young cat question?

Question

ok im going to be taken this cat home with me hopefully soon i need just a general guess on prices first is how much to have her fixed? second how much does a cat bath/flea dip cost? she has to be flea dipped before im allowed to take her home i just need a guess so i know how much money i have to have also how much for shots? i want this cat to have a long great healthy life so i wanna know the prices she needes fixed dipped and shot thank you to anyone who helps with out a smart @ss coment and yesi know to call the vet i will do that tomorrow i just want to know what price range to exspect thanks also she likes to scratch alot and i can't have her scratching up the house should i have her declawed and if so how much is it or just get her a scratching post and hope that works?

Answer 1

Good for you for taking in a new kitty! I'll do my best to answer your questions. For the spay - female cats generally cost about $100 (depending on your area) to spay. The flea dip could vary. I'd say around $50. If she has not had any shots before, it will be around $50-75. If she is a kitten, she won't need to be fixed until about 4-5 mos. If not, you will want to have her fixed soon so she doesn't go into heat. Trust me, it's not pretty.

As for declawing the cat, generally speaking it is widely considered to be a cruel act to declaw a cat, i.e. much like cutting off a persons fingers. Many vets won't even do it. That said, I would encourage you to make every attempt to avoid doing this unless you absolutely have to. I have personally taught older and younger cats alike how to use a scratching post. I've had many cats over the years and have never had a problem with them scratching up my furniture. Here's how you do it....when you see her start to act like she wants to scratch take her over to her scratcher and hold her paws up to it and show her how it's done. After a while she will get the picture. When she finally does it on her own....PRAISE her...tell her what a good girl she is, let her know how happy you are. She will do it over and over again! And, you can also use a squirt gun in the meantime until she learns to stop scratching things she is not supposed to. Just give her a nice strong squirt and she will stop whatever she is doing.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Ok first off...DO NOT FLEA DIP YOUR CAT!!! Not all cats can handle the medication in the flea dip and they can have horrible seizures. And as for the Capstar comment, it does work but only stays in the system for a few hours to kill the fleas on her. YOur best bet is either Frontline (fleas and ticks, but alcohol based so it does not come off) or Revoultion (fleas, ticks, and intestinal parasites). These are both great topical medications that should be applied monthly, but if you live in an area where there are ot many fleas, mainly apply in the summer months. Spaying varies from state to state and clinic to clinic. Call local clinics and find out what all is included in the cost and see if anything is optional like bloodwork or IV fluids. This will help you cut back on the cost. An alternative for declawing are these caps you place over the nails called Soft Paws. They are easy to apply and most clinics will be happy to show you how to apply them. That way she does not need to be declawed or scratch up your items (win win for everyone). If you do decide to get a scratching post put some catnip on it and she will love it forever. If you catch her scrathing in an inappropriate place get a water spray bottle and spray her with it...she will get the idea :) Have fun and I hope this info has helped a little bit.

Answer 3

You've got a lot of questions here. I get one of my cats 'groomed', combed out, bathed, nails clipped for about $50. The groomer should be able to tell you if the cat has fleas and you can get Advantage or Frontline from a vet. I feel it is important to get it from a vet first as he will tell you the right dosage for the weight of the cat. Those products need to be applied monthly if your cat is outside and liable to pick up more fleas.

So do the bath first and let the groomer tell you how bad any flea infestation is. Then have the cat checked out by a vet and get the prescription medicine to keep the cat free of these parasites for the future. An office visit and exam in my area runs around $44 now.

There are regular clinics put on by Petco and some humane societies that have low-cost vaccinations. Some vets even run their own vaccination clinics, setting aside some early evening times when pets can be brought in just for shots.

So there you have $50 for bath, $44 for vet exam, $10 to $15 for a shot, probably the two most necessary are distemper and rabies. So that's another $20 to $30 dollars. The Advantage and Frontline treatments are usually sold in packages that are a six month supply and that would be another $50. That would add up to around $175. Then you and the cat are "good to go". I live in one of the most expensive areas in the US so prices quoted are probably the highest you would find anywhere.

Put the declaw money into a really super cat tree with sisal rope on the structure and train the cat to use that.

Answer 4

The spay for a female is usually less than 100 dollars and you don't need a flea dip. Ask the vet for a Capstar pill to give to the cat. It will kill all the fleas on her within hours.
As for the declawing thing, you do know that when a cat is declawed they remove the toes from the first knuckle to the tip right? It is very traumatic for the cat and really should be avoided. Get her a scratching post with sisal rope on it. Cats are pretty easy to train to scratch only on the scratcher.
Have fun.

Blessings, W.

Answer 5

Please do not declaw your cat. It is cruel, like removing a humans fingers. You can teach your cat where it is supposed to scratch. As long as you provide an okay place to do this natural behavior, you and your cat will do fine.

Get a cat tree or a scratchier... a floor to ceiling tree is about $35 at walmart, but a cardboard scratchier is under $10. Get some cat nip to rub into it the day you bring the cat home. I do not recommend the spray... my cats didn't even know it was there. This will attract the cat to rub and scratch on the object that you have given it.

To keep your cat from scratching anywhere you don't want her to scratch, get yourself a squirt bottle or gun. Any time your cat screeches something you don't want her to, just squirt her. I have read that you should not yell at her because you don't want her to know that you are the source of the water. That way she is only aware that behavior = water. This will also work to train her to stay of counter tops and tables, but remember cats need to be able to climb somewhere.

If you get the rare cat that doesn't mind being squirted, try double sided sticky tape in the places she tries to claw. They don't like the feel of it and will stop using that spot.

One last thing, if you are in a more rural area, the vet prices might be better. Call around to the "country vets" in your area. Also check with your local animal shelter for any programs that might help you pay for it. I got reimbursement when I had my three cats fixed.

Good luck and feel free to e-mail me with any cat questions

Answer 6

Prices vary by Vet office. You can typically find the cheapest prices at the SPCA or Humane Society clinic. Spay/Neuter prices are $60-$150 depending on where you go. Kittens normally get 3 sets of shots and are normally between $10-$15 for each shot. Most vets also automatically deworm them which is an additional $10-$20. Flea baths also vary I would say they cost about $40.

Please don't declaw. It is more humane to clip their nails, use soft paws and scratching post.

Answer 7

Prices vary all over the country. I'd still think you can have her fixed for about $75. I never had one flea dipped. Buying Advantage is expensive, but it works. Starts killing fleas the moment you use it. Just keep it up once a month until frost when fleas die. If you still need a price on flea dipping call the vet. I'm for declawing, but I'd put that off until you see if she'll train to a scratching post. I'd have more than one. Good Luck. Kitty's are such fun.

Answer 8

When i had my cat fixed and shots and flea I payed 100 bucks but i took my other cat to the humane so to get her done and it was only 70 bucks. And they do not flea dip any more use the kind that they put on thier necks. and that stuff in the stores is not safe and it does not work. Don't waste your money. I did not declaw my cats. I bought them a kitty condo and they love it and it has several layers place for them to play and sleep and it has scratching post on it too. Also i feed my cats Iams because it has real meat and not fillers. You go by what is the first ingrediant in it it should be some kind of meat and not corn or meat byproducts. Your vet will explain why it is important to feed them good food it cost more but it is for your cats health.

Answer 9

Okay.when I got my cat declawed and nuetered it cost me around $130 for both. And if you decide to do both...they do prefer to do them all at once because they don't like to put the same animal under more than once....it's more of a risk if they do it more than one time. But it all depends on if they get lazor or regular (lazor is more expensive) I just had them do the regular (the stitches disolve after a certain amount of time) Every vet is different in price. I know...I was in you shoes about 8 months ago. I called every singe one until I found one that was a reasonable price and was going to do a great job. I would really think about the declawing part! Alot of cats like the scratching posts! I even got one for my outside cats and they tear it up! So they love it. Did you know that when a cat gets declawed they are actually removing their first nuckle? Sounds pretty painful! I didn't know this until after I already got my cat fixed. But he healed quickly. When I got all his shots I think they were like $15 for all. The office visit was like $35. But I don't know about a flea dip...but I do know that I use advantage on mine (costs $30) and you only have to apply it like once every 3 months. I don't use it at all during the winter though. My cat that I use it on is an inside cat (he has never been outside...he is scared of grass) And fleas are bad mainly in the summer because the groung thaws and is warm enough to do alot of breeding. It is crazy because my outside cats don't have fleas...but I use the advantage on the inside one just in case...we don't want fleas breeding and taking over the house!

Answer 10

OK, I'm going to be the bad guy on this one. I have 3 cats and they've all been declawed. I wouldn't have any cats if not for that. You can buy a solid gold scratching post designed BY cats and they will still shred your speakers and/or leather sofa everytime you leave the house.

Same goes for the spay/neutering. Cats are just MUCH better pets when they've been fixed. I think that declawing and neutering for my last cat ran about $150, but spaying is a little more expensive and prices do vary greatly depending on your location.

Make the right decision for you and enjoy your new kitty!