Speak to me about the expense and hassle of having a cat

[Opinionvoice]

My eight year old is desperate for a pet. He goes through phases of asking for this and is currently starting up a new pet campaign. I am starting to feel sorry for him and that I should get him one.

Thing is, money is tight. What sort of cost is it to have a cat? How much hassle? Will it wake me up at night?. Both my kids were terrible sleepers and I do not want to return to being woken at night by something small.

I have colleague whose cat has had a litter, so may be able to get a kitten or two from him (he is not a breeder so presume they will be free kittens to a good home).

Will I regret getting him a cat?

I have tried to fob him of with a rat but he says it will die too soon.

No hassle. They look after themselves, especially if you have a cat flap.
just chuck food down for them a couple of times a day.
Dont rely on them to be lap cats though. They do absolutely everything on their terms!

No hassle, really, and not very expensive. As PP says they're pretty self sufficient! Most expensive thing is probably insurance if you decide to get that. Then it's just jabs once a year, food and litter. I'd recommend getting two so they have a playmate when / if you're working etc.

I did think about getting two for that reason. About how much is insurance for a cat? And food?

Get two kittens. They’ll entertain each other. When they’re kittens they are obviously a bit more intense, but you can shut them up in a room overnight with a litter tray and each other and they’ll get used to the routine. They’re pretty adaptable. Nowhere near as sleep depriving or time intensive as a puppy!

Cat food is not terrifically expensive. Just feed dry if you want to, rather than wet food.

Cat flap and they’ll look after themselves mostly. Neighbours or a friend usually happy to feed them if you go on holiday, and you can get automatic feeders if it’s just a weekend away or whatever.

Pet insurance - up to you. I insure my moggies for peace of mind and it’s about £12.50 a month each. Annual injections about £40 per cat?

Cats are great and pretty low stress, honestly.

My insurance costs just under £20 per month. However, whichever supplier you go with, insurance won't cover everything. My boy had dental treatment last week that cost me £800!

I reckon that usually (food, insurance, vet plan) he costs me about £100 per month.

Hmm, even £25 insurance for two a month plus food might be a bit much for us at the moment, though maybe a bit easier if H finds a job.

Do you think its good for kids to have pets?. I've resisted all his previous pleading but then think it might be good for him to have a pet to love and care for? And he does keep going on about it.

I'm feeling parental guilt about his petless childhood I think!

They're not a hassle (but I love cats, you don't much sound like you want one?). I wouldn't get one FOR a child though because they're not a toy, and you can't guarantee it will be a cat that enjoys being fussed.

Do not get anything caged/in a tank, they ALL require a lot of cleaning out (if you're a decent owner! And no matter what they say, 8 year olds lose interest in that very quickly & you have to do it because it's not fair in the pet not to)

Dog is the most likely to be a companion, but if YOU don't particularly want one.then it's a hassle beyond compare!

keep saying NO unless you are prepared to do all the care, cleaning & whatever else!!

cats aren't expensive to feed etc, but you NEED good insurance. Imagine having to tell DS the cat has to be put to sleep because you can't afford vet fees if it gets dick/hit by a car etc

Wow! That's loads of money!

Don't get a pet unless everyone in your family is totally committed. You really don't sound sure. I never had a pet growing up, despite wanting on, and I am not emotionally scarred! We do have a cat now, a rescue, the insurance is about £10 a month as she's only 5, but will go up in a few years. Luckily she eats any food so I just buy Aldi tins and dry food, maybe spend £10-£15 a month? I did chose to give her vaccines and a check up this year, about £90. But I know plenty of people who never get vaccines or check ups for their cats. We shut our cat out of the bedrooms at night as she's too active, she just sleeps downstairs or goes outside. Those vet plans are a bit of a scam I think, you can buy flea treatment on Amazon cheap.

@Opinionvoice

with the insurance to really have to check out what each policy covers.

£12.50 a month is going to be low cover & vet stuff is £££££. But also paying a lot doesn't necessarily mean it's extensive cover, you need to look at them carefully & compare what you're getting & what you're paying

if you can't afford it without DH working as well as you then you probably shouldn't do it, it's a big risk you might have to rehome if one of you loses your job.

If you’re a sole earner but supporting another adult plus DS, then yeah, maybe not now. Plenty of people have uninsured pets, but bad things can happen and if they do the vet bills mount up. It’s perfectly OK to tell your DS it’s not in the budget right now.

I think rats are awesome pets, tbh. And shortish lifespans is actually good from a parent perspective if you end up with a disinterested child. They’re cheap to keep and no insurance needed as they’re less likely to get into trouble! But rats do need lots of handling and input so if you’re not up for that then they’re also not a good idea.

Not too expensive and quite self sufficient. Ours gets shut in at night so occasionally runs around at 4am but settles down, he used to get shut in the kitchen at night but we've moved recently and new house doesn't have a kitchen door 🙄
Insurance is about £30 a month for top notch with all bells and whistles but he's also 15 now so it's more expensive.
I also have a £15 per month plan with local vets and that covers all his flea / wormer and vaccinations for the year.
Cat food is one 49p can from Aldi per day

Hmm, even £25 insurance for two a month plus food might be a bit much for us at the moment, though maybe a bit easier if H finds a job.

based off this comment I would say you shouldn’t get a cat until you are in a more stable position financially.

what would you do if the cat needed sudden vet treatment for hundreds of pounds? Cats are cheap day to day, but they can and do get ill or injured (especially if they are allowed outdoors)

@Opinionvoice yes you can buy things on the cheap, but would you feed your DS takeaway ever night? Buying cheap cat food, is like living in junk food. A cat deserves better.

if you can't afford vaccines & health checks you shouldn't be getting a cat.

Hi OP,

I see this question on here a lot. And the same answers, ie, 'Cats look after themselves'.

They really don't.

Like any other animal, they need a lot of time and care and money. And the most important thing is that you need to be committed to them for their whole life, through the good and the bad. I don't mean to sound patronising but you only have to read the recent thread on Litter Tray, from a lady whose kitty has started to wee inside her house, to see that many people only seem to want animals when they're cute and don't have any problems.

Getting animals simply because a child wants one is not a good enough reason. Be very sure that you're ready to put the time and effort in, especially when that animal gets ill or starts ageing and needs all the extra time and care that that brings.

So many people get a cat or kitten on a whim or because their child wants one. And then listen to people who say they're 'easy' and 'just throw food down'. No. Like any living creature, they all have very different personalities and will require lots of care and time over the 18+ years you will likely have them.

I have cats. Always have had. I love them and always choose the very old ones or the ones with medical conditions that nobody else wants. I couldn't live without them. They're fantastic animals. Just be sure you're committed to everything that comes with having one x

I wouldn’t get kittens in your position, they are a lot more work - if you go for an older rescue cat or pair of cats, the rescue can help match you up with cats suitable for your household. Tbh though in my experience cats aren’t cheap, you either need insurance or the money to pay vets bills if you are going to be fair to an animal. Getting attached to them and then not being able to help them when they are sick would be really upsetting. Could you maybe be a foster home for a rescue? For some, the costs are contributed to and if there is an issue the rescue centre’s vets will usually help. It also means if your son’s interest wanes you’ve got an out, and you’ll be helping rescues at a time when they really need it. I really respect you for wanting to give your son a pet but thinking through the issues in advance, too many don’t.

I would say your 'start up' costs can be quite hefty.

They will need to be chipped. It's irresponsible not to neuter them. Vaccinations are also a must, initial ones are expensive, annual boosters are cheaper.
I don't have insurance, in the past I found they never paid out what I needed so I have a bit of savings put by instead.
I've been quite lucky with this one - he had some dental treatment about 5 years ago. He has a thyroid problem now and it's a choice of medication every day for the rest of his life, at £50 a month, or remove it at a cost of about £800.
He's having the op as otherwise he is a healthy cat, it's a treatable condition and although he's 14 he could have 5 more years left. He's my boy, been a great comfort to me in the past so for me it's worth it.
Whilst day to day cats are independent, they do need more than just food throwing at them twice a day. Worming and flea treatments, what about holidays? I have a fabulous cat sitter who comes twice a day, feeds and stays to give him a cuddle and a fuss. She costs £6 per visit.
Cats are great pets, but they aren't hassle free

I have 2 cats, I pay for the annual vaccines / yearly check up every month which is £30 for both, food is around £30, again for both. I don't have insurance though.. I know I should though! The only hassle we have is that we rent so we can't have a cat flap, they are in and out constantly 😅

Thanks everyone for all the information and advice. The fostering is a good idea. Thanks @Babyshambles90 for the fostering suggestion., I think I will look into that as an option that might suit us..

Monthly
Insurance £15
Food £25
Flea treatment £10 (essential as he hangs around with stinky cats)
Litter £10

That's £60 plus last month he had an issue with his mouth and even though we have Insurance the treatment was less than the excess for another £80 for an appointment.

Neutering costs, vaccines are around £50 for a course.
Worming.

Initial outlays of collar, toys, litter tray, bed (though may not use it)

They aren't inexpensive.

And my boy wakes me up meowing and jumping on me every night.

He goes from room to room chancing someone will feed him at 3am 🤣🤣

If you can't afford it, don't do it. Sod's law says the family that are financially squeezed by having a pet will get a cat who develops an expensive illness.

Beg a glass tank from freecycle and fill it with soil and leaves. Go into the garden and get your son to choose a couple of pet snails. Feed them veg peelings. Snails are beautiful creatures. He can cool his hand under cold water tap and let them climb on him. He can watch their antics.

A healthy cat should only cost as much as the food you buy them and you can get a vet plan with monthly payments to cover check ups, flea/worm treatment, vaccinations, discount off treatment etc.

They are a (lovely) hassle though. Mine is basically the ruler of Earth and demands endless attention, affection, adoration and worship.

My cat is currently 19, are you still going to want a cat in 19 years? When they're young and in good health they don't cost that much. When they're 15 and their teeth start needing extracting, or their kidneys start packing up, the expense starts creeping up and insurance doesn't cover it all.

If you go on holiday you either need a friend who will feed a cat for free, or you're going to be paying someone and that very quickly adds up. Our last holiday cost me £100 for cat care.

Cats are great, but they're not cheap. And they probably will wake you up at some point. Probably by chasing a mouse around your hallway at 3am.

My cat just died at 17 and honestly while I loved the bones of her, I wouldn't have another. She destroyed our carpets and furniture, the litter tray is not nice to have in the house but she never liked toileting outside so we had to have one, she would puke up on the stairs so you would stand in it in the night, and in the last year or so of her life she peed on everything, all the kids clothes, the carpets, sofas, etc. So while I miss her a lot and loved her loads, it is a bit of relief she's gone in the end and I don't think I could deal with another even though the kids are begging me. We have a dog so they still have a pet and I find dogs easier to live with, which I know might sound weird but our dog has definitely been less destructive!

Expense-wise she cost us very little (if you don't count the cost of us replacing a bunch of carpets now she's gone!) until the last few years.

Honestly, I echo the poster who says don't get a cat for your son. It will be you who gets up in the night, cleans up cat sick, feeds it twice a day, organises (and pays for) a cattery or a pet visitor when you go away. It will be you who remembers vaccine schedules, tries to catch it to put it in the carrier for vet visits, administers flea treatment, hoovers up all the cat fur. It will be you who cleans up the water that's been kicked over again. It will be you who has to wipe the kitchen side every morning because your cat jumps up overnight. You will care when the cat scratches the carpet or the sofa. You will be trying to stop the cat from scratching things (your son will not care!). You will be buying scratching posts (which will be ignored). You will be closing doors to keep her in / keep her out. You will be the primary carer of an animal who will live for 12 - 18 years. You should only do that if you want a cat.