I love my cats and usually they’re quite inexpensive minus a freak visit to the vet. But one thing pet owners probably don’t take into consideration when it comes to pet costs are accidents. I’m not talking about medical accidents, I’m talking about ACCIDENTS that result in destruction around the home.
For instance, my cats seems to prefer to barf up their hairballs on the carpets instead of the laminate flooring that covers three-quarters of my house. Once a year I have to have my carpets cleaned professionally due to cat vomit; cost: $120. We purposely have a light weight blanket over our bedspread for exactly these kinds of mishaps. Over the past year, the stains have sunk in and just won’t come out. Sometime this year, I’m sure I’ll replace it; cost: $35. Every now and then, my cats get into a bit of trouble and knock over a trinket on a counter top. Those trinkets are usually under the $20 range, but that can add up over time; cost:who knows.
It’s just not cats, though. Just the other day I overheard someone describing her puppy’s destructive behavior, chewing up shoes, books, and who knows what else.
Well just last night, my cats decided to pull a doosey of an accident. One of them (and I’m not sure which one) knocked over a fairly heavy bar stool (I’m thinking it’s my fat cat Fred) and destroyed it. It landed on its side and broke the top of the back off like a twig. It’s a shame because this particular bar stool is $300. Yep. That’s the true cost of pets I suppose.
If you have pets, how much do you estimate you spend annually on pet destruction?
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I tried to vote but got a weird error message. Not sure if it took. We have two cats and their biggest contribution is the hairball spitup. Our carpets are pretty old (over 12 years now) so they’re not in the greatest of shape anyways, but with two kids and the two cats, I’m not in any hurry to get them replaced.
Money Beagle recently posted..Weekend Roundup: January 27, 2012
We adopted the last 2 dogs. The first adoptee was left in the kitchen and distroyed about 40 wooden window blinds. The second adoptee rarely has accidents and he is great. Do we have the carpeting more often because of the pets? Yes, so that is about $200.
krantcents recently posted..Friday Night Links: Pinched Nerve Edition
Things my cat has destroyed since I got her two years ago:
- A lamp ($35)
- A VCR (it actually still works, but barely)
- An external hard drive ($250)
- Two glasses, a mug and a bowl (I didn’t replace them; now I’m just short)
- My favourite apple-scented candle (My cat’s name is actually Apple. of course.)
- My mini blinds (still functional, but full of bite holes)
She also once knocked my iPhone into her water dish, which destroyed it. Thankfully, the guys at the Apple store (again, har har, her name is Apple) took pity on me and replaced it free of charge.
It’s a good thing the damn cat is cute!
Melissa recently posted..Your cigarettes just aren’t that into you
I have birds and fish. They require very little.
Marissa @ Thirty Six Months recently posted..Think You Can’t Afford To Budget?
Wow – another reason not to have pets I guess. I won’t tell my wife this one (as I am slowly trying to win her over).
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@Money Beagle – It took your vote. Our carpets are usually our biggest cost annually. However, the chair they ruined tops that for this year!
@Melissa – Yikes! That’s quite the list. Thankfully little Apple is cute.
@Marissa – When we had fish in the past, they were quite easy and maintenance free. Of course, they’re not quite as cuddly.
@Corey – If you’re trying to work your way to getting a pet, definitely don’t share this story with her!
@Krantcents – Dogs seem to have a thing about chewing things up. It’s a good thing they make good companions, it allows us to forgive them!
Our cats are pretty good. I think we don’t have things that they can destroy anymore. The usual hair balls and barfs are tolerable. We can usually get most of the stain out with spot shot.
retirebyforty recently posted..Dividend Income Portfolio Jan. 2012 Update +RDS.B
Our cat is 6 years old now, but in his younger days he was quite wild. He loved to chew electrical cords. There isn’t a cord in my house that he hasn’t left teeth marks on. He chewed completely through some thinner cords like my phone and camera charging cords. I had to add a door to my family room so I can keep my electronics in there without him damaging them. The most damage he caused was when he knocked over a bottle of bleach in my main floor laundry room. The bleach leaked through the plumbing pipes and leaked into my basement, destroying some belongings I had stored there.
Our boxer’s “accident” on the front hall carpet caused the colors to run during the washing. That was my favorite carpet. I could have strangled her, but shame on us for not letting her out sooner.
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