Want to buy/adopt a kitten?

Question

well i wanted to know about how much does a kitten cost including fee to buy/adopt, vaccines, food, home, toys, etc.

i live in colorado (if that helps). on an average how much will it cost me annually?
how often do i need to get checks-ups and vaccines shots?
how to train to use litter box?

i need all the information on owning a kitten and everything that comes with it?????

thanks

should i get the claws trimmed and is it possible to have them removed??? and about how much does it cost

What are some questions that I need to ask when i go and look at a kitten/email the agency before adopting it.

Answer 1

Normal humane society fees are $70 per pet, and sign up for a pet insurance too, it'll save you some cash on the vet stuff.

Answer 2

Please adopt a kitten from a shelter, you will be saving a life, and he will know and love you for that! The first time you get the kitten, you have to deworm and de-flea, and repeat in two weeks and then in a month. After that you de-worm every 6 months and you de-flea every month if he goes outdoors, less often if he is strictly indoors. Also, at the beginning you give him a vaccination and then after a month a second one. Then you vaccinate every year. So basically at the beginning you need to spend about 150 - 200 dollars (at least where i live) the first month you get the kitten for the vet bills. And then about 100 dollars yearly, unless he gets sick so you need to have some money for treatment. To that you need to add the food, litter and extra cost, about 50 dollars a month. Oh, don't forget the cost of spaying/neutering, which must be done at 6 months.
The use of the litterbox is an instict to them, you just put the litterbox there and show it to him, and put him inside and help him dig with the front paws. He will get the idea. If he doesn't immediately, just put him in there while you catch him peeing elsewhere. Don't tell him off if he has an accident, or do anything like rubbing his face in the poo as people say, just gently show him where he is supposed to poo.
As for clawing, have a scratching board and take him there every time you see him trying to scratch sth. he is not supposed to. Say NO, grab him gently from the neck and give him the correct alternative. Declawing is not only cruel, because it amputates the fingers, but it is a constant source of pain to the cat as he walks, and it often results to biting and to stoppping the use of the litterbox, because it is no fun digging without fingers. You can also use claw caps, www.softpaws.com.

Answer 3

1st, get the kitten from a shelter. Might cost you about $50. But it will already have a checkup and you'll be sure it has no diseases. That will also pay for neutering, if it wasn't performed already. Get checkups and vaccines yearly. About $30-$50 a year. Stick the kitten in the litter box. It will use it as soon as it knows where it is. Don't need to train. Keep it in the house ALL THE TIME. Will protect it from other animals and sick humans. Food can be cheap or expensive. I recommend Purina. Not too expensive and good track record. Clean litter box at least 2 X's a week or more. Stick with same food and litter. Cats don't like variety. Most cats don't play with toys bought at the store. They like paper bags, twist-ties and the rings from around the top of plastic milk bottles. And bugs. Kitten especially like to chase strings pulled by you. Good luck!

Answer 4

its really hard to say.. my bf and i both have cats, but the vet i have isnt accepting new clients, so he went to another vet (the cheapest he could find) and the fees for the same things were VERY different. His vet also charges a clinic fee, while mine does not.
I would suggest looking for ads for free kittens or cats for sale or call local vets becuase sometimes they have clients who have kittens they are getting rid of.
FIrst shots are usually at about 6 weeks
Youd have to get it spayed/ nuetered
Maybe declawed- thats up to you
The start up costs are the most expensive.
After the initial getting the cat and the shots and they neutering... mainly worry about food and litter.
After it has had its ( i think its) 6 month booster shots.. it will ned them i believe yearly.
Food- depends on what you want to buy it.. i buy whatever is cheapest - our cats dont care nor have a weak stomach... soem animals do.... But we spend about 10 a month on food we also give them some canned foor- like a treat.. one spoonful a day
you can get food dishes and toys at the dollar store... get some rolly balls, some furry mice and some type of "stick toy" that you can play with the cat- its like a stick with a toy or a furry thng hanging off the end
cats also like random things on the floor.. my cat is a hair tie addict.. if he sees one he just cant wait for you to look away and he steals it
Training it to use the litter box.. usually cats just do it.... show them where it is.. put them in it... scratch their paws thru the litter a bit... they shoudlnt have a problem. If you do find them "going" in the house... when you find it, show them the poop- stick their nose to it.. tell them no and take them directly to the litter box.... that seems to be the best thing to help them learn if they have a problem

Answer 5

to adopt around $50 and up. to buy depends on the pet store or breeder. Food depends on the brand and formula, our cats get purina cat chow, large bag of that is like $9. For a kitten though make sure it only eats kitten formula in the brand you choose or the vet reccomends. Kitty condos on the low end $20 or so and for larger ones $100 or more, depends on how big, materials ect. Vet costs will depend on what is needed that visit. Price out vets to find one that is not super expensive, for me an average trip to vet is at most $50. As for vaccince reminders vet will mail out card when its time, then just make the appointment. Toys range in price too, just bought some for 88 cents.
Catnip $4 for the large tub we get.
Cat nail clippers -$5 at walmart
cat collar- $6 on average
litter-$ 8 on average
Cat brush- $ 3
cat shampoo- depends on type and formula ex anti hair ball
litter box-$6 ( see if you can find a cat starter kit, comes with box, scoop and a few other needed items)

sites you might find useful
http://www.declawing.com/
http://www.perfectpaws.com/cpv.html
http://www.cattraining.com/

Answer 6

when you adopt a cat, they normally are already vaccinated, spayed or neutered and most of them mincrochip them and give you a free vet check, and they cost around 70$. but it depends on the shelter.

kittens or cats are already litter box trained.

check ups about every 2-3yrs. keeping the kitten indoors will keep it healthier and it will live longer. definitely recommend keeping in inside. when you update the vaccines about every 2-3yrs it cost, including the vet visit around 150... it also just depends on the vet. some places offer low cost vaccine clinics. best of luck and think about adopting before anything else! you can make home made toys and the 99 cent store sells toys, food and water bowels and litter boxes. but you need to buy food and litter. best of luck

Answer 7

It is best to adopt from a shelter. The inital price of the kitten may be higher, but it saves you tons of money in the end. Here's a break down of what I spent on my two kittens. One I found as a stray, one came from a shelter.

Stray:
Purchas price $0
Vet check $24.00
Feline Leukemia test $60.00
Rabies shot $18.00
Distemper shot $18.00 (x2 for booster)
Spay $240.00
Collar/ID tags $12.00
Litter box/scoop $18.00
Litter $8.00
Food $12.00
Dishes $8.00
Toys $10.00
Total $386.00

Shelter Cat
Purchase Price $75.00
Vet Check = Free
Distemper = included in purchase price
Rabies = included in purchase price
Spay = included in purchase price
feline leukemia test = included in purchase price
Micro chip $5.00
Collar = included in purchase price
ID tag $5.00
Litter box/Litter/Food/Toys $48.00
Total $133.00

Monthly costs
Litter $8.00
Food $12.00 (every 6 weeks)
Toys $10.00
Total $30.00

Yearly costs
Vet check $24.00
Rabies shot $18.00
Distemper shot $18.00
Total $60.00

Don't forget the extra expense if your cat gets sick.

Try www.petfinder.com for a list of shelters in your area.

Do not declaw your cat!!! It is very painful for your cat and can cause serious health problems later in life. Best to get a scratching post and nail clippers. I made my own scratching post out of pieces of plywood and left over carpet. Cost me less than $5.00

Answer 8

adoption 40-75$

neuter spay with shots 150-350$

litter box and bag of litter 10-15$

bag of kitty food 5-12$

kitty toys average 3-5$ each only need a few in the beginning

endless fun and love from your new pal.....priceless

Answer 9

I don't know what are fees in Colorado but here in Chicago I spend around 3,000 a year on supplies and shots. To adopt, it costed me only $35 and it came with his rabie shot. Cats usually are already train for the litter box and there is about 8 shots that has to be done every year and they round up to $50-$150 a shot.

Answer 10

You can get the right information from a book you get for free at your library....Your New Kitten by Mordecai Seigal
http://www.mordecai.com/cats.html

Or on this website:
http://cats.about.com/cs/kittencare/a/kitten_intro.htm

Costs of owning a pet cat......
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1838&articleid=1542

Good luck....