ok - so ohw much do i need to budget for to take on 2 cats?

[eleanorsmum]

DH and i have been umming and arhing for over a year as to weather or not to get cats for all of us, dd is 3.5 and would love them. want to get two for company for each other. i'm home most of the time (am a childminder) so can let them out till we get a cat flap fitted.

have seen two that need rehoming, aged 7 good with children, very affectionate. so how much does it cost to feed, vaccinate etc? TIA

We've got two, if you get them from say the cats protection league they may already be vaccinated, chipped, castrated etc which will save you a lot of money. Re feeding, I think we spend about £5 a week on cat food although you probably could get cheaper - the biscuits cost about £1 a box if you using dry food.

Booster vaccs expensive think it has cost about £100 for the two of them each time. Also the flea jabs cost about £80 a go for two - they last about 3 months though and again you could spray them which is much cheaper but not so effective IMO. If you get pet insurance - for 2 of them will cost between £20 and £30 a month! Have I put you off yet??!!

no, sounds ok. the two we've seen are from a rescue place so will have to call them to find out more. food sounds reasonable just the vaccinations etc ! ouch!

apart from the boosters yearly and flea treatment (i use frontline). and worming is about a fiver each every three months. probably about tenner a month i pay for my two cats

yes it is ouch for the vaccinations but at least only once a year! Its worth shopping around to check vets fees too - there are usually big variations in price. HTH

get cat insurance. my cat, once cheap and normal now costs a small fortune. Hes diabetic and needs injecting twice a day

You can get much cheaper pet insurance than that stated above - try Animal Friends. They are really good, and they sent me a lovely letter when one of my cats got run over.

We only have one cat, but pet insurance is currently £8.42 per month.
We use flea treatment which costs £13 for 16 weeks' supply.
She only eats dry food, but she is now on a vetinary prescribed food, which costs £11.75 for a months' supply.
Annual jaccinations cost around £40.

So, she costs us £6.23 per week, if i've done my sums right. Well worth every penny

I'm not sure about vaccinations etc since I don't have a cat, but you'll also need to budget for the things you'll need for them, 2 beds, a litter tray, 4 bowls, collars etc.

It is also a good idea to give a decent sum to the rescue as a donation as they have probably spent quite a bit on the cats getting them neutered, vaxed and feeding them etc.

I'm not sure about vaccinations etc since I don't have a cat, but you'll also need to budget for the things you'll need for them, 2 beds, a litter tray, 4 bowls, collars etc.

It is also a good idea to give a decent sum to the rescue as a donation as they have probably spent quite a bit on the cats getting them neutered, vaxed and feeding them etc.

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I buy big packs of tinned food - Kitekat is cheap - and get it delivered with the shopping. (She won't have dry food, it makes her get cystitis)

Find out what they usually eat. Dry food is cheaper, less messy and lasts longer.

I have jacked in the insurance, after they refused to pay for a condition she had 'previously' suffered from something related to'

Luckily we were paying monthly anyway so I just cancelled the DD.

There may be a cheap clinic near you, like PDSA or similar.

Imo some vets prices are ridiculous...unnecessary investigations and interventions which you haven't asked for etc. and it all benefits the insurance market. [cynical]

I think it contributes to the masses of animals being dumped. But that's another thread really. Sorry!

She is very cheap to run otherwise. Keep paint locked up though, we had an interesting incident with a pot of blue gloss when Ds1 was 2...that was expensive!!

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Oh that's awful about the poor dogs

Oops I'm sorry if I offended. I have been awake half the night and my brain is a bit addled, I should learn to either explain properly or keep schtum

I am on benefits and have previously used a cheap clinic offered by our rescue centre. I assumed the PDSA offered similar but we haven't one so I was talking out of my ass.

Yes, the investigations do cost the insurance companies, and this means their prices have to go up, and often people can't afford them, and then of course the vets assume anyone who can afford treatment is insured and charges possibly even more for services (if they are unscrupulous) and it goes round in an inflatory circle.

I might be totally wrong here but when I was a child, nobody had pet insurance and a hamster's operation cost us £1.62. I think things have changed since then!

Btw, I do have just one cat and would love to adopt more animals, but cannot afford vet fees so I don't take on any more. I used to foster cats for another shelter where I lived, it makes me sad that there are animals needing homes and although I could provide a happy and comfy home for them, I can't take them on because the medical costs would be too great.

Eleanorsmum, if you join Petmeds (online) you can order stuff like Frontline (fleas) for much less cost than buying it from your vet. HTH

thnaks for all the advice! am quite excited now. found this place has a website and thought i'd like the cats to show you here

ok so that just shows you the centre, click on the cats bit on the left and they are the first two shown

If you are getting older cats look into the insurance you want before you take on the cats. Many companies will not take them on after age 6-8yrs old so make sure they are within the acceptance group first. You also need to be aware of any previous medical history. Fair enough rescue cats do not come with any known history except at the rescue centre in many cases, but ANY signs shown there or previously must be disclosed to an insurer. There will then be exclusions put on related problems. Therefore if you take on a cat that is known to have had problems bear in mind that the cover will not be as extensive as you would otherwise have. Even if the cat no longer has symptoms there are likely to be exclusions placed, and all vets have to make declarations about previous history, so if you don't tell the insurance the vet has to.

Make sure you take out a cover for life type of policy too. If you have full cover in the first place, these policys then agree to continue to pay out for chronic problems such as insulin dependant diabetes rather than excluding them at a certain time or after a certain amount has been paid up. These policys do cost a bit more but are worth it.

Other than that there is the cost of vaccines (flu/enteritis and feline leukaemia) yearly/microchips if not already done or the re-registration fees to change the details if necessary/worming/feeding/ food bowls/cat flap/bedding etc.

Oh they are lovely!

Dry food is good...yes, check with the insurance as often over 7 years is considered a bad risk.

hello all, just thought i'd update you!

lady is coming round for home visit tonight! just rang up and asked if it was ok to come tonight. dh and i ahve just been frantically tidying!

and the cat flap gets fitted next week!

Get your pet insurance asap. My cat has just cost the insurance £450 for constipation of all things. Bloody cats!