The "CAT" question...meow?

Question

hello i am going to adopt a cat in a week so i wanted to ask how much does it monthly cost for basic(food/litter.etc...) and what do i HAVE to buy at the start+cost(toys/posts/bed/gear.etc..) and the med cost(flea med/vaccine.etc..) btw i am getting a maine coon/norweignan forest cat mix he is GIGANTIC and overweight xD and needs a diet he is neutered and 4 yrs old phew..thank you

Answer 1

a mainecoon/norweignan forest cat. i like to see that thing. for one thing you are going to need a brush, food/water dishes, cat litter box and litter.scooper, food. if you do not want the cat to scratch your couch you should get a post. a bed might be good but it also might be a waste of money. i have had cats all my life and they sleep with me. you would also have to talk to the vet about it being overwieght. he might have to be on a diet.sometimes pets get big after they are fixed. give him exercise. with toys or something to make him move. its cost veries. vets charge different prices. the charge to go in,then anything else that they do. they would do blood work and a check up.my litter i get from walmart for about 6 dollars. you have to scoope it out everyday. so it does not smell. get the scoopable litter it works alot better. just do not get into gimics. they can cost a arm and a leg. you are going to have to slowly change the diet of the food if it is not the right one. if you do it too fast, they can end up with really bad poos....... hope this helped alittle and good luck with the new family member. it is always nice to have a pet. have fun..........

Answer 2

the shelter or the previous owner will have info on what he needs for vet visits/vaccines. It all depends on the cat and where he is on his vaccine schedule. Litter is cheap. I buy tidycats which is like $5 for a giant bag that lasts me a month. a basic litter pan/ poper scooper will cost you like $10. if you need to buy a special food because he is on a diet, then that would be the only pricy thing to buy. The food would cost like $10 for a small bag. The other thing you could do is just get the regular stuff and ration his food. Toys are cheap. usually, I find the more expensive the toy is the more they wont play with it. I bought my cat an expensive toy and she would have nothing to do with it she just spent 2hrs licking the box lol. Cats are pretty cheap to take care of.

Answer 3

What the food costs really depends on which kind you buy. I advise you to stay away from the el cheapo stuff if you can: More often than not, that food is nutritionally deficient.

Believe it or not, you don't really need to buy toys, unless you want to: my kitties have the greatest fun with paper wads, and often prefer them to their kitty toys.

When you bring your cat home, you absolutely will need

1) A litter box
2) Litter. I use Cat's Pride or something comparable because it's easy to keep clean.
3)A scooper to attend to the said chore
4)A food and a water bowl. Since you described a big, strong cat, you'll want a heavy bowl that he can't tip over. In fact, even a dish designed for a big heavy dog wouldn't be out of line: That's what we ended up getting for our cats since they both like to play in the water a lot, and one will more or less perch on the rim of the bowl while drinking.

Posts don't have to cost much if anything. In fact, I made one from a log from a tree that had been taken down after Hurricane Isabelle, and a scrap of old carpet I had laying around. I attached part of that to the top, and put a strip about 6 or so inches wide down the side so the cat would have a choice of surfaces to scratch on. You might want to add a board to the bottom, to stablize it.

The beginning check-up and shots are usually the most pricey. About 3 years ago, my husband and I paid a total of $163 for our pair. Since you are adopting, you might not have some of the expenses we did. But a well-kitty check-up is a good idea, so you will have a baseline to work from if you should need it.

There is one thing: Make sure you choose a good vet, who won't try to blow over your concerns or observations. I still have some very bad memories of one who has NO BUSINESS practicing veterinary medicine, who went out of his way to ignore symptoms that would have screamed 'danger' to a thinking man.

Answer 4

Cost can depend on several factors. Cost of living in your area, veterinary care cat needs, and veterinary costs.

You should set aside about $100 for his vaccines, parasite prevention, and basic disease testing, and exam costs. You may need more or less depending on cost and what he needs. Some vet clinics give discounts on first time pets, and some shelters give vaccines at discounted prices.

Set aside $50 (more or less) for food, dishes (preferably stainless steel), scatching posts, cat harness (helps get overweight kitty walking), litter supplies, and toys. Look for toys with catnip and toys that move (wind up or battery power) to encourage your cat to exercise.

That is an estimated one time cost. The month to month cost can vary widely but should be much lower. If you can afford a larger bag of cat food (which is usually cheaper in the long run) you may be able to go a few months without buying cat food. Same goes with buying a larger bag of litter. Therefore, it is possible to go months without buying anything for your cat if you stock on essentials ahead of time.