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.

Vaccines, chipping, spaying, flea, worm treatment. Then defleaing the house when the flea treatment doesn't work.

Inside cat, litter tray, always stinks no matter how expensive the litter is. Trimming nails.

Outside cat, bringing kills in. My cat brought a rabbit through the kitchen window. Dirty feet.

Despite having constant access to the outside one of my cats has started weeing next to the log burner. Another went through a phase of using any plastic bag as a toilet.

Climbing curtains.

I love them, it's part of having animals living in your home. But they're not cheap and they're not no hassle.

It's expensive and loads of hassle

I love ours but he's old and now costs 150 a month just in arthritis meds and is more expensive to insure than the car! Holidays we send him to a cattery if the neighbours aren't around and that's not cheap. If money is tight, I wouldn't suggest a cat as they live a long time and their independence means that they can get expensive quickly (think falls, car accidents etc). I love him, but he's a bit of a money pit!

Just an alternative POV - one of my cats is very needy and clingy, howled all night every night until he was about 2. So you don't always get an easy going one - he's a lot better now, but still quite needy as cats go!

Per cat it's about £25 a month in insurance, £37 in food, and £17.50 in the vet plan thing. Plus over the year approx another £200 for flea/worming and injections.

You also have to think about costs if you're going away - catteries are about £15-20 a night near me.

Flea treatment - that’s a major one people go wrong with.

Hoping not to spend too much, they buy flea treatment from a shop, not a vet. It doesn’t work because fleas have developed immunity to it.

Before you know it they have fleas in the carpet, bedding, everywhere, need to de-flea the entire house which is hard work and gets expensive, and 4 weeks later the cat brings more fleas in.

Change of cat food giving them the runs for days, half eaten rodents left by the door, one cat deciding the bath may makes a better litter tray than the actual litter trays, the children getting bored when they aren’t gorgeous tiny kittens any more, scratching the furniture and curtains, getting into fights and needing vet visits and antibiotics…

I love cats. It’s a good job, really, because they can be a lot of trouble. Some are not, but you can’t tell in advance.

The fleas! I had forgotten about the fleas! (we had cats when I was a child). I am allergic to the bites and come up in big itchy lumps from them. Glad I remembered that before it was too late!

@Opinionvoice

Cats are the most wonderful 'easy to look after' independent pets possible, and are affectionate and loving (sometimes) too, and they do the cutest and funniest things. And as long as you have a cat flap, you don't need to worry about them shitting in the house/in a kitty litter. Also, you can actually go away for 2 days (1 night/2 days.) Just leave a few bowls of dry food and three or four bowls of water around for them. We do this two or three times a year with ours. They have always been fine!

As a few people have said though, vet costs are very, very expensive now - most of them - because a lot of big conglomerates have taken over the small vets. Even our local small-ish private one (that we've been using for the last 8 - 9 years) has been taken over, and the prices have virtually tripled. Several of the vets that were there have actually left and they're having to recruit new ones - because the old vets were so disgusted with how the prices have gone up, and the position it was leaving some customers in. (Having to surrender their pets or have them put to sleep... because they couldn't afford the vet bills.)

So if you're really strapped for cash and you haven't got at least a 4 figure surplus every month - then you need to think seriously about whether you can afford vet bills. (That could run into 5 figures!) The costs can be astronomical. It's really sad that if you're a little bit poor/not very well off, that you can't really have a pet now, because of the costs of vets. And the pet insurance is expensive, and there are sooooo many things they conveniently won't cover. (Often the more expensive or ongoing treatment like diabetes or epilepsy or eye and teeth treatment.)

Back in the day - in the 1970s and 1980s - when I was a child/teenager, my family, and every family I knew had one or two dogs and maybe one cat, and I don't ever remember anybody not been able to afford the vet bills. EVER. I certainly don't remember them costing three months salary (or more!) for a course of treatment or surgery like they do now.

One other thing to remember with cats, is whilst they are wonderful pets, (very loving and affectionate quite often, but also quite independent and not too needy,) they do live a long time.

We've had four cats (DH and I, and our DC) in the last 25 years. One of them did die at nearly seven after being hit by a car sadly. As for the other three ... One went on to live to nearly 18, and another to just turned 19. We've got one left now who's just coming up to 17. Long story short, they virtually last for a generation. So you have got to be very committed.

Whilst your 8 year old child wants a cat now and will probably love it and care for it, in 10 years time they'll very likely be tootling off to university - and you could well have that cat for another 10 years after that. It's a long term commitment! At this point a rat is a better option I think. They live just 1-2 years and can make adorable pets.

I love my (nearly 17 year old) cat very much, and so does DH, but when she's gone, we will NOT be having any more pets. As adorable as they are, they are an expense, and frankly, a little bit of a tie.

I spend £100 a month just on my old girls arthritis medicines.. plus about £45 on food and litter.

I would love to know how much time I spend every month hoovering hair from all surfaces 🤣

And she doesn’t even say thank you!

If you’re short on cash, you may qualify for free vet’s treatment from the PDSA. https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/eligibility

Remember cattery costs if you need to go away.

I would go against the grain and say, don't get two. One always hangs in the background but you get twice the expense and mess. I vowed never to have two again. Since one of mine died the other has become so much more affectionate.

They're not much hassle really, if you're getting a kitten you will need to keep it indoors until it's been neutered (about 6 months) so will have litter trays to clean - but if you decide to let them be outdoor cats after that you might be able to get rid of the litter tray.
Once they're adults they just need feeding and some attention but look after themselves really.
They're not likely to wake you up at night apart from possibly the first few nights.
Money wise apart from food obviously you will need to budget for neutering, vaccinations and regular flea/worm treatment and also insurance which isn't that expensive but very much worth it (ours is about £7 a month for a 3 year old moggie). There are neutering schemes available if you're on a low income - look at pdsa

Annual injections about £40 per cat?

Ours was £50 per cat - for years then last year £70 per cat. Giving us a bill of £140 in December.

Insurance is £35 for two - just gone up but may be their ages now.

TBH litter and food isn't that bad so every day costs.

First few years tops and cat furniture etc was a drain.

We use cat sitting service when we go way so about 8 per day - also less stressful for one cat in particular. We are lucky there a franchise service in area that treat whole service as proper business - so fully checked and insured.

Cats are not much hassle at all - a lot of joy. I was thinking of getting more as kids start to grow up and move on - but honestly the annual vet puts and insurance costs do put me off.

I think when young, they aren't so expensive but like @Pippifer has found, we spend a bomb on arthritis meds and, for ours, renal cat food now that he's older. Of course, you can also be unlucky and have a big bill from an accident. My in-laws young cat was hit by a car and needed expensive leg and hip surgery.

we have a large tom cat and he eats 4 times the amount of our previous petite female

Insurance starts cheap but goes up as the cat ages, and doesn't always cover chronic conditions. My last boy made it to 17 and we eventually cancelled his insurance due to cost. His liver packed up at about 13 and he needed frequent blood tests and monitoring plus about £100 a month in meds and it was still cheaper than insurance would have been (which wouldn't have covered him anyway). I loved him desperately and when we eventually had to have him PTS it broke my heart, but due to his illness we couldn't really put him in a cattery and it was hard to get anyone to look after him as they didn't want to have to give him pills, so we had very few holidays for the last few years. When he went I said never again... till we agreed to take in a rescue kitten a couple of years later, and then I realised that my previous cats had all been easy kittens as this one proceeded to break every plant pot in the house.

My daughter was tiny when my old boy got sick and was amazing at helping look after him, and is also great with our current chap. I don't think she will ever live without a cat even when she's an adult with her own house.

£20/ month insurance
£12.50/month on vet plan includes check up and flea/worming
Food as mine is a fussy bugger c £50
Litter £0 as goes outside

Illnesses/ dental not covered by insurance ... so far about £2000

Also cattery when we go away, c £15 per day (not night)

Destroyed furniture
Muddy paw prints

But I love him so much.

Budget £100/ month plus holidays and emergencies

Cats don't cost as much as a dog. I've got 2 cats both 6 years old. You need flea treatment every month and worm treatment every other month neither of which cost much. My boy cat prefers pouches in jelly but my girl cat eats an occasional pouch but really prefers Purina Go Cat complete kibble. A £5.50 bag lasts her for 3-4 weeks. I don't pay insurance but I have enough savings to pay for any treatment they may need. They have an annual injection at the vets and a check up. They are both chipped and neutered.

When they are over a certain age (12?), insurers usually only cover 75% of the cost so the owner has to pay 25% anyway! I have insurance for the old girly but only £4k as it means I’m stumping up £1k.. plus realistically she’s 19 so if she’s really poorly the kindest thing to do will be to say goodnight 🥺

@Opinionvoice

really??

gor a child wanting a pet, I don't think that's a brilliant idea. He's not going to want to bond with a pet then give it up is he?

Not expensive to feed. Though mine does destroy my sofa & would do the same to carpet, but we don't have any.

We don't let the cat upstairs at night, otherwise it would wake us up. Meowing & jumping on the bed.

Haven’t read the whole thread but do not get a cat just because your son wants one. Initial outlay is in the hundreds. Then they cost about £70-100 per month, that’s if you get insurance and make sure they are treated for parasites alongside all the usual vaccines, food, toys, litter, etc. You’d be mad not to treat for fleas because if the cat gets them and brings them into the house it’s nothing short of a nightmare trying to rid the house of them. Neutering costs between £100-£250 depending on the sex of the cat. And you’ll want to neuter because a male cat will spray all over the house and a female will yowl and roll around on the floor like she’s dying. They scratch everything so be mindful of that. They also love jumping up onto surfaces/ attacking house plants/ knocking things off shelves. If it’s an outdoor cat you’ll need to pay for microchipping. Indoor and you’ll be constantly closing windows/doors. If you want to go on a weekend away, you’ll need to pay for a cat sitter or cattery. Catteries will not accept cats that aren’t vaccinated and treated for parasites. If the cat has an accident or is diagnosed with a condition (e.g: diabetes) and isn’t insured, your veterinary bills will be astronomical.

I like cats, they are brilliant little characters and bring a lot of joy to families. But I also work in the veterinary industry and I see far too many people who have underestimated how much of a financial (and general) responsibility cats are. If you get one my biggest piece of advice is make sure you get insurance, make sure it is ‘lifetime’ cover (they’ll try sell you cheaper ones but these can lapse) and do not cancel your insurance and move to a different provider. You might find you don’t need the insurance when the cat is young but it will more than pay for itself when the cat ages or if something happens to it.

Things to think about...
-Letting them out or not (I wouldn't have a house cat)
-Catflap, or you are door person constantly
-cattery or petsitter if you go away
-insurance is a must, animals get sick sometimes or heaven forbid, hit by a car
-some cats are not cuddly, mine is a moody bitch and I rarely get affection ;-)
-they sometimes claw your furniture
-they bring home dead creatures, sometimes alive creatures

But... I love cats! And I have had a pet cat my whole life.

That is a horrible attitude towards a pet cat.

I have a five year old male Ragdoll/Norwegian Forest cat. He developed a heart condition aged three, which means he needs regular heart scans. My insurance went up from £15 a month to £40 a month. The scans are upwards of £600. I have lifetime insurance which pays out £4k a year. He's a big cat so eats 3 pouches of wet food a day, along with free feeding of quality biscuits. I'd say I pay around £100 a month for everything. Cats are very rewarding, but they're certainly not cheap and are a long term commitment.

It doesn't sound like right now is the right time to have a pet.

One of mine needs special food as he gets crystals in his bladder so £££ on top of everything else

The others allergic to some foods, allergic to fleas and overgrooms and gives herself sores so more £££ on treatment, she is also allergic to flea treatment

Have a look at other options, can the two of you volunteer at an animal rescue or sanctuary. Or could you foster cats waiting to go to their next home - although you'll need to complete any medical programmes they are on which could include getting up at night