Is it hard to take care of cats?

Question

I want to buy a orange tabby from the shelter so bad...i just want to know if its hard to take care what do i need like shots, how much $ for food a month, do u have to wash them, brushs?
just basicly what do i have to do to keep them healthy and how much $$ would it be

PS:::do orange tabbys shed alot???

Answer 1

I have three cats, two males and a female and the one male is an orange and white cat.
Cats are really easy to take care of and don't hardly cost anything to care for.

Initial Cost:
Adoption fee: That all depends on your area, what kind of cat you get, where you get it from and its age. USually anywhere from $20 to $100. I suggest getting an adult cat from an animal shelter.
Food: I feed my cats purina on full feed, which means they have dry food out at all times. A bag of their food cost me $17 and I will go threw a bad every month and a half or two months. And they also share 2 cats of wet food every other day. I purchase fancy feast cat food at $12 for 24 cans. That last be almost a month.
Litter: The price you pay for that depends on the brand and how much you use. I use Scoop away and I LOVE IT!!! I get a 28lb container at $10 and will go threw it in a little over a month.
Cat accessories: You will need to get a food and water bowl that can be very cheap or reall expensive. Mine right now actually use large dog bowls, that way there is enough water and food out for them. Their bowls cost be $7 each and then they have three smaller cat bowls for wet food those were $5 each.. Litter box: I actually only have one litter box for my three, some people need more, but I found just one works for me. I have a sifting litter box and it only cost $20. I don't suggest getting a littermade automatic one, my cats wouldn't use it and I thought it was a waste. Toys: You don't actually have to have toys, but they cat will love you for it. Toys can be bought or made. Most anything around your house, that the cat cant swollow or hurt themselves can be a toy. My cats LOVE the catnip and crinkle toys and have tons of them. Scratching post: You really should have one, unless you want your furnished demolished. I put softclaws on my cats, but they still use a post and love it. It can be cheap like $10 all the way up to fancy ones for several hundred. I also think a pet taxi is something they should have, $15 is all they have to cost and are good when you take them to the vet. And you need a brush to brush them, I have two a undercoat one I spend $50 on and a normal one that was only $5. Get what works for you.
You really need to take your cat to the vet atleast once a year. Mine go for a yearly check up and shots. In fact I just took mine to the vet last week, two of them only had $29 visits-checkup and distemper booster and the other had a $41 visit-checkup, distemper and rabies. So a yearly checkup is pretty cheap actually.
Flea medication: Really, unless you let your cat outside, which you shouldnt. You should have to medicate for fleas but when they get them if they get them. And DONT use the flea stuff or dewormer from the petstore or walmart, it DOESNT work. Go to the vet for that stuff.. My cats use Frontline spray when needed. It cost me $34 and it will do all three cats for 2 months.

As for what the care they require. As long as you keep their box clean, scoop at least once a day and refil when needed and a total change atlease once a month, they should be fine. That also depends on the litter, you might need to change more for cheaper litters. You need to make sure they ALWAYS have water. If you think you will be gone for a majority of the day, keep the cat on full feed. Full feed works best for my cats because they like to eat small amounts over the course of the whole day, instead of two big meals. You may or may not need to brush the cat, depends on how much they shed and their fur length. You dont need to bathe the cat, EVER, unless they get dirty. I have never had to bathe a cat, they clean themselves and if you do wash them, do not do it to often, you run the risk of drying their skin out.

As for the last questions "do orange tabbys shed alot" That all depends on his fur lenght and what type of food you feed him. My orange cat doesn't hardly shed at all. Then I have a short hair gray cat that will shed like crazy and a long haired black cat who never sheds..All depends on its fur..Good luck and I hope you can get the kitty and save a life...

Answer 2

No, they aren't hard to care for, but if you aren't a cat person you shouldn't get one.

You will need about $20-$40 to take care of one cat properly per month, that includes food and litter. That doesn't include shots, vet care, etc.

You have to be home for them, they aren't just solo creatures. They love to be around a hopping household, at least mine do. They love people and curling up with you in bed or on the couch while you watch tv. So if you aren't home much, don't get one. They aren't as solitary as people think.

You should brush them at least once a week I would think, more or less depending on the coat. I have a 17 year old Siamese cat and have NEVER once given her a water bath, she keeps herself clean. I have very rarely used a wet rag to wipe her down.

Yes, I would think an orange tabby would shed a good amount unfortunately. The only cat that won't shed and get hair everywhere is probably a hairless one. But with proper brushing and vacuuming once or twice a week, it's not so bad.

Good luck if you decide to get a new cat! It's a wonderful experience being a cat owner. :)

Answer 3

I don't think they cost alot. If you are going to keep it inside you will need a litterbox, but I have never had a cat that didn't pretty well train itself, all you have to do is put them in it a few times for the first few days and they do the rest. Shots for the 1st year would be about $100, but call your vet to find out their prices. They don't eat alot of food I probably spend about $7 a month. You do have to give them baths, I only give one about once every 2 months, they are clean animals, brushing depends on how long their hair is. Oh, I have an orange tabby, he does shed but I don't think its excessive.

Answer 4

they arnt expensive to keep partularly..

we spend about £7.50/$15 per week feeding each one, maybe a little less, but ours are spoilt.

(not sure though how anyone is getting by on $7-$15 a month food bill, is food cheap in the US or something, or is that some other dollar i dont know about... $7 is only about £4, that only buys 6 tins of cat food over here, thats like 1 tin for five days???????)

yearly vacinnations, although as a rescue cat you may be able to get help with the cost of this.

About £10/$20 for three month supply of frontline flea treatment.

Occasional worming.

I would advise if long term you are worried about cost of vets bills etc, looking at pet insurance. If it is leaving a rescue centre fully vacinated etc they will provide you with a certificate of that and you can then get pet insurance for about £7/$15 a month. it sounds a lot but...

our last cat to die had thyroid problems, kidney problems, and a few other things.
Consultations £15 a time
Thyroid tablets and heart tablets £40 a month
Blood tests up to £60 each (he had four)
And over a hundred pounds when it was eventually time for him to go, for cremation etc.
Total cost over 6 months - nearly £1200/$2500

needless to say we now have all our cats insured ;)

Dont let me scare you, but you can get very cheap insurance that will cover any sudden problems. Its worth doing.

Answer 5

Hey, I love CATS!! and I have one, she is organge and her name is pinky. There are not too much work, you have to change their cat liter and keep it clean. Always give them fresh water, warm and cat food. Cat food don't cost too much my cat eats 9 lives and you can get that for like 1.89 for one pack. But usually if you get the cats from the shelter they should already had their shots just speak to them. It also depends on what type of cat it is to know if it really sheds hair. Just speak to the people in the shelter, they know a lot esp about the cat you want. But you know because it is a shelter they have to make monthy visits and make sure the cat is fine and doing well. They would tell you everything hopes this helps!! Cats are good they don't bother, I love them!!! Good luck!!

Answer 6

No, they pretty much take care of themselves.

All you have to do is make sure they have fresh food and water, a scratching post [if they aren't declawed], and a clean litter box.

Other than that, they sleep a lot.

It's about $20 to feed mine, per month. Depends on how much you cat will eat, and while brand of food you buy. You have to bathe them about once a month, but I know some people who only do it every 6 months. You'll have to take it to get it's yearly shots and such, but the pricing on that depends by on the vet.

Good luck.
x

Answer 7

Cats are great and way easy to care for. Honestly, I spent about 80 dollars for all of my cat's shots. Fixing the cat was only about 40-50 dollars, and food is rather in-expensive (12 dollars a month). Lets put it this way, I was a poor college student and still was able to afford the proper care for 3 cats. I dont brush any of my cats because they are all short haired. I do clip their nails and bath them though.

Answer 8

well you will need a cat box, brush ,toy balls ,wet /dry foods srcaching post ,cat bed.cat treats,water /food bowls ,ice water,cange water every night.
get all kind of foods they might have a favorite.wet food in the
morrning and at night an dry when ever they plz.they may shed.they need lots of love and care.and a yearly visit to the vet.get a book on tabby cats learn more about them online to by going to google.com

Answer 9

Cats are so easy to take care of! I have 4 and they are nothing compared to my dog. I even have a fluffy orange and white boy! He is the sweetest! Get a good brand of food (nothing from a grocery store or Walmart), Fresh Step litter, and you won't need much else at all.

Answer 10

They are not as much care time as for a dog. Try getting a book from the library about cats.