Estimating the Cost of Owning a Cat

The Financial Side of Feline Companionship: Estimating the Cost of Owning a Cat : If you’re looking for a great pet, you’ll love having a cat by your side.

Feline companionship can enrich your life, make you feel relaxed, and comfort you during tough times.

But before you find your feline friend, you want to know what cat ownership entails.

But how much does it cost to own a cat? You’ll have to make a big investment in raising a cat, so you must be prepared.

Here’s what you should know:

Buying Insurance

Before considering cat ownership, consider the best pet insurance companies.

This insurance is necessary to help cover medical and other associated costs of raising a cat. Take your time to research the best insurance companies for your cat.

Depending on what coverage you want, an insurance policy for your cat can range from as little as $20 per month to a few hundred dollars per month.

Once you’ve chosen your insurance provider, you’ve got to look at the initial costs of cat ownership.

Initial Costs With Cat Ownership

Adopting a cat can range from $35 to a few hundred dollars. It’s rare for it to cost $1,000 or more. As a general rule, the younger the cat, the cheaper the adoption cost is.

You might wish to get your cat spayed or neutered. This procedure will often cost $600 or less. But it’s unlikely to cost less than $200.

Other initial costs can include the following:

Initial medical checkups, including vaccinations ($200 to $600)
Cat bed ($20 to $50)
License/Certificate of Ownership ($20 to $100)
Carrying cage ($20 to $150)
Food bowls/Water bowls ($30 to $100)
Litter box ($20 to $800)
Brush (up to $30)
Nail trimmer (up to $30)

These are the average prices for initial cat ownership. Based on these estimates, you can pay around $370 on the low end to $1,860 on the high end.

Prices will vary based on your location, your cat’s size, and any particular local laws.

For example, some states might have higher costs for pet licenses. Other places might have subsidized medical costs for initial medical checkups for cats.

Essential Ongoing Costs

Now let’s look at some of the costs you’ll need while raising a cat. You can expect to make these ongoing costs each month or even each week.

Let’s start with buying cat food. You must first speak to your vet to determine the right portions to feed your cat.

You can expect to pay close to $200 on the low end and approximately $900 on the high end per year for cat food.

Sometimes, you can also give them human food – if your vet approves.

Once you’ve bought your litter box, you’ll also have to buy the litter filling. This can cost between $55 to $525 per year.

Make sure you stick to the same brand of cat litter whenever possible.

Likewise, you’ll need to buy your cat new toys occasionally. However, this is a minor expense, and you probably won’t pay more than $100 annually.

If your cat is healthy, you should pay at most $150 to $200 yearly for routine checkups.

The total is $505 on the low end and $1725 on the high end per year.

Additional Ongoing Costs

Next, let’s look at some additional ongoing costs you may have to pay while raising a cat to ensure the best cat care.

In most cases, you won’t have to take your cat for dental care regularly. Dental cleaning for cats can be quite expensive. They can range from $430 to around $650 per visit.

Your vet will be able to assess how often your cat needs to stop by for a dental cleaning.

A basic grooming visit should cost at most $100 per visit. You can often go to a professional cat groomer and pay around $40 to $50.

Of course, you should also prepare for medical emergencies. It’s impossible to give an average estimate for such emergencies.

The severity of the emergency determines the cost.

Some emergencies can cost $200 to $250 per visit, while others will cost upwards of $1,500. Ask your vet about their fees and what emergencies are common with cats.

You should also ask them how to prevent such emergencies. In many cases, your insurance can cover medical emergencies.

Nevertheless, you want to ensure your cat’s health and try to avoid such emergencies from occurring.

At the low end, additional costs can be around $730 annually. At the high end, these fees can cost at least $2,500 per year.

End-of-Life Costs

While this isn’t something we want to think about, there are associated costs to your cat’s end-of-life.

If your cat is suffering from a terminal or severe illness, you can euthanize it. The euthanasia procedure can cost between $400 to $800 on average.

If you wish to cremate your cat, the process can cost an average of between $50 to $150.

There might also be a few visits to the vet you’ll need to pay during your cat’s final years. As your cat grows older, you can expect vet bills to be much higher.

On average, vet costs around end-of-life can start as low as $100 per visit to as high as $1,000 per visit.

This costs around $550 at the low end and $1,950 at the high end. As you can see, cat ownership pricing varies but can be expensive overall.

However, with insurance, many of the medical costs can be covered. Raising a cat is a rewarding experience that you should strongly consider regardless of costs.

“How Much Does It Cost to Own a Cat?” Now You Know

Now you know the answer to “How much does it cost to own a cat?” and can decide if you want to consider cat ownership.

Costs can vary for your essential and additional needs. They can range from as low as less than $100 per expense to several hundred dollars or even a thousand dollars each year.

Medical costs take up the majority of your costs. However, if you invest in the right pet insurance, your provider will cover your costs.

Ready to meet your new cat? Before you do, check out our other pet care tips.

The Financial Side of Feline Companionship: Estimating the Cost of Owning a Cat

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