The real cost of having pets

gettingready

Can not work part time, and while working - can not share dog walking wityh anyone either....

Dog walker is a must...

Fridaycat

gettingready wrote: »

NOt sure I can cut anywhere and it will be a struggle - but also perhaps an eye opener for people who think of getting/keeping pets?


Cats dry food 30 per month
Cats wet food 30 per month
Cats insurance 35 per month
Cats litter 40 per month
Cats worming/flea treatment 20 per month (rough estimate)

.

Just looking at the feline side of the equation, comparing your spending for 4 cats to my expenditure with 5 cats:

Dry food = I spend £18 per month, £12 per month less than you. They get through around 4kg per month, and I feed them Royal Canin Fit 32 @ 4.59 per kg (i.e. 10kg bag on Zooplus = £45.99)

Wet Food = I spend £37.50 per month, £7.50 per month more than you. Mind you, I feed them Grau Grain Free which is expensive, yet good quality (it is much cheaper now they have brought out 800g cans)

Cat Litter = £12.50 per month, £27.50 less than you. This is with 3 large trays, using 40L OKO Plus, one bag @ £25 lasts 2 months.

Insurance - can't really compare as only my two Bengals are insured.

Flea/worming - about the same as you.

I also spend money regularly on toys, treats, sundries (such as grooming & baby wipes (for shows), nappy sacks, disinfectant) and entrance fees to cat shows, though I expect the latter is not applicable to most!

So to me, your dry cat food costs and litter costs seem quite high.

rising_from_the_ashes

Yup .... great thread GR as I think a lot of people don't realise how it all adds up.

Cats

I budget £50 / month for my 2 - this includes everything (boosters - food - litter) but excludes their insurance which is £18.75.

It does allow me to bulk buy as well which really helps keep the costs down - RC 2kg bought at pet shop = £17 (£8.50/kg) & lasts a month, 10kg bought on offer online = £39 (£3.90/kg) & lasts 5 months:)

Dog

Budget £60 / month for everything ....

Re Skinners .... can't recommend it highly enough if Zara will eat it!:)

:eek: to the dog walker ......


Have to say, they are worth every penny and I'll happily give up my hols as having them for everyday of the year is much better than having 2 weeks hols somewhere - although I must admit being woken this morning at 4:30 by the two of them having a massive fight which ended up on my bed with me coming off worst and then having to separate them all day makes me wonder sometimes

gettingready

RFTA - yup, dog walker... lucky you ...... you will still be able to pop in home lunch time? My journey to work will be just under 1.5 hours each way buuuu


FridayCat - was hoping you will throw some figure in here, thanks a lot for that.

Cat litter - do all your cats to the toilet bit indoors? My 4 only pee/poo indoors..... sigh... Will definitely try that OkoPlus you so much recommend.

Dry food - I estimated that as have 30kg Go Cat at home and that is mixed with Hills (dental and oral care) and Taste of the Wuld that I already had too. Probably got enough dry to the end of the year to be honest but wanted to include that in the calculation, so may be off there.

Wet - I only buy them Classic at I thinki £2.79 for a pack of 6 tins. Once back at work will change back to better quality as I know that although more expensive to get - it was much better as I was feeding less. At the moment they have 2-3 tins per day of Clasic between them so I need 90 tins per month, that is 15 packs of 6 at 2.79 per pack so it really is £42 and not £30 per month.

2 tins of animonda carny per day work out at £62 per month.....
2 tins of Grau per day works out at £100 per month (zooplus) where on earth do you get 800g tins of Grau? And how much do you give your six per day (Grau I mean) that it omes to 37 per month????????????????

rising_from_the_ashes

gettingready wrote: »

RFTA - yup, dog walker... lucky you ...... you will still be able to pop in home lunch time? My journey to work will be just under 1.5 hours each way buuuu

Yup .... very lucky - just wish I could find a dog:( - pants to that commute:eek: but, at least it's a job:T

gettingready wrote: »

2 tins of Grau per day works out at £100 per month (zooplus) where on earth do you get 800g tins of Grau? And how much do you give your six per day (Grau I mean) that it omes to 37 per month????????????????

Zoo+ do 800g tins of Grau:) .... think it's quite new tho' as can't remember seeing them before.

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/canned_cat_food_pouches/grau/grau_gourmet/279564
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/canned_cat_food_pouches/grau/grau_gourmet_grainfree/279623

gettingready

Rising - sending Zara your way , as you see I can not afford to keep her

Looked on zooplus, did not see 800g tins... hmmmm will look again

gettingready

Yup, search term grau 800 and came up

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/ask?q=grau+800&num=20&form=search

6 tins for +/- £15, would need 5 sets of those (30 tins at 1 per day) so.......£75..... can not afford...

and why dont they make mixed flavours set?

gettingready

Friday Cat - with 6 cats how do you spend 37 per month on Grau??????????????????????? Yo feed them a spoon a day each??????

Fridaycat

gettingready wrote: »

FridayCat - was hoping you will throw some figure in here, thanks a lot for that.

Cat litter - do all your cats to the toilet bit indoors? My 4 only pee/poo indoors..... sigh... Will definitely try that OkoPlus you so much recommend.

Dry food - I estimated that as have 30kg Go Cat at home and that is mixed with Hills (dental and oral care) and Taste of the Wuld that I already had too. Probably got enough dry to the end of the year to be honest but wanted to include that in the calculation, so may be off there.

Wet - I only buy them Classic at I thinki £2.79 for a pack of 6 tins. Once back at work will change back to better quality as I know that although more expensive to get - it was much better as I was feeding less. At the moment they have 2-3 tins per day of Clasic between them so I need 90 tins per month, that is 15 packs of 6 at 2.79 per pack so it really is £42 and not £30 per month.

2 tins of animonda carny per day work out at £62 per month.....
2 tins of Grau per day works out at £100 per month (zooplus) where on earth do you get 800g tins of Grau? And how much do you give your six per day (Grau I mean) that it omes to 37 per month????????????????

Three of mine do all of their toileting in the litter trays, one does around 30% of his, and one does almost all of his outside, so you could say my usage of litter is based on 3.5 cats using it :rotfl:

I get my 800g Grau from Zooplus, it is newly launched:

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/canned_cat_food_pouches/grau/grau_gourmet_grainfree/279623

It costs £15 for 6 x 800g tins (less for the rice version). As mine are fed wet only in the evening, one 800g tin lasts 2 nights, so it costs £15 for 12 days of wet food ( plus a little extra for Robbie cat who isn't fussed on Grau, so has his own pouches of something else).

gettingready

Oh thanks for that - what am I supposed to do about Fred though? Fred does not eat dry at all... Nothing/Nada/Ever

Hmmmmmm