How much does it cost to choose a cat as a pet?

[MinimalistMommi]

I was wondering about the daily cost of keeping a cat (a pedigree cat-Ragdoll) with the cost of cat food, changing the litter tray daily etc? The Ragdoll will have already :
-Have been wormed three times
-vaccinations
-neutering
-have been registered

How much is good quality cat food etc?

[MedusaIsHavingABadHairDay]

Lots. you are entering what could be anything up to a 20 year long relationship.
Yearly vaccinations, (expensive) flea treatment, working, illnesses, accidents, and as they get old they need more and more meds..just like people.

If you are thinking about cat ownership in terms of what it might actually cost, are you sure having an animal is the right thing for you? Sorry to sound harsh but either you are prepared to love your cat with whatever cost that entails or you aren't!

[Lancelottie]

Insurance (or lack of) is our current biggest expense. £300 last month, £93 this and counting, for emergency vet treatment, plus £30 a month for long-term meds PLUS food, vaccs, litter, etc, etc...

[MinimalistMommi]

Medusa I wanted to go into this with eyes wide open at the cost of properly looking after a cat so I can be a responsible owner actually! I want to care for my cat properly and I asked this question to see if I can afford to do so. I'm shocked at how rude your reply sounded! First time in this forum too I would love my cat very much if I choose to get one.

[MinimalistMommi]

Lance lottie so would you recommend cat insurance then?

[catladycourtney1]

I'm not sure how much difference having a pedigree cat will make price-wise, but it will only really effect insurance.

I have two moggies and I spend:

£12-15 for a 3kg bag of Iams dry food every three to four weeks (it's normally on offer somewhere), there is cheaper food but my cats were bottle-fed as kittens and have very sensitive tummies, and Iams is the only one I've found that they get on with.

Another £12-£15 for four or five boxes of Whiskas pouches, they have one each a day, again it's usually on offer somewhere if you shop around.

A bag of value cat litter costs about £1.50, and I can change two litter trays twice with a bit left over, or three times at a stretch. And a bottle of value disinfectant for cleaning them out, about 50p. That's about every two weeks. Some cats don't like certain types of litter though so if yours don't take to the value litter you might have to pay a bit more.

Treats and toys and stuff - mine like Dreamies which are about £1 a bag, but they don't eat many because it gives them the runs. They also go mad for these little ping pong balls with feathers on, which luckily only cost 15p each.

And their insurance is about £16 a month, it's slightly more for my male cat than my female. Both are neutered and chipped.

I think that's about it for day-to-day stuff, obviously you'll have to get a litter tray, scoop, blankets, collars, brushes, bowls etc as well. It comes to about £35-40 a month altogether, but obviously that's for two cats not one.

[lljkk]

I am an anorak who keeps track of every penny spent.
Each week, It works out as about £3.50/cat for food (high quality).

£26 each for annual jabs includes checkup,

£10 each/yr for litter but mine mostly go outdoors, anyway.

One of my carriers was £2.50 from an Aladdin's cave shop, but others cost more like £15 each.
Why would an indoor-only cat need worming?

Indoor cats that come to you with no fleas wouldn't have so many needs, but Ragdolls in particular need grooming and lots of play (your time).

Haven't had any proper medical bills, yet.

[lljkk]

Sorry re litter, just thinking if I only had one cat indoor then probably I'd spend about £60/yr on litter at very max. You dont' change the litter daily, just remove solids.

[catladycourtney1]

It's worth mentioning that if your cat ever needs long-term medication, such as for diabetes or something like that, you'll probably have to pay out for that too even if you have insurance (because it will likely be less than the excess on your insurance). Insurance is definitely worth having, I wouldn't be without it because I'm a huge worrier and I like to know I can take them to the vets if I'm concerned and won't end up with a bill for thousands. BUT it does go up a bit every year, and more if you claim on it. Also its best to get lifetime cover rather than 12-month cover, because with 12-month cover, if your cat develops a long term condition you can no longer claim for it after the year is up. But obviously it is more expensive.

[Floralnomad]

My mum has a Ragdoll , he had a bowel condition as a kitten and costs an absolute arm and leg . He is an indoor cat ( as lots of Raggies are) ,he will only crap in litter that is white ( not grey) so that's expensive . He has food from the vet , so that's expensive. He's very fussy and drives you mad if he doesn't get his own way so he has a chicken cooked at least once a week and has prawns every day , but only from a few specific places. He also has a selection of ordinary cat food and biscuit . He is allergic to most vaccinations / medication so has to have anti histamine before treatment for most minor ailments. I appreciate he is a one off , but pick your breeder carefully .

[prayingmantisgroupie]

Just to reiterate what cat lady courtney said; my cat has diabetes, she's not insured any more, and it costs an absolute fortune. I don't begrudge a penny of it as I love her dearly, but we are talking about - specialist food at £23 a bag, insulin, syringes, extra litter because she pees more, and continuous vet visits for check ups and monitoring. Some months I feel I should just direct my wages directly into my vet's account and be done with it! She also has to be injected twice a day without fail and at roughly the same times, (so no spontaneous days out for us, everything has to be planned with her in mind!).
As I said, I don't begrudge it, but it's worth bearing in mind that any animal can fall victim to a long term condition such as this, so you need to bear that in mind along with all the other practicalities. Good luck with it all!

[MinimalistMommi]

praying OMG that's worryingly expensive for me!

Floral any tips on choosing a breeder? I know they need to be registered but it still seems so tricky when I know nothing about it

[Lancelottie]

Yes, I think I'd recommend insurance.

Never gave insurance a thought in the miasma of early childrearing. By the time I'd started to think about it, cats were 9 and looking worryingly expensive to insure -- and of course, once a long-term condition has kicked in, you can't insure against it.

For the past few years we've had a mental 'cat reserve' of money we would have been spending on insurance. Now we've spent it. It didn't take long.

[Lancelottie]

Praying, ours currently has to have pills twice daily at regular times. Even our friendly, cat-feeding neighbours are going to struggle with that one, I suspect.

[Floralnomad]

The breeder we bought from is in Kent and is fully accredited and has show winning cats , I think we just got a dud one ! Having said that the cat was collected from her on a Sunday and collapsed on the Monday and she was less than interested ! If you're buying in kent I am more than happy to PM you her name .

[issey6cats]

have you thought about contacting ragdoll breed rescue, as they would have full history of health of the cats on thier register, food that the cat likes so you would be able to cost this, and all the people on here saying how much cats cost, my four cats cost me about £10 a week to feed, and £2 for wood based litter a week, maybe ive been lucky but mine over the years have cost me less having a bamnk account for them than having insurance for 4 cats would have done

[prayingmantisgroupie]

Lance lottie - I feel your pain! We're going away in June, (first time for 4 years!), and I've already got my cat sitter sourced, checked out, booked and paid for, because I knew it would be an issue to find someone if we left it too late. We've got a vet nurse coming, lovely lady and very competent. Not cheap though!!

[PipkinsPal]

I have two cats and have insurance through PetPlan which originally cost £10.50 each when I purchased it. They are moggies. Two years down the line Barnaby has a urinary tract problem and has to be on tabs for life. Thank heavens for pet insurance. It cost me £65 excess, one off payment, but his future management for this problem is being taken care of. However he has to have special food and PetPlan do pay out 40% of the cost for the first 6 months. It is a bit expensive but I don't mind he's my pet after all. The insurance for both has now increased to £11.75 each a month. I use medicanimal for food as it is cheaper than Pets at Home and the Vet. So I would say get insurance it's worth it if needed especially as Barnaby's brother Troy is a pudding and I can see him getting health problems as he gets older!! Ps microchipping cost me £10 and I had it done when they were having their op under anaesthetic as I understand the needle is quite big.

[fl0b0t]

I'm just going to mention Insurance too. Our (amazing) cat turned out to be diabetic, which would have cost us (through various vet visits, blood tests, medication, needles, emergency vet visits etc) well over £4k the last two years...... we pay £15 a month so have saved over £3,000 the last two years :)