

loopylulu_3

We have a friend who has already said he will look after them if we have a weekend away, any longer than that and we will use a cattery. My hubby is up at about half five most mornings for work but I won't be telling him about early starts!!