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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask how much a cat costs to keep?

115 replies

caravancapers · 17/08/2025 19:21

We are desperately saving for a house deposit but would also desperately like to get a cat. How much do you spend on your cat each month? Anyone managed it on a budget?

Putting off getting a cat until after we have a house deposit isn’t an option as it’s a 10 year project (long story) and we’d like to have a cat while the children (teens) are still at living at home.

We both have very good job security so it’s not a case of one day being in a position were we can’t afford to keep the cat, we just want to see if it can be done on a budget.

OP posts:
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caravancapers · 17/08/2025 20:30

MumOfManyAliases · 17/08/2025 20:15

It can vary quite a bit depending on how much you want to spend on food and insurance. I got 2 kittens this year (both moggies from our local rescue). The initial cost was a cat tree. It was a nice one from Zooplus which I think was about £140. Then there were feeding bowls, litter trays, claw clippers, cat food, litter and toys.

Ongoing costs:
I buy them nice food, so mine get a mix of wet food from Untamed and dry food from Royal Canin. Ive started to add fish oil to their wet food. One bottle lasts more than a month. So monthly cost estimate is:

Insurance £36 (for both cats) I’ve insured them with a high level of cover of up to £20k per cat). Male cats cost a lot more to insure than female cats.
Wet food plus oil: £65
Dry food: £32 per bag
Healthy Pets Club: £32 (for both cats)
Cat litter - I use cheap wood pellets which are about £10 per bag. I probably get through 1 1/2 to 2 bags per month.

You could do it a LOT cheaper than I have. They can have cheaper food. I think the Sheeba Kitten wet pouches are about £5 for 12 pouches. And I think you can insure them for a lot less than I have.

I do get a multi pet discount on the wet food, insurance and healthy pet club.

Is the insurance difference really that big for boy/girl cats? We are not bothered about sex so might be worth getting a girl

OP posts:
SlothCat · 17/08/2025 20:30

Each month:
£12 for the vet club where I get 2x yearly check ups, vaccines and his flea/worming treatment
£23 for insurance (pedigree)
At least £30 for food/treats etc
£20 cat litter
He's only one so still gets toys and various things like that bought for him. So I'd say around £15 - £20 a month on that

MyCatsSlave · 17/08/2025 20:32

My 11 year old Bengal costs me about £90 a month. £55 on pouches for cats with urinary issues, £10 on lickelix to mix in the wet food to make her eat it! £5 on urinary biscuits, £12 vet plan for flea/worm treatments and £28 insurance.
She also goes to a great cattery when I go away that is £25 a day but all of this is worth it when you take into account just how much pleasure I get from her.

VikingLady · 17/08/2025 20:35

We buy wet food without cereals, and our moggies are very healthy and the wet food helps avoid bladder crystals and other dehydration issues. At roughly a can per cat per day, multipacks from Asda or Morrison’s work out at £8 for 12 cans.

we haven’t done vet insurance though I do think it’s a good idea, but we have savings that would likely be more cost effective for us, since none of our cats have needed vet care until they were extremely ancient. If you are on a budget then insurance is a better idea.

Flea treatment can be an expense but you can either get it as part of a vet plan, do a standing order with Pets at Home or Amazon, or just bulk buy.

They are very cheap unless you have a scrapper.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 17/08/2025 20:39

Most ££ for ours is the Cats Best litter , mine have 2 huge trays ....and no they don't shit in the neighbours gardens , they come indoors , do their biz and go out .

Most things are a 1-off but x2 for two cats
The cats were £80 each , chipped&neutered
Cat door set into a new glass panel
A few trays to find the best ones
Big tower / scratch post
Carry boxes

We haven't used Catteries for these two , DC are adults living at home . Our MaleCat would go into orbit in Cattery or a CatSitter . He doesn't even like a plumber or electrician coming in !

DD and I had guinea-pigs before , they cost a fair bit on hay ,pellets, vegetable . Vet fees not so bad but finding a Cavy Savvy vet was trickier

crochetblankie · 17/08/2025 20:39

caravancapers · 17/08/2025 20:30

Is the insurance difference really that big for boy/girl cats? We are not bothered about sex so might be worth getting a girl

I think my boy costs slightly more for insurance but it's negligible. Boys are more susceptible to urinary problems but kidneys seem to get most cats in the end.
I will says boys are significantly cuddlier in general so horses for courses. If you like an aloof independent majestic being, females may be better, if you want a gorgeous softie lap cat, boys tend to be the best bet. Not an exact science but not just anecdotal.

Ilovemyshed · 17/08/2025 20:41

My cat is a fuss bug and only eats food that doesn’t smell. £9 for 12 tins and he eats 3 per day plus a bit of kibble. So £2.50 per day on food c £75 plus insurance currently £22, plus vet health plan £16. Total £113 ish.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 17/08/2025 20:44

I just searched back on another thread I put their Insurance details on.
MaleCat is more :
Our latest Tesco quote was £172 for female (from £136) and £293 for male (from £231)

% wise he's quite a bit more .

Fangisnotacoward · 17/08/2025 20:44

Approx £30 a month insurance
About £45 in food (wet and biscuits)
£15 every 4 months for flea treatment

Though there are cheaper insurance and food options, they are pretty cheap to keep.

BrentfordForever · 17/08/2025 20:47

good advice here

also @caravancapers we got our baby via RSPCA and microchip, all health checks and neutering came for free !

amazon has fab offers on wet and dry food

we get a particular Amazon brand for dry food, not only it’s super cheap but apparently delicious (around 5 neighbourhood cats come daily for that particular treat 🙄)

xx

PicaK · 17/08/2025 20:49

The costs are basically..
Insurance (goes up every year)
Worming bi-monthly (quality brand)
Antiflea monthly (quality brand)
Food - the average cat eats 3 wet sachets a day or a combo of dry food and sachets.
Scratching post - replace bimonthly
Cat Litter (and 2 litter trays needed for 1 cat)
Assorted toys

caravancapers · 17/08/2025 20:51

crochetblankie · 17/08/2025 20:39

I think my boy costs slightly more for insurance but it's negligible. Boys are more susceptible to urinary problems but kidneys seem to get most cats in the end.
I will says boys are significantly cuddlier in general so horses for courses. If you like an aloof independent majestic being, females may be better, if you want a gorgeous softie lap cat, boys tend to be the best bet. Not an exact science but not just anecdotal.

Ah, that’s a brilliant tip. Desperately looking for a lap cat (getting a slightly older kitten so we know their temperament) so a boy it is then!

OP posts:
crochetblankie · 17/08/2025 20:52

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 17/08/2025 20:44

I just searched back on another thread I put their Insurance details on.
MaleCat is more :
Our latest Tesco quote was £172 for female (from £136) and £293 for male (from £231)

% wise he's quite a bit more .

Yes to be fair I checked back and boy cat costs £15 a month and girl cat £8 a month. I then get discount for having two and discount because my home insurance is with the same company. That is good insurance and they are young. It could be lower or higher and many people don't bother with the insurance... I'd be concerned if one of them developed a chronic condition like diabetes... without insurance that will be a lot on an ongoing basis to foot ths bill. Or ofcourse a big expensive op. But I'm more worried about an ongoing condition.
They are absolutely worth all their quirks and I wouldn't be without them.

Ruggerlass · 17/08/2025 20:54

If you intend letting the cat outdoors then I’d recommend fitting a cat flap that works of the microchip which costs approx £170.

CorporaINobbyNobbs · 17/08/2025 20:54

I have a boy and a girl and insurance is the same for both (£100 a year each). And it’s quite a good plan.

food is £15 a month from Amazon (for both) but we do dry food only. Litter is £20 a month - but ours share one big tray. We did do the one tray each + one extra for years but they just kept using the same one all the time so we now just have one giant one.

ours are indoor mainly so don’t get into scraps (other than with each other). Annual check up and vaccines are about £60 each.

susiedaisy1912 · 17/08/2025 20:57

I pay around £35 for insurance and to be part of the pet health plan which includes all wormer tea and vaccinations from the vet and two health check ups a year. I then spend around £20 a month on food. Don’t be tempted to get cheap food or cheap flea and wormer stuff as it’s not the best for the cat.

CorporaINobbyNobbs · 17/08/2025 20:57

If getting a kitten I would recommend two OP. They can play together and I somehow don’t feel it costs twice as much as one! But i know
you are on a budget so might not be feasible.

our girl was 5 months old when we got her and that was a lovely age. Still young and super playful but litter trained and less work than a baby.

CorporaINobbyNobbs · 17/08/2025 20:59

Oh and my girl sits on my lap more often than my boy. My boy is super friendly also though but just prefers to lie nearby rather than on me!

yodadud · 17/08/2025 21:07

My cats aren’t too costly on a monthly basis but getting the cap flap put in was an initial
cost. Getting an OnlyCat cat flap to stop the mice coming in cost a small fortune (but was necessary). The biggest cost is actually the damage they caused to the carpets and furniture in every part of the house- would cost £1000s to replace.
Still wouldn’t send them back!

RosesAndHellebores · 17/08/2025 21:13

Two rescue girls, aged 3

Insurance, Many Pets: £46.50
Vet Plan (flea/parasite drops, 2 check ups and vacs) £35
Soft and Hard food - good quality wet - at least 65% meat or fish and Hills dry food - probably about £110 pcm
Cat lady when we are on hols c6 weeks per year: £50pcm
Dental and misc vet - £25 pcm

£275 pcm for two!

Gingerkittykat · 17/08/2025 21:13

My current cat, a 5 year old ragdoll's costs are:

£80 for a 10kg bag of Royal Canin Ragdoll food every 6 months or so which is around £14 a month.
£24 for cat litter, you could easily spend less though.
£14 insurance with Animal friends.
A pouch of wet food a day, no idea what that costs as I bulk bought the day before my previous cat died in January and still working through that.
£30 for vet plan which covers vax, flea and worm treatment and all consultations and a yearly blood test.
Treats like lik e lix and dreamies about £5 a month.

My 14 year old cat who died earlier this year cost us a small fortune in vet fees in the last few months of his life.
He developed random breathing problems which meant he had to go into an oxygen cage three times. One time was OOH with a £200 charge. He had various tests but they never found a cause for it.

He then started having seizures, it was suggested he have a £3000 scan at the vet hospital which he never had as even with insurance, I couldn't afford.
He then had urinary problems, and he was back and forwards to the vet before they scanned him and found a mass on his bladder, which is what he died from.

His meds were around £100 a month, luckily all vets visits were covered by the vet plan, he had x rays and scans, loads of urine tests (the urine tests were also covered by the plan).

His insurance was £45 a month, but is he had lived the premium would have went up to £100 a month.

I easily spent over £2500 in the last few months of his life and probably got about half of that back from insurance

It's the vet costs that are the killer. I suggest you get good insurance and a credit cad to cover any emergencies.

KentishMama · 17/08/2025 21:18

It can vary a lot. Our elderly cat will only eat Katkin food now (and this has completely cured some digestive issues she's had) - £60 a month. She also drinks a lot of cat milk at maybe £5-10/month.

She also has a thyroid disorder, and her twice daily medication costs another £80 a month.

Last year she needed to have a few teeth removed - £800.

Insurance and vet plan - similar to what others posted.

Oh and we have a cat sitter when we go on holiday. £12 per day. We're lucky that we found someone who is comfortable giving the medication, so that's totally worth it.

Cleo65 · 17/08/2025 21:19

I was working out how much my elderly little furry freeloader has cost me in her 16 years & it came to around (at least) £16000 in total.

Cat food/treats
Collars/toys
Annual jabs & pet insurance
Incidental vet bills not covered by insurance
Flea treatment
Cattery costs for holidays
(No litter tray costs)

She's worth every penny though 😻

Soontobe60 · 17/08/2025 21:23

We have 2 cats - insurance is £150 a year for the pair. Annual vet check up and vaccinations £120 each, food £25 monthly, cat litter £20 monthly.

TryingAgainAgainAgain · 17/08/2025 21:25

caravancapers · 17/08/2025 20:51

Ah, that’s a brilliant tip. Desperately looking for a lap cat (getting a slightly older kitten so we know their temperament) so a boy it is then!

In that case can I recommend a black cat? 🐈‍⬛ They are mainly boys and they tend to get overlooked, perhaps because they are harder to photograph. When you live with one you realise how beautiful and unique they all are. I’m smitten 🖤

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