They will need shots, a bed, toys, a litter box, food dishes, collars, etc. Do they need to have separate food dishes? What is the best, low-scent litter management system? I want to have tracking devices put on them. How much does it cost?
2006-10-29 10:47:13 · 11 answers · asked by NewKittyMom 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
I hate to break this to you, but a single cat is expensive. And once you get into multiples.... Food, litter, shots, sickness it's very costly. Not to mention if you are renting your landlord will want to know you have a pet. & if they allow pets, chances are they will want a pet deposit. You might want to consider waiting till your at a more financially stable place before you get a pet.
If you can swing all that & a lifetime committment of a forever home then by all means please adopt a cat from your local humane shelter.
btw- chip insertion costs about $35 at my vet.
2006-10-29 11:23:19 · answer #1 · answered by low_on_ram 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I used to have 11 cats (3 kittens and 8 adults), now only 1. They are only costly in the beginning when all the vaccinations, spaying, medical check and nail trimming are done. but if you keep them indoor, your annual medical check routine will not be as costly.
I used multi cat litter formula to reduce smells, one big food dish, one big water dish, and one big pet bed. Tracking device can be done by humane society, but if you keep the cats indoor, you don't need them. I used 3 different used cardboard boxes as litter boxes and put regular plastic bags at the bottom before I poured in litter powders - so it was easier to remove the litter every week.
And yes each kitten wore collar, just cheap ones.
They also didn't need separate food or water dish or bed until they were a year old. I only got them three mice toys, they actually played with each other most of the time. Good luck with your kitties!
2006-10-29 11:09:01 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you cant afford the vet you shouldn't have the pet.
That is my motto.
It is very nice that you want to give a home to a kitten. I think you want to adopt more than 1 am I correct?
Well, depending on where you adopt from the agencies usually provide ALL of the starter shots and spay/nueter the cat/kitten.
Go to the Humane Society, local pound, cat shelters, ect.
NOT pet stores or breeders!
They over breed the poor mommy cats and are very careless with getting proper vet care for their cats.
NOT ALL pet stores and breeders are bad. Do your homework first.
My state has a low cost spay/neuter/vaccination clinic. It is 70$ to do everything. Extra for flea treatments, antibiotics, ect.
Ask your local shelters/vet offices for reccomendations.
A kitten IS a life long committment! They are like kids. If you get sick of them you can't dump them like an old newspaper.
It has been said that 2 kittens are better than one. They are great for each other and keep you company at the same time.
Again if you have the money and plan to be with the furry kids until they go to kitty heaven then go for it.
Obviously things will pop up in life we have no control over. If said things happen and the cats need to leave your care find them a great replacement home. I have seen so many people just open their doors and let the cats out to fend for themselves!
Litter box, toys, food, bowls, bedding, ect are the easiest things to provide. Expensive toys are a waste. I know. Now they have a fishing pole toy I got for 5$ and a few furry mice I got for 3$ the rest are things like straws, tin foil balls, plastic milk top bands (the things you pull off of the milk top to open it), pen caps, ect.
Household dishes/bowls work for their bowls. Even go to a GoodWill and pick up a few mismatched ones for less than 2$.
Last Christmas I splurged and bought the kittys a special bowl decorated leopard spots and one decorated with fish. They are ceramic and were 6$ each.
Litter I buy in bulk from Walmart. I buy one called "Tidy Cat". Scoopable. The un scoopable made me spend more money in the end. Easier to manage.
I buy food in bulk from Walmart also. Friskies by Purina. It is about 10$ for nearly 20 pds. It lasts a long time. 1x a week I give them wetfood. I buy Pounce for treats. About 1$ a can.
This Christmas I will spend nearly 40$ for a floor to ceiling carpeted kitty tower. It has levels too. It will let my furry kids climb and perch.
I took in a 3rd cat a month or so ago. In 3 weeks I will spend around 100$ to fix her and get her all her shots.
Tracking devices? That is an individual thing. Some say it is not necessary. Is it an actual "tracking" device or one that can be scanned and tells where kitty lives and that all their shots are up to date?
Usually a good break away collar and a name/address tag and a kitty door is all one needs. Remember to put the rabies tag on the collar!
Consider your neighborhood and yard before allowing kitty out. Do you live in an area where predatory animals reside? Are there dogs close to your home? Kids? Lots of traffic?
It is a big deal to take cats into your life. Especially more than one at a time.
PLEASE make a wise decision. It is about the cats well being now not yours!
Keep us posted if you do get your kittens.
~Ciao~
2006-10-29 12:33:05 · answer #3 · answered by Spay-n-Neuter-Your-Pets 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We have a very cute little cat who is a little over a year old. Here's what we spent...
about $75 to adopt him from a cat rescue
about $150 neutering
about $150 shots
about $140 preventative medicine/yr
got toys, bowls, litter boxes from dollar stores
litter from Target - about $3.99 every two weeks
scratching post $20
microchipping $30
food and treats - roughly $100 for the year
He's totally worth it. Keep in mind that most of the costs are one time events. After the first year, it's a lot cheaper. If you are looking to save money, you might want to get an adult cat -- he or she would already be neutered and have had his or her shots.
2006-10-29 11:58:52 · answer #4 · answered by Rachel S 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They will need shots. They will prefer to share your bed and, for some, the sofa does nicely. A litter box is a must. One dish of good quality dry food can be shared by both. They will need a water bowl. You can use a cereal bowl for the dry food. I would buy a heavy crock (they have them in the dollar section at our grocery store) for water. Toys don't need to be purchased. They will happily pounce on an old belt that you wiggle on the floor. A finger poking out from beneath a pillow is very entertaining for them. Most pet stores have a bag of three plastic balls with bells inside for about a dollar.
Although it costs more initially, the higher quality clumping litter ( I use Tidy Cats) is the better bargain. The clay litters are cheap to buy, but you end up with odor, or having to dump out the whole box every other day. The clumping litter allows you to scoop out the poop and clumps the urine into balls that just scoop out. You don't have to replace it, just add more to keep the level at about three inches deep.
The ID chips are a nice idea, but if you don't ever let your cats outdoors, you really don't need them right away.
If you schedule vet visits at the same time, your vet might only charge you for one office visit. I know mine has seen three of my cats for the price of one office call. He just charged me extra for the extra medications for the other cats.
If you get your cats immunized, feed them a good quality food, spay and/or neuter, and keep them indoors, you will probably find that they won't need too much vetrinary care.
I have several cats, who, apart from their annual visit for check-ups and immunizations, have never been sick. Just in case, try to put a few dollars away each week in a "just in case" fund. Insofar as spaying and/or neutering, in some areas there are low cost spay/neuter programs. There are several operating in my area.
Hope this helps.
2006-10-29 11:31:12 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you're on a tight budget, find out the costs of all of these things BEFORE you bring the cats home. If you can't afford them, don't bring them home.
Vaccinations can range in price from $14 to $20 depending on where you have them done. (Plus the cost of the office visit.)
Microchipping can cost anywhere from $45 to $60 depending on who does this for you.
For other costs, see this website:
www.drsfostersmith.com
If you get them collars make sure they're the 'break away' style, so the cat doesn't strangle itself in the thing.
We have 5 cats and have 2 litter boxes and 3 food bowls which they share. We bought them fancy toys when we first got them, but don't anymore because they prefer to play with shoe boxes, balls, bowls, the caps of pens, and the tubes out of the toilet paper rolls...
2006-10-29 10:56:55 · answer #6 · answered by Fetch 11 Humane Society 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
okie, so lots of folks have said, if you need to ask the price, then you probably cant afford it.
I think that you can do kittens on a budget and still enjoy the love and companionship of kittens.
One thing that you MUST do is vaccines and spay/neuter. I found that by calling many vets in my area that prices vary greatly. One vet wanted $350.00 for a first visit, starter shots, feline leukemia and other tests,worm and other parasite checks. The vet I now go to was $90.00 for all of the above and she has the recommendation of the local no kill shelter (that means ALOT to me).
Tracking devises are nice, but, I have skipped it at this time.
How many kittens are you getting, and how old are they, and for your sake I hope they are all one sex.
Good Luck
2006-10-29 11:23:48 · answer #7 · answered by donamarie_1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kittens are fun and pretty much low maintenance. One food dish and one water dish will be fine for the little kitties. You should contact your local animal shelter, humane society, or SPCA and ask for pamplets or brochures for new kitten owners. You can also look it up online on the human society for the united states website. You will find everything you need to know about being a new pet owner with the reading material.
Best of luck with your new kitties. What they will need most of all is love and care, and if you have plenty of that for them then they will be happy and content.
2006-10-29 10:52:59 · answer #8 · answered by boxerpitk9 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would do some serious research first - call around and get prices from local vets for vaccines, microchip, and spay/neuter. I would estimate a monthly cost for food and litter would be 50$ - and more than one doubles that.
You need to figure out before you get the cat if you can afford it. If you cant do it - dont get one.
2006-10-29 10:57:36 · answer #9 · answered by gaiagurl 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
sounds like maybe you should not get a pet right now. having a pet costs quite a bit of money just for maintanance not to mention any type of illness which will cost more
2006-10-29 10:52:47 · answer #10 · answered by leftygirl_75 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋