how much do u spend on cat a month?

Question

how much do u spend on ur cat a month?

im thinking about moving into my own place (time to get out) in my 20's, but really want to get a cat. im trying get a general idea on what i would spend on it a month?

Answer 1

Initially, to get a cat or kitten, I would recommend finding a good no-kill shelter. If you can find one, most of them adopt out their animals fully veted and fixed. That means up-to-date on all shots, tested, and already spayed/neutered. That by itself would save you a bundle and is still relatively cheap. For example, at my shelter, it is $60 for a kitten and $100 for a cat. Depending on where you live I might even be able to recommend a few :)
Personally, for my cat, I get a very good brand of dry cat food (Wellness) that costs $20 a bag. She is not an overweight cat so the bag actually lasts her about a month. I know many of my friends' cats need two or three of the same sized bags a month just because they enjoy a bulkier diet.
Cat litter can be very cheap or more expensive depending on the quality you want. It can range anywhere from $10 a month to well over 50. I recently switched to Sweat Scoop which I think is rather good and cheap at only $9 for 14 pounds. That lasts my one cat about two weeks.
In addition you probably would want toys, a collar, a litter box, a scratching post, treats, and other odds and ends. All together I really don't think I've spent more than $30 or so on that because the individual things are very cheap and last a long time. A box of treats lasted me a month and was about $5. My mom even got my kitty a little Santa outfit ^_^; for $6. She has a very cute collar we found for $2. The scratching post and more heavy duty things like that do shoot up in price though.
Now, the vet is the one yearly thing that really costs. It does depend on where you live so I would call a few of the vets in your area and ask about the costs for routine cat vaccinations. Usually it's in the $100 range so don't think that is too bad once a year. Of course, that is leaving out emergencies. In my experience, cats tend to be very healthy as long as they are happy. Most people do not have health issues with their cats.
I hope you make the right decision for you! :)

Answer 2

A cat will need a litter box and litter. This costs about $10 a week for the scoopable litter. $50 a month
Depending on what you feed your cat, it will cost $20-$40 a month. Good food is essential for good health.
You really need to have enough money initially to get your cat sterilized, vaccinated, tested, and wormed, etc which could cost over $300-$400. It is best to adopt a cat from a rescue organization that will have all this done before you adopt the cat. Usually the adoption fees are around $100 but you know your cat is up to date on medical.
Cats need toys which will cost a few dollars a month.
If your cat ever gets sick and needs to go to the vet, this will cost you a minimum of $150 for an office visit and basic meds but if you need anything else, it could go up to $500 or more.
The other thing to consider is that many apartment complexes require additional rent per month for a pet (if they allow it at all)
Owning a cat is a big resposibility and is a lifetime committment. You really need to make sure you are financially stable and will not be moving too often. Cats do not handle change very well and require companionship. A depressed lonley cat will get stressed and sick.

Answer 3

I spend about £100 per month on my 2 cats. It isn't just food and litter you need to think about (and even there you may plan to feed a cheap food, but your cat might have different ideas!). You need to also consider the cost of flea and worm treatment, vaccinations, neutering (if not already done), toys, scratching posts, miscellaneous items such as a carrier, toothpaste, feliway, soft paws if you use them.... but the biggest expense is vet bills. Not just the annual check up and vaccinations, but unexpected vets bills that can be hundreds of pounds/dollars. Cats can get sick at any time, and often do get sick at the most inconvenient moments (eg in the middle of the night when it's a week til payday) so it's important to work out in advance how you'd deal with that (eg put some money by each month, borrow from relatives, take out a loan...)

Answer 4

It will depend on what you feed your cat. If you just feed dry food, which cost about 20-30 a bag, you'd be looking at 30-40 a month. If you want premium cat food, it'll be a little more, around 30+ a bag. If you want to feed dry food along with wet food, it will cost you about 50+ a month.

A big tub of cat litter should last you the month, costing around 20-30 (a generous estimate). So for just food and litter... you're looking about maybe 50-60 a month.

Now, that's only for a cat who's been completely vaccinated. If you're getting a kitten, then prepare to spend a couple of hundred for all the shots that will it need in the 1st year of its life. Depending on where you live and the vet costs in your area, it will range anywhere from 300-500 for ALL the shots. I live in northeast NJ area, so vets here charge a lot. 400 is what I spent in total for the complete range of shots.

If you're keeping your cat indoors, then you probably dont' need monthly flea medication. But if you do want to use it, it'll cost about 20-30 for a pack of pills that lasts you for 6 months.

For other costs, prepare to spend about 50-100 for basic cat needs (litter box, toys, scratching posts, collar, tags, etc)--these costs will depend on how much you want to spoil your cat haha. And if you want to stay low on cost, adopt a kitten from your local shelter instead of buying one from the pet store. Adoption fees are usually VERY cheap (i got a kitten for 25) and shelters always have cats on hand. Also, when you adopt, you'll be illegible for discounted/free vaccinations/shots offered by either the state, the shelter, or local pet stores.

Answer 5

For my cats here's the breakdown (keep in mind I have two adult cats that are already spayed -$130 & neutered -$45). I live in Canada.

High Quality Food for cats with allergies: $30/month for dry or $80/month for wet. Previously I fed dry, now I feed wet, they don't go through $110 in food a month (in case that was confusing)

Cat Treats: $6/month Made by the same company who makes their food (Hagen - Nutrience) 2 bags does the month easily. A baggy of catnip can last a really long time so I don't factor that cost in.

Kitty Litter: Maxx Scoop for Multiple Cat Households. $12/month. 1 big box lasts them a month.

Flea Prevention: $51 for a 2 month supply (4 tubes of Advantage) They don't have fleas, and they don't go outside, but I have family members with dogs, so I treat them anyway, just in case. I'd rather pay for prevention, than from infection caused by flea bite.

Other...

Toys - next to nothing really. They have a 3.5ft cat tree for scratching with a cat house at the bottom and a platform on top large enough for them to spread out on ($50 at Walmart, 3 years ago) They chase laser pointers ($6 anywhere, once a year) and jingle balls ($1 for a pack of 6)

Filters for their water dish (a cat fountain) are $4 for 2 filters, each one lasts about a month

Vet visit once a year is $50 each (kittens need to go a little bit more at first because there are 2 series of shots they'll need)

Cat nail clippers are $7 and replace them once a year to make sure they're still sharp.

All told.....$1613/year or $134/month. For 2 cats.

Not including spay or neuter because that will depend on male or female, or emergency vet visits (which are rare, but you need to be prepared for). You can buy pet insurance that will cover most emergencies and even routine care like vaccinations. It can be a good investment, especially if you have limited income.

Answer 6

I buy the 3.5 lb bags of cat food because my cat does not eat a whole lot and I do not have the space to put a large bag. He goes through almost 2 bags a month which is approx. $10. I also buy a 21 lb box of Fresh Step litter, which lasts a full month so that's another $10.. I take my cat to the vet to have his nails clipped because he fights me the whole time and it's so much easier to pay $3-5 to have the vet do it. His shots are $15-20 a piece and $24 just to see the vet for an annual check up. So really, it's not a whole lot. You also have to figure in the extra money in case the cat gets sick and has to go to the vet for whatever reason. It also just depends on your location.

Answer 7

A bag of good food will last a month and run about $11 for a good diet.

One 20 lb bag of cat litter for $2.25 will last two months for one cat.

Figure $150 in vet bills a year, if you put that aside, you'll be covered for all the basics.

Make your own toys.

One time purchases--litter box and scoop, non-spill bowls for food and water. Those you can get from freecycle.com for free or you can look at rummage sales or at Goodwill, to keep costs down.

Answer 8

We have two cats. I spend about 20.00 on a good quality dry food/month. You will need kitty litter, that can be 10.00 + per month. We treat monthly for fleas, even though our cats don't go outside. That's about 10.00 per month. (my cats hang out in a three season sunroom). The biggest single expense are the vet visits, which can be 70.00-100.00/year, depending on the health of your cat. This is all per cat.

Answer 9

On just 1 cat not much at all...maybe $10 on food and $5 on the litter, but dont forget vet care as well...

Answer 10

on 1 cat about
40 euro
...x