To piggyback off an article Greg over at Thrift Genuity wrote, budgeting for pets might be a good idea for those toying around with the idea. Now, when I adopted my two cats, I was not thinking about the cost of owning cats – not in the least bit. Instead, I had waited a few years to take on a cat (or in my case, two cats) to make sure I was settled and willing to care for a cat for 15+ years (cats can live up to 20+ if they are in good health). Mr. LH and I also “rescued” two adorable fur balls from being taken to the pound.
We felt we were doing the cats, Fred and Sam which I named in a matter of seconds, a favor by adopting them. If cats could talk, I’m sure Fred and Sam would agree; we’ve been good pet owners. Fred and Sam are incredibly friendly cats, for all those cat-haters out there, due to our molding them into personable felines. After the initial costs of spaying them and getting them their first year shots, our money expenditures over the past 15-years have been negligible minus their food. However, as young adult cats, dry kibble had worked just fine and didn’t put a demand on our wallet.
Yet, now as they move into their senior years – or more like their geriatric years – their health is becoming a more costly venture that I hadn’t prepared for or ever thought about. You see Sam has had some serious digestion issues as an older feline. Recently, a visit to the vet to resolve his “issue” ended up costing us a pretty penny. But due to his good health in all other areas (blood work showed he was quite healthy), we decided to pursue treatment.
After a successful, and expensive, treatment, Sam now eats some very pricy food averaging $2/day – or $60/month.
Sam’s food costs have increased by about 4-times. And of course Fred wants some too (he’s actually the alpha male and usually gets what he wants).
Solution: Finding manufacturer coupons and swapping out his food every other day with a healthy, but slightly cheaper, option. (And not giving into Fred.)
Was it worth it? Of course. And now that so much has been spent on Sam, we’re hoping he lives another 3 – 5 years so we can get a return on our investment! 😉 But as a closing note, for those thinking about becoming a pet owner, think about future “aging” costs as well and factor that into your budget.
Do you have a geriatric pet? Are your costs increasing?
7 Comments
Pets are just like kids: they cost a lot when they’re young, start becoming less costly and attention-needy as they mature, but then go back to their costly old selves as time really starts to progress. (So, in essence, I guess it’s really not that weird to treat them like kids) I’ve never owned pets personally, but friends of mine have gone through everything with their pets in terms of ailments due to age and again, it’s just like with people–forget the cost, the emotional toll was even worse.
@Eric – The emotional toll is definitely worse, but it’s also the reason most people own pets, for an emotional bond. I’m just glad my cat is on the mend and doing well.
Thanks for the mention! I am getting more nervous as I hear folks’ stories about their pets, especially aging ones. I am sure once I get to that point with a pet, I will be more than willing to do what is necessary for their health. Seems a little scary at the moment.
@Greg – Didn’t mean to scare you off, but aging pet costs is something to factor in. The only silver lining is that as your pets age, you should be more financially stable (I’ll stress ‘should’ 😉 ).
Yeah, between aging problems and just stuff that gets worse with time (like teeth), our dogs get more expensive every year. Didn’t help that our Pug developed allergies mid-life either…
My cats are 17 and 13 and they are hella expensive. They both have special diets and medications to take care of some issues that have cropped up. It’s all working so I’m happy to keep providing those things, but it definitely is expensive.
Dealing with an aging pet definitely takes an emotional and financial toll. Thanks for sharing!