There is an ongoing debate between which pet is more expensive – cats or dogs. Some pet owners say that cats are more expensive than their canine counterparts. However, there is still a large population of pet owners that say dogs are more expensive than felines. Today, we’re going to talk about why taking care of cats can be just as expensive as owning a dog.
Current and soon-to-be feline owners should know that you can shell out about $500 to $1,000 per year on your cat alone. The costs can even be higher if you have to send your furry feline friend to the veterinarian for the treatment of a disease or ailment. The good news here is that cats require less grooming costs than dogs because they can clean themselves. Aside from the cost of a veterinarian, here are some other expenses you need to know if you’re a new cat owner or are still planning to be one.
Price of Getting a Cat
If you’re on a tight budget and would want to own a cat, then the best option to make is adoption. Adopted kittens will usually cost you around $125, but you can get adult felines for about $75. However, if you prefer to purchase a purebred cat, then prepare to shell out a lot of your hard-earned cash in the process. There are pet stores that will sell you a purebred feline friend for an average of $750. Then again, it does depend on the breed of cat you’re trying to purchase, but it’s still not going to be as cheap as compared to adopting a cat from a shelter.
Food Expenses
The average cat owner will spend about $115 on cat food alone. In this thought, you do have two options: (1) to get dry food, or (2) to purchase wet food. There’s also the third option wherein you can get both dry or wet food options. Getting wet food may be the pricier option of the two, but these will usually have the more nutritious components as compared to getting dry food. Do note that urinary tract infections can come from overfeeding your precious feline companion with too much dried food.
Cat Toys
When you’re not home, your cat will turn to any object they see to play with. As such, they tend to scratch things that you don’t want their claws to reach. Once you get home, you’ll find scratched sofas, couches, chairs, the legs of your tables, or even that report you’re supposed to pass to your professor or boss for the next day. To divert your cat’s attention to something else, you need to give them a toy. There are cheap cat toys on the market, and you can spend as little as $25 per year for your feline’s playthings.
Litter
Unfortunately, cleaning up after your cat isn’t going to be cheap. The average annual cost of changing litter boxes is $165, and it doesn’t help if your cat will suddenly have diarrhea.
Note there are still other things to consider other than the items listed in this post when thinking about the cost of a cat. Just be prepared to spend quite a bit when you’re planning to own a feline friend.