Cats - how expensive are they really?

LaoCapon

Hi everyone

I have moved into my own (rented) home a few months ago. It's the first time I've not house-shared and I am thinking about getting a cat.

The landlord is cool with it (previous tennants had 2) but I am on a tight budget, and I wondered if anyone could advise me on how expensive owning a cat really is?

I could adopt, so there would be no cost there, but like vets bills, neutering, feeding, grooming, bedding and toys etc... i imagine it all adds up. Can it be done on a budget?

I'd really like a cat, as I think it would be really ncie to come home to a furry little friend haha (sounds sad, doesn't it? Crazy cat lady here I come, lol) but the last thing I want is to find out I just can't afford it after already adopting, letting the cat get settled etc.

We never had pets growing up because my mum is allergic to pet hair, so I don't have any experience!!!! Thanks in advance!

Rev

Cats are actually pretty cheap, imho.

I buy food in bulk. A 10kg bag of grain free, 60% meat foot from zoo plus cost £30. That lasts about 5-6 months (one of my cats is on steroids for a reoccurring skin condition from time to time so eats more when he's on these). And I buy wet food from the likes of home bargains and b&m. They do hi life for 19p a pouch. Again grain free and 60% meat. So feeding two cats a high meat grain free diet costs me less than £10 a month. I couldn't feed them crap like whiskas or go cat cheaper.


Insurance is around £6 a month.


Worm and flea treatment is around £15 every three months. I get that online at animed direct.


Then whatever you want to spend on toys and treats etc.


For me litter is the biggest expense. My cat with the skin issue basically had to use catsan, most others aggravate his skin. So I get the packets with two in and a litter liner. They're around £5-£8 each. I could get the bags but I like the convenience of the Smart packs. But they do last better than the others I've tried. There's a cat litter thread around too that's worth a read.

GwylimT

For us

Food £1 a day, we never feed dry, not keen on kidney problems.

Insurance £11 per month

Flea/worm £4 per month

Litter £5 per month

Toys, bowls etc at the start would probably be around £50.

A neuter/spay is around £40 here

Vets4pets do vaccs for life for £99 otherwise it is around £35 each time.

Microchip varies, ours was £12

What will you do when you leave the house share, you are commiting to around 15 years.

Our cat has been ill a few times this year, they were all under our insurance threshold but it has probably cost us around £250.

Rev

GwylimT wrote: »

For us

Food £1 a day, we never feed dry, not keen on kidney problems.

Insurance £11 per month

Flea/worm £4 per month

Litter £5 per month

Toys, bowls etc at the start would probably be around £50.

A neuter/spay is around £40 here

Vets4pets do vaccs for life for £99 otherwise it is around £35 each time.

Microchip varies, ours was £12

What will you do when you leave the house share, you are commiting to around 15 years.

Our cat has been ill a few times this year, they were all under our insurance threshold but it has probably cost us around £250.

Forgot about vets visits that are under insurance. I have a lot. Usually around £30-£60 but not worth claiming on the insurance. Usually a consultation fee and steroids/antibiotics for he cat with skin issues .


On one hand it keeps my insurance down. On the other it's annoying because I'm paying insurance and not claiming.

WeAreGhosts

There would be a fee if you adopted from a rescue. Ours was £65.

I previously had a cat that cost us very little; would eat cheap food, never went to the vet apart from annual injections, wasn't even insured (this was back in the day when it wasn't so common).

But now I have another one who seems to have a season ticket to the vets (she's so clumsy), is fussy with food, is insured etc ....


Buying food online in bulk is ok, but my cat goes off things quick, so I buy from shops and places like B&M, Home Bargains, Wilkos etc. Bedding isn't expensive (a pillow in a cardboard box will do! ours has a baby blanket from Tesco - on sale at £2). Cats from rescues will already be neutered. There's litter for the tray to consider. But our main expense is food and insurance.

But the message is, no-one can really tell you!

If you want a pet (and are not just set on a cat) have you thought about dog walking/dog sitting etc?

Alternatively, speak to a decent cat rescue - ask about their older cats. Usually if an older cat has a health condition the rescue will continue to pay for vet treatment for that illness. And most older cats just want a warm knee to sit on of an evening, they're more likely to be indoor cats too (thus lessening the chances of them being ill or being injured outside and keeping vet bills down).

Mrs_Z

How about fostering? It may be worth enquiring if your local cat rescues need fosterers. I think that they would provide food and cover the vet fees on those situations. The down size of course is that the cat/s will only stay with you on a temporary basis so you can't get attached.....

pinkteapot

Most rescues do charge an adoption fee or ask for a donation - £50-100 depending on the rescue. They have costs to cover. But kitties from them may well be spayed/neutered already.

Up-front you'll also need to buy:

• Litter tray (£5 ish)
• Food bowls (£5 if you want a few so can cycle if you don't wash up every day)
• Cat bed (£10)
• Scratching posts, unless you want your furniture destroyed. (£30 for a couple)
• Toys (most important if he/she will be indoor only as they need good quality playtime or they go stir-crazy) (as much as you want to spend)

Ongoing costs:

• Food (we spend around £25 a month)
• Litter (clumping is best - costs more but you have to fully empty and replace the lot MUCH less often, so it works out cheaper - a massive £25 bag lasts us about four months, so say £6 month)
• Monthly flea/worm treatment - about £5 a month
• Insurance - ours is £11 a month as we went for a higher-level 'lifetime' policy, can be had for a bit less
• Annual vaccinations - about £30 (£3 a month, say)

So in total that's about £50 a month for us.



But the biggest thing can be vet bills. Even with insurance, you'll have an excess of £75 ish to pay. Any vet visits under this amount aren't worth claiming for. Please don't get a cat unless you're prepared for big vet bills (fingers crossed you won't have any, but it's always a possibility). Ours came down with a high temperature a couple of months back and had to stay in for one night and had some medicine. Total was about £250. Vets are hugely expensive. The insurance paid out but as a result our monthly insurance cost will probably double next year, if not increase by more.



I'm only urging you to think that through because our vet told me that they sometimes have people phone up, describe what's wrong with their pet, the vet knows it's serious and the animal needs to be seen, and the owners still decide to leave it till the next day to see if it gets better by itself. :eek:

LaoCapon

Thanks everyone!! This is all really helpful Gives me a better idea of budget etc - but like WeAreGhosts says, it's obviously very different from cat to cat.

PinkTeaPot - thank you for the warning!!! I hadn't thought about the amount of expense from that respect... I would not want to be one of those people who would just wait & see what happens, I would feel too guilty, so yeah, vets bills could potentially be very expensive

Mrs Z - fostering could be a good "toe dipping" experience, I guess. Get a feel for the whole thing...

GwylimT - I am not in a house share anymore, I've just left it. hence the need for some fur-based company

Thank you so much, everybody, it's really helpful

fairy_lights

I have one cat, and spend about £50 every 2 months on food from Zooplus.
Flea and worm treatments are another £20 every few months.
Litter trays only cost a couple of quid each and I've found them to be cheaper in small pet shops than in big places like pets at home.
My cat uses the garden as his toilet now so no litter for me to buy, but before we had a garden we used to alternate between Catsan and Lidls cheap cat litter( £1.99 a bag)
Neutering was £40, microchipping another £10, and his yearly vaccinations are around £40.
I didn't buy him any food bowls - we've got loads of old tatty side plates that we feed him on and he drinks his water out of a ramekin
As for a bed - he has a lovely big double bed, which he kindly lets his humans share.
Insurance is another few pounds a month and we also have a 'cat emergency' envelope that we bung a tenner in every month in case of up front vets costs.

no1catman

Cats can be a treasury, and enrich your home and life, a delight to get home to. On the one hand, the are independent, on the other - it makes you feel needed.


You may be lucky with the cat's health - my previous cat only had problems (and vet bills) in the last few years of its 20 year life, apart from the annual injections. While my current cat - had in Jan last year has probably cost in the region of £500 on bills outside Petplan!!
Though you can spend on some items you don't have too e.g. toys - a bit of string, some newspaper, an empty card-board box, silver foil in a ball - don't cost anything at all! Scratching post - you can spend a small fortune, or maybe something for a tenner - try The Range.

krlyr

Colleague is nearing the £500 in vet bills over the span of 5 weeks. Young cat, no previous issues, he just started to lose weight and go off his food. Vet thinks it's IBS so he's now on a diet costing her about £16 for 1.5kg..hopefully not a longterm cost!

Cat is insured, but bills have to be paid upfront and claimed back so she's had to find the money. And pet insurance is getting a bit of a minefield nowadays, knowing which is the best value, which companies have a reputation of worming out of claims, which have naughty small print exclusions or big excesses, etc. so don't assume insurance will cover everything.