The True Price of Cats & Dogs: How To Budget for Your New Pet
Before you think about adding a furry friend to your family, you may want to consider how much your pet will cost over time. While you can’t put a price on a best friend, you can put a price on raising and caring for it properly. Here is a breakdown of the real price of cats and dogs:
Dogs
Initial Investment:
The price of buying a dog can vary greatly depending on the source.
Shelter/Rescue Dogs
Many shelter or rescue dogs can be free (although you’ll likely pay $50-150 in filling fees) from your local SPCA or animal shelter. Choosing a dog from a shelter is a great option as you will help to save a dog and they traditionally come with all vaccines and shots.
Dogs from a Breeder
If you choose to purchase your dog from a breeder, the fee will usually vary from $500-2,500 based on the type of the dog. However, this is not really the true cost of the puppy as these dogs usually require a series of shots and vaccines. The cost of vaccines will generally run between $100-300 to help your dog have a healthy life.
Initial Investment Totals: $50-$2,800
Veterinary Bills
Depending on if your new dog has come pre-vaccinated or not, your vet bill could be pricey for the first year. But spending the money upfront on vaccinations can save you hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars as well as help your dog stay healthy.
Also, your puppy should be spayed or neutered by the time it turns one year old. Adult dogs should cost you a fraction of what the average puppy would.
Vaccine Totals: $75 – $200
Spay/Neuter Totals: $100 – $300
Vet Bill Totals (yearly): $0 – $150 per year
Food
An essential to proper growth, purchasing the right dog food might cost more than you’d expect. Puppies tend to eat exponentially more than dogs due to their rapid growth, but even with full-grown dogs, the daily food and treats can add up. Larger dogs will also require more than smaller and toy breeds.
Food Totals: $250 – $1,000 per year
Treat Totals: $25 – $300 per year
Grooming
Some dogs fall on the high end of the grooming scale as they need to be trimmed monthly or quarterly due to their breed, whereas many dogs can slide by with minimal upkeep. Even dogs that are very low maintenance require the proper tools to comb their coat, trim their nails and wash them when dirty.
Grooming Totals: $20-200 per year
Cages/Bedding/Toys
Many owners prefer crate-training their dogs so they can leave the house worry-free. Whether or not you keep your dog in a crate, having proper toys so your furniture doesn’t turn into a chewed-up mess is an essential.
Cages/Bedding/Toys Totals: $50 – $300
Obedience Costs
Training your puppy or dog will help it be the best dog he/she can be. Whether you put in the hours researching and training or you hire a professional, obedience training is an important (and sometimes costly) step for dogs.
Obedience Totals: $100 – $1,000
Preventative Medicine
Unless you really enjoy fleas or don’t value your dog’s health, preventative maintenance like flea control or heartworm prevention is essential. While these items aren’t overly expensive, the monthly maintenance adds up.
Preventative Medicine Totals: $50 – $180 per year
Boarding Costs
Unlike cats, even if you take a short vacation, Fido must be taken care of. Many dog owners also need to take their pup to doggy daycare while at work for the first few weeks when the puppy’s digestive system is still in its infancy. This total can vary greatly, but is a much needed expense for many.
Boarding Totals: $0 – $2,000
Overall Price of Owning a Dog
The initial fees for purchasing a dog (food not included) is between $275 – $4400 when all is said and done. However, the average lifespan of a dog is 11 years, making the total cost anywhere from $4,070 – $46,530*.
*This total is heavily skewed by the high end of the boarding costs – the total with boarding costs removed would be $4,070 – $24,530.
Cats
Initial Investment:
Much like dogs, the cost of a cat greatly varies based upon the source.
Shelter Cats
Many shelter cats can be free (but expect to pay $50-100 in filling fees) from your local SPCA or animal shelter.
Cats from a Breeder
If you choose to purchase your cat from a breeder, the fee will usually vary from $200-750 based on the type of the cat. Vaccines will run between $50-200 for these cats as well.
“Free Cats” from Listings
Many others give away “free” cats, but they end up being not-so-free. Have a vet give kitty a once over and make sure vaccines ($50-$200) are up to date.
Initial Investment Total: $50-$1000
Cat Litter/Box
Bedding/Posts/Containers/Perches
One of the nice aspects of cats is that they are low maintenance when it comes to how owners have to handle excrement (waste?). A good litter box and fresh litter are usually all a cat needs to become housebroken. By scooping your litter box, many owners can make cat litter stretch for a bit longer, but the main objective is to make sure the litter box is clean at all times.
Box Cost: $10 – 50 initial investment
Litter Totals: $75 – 200 per year
Veterinary & Health Bills
These expenses might sneak up on owners, but being proactive with your kitten can really help to save you money by keeping your furniture or car intact.
Bedding/Posts/Container Total Costs: $25 – $150
Food
Vet bills are inevitable when owning a pet. Even after your cat is fully vaccinated and you are applying preventative maintenance, you will still find yourself making trips to the vet. Two main items that could be a cost for kittens are desexing and declawing. Most owners and vets would not recommend declawing a cat due to pain and procedure, but in the end it is the owner’s choice.
Neutering Costs: $50 – $250
Declawing Costs: $50 – $200
Yearly Vet Bills: $0 – $250
Preventative Medicine
Wet or dry, your cat needs food daily. This will be one of your cat’s largest expenses throughout its life.
Food & Treat Totals: $150 – $300 per year
Boarding Costs
Keeping your cat healthy means being proactive. Things like heartworm prevention and flea control can save you from serious vet bills down the road.
Medicine Totals: $50 – $200 per year
Overall Price of Owning a Cat
One of the main benefits for cats is that they can exist on their own for short periods of time. However, most people end up needing to board their cat sometime in their lives and it usually isn’t cheap.
Boarding Totals: $0 – $250
The initial fees for purchasing a kitten (food not included) is between $185 – $1700and will show you a whole lot of love. Another positive about cats is that they usually live a very long life. the average lifespan of a cat is 14 years, making the total cost $4,035 – $15,700.
Conclusion
If you have a pet already, you probably know it’s expensive but love the little critter regardless. Like anything though, it always helps to have a budget before jumping into any responsibility. If you ask most pet owners, these total costs are nothing for the love and happiness their pets give back in return. Hopefully these money tips help you take a close glance at your finances before adding another family member!
Tags: animal costs, pet expenses | Categories: Feature, Personal Finance |
