What does owning a cat cost?

[alwayshappytolisten]

I'm a single parent with a 10 year old DS. Money is VERY tight. My DS starts secondary school in September and will be spending a couple of hours alone at home every afternoon before I get home from work. He's already started doing this to get him used to it and he's ok with it. He's been asking for a cat for ages and I think that this might be the right time, to give him some company and a reason to look forward to coming home after school if for no other reason. My worry is the cost. I can absorb the feeding costs etc but am worried about vets bills and insurance. Can anyone give me some realistic advice as to what cat ownership costs a year? I would aim to get a rescue cat that will be house trained and already have had its jabs.

We've had a rescue cat for 8 years and she is very cheap.
Annual visit to vet for jabs...no more than £50, she only has dry food.
We don't have pet insurance but I suppose it would be worth while as she gets older.
And she really does make our home.

We also have a rescue cat. She was a £50 donation to get her. She eats only dried food with a pouch of wet food on a Sunday, so food doesn't cost very much at all. She has annual boosters costs about £50. She is an inside cat so we dont have her insured and we dont have to spend money on flea/worm treatments as she doesn't come into contact with any other animals.

Having had an outdoor cat in the past I would definately recommend an inside cat if money is a concern. Even though our outdoor cat was insured the contributions we had to make on any vets trips still cost us a fortune. He regularly got into fights or came home limping etc. If you ask the rescue centre they will recommend any cats that are already inside cats or wouldn't mind being kept indoors. This will also mean the cat is actually around when your son gets home.

You can find out online how much insurance will be initially but if the cat becomes ill the premiums will go up and so will the excess. My 15 year old cat cost £27 per month plus £100 excess plus 20% of the bill. This was due to her having a medical problem from the age of 10. Insurance is good if you need it but it is never cheap.

However, she was a fabulous cat and I would have had her regardless of the money. Just be sure you choose a cat that is has a nice personality and is worth the expense.