To think having a pet is not affordable these days?

[cadburyegg]

So as not to drip feed, I completely believe that once you have a pet you are 100% responsible. I grew up with pets and had many animals over the years. We don’t have pets anymore but when we had rabbits, one of them had long term health problems and we were often at the vets with her, until she died.

We had insurance, but the cost of that plus yearly vaccinations, vet check ups, other appointments that the insurance didn’t cover - it all added up. So we haven’t had animals since our last bunny died.

I think my DH would quite like a cat but I can’t see us being able to afford to pay out for everything that it would need.

So, AIBU? How do people manage the cost of a pet?

Guinea pigs are both cheap and vegan and much more reasonable than rabbits.

I can’t insure my dog and she has special food too due to allergies but I’d rather die than give her up for a holiday or something. The kids have benefitted more than I could have ever imagined. Worth every penny to have her with us, and it isn’t that many pennies at all tbh, spend more on diesel

@Redpostbox

Interesting view. I haven't clicked on the link but can see where you're coming from.

I once watched a drama about refugees living in a squalid camp abroad somewhere. One desperate refugee made the comment to a visiting journalist along the lines of: "In your country you have pet cats, who you feed, and you let them sleep inside, by the fire. I would like to come and be your pet." It made me think - with so much poverty in the world, it seems odd to have a culture where people happily spend money on pets, while there are humans starving. I am an animal lover and have had many pets over the years, so I completely understand why people have them, but with the world's resources becoming more stretched, and a rising world population, maybe having pets is not sustainable, for the future. Maybe, in addition to the use of birth control to curb the population explosion, we will also need to control pet numbers... say, restrict them to 2 per household? Perhaps that's not a bad idea anyway, as there are some people around who have multiple pets that they can't afford, and sometimes they don't have the space or time to give those pets a good quality of life. The pets suffer, and sometimes their neighbours do to. Responsible pet owners are great, but there's little the law can do currently to deal with irresponsible pet owners.

Er...cos I can afford the vet bills. I earn a decent wage and so does hubby. We have a dog, cat and two rabbits. Not sure what else to say really. It’s cheaper than private education which we can’t afford but pets yes we can afford!

I have rescue dogs and cats. They are on a vet plan which covers all their boosters, check ups, defleaing and deworming, as well as reductions on any other treatments. I bath the dogs myself and trim when needed. They are very happy on the meaty tins from Lidl and the grain-free kibble from Aldi. We go on holiday in the caravan together and the cats stay home and get fed by the farm. I buy their food before my own.

And despite having dogs, I'm not on benefits but in full-time professional employment at management level.

Well, we live on the breadline so £40 a month is very expensive (nearly 2 weeks worth of food). This is why we don’t have pets. I’m fully aware that most people don’t live like this and so can afford pets.

...I’m still jealous though 😂

My cat is cheaper than you child. Fact.

Rescue cat and dog here.
Whatever they cost they more than return in sheer joy that they bring to us.
Bargains really, much cheaper than therapy.

Wtf - mumsnet is strange tonight with all sorts of odd posts. Of course it depends on income!!!!

We live next to a field so before we had cats we were spending a fortune on getting rid of mice and sorting out damage the mice had done. The cats are much cheaper.

Carbon pawprint?

Good grief. How dare anyone have a millisecond of happiness ever! Apparently we should feel guilty about everything remotely enjoyable or good in our lives, including our pets.

How ridiculous. (Off to cuddle my dogs!)

Plus I read the link posted by the person talking about the carbon paw print. It didn't back up the claim at all and said there was no clear evidence that dogs or cats had any significant impact on climate change at all - they ate food which had an impact but clearly encouraged humans to take part in activities such as walking instead of taking flights which may be more impactful.

I have a cat and she costs very little. She was a wild farm kitten, inbred and her colony all had a number of health issues. They're all carriers of FHV so getting her vaccinated was pointless but I've never had a cat vaccinated ever anyway.
As for insurance we don't have it. She did have an encounter with a car one day and it cost us hundreds to have her leg pinned but the vets do a payment plan. £50 a month and it was dealt with quickly enough. In the long run we have saved money on what we would have paid in insurance and the excess so if you can't afford it, it's not an absolute must have (though obviously in an ideal world we'd all have it)
Food is as expensive as you make it. I bulk buy when my cat's favourite brand is on offer. It's probably just over a tenner a month.

My ddog isn't insured - we self-insure with savings and pay an annual membership to Dogs Trust £25 which covers up to 1m Public Liability.

His food costs no more than £30pm.

His annual vaccination costs £46pa.

His flea and worming meds cost about £60pa (internet purchased)

So, totally affordable !

I don’t think pets are unaffordable for most people. My cat costs us around £50 per month (insurance, vet plan, food, cat litter, occasional new toy). That’s the cost of a family meal out, a hobby or a a day trip. I think most people have that each month (yes I know some people really don’t but we are talking about the majority).

Biggest obstacle for me is finding a landlord who will accept pets.

Our cat doesn’t cost much. We got her for free. We paid for the initial spaying and vaccinations as a kitten. Not insured. We buy her food - wet and dry - and flea treatment. That’s it. Outdoor cat so no litter. We don’t do yearly vaccinations. Now 14 years old. Never been to the vet since she was a kitten. She’s perfectly happy.

Given the rise in dog ownership it seems like there are plenty of people out there who can afford it (and possibly even consider it a status symbol if they buy an expensive breed).

Just back from the vets as she has damaged her tail and has to have a bit removed, poor girl. Three hundred euros all in. It's not the day to day that's the killer. It's vet bills.

Carbon paw print?

I would imagine most dog owners carbon footprint goes down massively. Ours certainly has, anyway:

• no more holidays abroad as the cost of kennels makes it unaffordable.
• days out are walks on the beach or up the woods in all weathers, not driving to the nearest town/city to go to the cinema or to spend the day shopping.
• when we do go on holiday in this country, it's within a couple of hours drive of home because it's easier on the dog.

I think dogs and other pets bring much more to our lives than they cost the planet. People having too many children is a much bigger issue than pet dogs!

Certain vets have plans for vaccinations etc, if you are savvy and keep an eye out. Most owners I know opt not to get boosters for their pets.

We paid £99 upfront with our dog and that covers 1 nurse health check a year, 1 vet check up, and his vaccinations for life. They also have a similar plan which also includes flea and worm treatment.

We budget for his insurance per month. In the first year of having him we spent a lot on vets bills due to his allergies but we have got to grips with them now.

I think it's just about being sensible and including the cost of the pet in your household budgeting, same as you would food and utilities.

We have 2 cats ,a hamster and getting a dog in August .
We budget enough for their food, we have a vaccination plan and have life long cover for the cats and will do for the dog.
We still can afford nice clothes , holidays and obviously boarding fees.
It’s all down to household income and budgeting

Depends on personal circumstances surely. Our dog costs a lot because we have a daily dog walker, but we knew that before we got her. The cost was worth the benefit to us.
I can see how some people would be priced out of certain pets, but that's the same as any other thing that people use money for.

I think if we had to break it down per month...for 1 dog

Food - £35ish (he has allergies so more expensive food)
Vaccinations - 70p due to £99 vaccination for life plan
Insurance - £14
Flea/worm treatment - not a lot, maybe £5 per month when you spread out the doses?
Treats - £3 per month

We used to spend quite a bit on toys etc until we discovered he prefers a gardening glove over any toy he has ever had.

He brings a lot to our lives in terms of joy, happiness, and our mental health. So he is worth these costs to me.

We have only gone on holiday once since we have had him (18 months) and a friend looked after him so no costs there. I'll probably try and do the same next time if I can but if not we will pay for a sitter.
When we go on breaks to campsites in the UK it is an additional £25 to take him, so no hardship.

I can't believe people risk not insuring their pets! Our cat ate lillies and had to spend 4 days and 3 nights at the vet; it can to £2500!! Thank god we had insurance!