Understanding the REAL Cost of a Pet to Your Budget

Having the pleasure of adding a fur kid to your home is one of the special things in life. After all, they bring you joy, companionship, endless devotion, help with your mental well-being, and are a great shoulder to cry on that listens to your problems without interjecting and commentary or advice. The love of a pet is just unique and once you’ve had one in your life, it’s hard to do without them.

As part of our month-long focus on shelter and rescue pets, we have mentioned multiple times that adding a dog or a cat to your family shouldn’t be a knee-jerk, in the moment, on a whim decision. Having a pet is layers deeper than just the good things they bring to you. Such things as adjustment to the home, the changes having an animal can bring to your lifestyle, the “terrible twos” that some breeds can go through, how they interact with other family members, allergies, the cost of healthcare, and all the other costs that go into having that fur kid are often overlooked or ignored… and they sometimes derail a pets chance at a Forever Home.

Today’s Dog Blog will start our Two Part Series on the real life financial impacts of bringing a dog or a cat into your home, what categories of your budget would house those expenses, and if a dog or a cat is more expensive to keep. Well do a deep dive into how the “start up” costs can add up to a more expensive first year, and how ongoing healthcare can lessen overall costs in the long run. The facts and figures may surprise you!

We do ask you to keep in mind that “your experiences may differ” from our numbers in one way or the other, as each individual animal and situation are different. The main point of today’s #FreddieSez is to hopefully show how important pre-planning, a family discussion, an understanding of your disposable income, and looking “beyond the cute” are in both your life and the life of any animal you choose to bring into your home.

No Bones About It

Studies show that dogs are more expensive to own that cats… but that does make sense. Dogs are needy emotionally and “bling” wise. Dogs need more stuff, or should we say, dog owners tend to buy more stuff for their dogs. The cost of adoption and/or buying a cat is lower (there is always someone looking to unload a litter of cats), their needs are fewer. Let’s be honest, a cat can sleep anywhere… they love boxes, a piece of paper on the floor, a shirt, a kitchen pot is a suitable hunker-down location. You’ll find cats on shelves, under beds, in windows, in closets, behind a couch, in a flower pot, or just about anywhere else you can think of. The saying is true about almost any cat, “If I fits, I sits”.  Sure, you have the entire litter box fiasco, but that is about the only “comfort” having a cat demands. Sure, you have to provide, healthcare, food receptacles and food… but get beyond that an anything else a cat has is not needed, it’s mostly the owner upgrading their pets life. Healthcare and food are normally less for cat than for a dog, due to size and less overall healthcare needs due to lifestyle (cats do less damage to themselves and don’t complain much about aches and pains).

Dogs, on the other hand, have a more lavish lifestyle and needs. Rescue and shelter pricing on adopting a dog are higher than their cat counterparts, and “Designer Dogs” can cost thousand dollars or more from a breeder. The cost of food is higher, dogs need more frequent vet visits, they have more startup costs with their cages, beds, toys, fashion and comfort items that dog owners leap into to assure their pooch feels special and loved. Dogs have their own clothing lines, designer collars and leashes, folding travel bowls, gourmet foods and drinks, strollers, hiking supplies, shaded enclosures for being out in the sunny side-yard. Dog’s have raincoats, hats, shoes, boots, scarfs, pro sports attire, and so many more accessories. Sure, not every dog had a wardrobe stuffed with clothes, but it is becoming more normal. Dog ownership is a “Keeping Up with the Boneses” activity… you certainly wouldn’t want your favorite fur kids to not be the talk of the neighborhood.

Keep in mind that there are two types of cost that apply to adding a pet to your household… START UP COSTS and ONGOING MAINTENANCE COSTS. These are very different but both need to be considered and budgeted to be sure that adding an animal is a wise choice for your family.

Startup and First Year Costs

Much like a human child needs a crib, stroller, highchair, clothes, hygiene products and diapers… a pet has a long list of items that need to be in place before they come home for the first time. You can certainly not get a litter box for a cat… your home will pay for it in other ways. You can choose not to get toys for your puppy… they will break in those teeth on some furniture legs. Startup costs are a necessity, but the good thing is that most of them are ONE TIME CHARGES. Remember, don’t over spend on items that will never be used (what dog needs 25 squeaky toys and 4 beds?). We know… you want to spoil them rotten, nothing wrong with that as long as you can afford it.

Ongoing Cost of Care and Maintenance for Your Pets

So, you’ve done your homework and decked out your home with all the things a pet would need to get started… now what? Ongoing care is what… and those costs are on the rise. The cost of food, litter, training pads, toys, pet clothing, beds, and all other pet products have increased by an average of 30% in the past 2 years. Pet-flation is real, price gouging has hit the Petcare industry, too. Be sure that you are buying quality, but if you can’t afford it… you don’t need the “best of the best”, do you really think your dogs and cats will know the difference? If you’re not expecting it, the cost of monthly care for your pets can derail or blow your budget. Make sure you can absorb the cost of pet care before you commit to a lifetime with a fur buddy.

So, we’ve talked high level needs and expectations for pet ownership… but what does that look like in real dollars and cents? Let’s break it down…

The Cost of Bringing Home a Cat

Again, many factors play into this number, but as the average to purchase and setup a new cat in your home, the costs should be somewhere in the ranges below. Keep in mind that a “Rare Breed” cat can cost you between $300 – $25,000 but if people are buying Persian cats or a Bengal Tiger kitten, they have probably thought it out and know the cost to purchase these rare animals. Here are some basic costs you need to consider…

  • Shelter Adoption: The going average for adoption a cat from a shelter is roughly $60. Kittens are normally more because they require more upfront costs for the shelter to prepare them for adoption. Special need or elderly cats can also exceed the $60 mark, as they also have more healthcare cost to prepare them for adoption.  Costs like, food, upkeep, medical, paperwork, and staff go into those upfront costs. The thing about getting a shelter pet is that they, normally, have all their shots and have recently been seen by a veterinarian. You’ll know exactly what you’re getting, get a full health breakdown, and most shelters include kittens follow up shots (within a certain time frame after adoption)

  • Rescue Adoptions: There are some very fine national and local cat rescues. The CAT Action Team (CAT) is a national organization who save and home thousands of cats yearly. Rescue organizations spend more individual time with their animals, most have been in a “foster home” to assure they are socialized and cared for in a one-on-one manner. They normally have medical  and will be ready to bring home. Spay/neuter is usually done in advance of re-homing. Things like breed, size, age, health, and length of time in the rescue can impact the adoption fee. However, a loose fitting national average for bringing home a dog from a rescue is between $100 to $300. Keep in mind, there may be an “Application Fee” that you pay upfront to even be considered for adopting an animal. You will also need to meet minimums (fenced in yard, no caging the animal, special diets, no other pets, no children) to bring them home, but those are discussed in long before you pick up the pet. Also, plan on a “Home Visit” and you’ll likely be asked to sign a waiver that assures that the Rescue gets the animal back.

Here are a couple lists of yearly and ongoing costs to care for an average cat (provided by Rover.com)

Obviously, all of these costs won’t apply to your situation. You may choose not to purchase pet insurance (you should probably look into it). Most cats won’t need a license, but its good to know what the policy/law is for your area. If you buy “designer food” for your cat, or special food for health needs, that number will be higher. This does not include emergency or unexpected medical cost, which is where your pet insurance could help. It’s important to consider what pet parenting will do to your monthly budget and let that help to guide you on your decisions. It’s also a good practice to weigh what is needed, compared to what is excess. Often we buy things our pets don’t need, or we buy premium products when lesser like products would do. $700 is much more manageable for someone on a tight budget than $3000 would be.  There’s no shame in your game if you don’t buy top of the line, as long as you’re buy what the kitty needs and the quality is good.

We will stop here for this weeks Dog Blog and reconvene next week to complete the overview with the cost of a new Canine to your budget. We can compare the two cost lists and figure out which species is a bigger drain on the wallet (and worth every penny of the money spent).

We’re so close to entering the Holiday Season, we hope you and the fur kids are giddy with anticipation for Thanksgiving and Christmas Seasons… we know we are.  As we wind down 2024, make sure you take “paws” to look back on this year and collect memories of the very best times. So often we focus on the “ruff” times and we forget the “purrrrrfectly” great times our dogs and cats have provided us.

Till we meet again next week, be sure you pick out a stellar Howl-O-Ween costume for your fur gals and fellers… share your spooky attitude and scary mood with your hairy chicks and dudes… sound proof your pad if trick or treaters make your pets sad… and ever in the most frightening time of the years, always be Pet Friendly. #FreddieSez

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