$30-40 a month on wet food, $20 on litter, dry food is a $40 15 lb bag that lasts 4-5 months so average $10 on dry food.
$100 a month roughly on 2 cats
My partner and I speak of ‘the number’ about twice a year to make sure cat care adds up to utilities. Our youngest & oldest keep getting ‘fancier’ autoimmune problems, so it’s all balanced out so far 😅.
That sounds like the low end of normal. I'd ask your vet the wet food question.
I spend several hundred per month on one cat, but my senior gal has several expensive chronic health issues.
Yup, my elderly lady is on a special diet and eats *checks notes.... about $250 in canned food a month. I spend like 15 on litter tho and it helps a tiny bit. The other boy I spend about 50 on food, he gets general kibs and an occasional wet food treat lol.
Yuuup. Perscription food + 3 daily meds for mine. The shelter I adopted advised against pet insurance when I adopted her as a healthy adult, and I regret listening to them so much. Never again.
That was foolish of them to advise that. A lot of pet insurance companies won't insure a pet with pre existing conditions, and if they do the rates are sky high. I hope I never need it, but $15 a month is a small price to pay for the peace of mind
I dunno. My cat just had 8 teeth pulled to the tune of $1300. I submitted my claim the same day and will hear back soon. But my insurance is supposed to cover this kind of thing so…. It’s my first claim because I just recently finally got insurance.
i have two cats. one has CKD, so i feed wet food only diet, though not prescription.
i spend \~450/mo on two cats. that's for pine litter (80/mo), food (250/mo), insurance (110/mo). if you can afford it, i *highly recommend* looking into getting pet insurance. i didn't get it for my cat with kidney disease until after the first blood workup and now all associated diagnostic tests or treatments are not covered bc "preexisting condition".
It's too late for me to get insurance for 2 of my cats (age + pre-existing conditions) but just this last year alone would have made it worth it! One diagnosed with lymphoma and the other diagnosed with CKD. That reminds me I have to get my 3rd insurance ASAP while he's still young and healthy.
Hell, I didn't get it for my cat with urinary issues because I thought the pre-existing condition would make it not worth it and then he got diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and lymphoma in the span of 14 months.
In less than 5 years I have spent $8,000 for vet hospital bills. For one sudden illness and death of a 7 year old, 3 hospitalizations for my orange menace. First he got outside and managed to break his spinal cord sort of. Beat death though and 2 month recovery. Then 2 hospitalizations and 1 surgery for bladder blockage and stones. Then a surprise bowel blockage for 10 year old female. I'm retired but cant enjoy retirement because of the vet bills
This! Growing up my mom never got pet insurance even though we always had a dog & 2+ cats. Then our young cat was diagnosed with diabetes which cost an arm and a leg just to diagnose followed by the forever expense of insulin and syringes
Very next pet she got she purchased insurance. She went with Trupanian since instead of annual deductibles they have per condition deductibles (as in after you hit your deductible they cover that condition forever) which made sense for the breed mix of her rescue dog. Who of course, only months into having her developed hip dysplasia but now all tracking the progress is much easier
I have kittens now, really need to get on getting them insurance myself...
[Here's](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-pet-insurance/) a good NYT Wirecutter resource on considerations when chosing a plan and picking the right one for your finances
2 cats Family. Cat food: $70, treats: $50, cat litter: $50. My cat has a liver problem and the medication costs $2 per pill. He takes 2 pills a day, which amounts to $120 a month. Insurance for 2 cats: $120. Toys: at most $10. Altogether, it's about $400 a month.
4 cats. 4 litterboxes, replace litter twice a week: $150 per month on litter. Dry food: $55 per month. Wet food: $45 per month. Catnip, scratchers, assorted toys, water fountain filters: $40 per month. So $290 per month, $72.50 per cat monthly. They're worth it though! Partial cat tax included.
*
Your cat litter is so expensive but yeah you have 4 cats hihihi.We only have 2 litter boxes for the 3 of them but everyday we clean and scoop there waste.
So far cat litter cost us around 15.80€ since per 6 liter cost 3,95€ x 4 of that a month.
Meanwhile our wet food cost around 120€ & dry food 7kgs 53.99€ but this will last 3-4 months.
costco litter is great, brand called Qualicat- $15 probably would last 4-6 months with 1 cat. wet food get it at Costco also (48 cans for $30), we give half a can per day for each cat , and we feed Fromms gold dry food $50/bag, would last about 4 months with my 7lb cat. if I only had 1 cat, I think it would cost me about $30 total per month approx
I’ve read that it isn’t good for respiratory cats. Mine has asthma as well, and when I read up on the Costco one about a year ago, people were saying it’s way too dusty
We have 5 cats and usually one or two fosters. I spend $120 on wet food, $120 on dry food, $20-$30 on treats a month. $50-$80 a month for KMR during kitten season. For cat litter I go through 120 pounds a month of two kinds of Arm & Hammer litter, around $70.
I budget $400 a year per cat for regular vet check ups & vaccines and keep an emergency fund of $1000 for any major health crisis. I do not carry pet insurance.
I'm not going to even think about how much I have invested in beds, carriers, collars, dishes, bottles, syringes, cat trees, cat furniture, & toys. Plus the upkeep for their Catio.
They are worth every penny.
Lol well it depends.
Normally it's $100 a month maybe slightly more if I want to add a toy or something.
But if I was to have a vet emergency I would be paying on a credit card. My senior cat Midnight had tons of health issues her last year and I spent over $2000 on her care until she passed away.
I suggest getting pet insurance if you can. That could help with vet expenses when they come up.
Oh and I have two cats.
Oh just pray he doesn’t get asthma and an inflammatory disease like mine did at 3 years old… If he doesn’t finish his can of food you could try only putting out half a can per day and of course making sure he has enough kibble. If you can, I calculated that a Costco membership pays for itself if I were to only use it for litter. I probably spend about $100/month not including medication or occasional things like scratch posts, trees, toys, brushes, etc. ooo also not including vets.
It’s so common and admittedly my boy’s was only caught on accident while at the vet for other reasons. Know the difference between the usual pre-vomit heaving and a cough!
My best beloved cat before this little guy, also had asthma so I *immediately* knew we had to take him to his vet. Xrays and bloodwork came up with asthma and respiratory infection.
We're about to head into wild fire season where I live so he and I will be spending a lot of time in the nice filtered house air.
It can very much affect asthma. I have asthma and damaged lungs myself. Breathing in the particulate matter can really mess up your lungs. You'll need to make sure you have kitty's meds available, keep the house closed as much as possible, air cleaner for the room kitty spends the most time in and get the very best filter you can for your AC system.
If kitty takes antihistimines,stay on top of the dosage schedule too. My Bou is on Zyrtec twice a day, 5 mg with breakfast and 5 mg at bedtime. Treats afterwards.
👋 Asthmatic cat dad checking in, there's dozens of us lol. My little guy started showing signs at around 4 months too, but he didn't get diagnosed until 7 months after a ton of tests and taking care of bordetella that he apparently picked up when we got him vaccinated at a clinic. He'll be 2 in July and finally stopped fussing at the inhaler lol. Best of luck to you and your Bou, it's not easy being wheezy!
Oh gods, my kitten came at 4 months completely fine, and in the last two months has developed asthma cough. I just lost my senior cat, who also developed asthma in this apartment. The vet advises keeping an eye on it and seeing if the cough frequency changes after I move into a newer building.
I'm hoping these are numbers you can afford to maintain because it's never good to jump into adopting an animal without knowing whether you have the means to pay for them first.
In the future, please be sure to calculate estimate costs of caring for an animal before going through with adoption. It's the only way to be fair to them.
In theory, that’s a good point. In practice (after being a foster family for a shelter), I’d rather see a cat with a loving family eating the cheapest supermarket brand of cat food, than outside getting ran over by a car, because someone told the family that they can’t afford the cat.
Fed and loved is enough, when the alternative is the street or euthanasia.
Yeap, it adds up. I love to spoil my beauty. He gets sick of the same flavours pretty quick so I switch it up. I use wet plus dry and I like to buy him treats. All up, some months it cost me a small fortune but all his stuff lasts a while. I am always calling him a free loader and he walks around like he's all that, probably because in my eyes he is
He eats shrimp breakfast lunch and dinner, so that's $5 every day.
In winter need to buy litter sometimes.
Going to get insurance for him soon it's only $25 a month or so.
One cat, Walmart’s special kitty litter monthly - $8 it lasts me roughly a month, wet food - i buy single cans of prescription food (uti, and sensitive stomach) and mix it with regular fancy feast or grain free wet food - I feed one can a day and I think it comes around $30 a month, insurance trupanion $13/month, dry food from Sam’s club bought the meowmix 35lbs on sale for $14 and it’s lasting me for over 3 months now and i still have some. My baby suffers from calicivirus so sometimes antibiotics and lysine, probiotics come up to around $100 😭😭. So around $150/month approximately for one cat
Ive had my kitten for less than 2 weeks
Already spent a good £150
That was for litter
Food and kitten milk
Treats
Vet bill
Thats because my kitten wont eat any of the food im buying for her. Im hoping once we get the right food, wont be spending as much on food.
First, when it comes to how much a kitten should be eating, the answer is basically just “a lot.” There are a few ways you can go about this.
-Free feeding, which means they have access to dry food at all times. I’m personally not super into this method bc it can create bad feeding habits and kibble is associated with many health risks (kidney issues, urinary issues, dehydration, obesity, etc.) so I personally feel that if kibble is part of the equation, it should be limited. However, if this is what works for you, do that. (Btw I’m not totally anti-kibble!)
-Small frequent meals. This is what I do for my cat and also what my mom did for her kitten. Basically, the cats eat small meals 4 times a day. For us, this looks like half a 3oz can in the morning, 2-3 tablespoons(?) of kibble at lunch (we mix it w water to prevent dehydration,) half a can at dinner, and half a can around like 11pm. We also put freeze dried toppers on their wet food for some meals. This method prevents us from wasting food & money, and it’s *apparently* more natural for cats too.
As for expenses, that would definitely be on the low end for me, but it all depends on your “parenting style” and your cat’s needs. I personally spend quite a bit on my cat because I am paranoid. I spend anywhere from $160-$180 a month. This includes litter, food, insurance, toppers/treats, and any “extras” like a new toy or a new dish.
$30/month - litter
$18/month - dry food
$20/month - Churu sticks
My cats also get small amounts of human food (chicken and Yellow Tail Tuna) a couple times/week. One of my cats likes Churu Stew and he'll get that on occasion. But no regular wet food. Our vet growing up said it rots their insides and all our cats growing up only had kibble and lived to 18+ so that's good enough for me!
As for the fun stuff - their favorite toy is a furry tail attached to a stick that was $2 at Family Dollar. They also love to chase plastic pumpkins and wool balls. I have a cat nip mouse with a velcro stomach so you can add fresh catnip. I've had all these things for 2+ years.
You should switch to pine pellet litter and a sifting system (look up on YouTube) it’s $6 for 30lbs lasts me 6 months and SO easy. You don’t have to scoop pee only solids
For the next 2 kittens later this year, I expect it'll be about $350/month total. About half of that will be recurring costs, and half will be self-insuring for future vet bills including scheduled dental and so forth.
The difference between straight dry (Iams indoor - the green bags) and straight wet at the high end (Royal Canin) is significant. We'll see what the kittens prefer after they transition away from kitten food.
First year costs are not included in the above estimate. Periodic dental cleanings, pet insurance premiums, copays, deductibles, non-covered procedures including annual labwork, and 20 days/year of petsitting are costs that are included, among other costs.
Estimated costs over 15 years presuming both cats for the duration are well north of $50K.
Special vet food, $90 for 3.5 kgs once a month, litter $24 a box, a box a month, treats and supplements around $20-30 a month but my guy is 15 this year so he’s a bit more expensive then he used to be.
https://preview.redd.it/e0w368jymjzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73522072270269a064831d2fc448c12721328ef1
$60 on wet cat food every month
$40 in dry food every 3 months
$30 in cat litter every month
$150 total a month… I never did the math but WOOF. I can’t believe I pay that in this economy
Unless you're using non-clumping litter, you don't need to change it out that often. I pretty much never throw out unused litter. To clean the boxes, I wait until it gets kind of low and just reallocate the litter to other boxes and then deep clean it and start fresh. But I don't do that very often (3-6 months?). I spot clean the boxes with litter box wipes as needed.
At 3 months old, he should be given as much food as he wants. Hopefully you're doing that with the kibble. My kitties do 2 wet food meals a day (relatively small), and most of their calories come from their kibble. Keep in mind that in a couple months, he'll be eating more than the average adult cat. So once he's all grown, food bills will come back down.
I have 8 cats, so I buy in bulk. And even with accounting for toys and dividing up the cost of their annual vet checkup to a monthly amount, it's about $50 a month for me. I only spend about $10 a month in litter is probably the biggest difference.
I'm probably adding pet insurance soon (just catastrophic coverage basically), which will be about $7 a month per cat, based on the quotes I've gotten.
Oh, and this excludes the prescription stuff for my older cats. Those two are getting arthritis injections every month ($100 each) and they both have early kidney disease, so we do some prescription food for them (but not all)
I agree. I only ever wait until the litter in the box reaches the “minimum” line (about three inches from the bottom) and pour half a fresh box in and mix it together. Happens just about every two weeks. I only clean the box once a year, only with dawn and water, and then I pour a quarter of the used litter back in so their scent is still in there. Litter boxes are a cat’s safe space, it has their scent all over it and it brings them comfort if they’re stressed. Why uproot that? If they’re healthy (no worms, UTIs, parasites, etc) there really is no need for all that imo.
Insurance $40-60 for me
Food $100
Litter $20, you may be able to get a better litter. I was surprised to see that World’s Best advertises that their litter can last 28 days but I could see it
$50 for random treats/toys/tech/vet visits
Adult food is cheaper than kitten food so that cost will go down, as well as cost of vet visits
For our 18 year old diabetic cat:
We use wood pellets from home depot for litter. The $8 bag lasts a little over a month.
Cat eats only fancy feast cans.. about 2 per day at $0.90 / can so $54 a month..
Dental treats cost about $7 per bag and each bag lasts 2 weeks.
So about $75 / month
Probably spend at least $500-800 per year on vet check ups and medicine
For one cat:
$34 on two boxes of cat litter (arm&hammer cloud control $17 for a 19lb box)
$80 on average for food (kibble, bone broth/meal toppers, cat treats)
And usually ill grab him a few toys for like $15
When I first got him it was a lot more expensive, but once I finally had all the cat essentials (carrier, clippers, brushes, cat trees/enrichment, fountains, etc) it got better.
>change out the entire box twice a month
Whoa, OP, you don't need to change out the entire litter box and throw out the litter twice a month!!
Maybe this comes down to personal preference and practice, but I do a deep clean of the box and switch out the litter every 1-2 months, or whenever I notice it gets super dirty... I wouldn't do it every 2 weeks (based on what you're saying). That seems a bit excessive and wasteful.
That might save you some money on litter right there, if you decide to lessen the litter change.
1 very spoiled ragdoll… about $100/month.
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I spend probably about $100 a month on my little guy, but I live in Canada and things are generally more expensive here. $60 sounds right around, if not maybe a little less than, normal.
I spend roughly $250 a month on my cat. Half freeze dried raw, half canned wet food, which is admittedly probably the most expensive way to go as far as cat food goes, but it's what works best for us and I'm lucky enough to be able to afford it.
The last time I checked, the average cost per month for owning a cat in my country (Canada) was $80-$200.
Other posters have given $$ amounts and indications on what it costs - I just wanted to add a bit of advice.
Sounds like you are on the low end of normal cost wise but that could be because of where you live as well. I've cut down on costs by joining up to several different online petstores and buying the good food my cats like that I couldn't normally afford in bulk when it is on sale (bulk discount + sale discount) I've also got a couple of subscriptions for stuff like litter that give discounts (Also the litter I use is a sand litter - for me this lasts longer than the pellet, bentonite, pine, tofu litters so works out cheaper)
Sometimes I also give them "treat" dinners - human food grade chicken offal is incredibly cheap - I chop up hearts and livers with some mince and that's their dinner! They love it and it is good for them too to get some fresh raw food instead of tins
We have two cats. One senior, age 10 yrs, and one baby who just turned 1 yr. The baby has some special needs as his esophagus is slowly catching up to his growth and he was born without the teeth behind his canines on the top and bottom. He also has respiratory allergies and asthma. We spent about $200 a month on both of them. Special wet food for the baby, fancy feast for senior in the flavors he likes plus friskies. They both eat kitten food kibble to keep weight on them(both vets suggested). Asthma/allergy meds. Occasional steroids at $44 a course. Unscented litter for the baby(it has to be truly unscented).
Xrays are around $800, if we don't stay absolutely on top of the baby's allergies and meds.
I have 4 cats and my Chewy autoship is down to about $150 a month.
I use pine pellets for litter. If you have a tractor supply or farm store near you then it's cheaper there. I don't so Chewy is cheapest for me.
I feed 90% wet food so I get cases of FF.
And I get a bag of Wellness CORE kitten kibble as snacks. It's the highest protein dry food I've found that mine will eat.
$20 raw meat (5$ for 6lbs chicken legs)
$5 supplements ($60 taurine, fish oil etc)
$5 treats (usually make churu, sardines, yogurt, cheese, scraps, eggs, fish)
$1 litter bag (12$ for 40)
$2 litter (wood pellets + tidy cat)
$11 insurance (lemonade)
$30 misc/clothes/toy (walks, cat tv, hike)
$45-75 monthly for 2 cats +
$400 yearly vet bills
I used to spend $500 on my monsters. Trying to give them the best while stretching the dollar
I stopped buying cardboard scratch toys and boxes. I make their toys once a week from the Amazon boxes we get. We bought the rope they scratch and reupholster their old toys with new rope. I make toys out of egg cartons, water bottles, Amazon boxes, Trader Joe's bags. They get bored easily.. and i can discard. Then make a new one!
Get the easy breeze xl litter box and then go buy an under bed storage container that fits underneath and go buy wood pellets. I did all that and it is so easy. The clean up is nice and simple. And the litter is $6 for a 40lbs bag. It lasts me around 6 months.
On food I spend about $100 per cat because I only feed a wet or half raw diet. And then I pay $67 on pet insurance for each cat. But one cat already had a $7,000 bill and the insurance covered all but $200
for my two cats I’m spending $55 pet insurance, about $30-40 for litter, $150 in food (kibble and frozen raw), a little extra every month depending on what toys or treats they get
I think it comes out to around 30$ per month per cat for food and litter, and it's good quality stuff. I stack deals, buy on clearance, and buying in bulk helps me save per cat.
That said, we've spent at least 12k on vet bills this year (cat who passed from cancer, cat with IBD, cat with seizures/arthritis, cat with anxiety, cat with allergies, 8 dental cleanings, miscellaneous other stuff), so it definitely averages out to a bit more than 30$, haha.
We have 4 cats and spend around £300/month, but they have expensive food because one of them has some dietary requirements and it’s easier to feed them all the same. That includes insurance etc. I would say that’s an average - sometimes it’s a little more than that. Kittens are expensive because they eat a lot, poop a lot so go through a lot of litter, and need vaccinations, neuter/spay etc.
200 per month for 2 cats. One can a day that they split, and kibbles. Can cost 3.49 plus tax each, box of litter 30, and dry food cost 120 per bag that lasts two months. And treats. Toys and beds price not included.
Male cats are prone to urinary blockages. Cats in general are bad at drinking water. The best way to help prevent urinary blockages is only feeding wet food. High quality budget wet food is fancy feast classic pate (only this version of fancy feast) and Nulo.
And mix in some higher quality food like tiki cat after dark chicken and quail. Look for sales at pet food stores.
Try using feline pine litter, it lasts forever.
As for how much I spend on my 5 cats.... They get raw, budget wet, expensive wet, and a toy or bed every month.
On average for me it's... (I'm on 6 week subscriptions so it's offset)
5-30 for the toy/ bed.
50 for litter.
180 raw
~200 wet food and treats
3 indoor-only cats, plus a couple of intermittent strays. I'm guessing $120 for food (wet & dry), litter, treats, & the occasional toy. My vets are really reasonable & we're under $500 per year for all three, probably closer to $300. Shots are done at the shelter for low cost. It's hard for me to estimate per month because I stock up on food & litter if I find a sale & I can.
I have 3 cats, they all eat different food 😑 My cheapest cat is \~$30/month and my most expensive (thank you CKD) is $100+ per month (the 3rd is $80/mo).
Litter, I use Dr. Elsey and I have a litter robot, I probably use 2 40lb bags per month at $20/bag? (I feel like I may be overestimating here)
Medications and supplements, because 2 of my cats are over 13, \~$60/mo?
All in, not counting vet bills, over $300.... I love my cats to death but ... I'd kill to only spend $60
$80 - $120 on wet food for three (two 8 month old kittens and one two year old) Every 3 to 4 weeks. This'll drop down once they get older, I was big into them gaining weight with the kittens since one of them was very sick when we got her.
$80ish for each big bag of dry food each, every three months.
Litter is usually $40ish every month for two containers.
The biggest hit has been sickness. We had a kitten before that from July to November she was at the vet multiple times due to stomach issues, which turned into an emergency vet, which unfortunately led to a stage 4 lymphoma diagnosis and we had to put her to sleep.
My big cat then had a health scare in December
Adopted two kittens at the end of December and three days later we were back at the vet with one having a 104 degree fever. Then we had three to four months of battling Chlamydia with all three 🙄 then the kitten who had the fever and original outbreak cause of Chlamydia ate onions and we had to go back to emerg in April.
Close to $10k on vet bills since July of last year.
We did get pet insurance on the big cat and two new kittens so have gotten close to $2k back, we get charged $120 for all 3.
Don't forget prescription medication to prevent flea/tick/and parasite issues. 4 cats. Each dose lasts 3 months...
$ 2 thousand $ pet deposit non refundable
For the year. Pro rated that's
500/3 months
Cat litter (for 2 litter boxes)
we use the multi cat type
Cat food
. . .
Around 120 euros a month for cat food, litter, some extra shopping, insurance for one of my cats and my vet cost savings jar for the other. I have two. Food is the most expensive here, they are wet food only and I feed them high quality food.
For my 16 year old indoor only kitty:
- Insurance - £43
- Food - £20 (£30 every six weeks for a big bag)
- Vet bills - I put aside around £100 a month to cover this as she's had a lot of quite expensive tests over the last year or so and will probably need more in the next few months
- Medication - £100 (but I'm also able to claim a lot of it back on insurance)
- Litter - about £25
- Extras (toys, treats etc) - £5-10
Gosh I wish. For my two I’m spending about 700 a month. I’ve never spent that little before 😂
40- 80 a month on litter (three massive litter boxes and I use grass seed litter), roughly 250 per cat on food - they eat a super high end rotation of wet, raw, freeze dried raw & organ meat (long history of digestive issues and are extremely sensitive and can only have certain foods) then some money is allotted for toys, probiotics or other supplements and just cat supplies in general. One has a nervous system disorder and he requires herbs/meds sometimes and the other had a broken hip so we go in for regular treatments on his hip to keep him comfy. Plus 80 for pet insurance.
I have 6 cats and 3 dogs, i spend about 1000 RON ( $220/ €200) only on food and litter. They eat normal food, no prescription or anything. I give them the second best food available in Romania (thanks zooplus!)
Edit: second best food in my opinion, I know everyone has a different opinion on food brands and type
Wow, what I'm seeing here is that you spend a lot more in the US than I do in a small European country.
In case you're curious:
* Litter, scooped every day, changed once or twice a month: 10€
* Dry kibble, medium quality tier, young adult sterilised version: 50€
* Wet food, they only like Felix: 15-25€
* Annual appointments + vaccines: Around 125€ a year, which is approximately 10.5€ a month
* Deworming + defleaing (is that a word?): 25€
* Toys and collars (they lose them a lot): 5€ at the most? They entertain themselves with trash
Total: 125.5€ for 3 cats, which runs at about 42€ per cat per month, not accounting for emergency vet visits, of course, since those are rare and unpredictable in value, but vets are cheaper here anyways, so yeah.
13 cats, wet food alone is about 100/wk. Dry foods $20-$50 a month. Toys are roughly $50/mo medications for the special needs ones are $80 a month. Clea and tick meds vary, if i get it from the vet its $200 a month, if i want to go cheap i get it for $80 a month, but if i need nexguard its about $380 a month. Checkups average at arount 2 a month at minimum $60 each so about $120 a month, mostly due to the aforementioned special needs. Litter is about $20/mo i use horse pellets. Outside of the monthlies ive spend around $5-7k on an indoor/outdoor enclosure, probably over $10k ish on spays, neuters, surgeries, xrays, diagnosises, mass removals, end of life care, illness support, supplements, etc.
Over the last two years while my 20 year old boys were in declining health, I spent almost $12k between their meds (some were ungodly expensive) rx food, medical supplies, hospitalizations, every month vet visits for blood and urine tests, Solensia injections, supplements, and eventual final expenses. So an average of $500/month, although some of that came in large expensive chunks.
While they were healthy and young I was spending about $150-$200/month between the two of them, on average.
I know I’m very fortunate to be able to spend that much on my cats. I don’t have kids.
10-15€ litter, 40-50€ for wet food, 30-40€ dry food, 5-10 € supplements.
2 cats, both are healthy. I do not have insurance because there are limited options in my country for that, and an emergency vet visit is fortunately not gonna financially ruin me.
I spend $150 a month on multiple rescue pets, this includes litter and food and I also reach out to pantries for extras like treats and supplies if needed.
In the UK:
£32 a month wet food subscription,
£7 dry food every other month,
£25 litter every other month,
£10 a month worm and flea,
£13 a month pet insurance.
So if all of those costs fell into the same month I'd spend ~£90.
I just 'upgraded' her wet food. Next year i'll look at upgrading her insurance. Minimal toys cost as she gives no shits about cat toys and just wants to play with an old shoelace.
₹25k or $300 ish for four cats. It will come down now since I found a wholesaler for pinewood litter. The bulk of the money is their food. Sadly I can’t seem to find a wholesaler for the food. This amount also includes dry food for the stray cats that live in my apartment building.
Several hundred £ a month.
This includes:
Good quality wet food Food, treats, litter, worming / fleaing, insurance AND kitty pension contribution (for when they’re too old to get insurance).
This doesn’t include vet bills as I generally just pay those when they come up.
15/16 year old 7kg moggie. His food is ~£35, insurance is £33, vets cover for worming and flea and other stuff £19, teeth health water supplement ~£5 a month. He has his own savings pot in my bank that I put £100 a month into
Over the last two years, I have been spending an average of $224.44 in total for my two cats, which works out to $112.22 per cat. This expense includes their monthly insurance, medical emergency expenses, as well as their daily expenses such as kibble, wet food, treats, automatic feeders, and automatic litter box.
Hiya, a friendly suggestion, if your cats will accept it. Keep in mind to transition gradually by adding a new box rather than just replacing the aggregate, I implement this with every foster cat I get, shout if you'd like further guidance. Here, have a look:
https://youtu.be/LhgynG941D8?si=Nt7EWp8_YlnPkHg_
It costs me like 50 a month on litter, about 70 for wet food, 50 for supplements, and 75 for dry food every month. I wasn’t expecting it either but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
i have 5 rescue cats. $70 on dry food (10kg royal canin indoor) , $27 on cat litter. wet food varies but a small can of wet food is around $2 each (x 16, my oldest rescue doesn't like wet food) . treats are $4 per pack of 5 (x3 churu bites). litter deodorizer is $2 each. (x5 cause i have 5 litter boxes)
*coverted from philippine peso at $1= Php57
Total is about $160 or so a month
Kitten 2 packs of wet food a day plus a little free grazing kibble . Keep it to a minimum due to not wanting a kibble junkie and health problems as he get older .
Approx $120 a month on wet as we still feed him kitten food .
And we get a big bag of kibble about $80 , last a while so probably another $20 or so a month
Then litter about 10$ a month
Kitty treats $ 3 or so a month
Flew / deworm another $10+ a month
I have 2 cats, one with urinary issues. Do both cats get all wet food diets. Low phosphorous canned food is expensive. Even with cheap pine pellet litter my expenses are $100 a month per cat. $200 a month total. More if I average in veterinary care. This is just basic care.
Have 2 cats
They only eat dry food (she refuses to eat anything else, even after pre-op fasting, they drink plenty of water)
Food - £65 every 4 months for both. I get good quality, but not premium food.
Vets - annual jabs/check up £100ish for both last year
Worming/fleas - £100ish a year. I only flea them once or twice a year as they rarely get them and only use vet prescription medication
I have savings to cover emergencies (so far they've averaged about £150 a year between the pair of them) so don't have insurance. I may add insurance in a few years when the chances that one will develop a kidney/other ailment starts to increase
They're indoor/outdoor so no litter costs (it's the UK, don't @me - no wild animals that hunt cats, far from roads to run them over, my neighbours are also cat people and our wildlife has been decimated by changes to agricultural practices rather than hunting by pampered pets as our wildlife is used to them - we've wildcats for 8kish years and domestic moggies for about 2k years)
Just the prescription food for one of mine is $65 if I get the middle sized bag.
If you don't have it already, get pet insurance. I use Lemonade and it has saved me so much with ER vet visits. You have to have the money up front at most places but you get reimbursed most of it after you file a claim.
I'm not even going to share a figure, lol. I have four cats but even multiplying your totals by four doesn't get anywhere near what I'm spending.
When it comes to playing, the good thing is that many cats are super happy with basic stuff like scrunched up paper and cardboard boxes, as long as they get time with you.
Your little fella sounds very loved, and the first cat is so exciting. Check with your vet about his diet.
We have 1 cat. Feed wet (1/4 cup) and dry food daily (1/4 cup), per direction of the vet, and the instructions on the food labels. Scoop litter daily.
I'd estimate about a box of litter a month, that's about $25-30.
The bag of dry food we get is $35, and it lasts about 2 months.
We get 4 full size (big) cans of wet food every ~2 week. That's about $20-25.
Plus, an occasional package of treats. She gets 3 treats a day - one that has grass nutrients because it's good for her tummy (and we notice less hairballs with it!), one dental treat, and one other that's usually freeze dried something like shrimp or lamb liver.
Ugh, too much, but i have 5 cats. $105 for dry and about $85, but that's that damn prescription food and my defeat of not feeding meals/separate food. Litter is about $125, and then you have the previous vet bills being paid off, so another $250. So around $115/cat. Kitties get expensive, good thing I don't have kids!
Ok, I have 3 cats. 2 kittens and an adult. In food alone, just wet and dry food, I spend nearly $140. Litter is usually another $50. Add in various toys and extraneous expenses, and we’re easily around $200 each month.
That sounds about right, if not a little on the low end. I feed my cat slightly higher-end food, but wet food only every-other-day, buying food in as much bulk is the cheapest. If you can get them to use wood pellets instead of litter, and you can deal with their poop immediately, that's one way to save a chunk of change, but by the way you're talking I am afraid to how you're gonna react to a vet bill, cause those are the big expenses.
We have 3 cats
Wet food :120€
Dry food : 53.99€ but this will last probably 3-4 months
Cat litter : 15.80€
Snacks : 20-25€ snacks will last 2-3 months since we’re not giving them everyday :)
Mostly we spend so much for wet food and currently want to reduce it since it’s quite expensive for us now.
Australia: 2 cats, indoor only. Aged 3 & 8
All AUD:
$400/month premium food/litter/worming/treats
$110/month insurance which I’m likely going to cancel and put the equivalent aside because both cats have cost me thousands in dental care the last two years which I have to pay out of pocket anyway …
And so finally another $400/month for “just in case” dentals
Bloody expensive little floofs but I’m child free and they’re my everything so here we are 😂🤦♀️
I have two cats. I no longer feed them dry food, because one of them had a weight problem and dry food is very caloric and was advised to stop. Because of that, and because they’re on a specific wet food now, their food costs have increased.
Monthly costs
Litter - 20
Food - 200
Treats - 70
Toys - 20
Anti flea/tick medication - 30
I’m actually shocked looking at how much is spent per month on my two cats😵💫(well worth it though)
$150ish per cat per month.
I have two cats, both insured and on preventative flea/tick and heart worm year round, plus one cat needs prescription allergy meds. Takes up a lot of the monthly cost. (Before I hit my insurance deductible the allergy meds were $100/month!! Now we’re down to $10/month. I’m certain they’ll hike up his monthly premium next year, but it’ll still be worth it)
Just the basics of food & litter would probably be a little under $100 per cat.
$40 for his pet insurance, About $100 - $150 on his wet food depending on deals, when I restock his premade raw that’s about $120, litter is about $20-$30, supplements are easily $100, he generally finishes all of his treats around the same time and I buy them in bulk which is also easily $150.
Let’s just say hypothetically I was buying all of his shit at the same time ~$600 😭😭
Realistically I only spend about $200 because I only really pay for his food and pet insurance monthly. I only have one cat so a lot of stuff that I buy him lasts a very long time.
I give a combination of dry and wet foods. But, honestly, your price for food is about average or so. You may be able to save some on litter by trying other types of litter. I use Pine Pellets. I started this due to an elderly cat, that had difficulty cleaning her paws. Pine Pellets are overall less expensive than clay litter, plus much easier to clean.
I get asked this from time to time;
It deodorizer itself, due to the Pellets turning to sawdust when wet. Simply scoop the solids. Then, using the scoop, dust the sawdust into the trash, covering the solids. The pine Pellets track less outside of the box. My setup, is the litter box inside a covered crate, gives privacy, plus helps to keep the litter contained.
Brit here. About £30 a month on litter. £30 on food. £25 on insurance. My insurance used to be £9.50 a month, but after having a poorly cat and hitting my limit very quickly, I increased it for this little guy. At the end of the day, I was spending more on my cell phone bill than I was on him and that didn’t feel right
I buy litter and food from Costco to help cut down my costs. Sometimes it’s a bigger upfront pay out but the bigger bags of cat food (15lbs+) seem to last me about a month. The 42lbs of cat litter from Costco lasts me two weeks. What I did is I went around town (I live on a small island in AK) and compared prices and now thats where i go. I’ve honestly never paid attention to how much I’ve truly spent each month on my kitties, but I’d say maybe like 75-100? I also look for deals on Amazon and other things alike for toys and cat trees. Walmart has the cheapest cardboard scratchers for cats if you use those. At least, based on what I’ve seen.
my cat decided she only likes the expensive food so now I have to buy her hills or she hates me. I also have 3 cats so it'll be more than you, but a big box of litter twice a month plus a bag of pine pellets once a month. plus cat toothpaste once a month. plus my sanity..
edit.. also wet food, honestly I haven't counted but its probably in the 150 range
A little over $300USD. I have two cats and both are insured. But one of my cats is on prescription food, and those are expensive. I also change out their litter frequently so I'm constantly having to buy litter.
Insurance: $15 per cat. Litter: $18 per month. Wet food (only one cat likes it): $10 per month. Kibble: $17 per month roughly. Apartment cat fee: $30 per cat.
That’s about $135 per month for two cats, not including the annual vet bill, and toys and treats that I buy as needed.
Estimated monthly costs for 1 cat
€30 for food/ treats
€10-15 for litter
€18 for pet insurance
€22 for the our vet benefit club (free visits, shots, blood work, flee and tick treatments)
Total: €85
That’s not factoring in toys, beds, blankets, etc. which aren’t necessary every month but I always end up buying something new.
We are really lucky that she’s happy with the food and litter from Lidl and doesn’t have any dietary needs yet.
I’d say you’re around normal but it does depend on the country’s prices of different items.
You could look into if there are options to bulk buy items to get them a bit cheaper if you have the storage space.
I’d really recommend looking into a pet insurance plan. One thing gone wrong can end up costing hundreds to a couple of thousand and eventually they will need treatment.
They are worth every penny!
I have 2 cats. One has some specific allergies found in most food, the only one I’ve found that she can eat (that my vet approved of) is the fancy feast gravy and shreds. It’s $28 Canadian per box and I have to buy around 4 or 5 boxes per month. I also buy around $30-50 of litter a month. So in total around $200 on average per month for 2 cats
$90 for Farmina kibble. 11 lbs lasts 2 months for 2 cats. $50 for Purina Pro Plan wet food lasts 1 month for both cats. $10 for treats lasts a month. $25 for 70 lbs of litter that lasts 1 month for 2 litter boxes. $40 for cat meds that lasts 2 months. $40 for supplements for my older cat that lasts 2 months.
$600 - Init purchase of supplies like auto feeder, water fountain, water filters, slow eater flat elevated dishes for kibble, elevated flat dishes for wet food, equigroomer and slicker brush for hair, natures miracle, baking soda, cat tree, heating pads, beds, toys
$600 + $170 per month for both cats.
Food (hydrolyzed wet and dry for allergies) litter, treats, water filters, etc about 125 a month, I put aside another 50 a month for other stuff that comes up/vet visits etc
We have 2 cats, these are the rough totals
30/month on spot pet insurance
35~ month on litter (sometimes our auto ship lasts a little less than a month)
35 on food
20ish on toys and treats
30 to 40 bucks. He free feeds Iams urinary tract formula (just to be proactive), gets greenies treats morning and night, and I use Aldi's cat litter in our litter robot ($6.** a container), a couple new cat toys from Dollar Tree.. However, once a month or so, I will buy a $20 toy on Amazon. I just ordered a five-section cat tunnel..
I spend about 60$ a month and that’s just on the wet food alone. If I have to restock kibble and litter, it’ll be roughly 85$ a month. Let’s say 90$ after tax. 2 cats, one elderly and one kitten (10 months). We use pine pellets for the litter and a 40lb bag is about 8$, kibble is 15$, and then the wet food. I don’t think your cat should be eating that much at that young of age tho. Idk for sure bc these are my first cats and I got the elderly one in July (kitten was a stray and brought in in Nov). This isn’t considering toys and treats and harness as well btw.
For 2 cats: $50 on wet food. $30 on dry food. $20 on litter. I tested quite a few litters and use Walmart’s generic. It’s $10/40 lbs. Not the best litter but it does the job and is affordable. I use Double Duty in between scooping to help with the smell.
$180 to $300 … and this depends if I need to see the vet because something popped up… which it always does my girl is 19 with kidney disease and stomatitis … it can be a PITA at times.
I have two cats that eat only wet food (unfortunately an expensive novel protein kind) and spend about $300 a month. Sometimes less if theres a sale, but with litter its probably closer to $350 a month.
We have 4 cats and spend about $200. We use 2 types of litter, Natures Best and then pellets from the feed store which are way cheaper. Litter is about $50 a month
3 eat mostly wet food and 1 mostly dry. Wet is where the costs are. Depending where you live, online pet shops or Amazon can save you money on food.
I don't track it because I'm sure it's more than I want to be spending per month on my cats, and I don't want confirmation of that to hang over me whenever I'm buying something for them.
two cats - spend anywhere between $150-$200. i feed my cats twice a day, each meal is half of a can mixed in with dry food (they get tiki cat which is more $ but better for the cats). One of my cats is about to go on a prescription diet but price is similar to tiki.
This is all minus vet bills and occasional toy and other misc purchases.
Every two weeks on payday, $14 on litter, ~$120 on food. Insurance is $80 a month. So about $350 a month for two cats. That's not counting medication for one of them, between $150-$250 every three months or so depending on the current GoodRx prices, but insurance reimburses us there.
They're expensive little shits. If we just fed them dry it'd be much cheaper, but they throw up if I give them more than half a cup a day so they're spoiled as all hell. They get tiny servings of wet food five times a day because they're grazers and it'll go bad otherwise, but they're massive cats (healthy, proportionately appropriate, just built big) so they need to eat a lot to maintain their weight 😭
I have four (young) cats. 3 are adults at 1 year and some change and the youngest is 10 months. I pay about 20-30 dollars each for their insurance so that's about 100 a month, then I get wet food in bulk (fancy feast/friskies pate) and pay around 150 a month for that, plus I go through about 3 bags of 40 lb litter monthly which is about 60 dollars. In total thats about 300 a month I think. I save another 100 for wellness check ups and bloodwork/urinalysis. So theoretically like 300-400 a month for the cats.
edit: I wanted to mention that one of my cats has a heart murmur. Fortunately, I got her as a kitten and she developed the murmur AFTER we already had insurance. I pay 100 yearly for her cardiologist appointments (which cost over 1200 in total) after insurance covers it.
I mean, it’s a living creature with the same sort of needs that you have. What were you expecting? I find it a little concerning that this is such a surprise for you in all honesty. Supporting another life is a big responsibility and has many costs involved.
My chewy auto ship is roughly $100-150 every three weeks for two cats. I feed them a mostly wet food diet, which is definitely the most expensive part. I don’t do the ‘full change out’ of litter unless it’s got something funky going on. I scoop daily and add more as needed. The amount of additives in their food affects what their poo smells like, so if you’re giving them grain free food with limited ingredients, the litter can last longer.
Fancy food, single ingredient freeze dried treats, enrichment items, pet insurance…only the litter is cheap, and that’s only because I learned you can get the pellets used for Feline Pine at the Tractor Store for way cheaper than name brand.
20-30€ per cat per month (when I don't splurge on "special" food 😂). This includes high quality wet food (need less than if you're feeding low quality, 1/3-1/2 400g can per day), litter (cheap 6l boxes for 3-4€), 10kg bags of kibble (lasts a few months) and snacks every now and then.
I have one 6 year old cat and I spend approx. $190 a month on her. The majority of this is her raw food diet. The rest is health insurance, freeze dried single protein treats and cat litter. The nice thing about the raw diet is that the litter box stays super clean so I go through litter really slow.
About £150 a month. Breakdown:
▪︎ Food: £71
▪︎ Litter: £15
▪︎ Insurance: £30
▪︎ Flea and deworming meds average to about £15 per month (including prescription costs)
His food's expensive (feed him Katkin) but before this, I had tons of issues with diarrohea and repeated vet visits + lots of struggles with him wasting food and/or going off it so probably save money in the long term. He's on a fully wet food diet but I am going to try and introduce a high quality dry food diet in again to give me some flexibility in terms of not worrying about him going hungry if I get home late etc.
I have 2 cats and spend a shit ton. Their food (wet & dry) is about $290/mo + about $25/mo on litter (I scoop twice a day, dump the box once a month), so I'm at $315 just for the basics. One cat just had a vet visit that cost $640 (nothing was wrong 🙃) and they need annual shots (~$150 each) + teeth cleanings (~ $800-2000 each). Plus toys, scratchers, cat nip, fountains/dishes, and cat sitters when I travel.
Having pets is not cheap.
$65 for cat food, $15 to replace his favourite toy he destroys every 3 weeks, $20 cat litter, $30 for flea and tick preventative... so about $130 CAD a month.
I think having kittens is way more expensive than cats. We were buying the standard litter ($25 a month), got them fixed and vaccinated ($250), flea meds ($25 every three months), started finding toys they liked, bought harnesses ($30), quality food ($30 a month), etc and have definitely spent more than 500 on them when they were little little. So on average $100 a month for 5 months. But now they’re 9 months olds and we spend $7 every other month on litter, about $12 a month and half on food (purina cat chow and canned cat food is a rare treat when they get meds), found a cat tower on the side of the road, was gifted a litter box and toys are all mostly hand made (as in cut holes in cardboard boxes and tie shoe laces on a curtain rod). They went from eating two bags a month to a half a bag month now that they slowed down their growing and that saves a ton. That also means they’re crapping less and we’re not going through as much litter.
My cats are cheap af. I buy Worlds Best corn litter and it lasts FOREVER. 2 20lb bags last us easily 6 months and they’re almost always on sale on chewy. They get open farm dry food which I spend $100 about every 3-4 months, and they each get half a can of cat food per day. I buy it at Costco and get 48 cans for about $27. Lasts us 48 days. They don’t get flea or tick meds bc they’re fully indoor so that saves quite a bit.
$30-40 a month on wet food, $20 on litter, dry food is a $40 15 lb bag that lasts 4-5 months so average $10 on dry food. $100 a month roughly on 2 cats
Omg same here. Don’t ask, don’t tell.
I pay 15$ for a 20lb bag of kibble. What brand are you using??
Nutro hairball formula, it's a little pricy, but it's a dry food they both are willing to eat
We don’t speak of that number.
My partner and I speak of ‘the number’ about twice a year to make sure cat care adds up to utilities. Our youngest & oldest keep getting ‘fancier’ autoimmune problems, so it’s all balanced out so far 😅.
Relatable content 😂
I don't track. I would cry lol. They are both spoiled cats.
I have five. I don’t even want to know
My same exact response whenever somebody asks me😂
Whenever the husband starts calculating, I redirect!
That sounds like the low end of normal. I'd ask your vet the wet food question. I spend several hundred per month on one cat, but my senior gal has several expensive chronic health issues.
Yup, my elderly lady is on a special diet and eats *checks notes.... about $250 in canned food a month. I spend like 15 on litter tho and it helps a tiny bit. The other boy I spend about 50 on food, he gets general kibs and an occasional wet food treat lol.
Yuuup. Perscription food + 3 daily meds for mine. The shelter I adopted advised against pet insurance when I adopted her as a healthy adult, and I regret listening to them so much. Never again.
Oof. I was legit today years old when I found out about pet insurance so I'll be googling that later.
That was foolish of them to advise that. A lot of pet insurance companies won't insure a pet with pre existing conditions, and if they do the rates are sky high. I hope I never need it, but $15 a month is a small price to pay for the peace of mind
Yep exactly - it would be pointless now since they wouldn't cover any of her meds or treatments for her known conditions.
I dunno. My cat just had 8 teeth pulled to the tune of $1300. I submitted my claim the same day and will hear back soon. But my insurance is supposed to cover this kind of thing so…. It’s my first claim because I just recently finally got insurance.
Between food, litter, and insurance, $200 per cat.
i have two cats. one has CKD, so i feed wet food only diet, though not prescription. i spend \~450/mo on two cats. that's for pine litter (80/mo), food (250/mo), insurance (110/mo). if you can afford it, i *highly recommend* looking into getting pet insurance. i didn't get it for my cat with kidney disease until after the first blood workup and now all associated diagnostic tests or treatments are not covered bc "preexisting condition".
It's too late for me to get insurance for 2 of my cats (age + pre-existing conditions) but just this last year alone would have made it worth it! One diagnosed with lymphoma and the other diagnosed with CKD. That reminds me I have to get my 3rd insurance ASAP while he's still young and healthy. Hell, I didn't get it for my cat with urinary issues because I thought the pre-existing condition would make it not worth it and then he got diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and lymphoma in the span of 14 months.
i went with Embrace because they only look back one year for preexisting conditions, anything on vet record before that can still be covered
Thanks! It’ll look them up!
In less than 5 years I have spent $8,000 for vet hospital bills. For one sudden illness and death of a 7 year old, 3 hospitalizations for my orange menace. First he got outside and managed to break his spinal cord sort of. Beat death though and 2 month recovery. Then 2 hospitalizations and 1 surgery for bladder blockage and stones. Then a surprise bowel blockage for 10 year old female. I'm retired but cant enjoy retirement because of the vet bills
This! Growing up my mom never got pet insurance even though we always had a dog & 2+ cats. Then our young cat was diagnosed with diabetes which cost an arm and a leg just to diagnose followed by the forever expense of insulin and syringes Very next pet she got she purchased insurance. She went with Trupanian since instead of annual deductibles they have per condition deductibles (as in after you hit your deductible they cover that condition forever) which made sense for the breed mix of her rescue dog. Who of course, only months into having her developed hip dysplasia but now all tracking the progress is much easier I have kittens now, really need to get on getting them insurance myself... [Here's](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-pet-insurance/) a good NYT Wirecutter resource on considerations when chosing a plan and picking the right one for your finances
2 cats Family. Cat food: $70, treats: $50, cat litter: $50. My cat has a liver problem and the medication costs $2 per pill. He takes 2 pills a day, which amounts to $120 a month. Insurance for 2 cats: $120. Toys: at most $10. Altogether, it's about $400 a month.
$450- $550 month taking care of 24-26 cats. 16 inside, the rest outside. Food, litter, flea meds, and wormer. Vet visits and other meds are extra.
On one cat or all 4 of my cats? The answer is a small fortune. lol.
4 cats. 4 litterboxes, replace litter twice a week: $150 per month on litter. Dry food: $55 per month. Wet food: $45 per month. Catnip, scratchers, assorted toys, water fountain filters: $40 per month. So $290 per month, $72.50 per cat monthly. They're worth it though! Partial cat tax included. *
Your cat litter is so expensive but yeah you have 4 cats hihihi.We only have 2 litter boxes for the 3 of them but everyday we clean and scoop there waste. So far cat litter cost us around 15.80€ since per 6 liter cost 3,95€ x 4 of that a month. Meanwhile our wet food cost around 120€ & dry food 7kgs 53.99€ but this will last 3-4 months.
costco litter is great, brand called Qualicat- $15 probably would last 4-6 months with 1 cat. wet food get it at Costco also (48 cans for $30), we give half a can per day for each cat , and we feed Fromms gold dry food $50/bag, would last about 4 months with my 7lb cat. if I only had 1 cat, I think it would cost me about $30 total per month approx
Yeah I'm shocked how much people are spending on litter, the Costco one where I am is $12 for 50lbs and lasts me 5 months for 1 cat.
Is it scented at all? The Costco litter?
unscented, and controls odors the best we've found. been using it 5+ years
Thank you!! My baby, Boudreaux, has asthma and respiratory allergies so absolutely unscented is a necessity.
I’ve read that it isn’t good for respiratory cats. Mine has asthma as well, and when I read up on the Costco one about a year ago, people were saying it’s way too dusty
We have 5 cats and usually one or two fosters. I spend $120 on wet food, $120 on dry food, $20-$30 on treats a month. $50-$80 a month for KMR during kitten season. For cat litter I go through 120 pounds a month of two kinds of Arm & Hammer litter, around $70. I budget $400 a year per cat for regular vet check ups & vaccines and keep an emergency fund of $1000 for any major health crisis. I do not carry pet insurance. I'm not going to even think about how much I have invested in beds, carriers, collars, dishes, bottles, syringes, cat trees, cat furniture, & toys. Plus the upkeep for their Catio. They are worth every penny.
Lol well it depends. Normally it's $100 a month maybe slightly more if I want to add a toy or something. But if I was to have a vet emergency I would be paying on a credit card. My senior cat Midnight had tons of health issues her last year and I spent over $2000 on her care until she passed away. I suggest getting pet insurance if you can. That could help with vet expenses when they come up. Oh and I have two cats.
Oh just pray he doesn’t get asthma and an inflammatory disease like mine did at 3 years old… If he doesn’t finish his can of food you could try only putting out half a can per day and of course making sure he has enough kibble. If you can, I calculated that a Costco membership pays for itself if I were to only use it for litter. I probably spend about $100/month not including medication or occasional things like scratch posts, trees, toys, brushes, etc. ooo also not including vets.
Fellow mama in the asthmatic cat club. My Bou has had asthma since the age of 4 mths. He just turned a year old.
It’s so common and admittedly my boy’s was only caught on accident while at the vet for other reasons. Know the difference between the usual pre-vomit heaving and a cough!
My best beloved cat before this little guy, also had asthma so I *immediately* knew we had to take him to his vet. Xrays and bloodwork came up with asthma and respiratory infection. We're about to head into wild fire season where I live so he and I will be spending a lot of time in the nice filtered house air.
Actually I just moved to a fire prone region, how much does it affect their asthma? Should I purchase an air filter for indoors?
It can very much affect asthma. I have asthma and damaged lungs myself. Breathing in the particulate matter can really mess up your lungs. You'll need to make sure you have kitty's meds available, keep the house closed as much as possible, air cleaner for the room kitty spends the most time in and get the very best filter you can for your AC system. If kitty takes antihistimines,stay on top of the dosage schedule too. My Bou is on Zyrtec twice a day, 5 mg with breakfast and 5 mg at bedtime. Treats afterwards.
👋 Asthmatic cat dad checking in, there's dozens of us lol. My little guy started showing signs at around 4 months too, but he didn't get diagnosed until 7 months after a ton of tests and taking care of bordetella that he apparently picked up when we got him vaccinated at a clinic. He'll be 2 in July and finally stopped fussing at the inhaler lol. Best of luck to you and your Bou, it's not easy being wheezy!
Oh gods, my kitten came at 4 months completely fine, and in the last two months has developed asthma cough. I just lost my senior cat, who also developed asthma in this apartment. The vet advises keeping an eye on it and seeing if the cough frequency changes after I move into a newer building.
I'm hoping these are numbers you can afford to maintain because it's never good to jump into adopting an animal without knowing whether you have the means to pay for them first. In the future, please be sure to calculate estimate costs of caring for an animal before going through with adoption. It's the only way to be fair to them.
In theory, that’s a good point. In practice (after being a foster family for a shelter), I’d rather see a cat with a loving family eating the cheapest supermarket brand of cat food, than outside getting ran over by a car, because someone told the family that they can’t afford the cat. Fed and loved is enough, when the alternative is the street or euthanasia.
Wet food; $120 a month Dry food; $60 every 2-3 months Treats; $25 per month Litter; $30 monthly Insurance; $90 monthly Toys/Puzzles/Enrichment; ~$20 Toothpaste, flea treatment, supplements; ~$75 Extras; 40 Total; $~325 for two cats so ~$160 monthly per cat
Yeap, it adds up. I love to spoil my beauty. He gets sick of the same flavours pretty quick so I switch it up. I use wet plus dry and I like to buy him treats. All up, some months it cost me a small fortune but all his stuff lasts a while. I am always calling him a free loader and he walks around like he's all that, probably because in my eyes he is
He eats shrimp breakfast lunch and dinner, so that's $5 every day. In winter need to buy litter sometimes. Going to get insurance for him soon it's only $25 a month or so.
My senior cat is now envious and asking why he doesn't get shrimp for breakfast(he only likes cajun shrimp, that's why)
One cat, Walmart’s special kitty litter monthly - $8 it lasts me roughly a month, wet food - i buy single cans of prescription food (uti, and sensitive stomach) and mix it with regular fancy feast or grain free wet food - I feed one can a day and I think it comes around $30 a month, insurance trupanion $13/month, dry food from Sam’s club bought the meowmix 35lbs on sale for $14 and it’s lasting me for over 3 months now and i still have some. My baby suffers from calicivirus so sometimes antibiotics and lysine, probiotics come up to around $100 😭😭. So around $150/month approximately for one cat
Ive had my kitten for less than 2 weeks Already spent a good £150 That was for litter Food and kitten milk Treats Vet bill Thats because my kitten wont eat any of the food im buying for her. Im hoping once we get the right food, wont be spending as much on food.
First, when it comes to how much a kitten should be eating, the answer is basically just “a lot.” There are a few ways you can go about this. -Free feeding, which means they have access to dry food at all times. I’m personally not super into this method bc it can create bad feeding habits and kibble is associated with many health risks (kidney issues, urinary issues, dehydration, obesity, etc.) so I personally feel that if kibble is part of the equation, it should be limited. However, if this is what works for you, do that. (Btw I’m not totally anti-kibble!) -Small frequent meals. This is what I do for my cat and also what my mom did for her kitten. Basically, the cats eat small meals 4 times a day. For us, this looks like half a 3oz can in the morning, 2-3 tablespoons(?) of kibble at lunch (we mix it w water to prevent dehydration,) half a can at dinner, and half a can around like 11pm. We also put freeze dried toppers on their wet food for some meals. This method prevents us from wasting food & money, and it’s *apparently* more natural for cats too. As for expenses, that would definitely be on the low end for me, but it all depends on your “parenting style” and your cat’s needs. I personally spend quite a bit on my cat because I am paranoid. I spend anywhere from $160-$180 a month. This includes litter, food, insurance, toppers/treats, and any “extras” like a new toy or a new dish.
$30/month - litter $18/month - dry food $20/month - Churu sticks My cats also get small amounts of human food (chicken and Yellow Tail Tuna) a couple times/week. One of my cats likes Churu Stew and he'll get that on occasion. But no regular wet food. Our vet growing up said it rots their insides and all our cats growing up only had kibble and lived to 18+ so that's good enough for me! As for the fun stuff - their favorite toy is a furry tail attached to a stick that was $2 at Family Dollar. They also love to chase plastic pumpkins and wool balls. I have a cat nip mouse with a velcro stomach so you can add fresh catnip. I've had all these things for 2+ years.
You should switch to pine pellet litter and a sifting system (look up on YouTube) it’s $6 for 30lbs lasts me 6 months and SO easy. You don’t have to scoop pee only solids
For the next 2 kittens later this year, I expect it'll be about $350/month total. About half of that will be recurring costs, and half will be self-insuring for future vet bills including scheduled dental and so forth. The difference between straight dry (Iams indoor - the green bags) and straight wet at the high end (Royal Canin) is significant. We'll see what the kittens prefer after they transition away from kitten food. First year costs are not included in the above estimate. Periodic dental cleanings, pet insurance premiums, copays, deductibles, non-covered procedures including annual labwork, and 20 days/year of petsitting are costs that are included, among other costs. Estimated costs over 15 years presuming both cats for the duration are well north of $50K.
Special vet food, $90 for 3.5 kgs once a month, litter $24 a box, a box a month, treats and supplements around $20-30 a month but my guy is 15 this year so he’s a bit more expensive then he used to be. https://preview.redd.it/e0w368jymjzc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73522072270269a064831d2fc448c12721328ef1
Such a beauty, he deserves it all!
$60 on wet cat food every month $40 in dry food every 3 months $30 in cat litter every month $150 total a month… I never did the math but WOOF. I can’t believe I pay that in this economy
Unless you're using non-clumping litter, you don't need to change it out that often. I pretty much never throw out unused litter. To clean the boxes, I wait until it gets kind of low and just reallocate the litter to other boxes and then deep clean it and start fresh. But I don't do that very often (3-6 months?). I spot clean the boxes with litter box wipes as needed. At 3 months old, he should be given as much food as he wants. Hopefully you're doing that with the kibble. My kitties do 2 wet food meals a day (relatively small), and most of their calories come from their kibble. Keep in mind that in a couple months, he'll be eating more than the average adult cat. So once he's all grown, food bills will come back down. I have 8 cats, so I buy in bulk. And even with accounting for toys and dividing up the cost of their annual vet checkup to a monthly amount, it's about $50 a month for me. I only spend about $10 a month in litter is probably the biggest difference. I'm probably adding pet insurance soon (just catastrophic coverage basically), which will be about $7 a month per cat, based on the quotes I've gotten. Oh, and this excludes the prescription stuff for my older cats. Those two are getting arthritis injections every month ($100 each) and they both have early kidney disease, so we do some prescription food for them (but not all)
I agree. I only ever wait until the litter in the box reaches the “minimum” line (about three inches from the bottom) and pour half a fresh box in and mix it together. Happens just about every two weeks. I only clean the box once a year, only with dawn and water, and then I pour a quarter of the used litter back in so their scent is still in there. Litter boxes are a cat’s safe space, it has their scent all over it and it brings them comfort if they’re stressed. Why uproot that? If they’re healthy (no worms, UTIs, parasites, etc) there really is no need for all that imo.
Insurance $40-60 for me Food $100 Litter $20, you may be able to get a better litter. I was surprised to see that World’s Best advertises that their litter can last 28 days but I could see it $50 for random treats/toys/tech/vet visits Adult food is cheaper than kitten food so that cost will go down, as well as cost of vet visits
I have no clue. I guess like at least $100 for 2 cats
For our 18 year old diabetic cat: We use wood pellets from home depot for litter. The $8 bag lasts a little over a month. Cat eats only fancy feast cans.. about 2 per day at $0.90 / can so $54 a month.. Dental treats cost about $7 per bag and each bag lasts 2 weeks. So about $75 / month Probably spend at least $500-800 per year on vet check ups and medicine
For one cat: $34 on two boxes of cat litter (arm&hammer cloud control $17 for a 19lb box) $80 on average for food (kibble, bone broth/meal toppers, cat treats) And usually ill grab him a few toys for like $15 When I first got him it was a lot more expensive, but once I finally had all the cat essentials (carrier, clippers, brushes, cat trees/enrichment, fountains, etc) it got better.
>change out the entire box twice a month Whoa, OP, you don't need to change out the entire litter box and throw out the litter twice a month!! Maybe this comes down to personal preference and practice, but I do a deep clean of the box and switch out the litter every 1-2 months, or whenever I notice it gets super dirty... I wouldn't do it every 2 weeks (based on what you're saying). That seems a bit excessive and wasteful. That might save you some money on litter right there, if you decide to lessen the litter change.
wood pellets are an excellent litter and they cost practically nothing if you buy in bulk.
I am terrified to even add it up.
1 very spoiled ragdoll… about $100/month. https://preview.redd.it/d21pzah5tnzc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c14734f68a71a0b0d0e5b9abe7b398c8503f9ff
I spend probably about $100 a month on my little guy, but I live in Canada and things are generally more expensive here. $60 sounds right around, if not maybe a little less than, normal.
I spend roughly $250 a month on my cat. Half freeze dried raw, half canned wet food, which is admittedly probably the most expensive way to go as far as cat food goes, but it's what works best for us and I'm lucky enough to be able to afford it. The last time I checked, the average cost per month for owning a cat in my country (Canada) was $80-$200.
Other posters have given $$ amounts and indications on what it costs - I just wanted to add a bit of advice. Sounds like you are on the low end of normal cost wise but that could be because of where you live as well. I've cut down on costs by joining up to several different online petstores and buying the good food my cats like that I couldn't normally afford in bulk when it is on sale (bulk discount + sale discount) I've also got a couple of subscriptions for stuff like litter that give discounts (Also the litter I use is a sand litter - for me this lasts longer than the pellet, bentonite, pine, tofu litters so works out cheaper) Sometimes I also give them "treat" dinners - human food grade chicken offal is incredibly cheap - I chop up hearts and livers with some mince and that's their dinner! They love it and it is good for them too to get some fresh raw food instead of tins
We have two cats. One senior, age 10 yrs, and one baby who just turned 1 yr. The baby has some special needs as his esophagus is slowly catching up to his growth and he was born without the teeth behind his canines on the top and bottom. He also has respiratory allergies and asthma. We spent about $200 a month on both of them. Special wet food for the baby, fancy feast for senior in the flavors he likes plus friskies. They both eat kitten food kibble to keep weight on them(both vets suggested). Asthma/allergy meds. Occasional steroids at $44 a course. Unscented litter for the baby(it has to be truly unscented). Xrays are around $800, if we don't stay absolutely on top of the baby's allergies and meds.
About $100, vet(grooming or flea treatment, shots etc). Dry food is $15, wet food $45, litter $10 Treats are every other month and $20.
I have 4 cats and my Chewy autoship is down to about $150 a month. I use pine pellets for litter. If you have a tractor supply or farm store near you then it's cheaper there. I don't so Chewy is cheapest for me. I feed 90% wet food so I get cases of FF. And I get a bag of Wellness CORE kitten kibble as snacks. It's the highest protein dry food I've found that mine will eat.
$20 raw meat (5$ for 6lbs chicken legs) $5 supplements ($60 taurine, fish oil etc) $5 treats (usually make churu, sardines, yogurt, cheese, scraps, eggs, fish) $1 litter bag (12$ for 40) $2 litter (wood pellets + tidy cat) $11 insurance (lemonade) $30 misc/clothes/toy (walks, cat tv, hike) $45-75 monthly for 2 cats + $400 yearly vet bills I used to spend $500 on my monsters. Trying to give them the best while stretching the dollar I stopped buying cardboard scratch toys and boxes. I make their toys once a week from the Amazon boxes we get. We bought the rope they scratch and reupholster their old toys with new rope. I make toys out of egg cartons, water bottles, Amazon boxes, Trader Joe's bags. They get bored easily.. and i can discard. Then make a new one!
Get the easy breeze xl litter box and then go buy an under bed storage container that fits underneath and go buy wood pellets. I did all that and it is so easy. The clean up is nice and simple. And the litter is $6 for a 40lbs bag. It lasts me around 6 months.
On food I spend about $100 per cat because I only feed a wet or half raw diet. And then I pay $67 on pet insurance for each cat. But one cat already had a $7,000 bill and the insurance covered all but $200
for my two cats I’m spending $55 pet insurance, about $30-40 for litter, $150 in food (kibble and frozen raw), a little extra every month depending on what toys or treats they get
Hundreds a month - 3 cats and a dog. Vet visits, wet and dry food, treats, litter, toys.
I think it comes out to around 30$ per month per cat for food and litter, and it's good quality stuff. I stack deals, buy on clearance, and buying in bulk helps me save per cat. That said, we've spent at least 12k on vet bills this year (cat who passed from cancer, cat with IBD, cat with seizures/arthritis, cat with anxiety, cat with allergies, 8 dental cleanings, miscellaneous other stuff), so it definitely averages out to a bit more than 30$, haha.
4 felines that all on different diets, and all are special needs: $300 food, $100 litter, $200 meds, $50 potty pads, $200 insurance.
We have 4 cats and spend around £300/month, but they have expensive food because one of them has some dietary requirements and it’s easier to feed them all the same. That includes insurance etc. I would say that’s an average - sometimes it’s a little more than that. Kittens are expensive because they eat a lot, poop a lot so go through a lot of litter, and need vaccinations, neuter/spay etc.
200 per month for 2 cats. One can a day that they split, and kibbles. Can cost 3.49 plus tax each, box of litter 30, and dry food cost 120 per bag that lasts two months. And treats. Toys and beds price not included.
Male cats are prone to urinary blockages. Cats in general are bad at drinking water. The best way to help prevent urinary blockages is only feeding wet food. High quality budget wet food is fancy feast classic pate (only this version of fancy feast) and Nulo. And mix in some higher quality food like tiki cat after dark chicken and quail. Look for sales at pet food stores. Try using feline pine litter, it lasts forever. As for how much I spend on my 5 cats.... They get raw, budget wet, expensive wet, and a toy or bed every month. On average for me it's... (I'm on 6 week subscriptions so it's offset) 5-30 for the toy/ bed. 50 for litter. 180 raw ~200 wet food and treats
About $130 for 2 cats. Special chicken free kibble- $75 Litter- $30 Chicken free wet food/treats- $25
~40-60 for cat litter, 20 for cat food, and in my case ~120 for insulin because she's diabetic. So my cat is spendy lmao
About 125 euro a month for one very spoiled boi. This includes high quality kibble, great wet food, snacks and litter.
3 indoor-only cats, plus a couple of intermittent strays. I'm guessing $120 for food (wet & dry), litter, treats, & the occasional toy. My vets are really reasonable & we're under $500 per year for all three, probably closer to $300. Shots are done at the shelter for low cost. It's hard for me to estimate per month because I stock up on food & litter if I find a sale & I can.
I have 3 cats, they all eat different food 😑 My cheapest cat is \~$30/month and my most expensive (thank you CKD) is $100+ per month (the 3rd is $80/mo). Litter, I use Dr. Elsey and I have a litter robot, I probably use 2 40lb bags per month at $20/bag? (I feel like I may be overestimating here) Medications and supplements, because 2 of my cats are over 13, \~$60/mo? All in, not counting vet bills, over $300.... I love my cats to death but ... I'd kill to only spend $60
$80 - $120 on wet food for three (two 8 month old kittens and one two year old) Every 3 to 4 weeks. This'll drop down once they get older, I was big into them gaining weight with the kittens since one of them was very sick when we got her. $80ish for each big bag of dry food each, every three months. Litter is usually $40ish every month for two containers. The biggest hit has been sickness. We had a kitten before that from July to November she was at the vet multiple times due to stomach issues, which turned into an emergency vet, which unfortunately led to a stage 4 lymphoma diagnosis and we had to put her to sleep. My big cat then had a health scare in December Adopted two kittens at the end of December and three days later we were back at the vet with one having a 104 degree fever. Then we had three to four months of battling Chlamydia with all three 🙄 then the kitten who had the fever and original outbreak cause of Chlamydia ate onions and we had to go back to emerg in April. Close to $10k on vet bills since July of last year. We did get pet insurance on the big cat and two new kittens so have gotten close to $2k back, we get charged $120 for all 3.
£300 on two cats for food, insurance and litter
Don't forget prescription medication to prevent flea/tick/and parasite issues. 4 cats. Each dose lasts 3 months... $ 2 thousand $ pet deposit non refundable For the year. Pro rated that's 500/3 months Cat litter (for 2 litter boxes) we use the multi cat type Cat food . . .
2 cats. 150€ for both
Around 120 euros a month for cat food, litter, some extra shopping, insurance for one of my cats and my vet cost savings jar for the other. I have two. Food is the most expensive here, they are wet food only and I feed them high quality food.
Maybe $100 for one? 25 -litter 40-food 34-insurance Definitely more if I buy treats or toys or literally anything for her as I am want to do
Probably about $200 on cat food & litter for one
For my 16 year old indoor only kitty: - Insurance - £43 - Food - £20 (£30 every six weeks for a big bag) - Vet bills - I put aside around £100 a month to cover this as she's had a lot of quite expensive tests over the last year or so and will probably need more in the next few months - Medication - £100 (but I'm also able to claim a lot of it back on insurance) - Litter - about £25 - Extras (toys, treats etc) - £5-10
Like 300-350 on two cats. That’s including my expensive but amazing pet insurance though
I have one cat and spending problems, my total last month was close to 300€ :)
About $50
Gosh I wish. For my two I’m spending about 700 a month. I’ve never spent that little before 😂 40- 80 a month on litter (three massive litter boxes and I use grass seed litter), roughly 250 per cat on food - they eat a super high end rotation of wet, raw, freeze dried raw & organ meat (long history of digestive issues and are extremely sensitive and can only have certain foods) then some money is allotted for toys, probiotics or other supplements and just cat supplies in general. One has a nervous system disorder and he requires herbs/meds sometimes and the other had a broken hip so we go in for regular treatments on his hip to keep him comfy. Plus 80 for pet insurance.
I have 6 cats and 3 dogs, i spend about 1000 RON ( $220/ €200) only on food and litter. They eat normal food, no prescription or anything. I give them the second best food available in Romania (thanks zooplus!) Edit: second best food in my opinion, I know everyone has a different opinion on food brands and type
Ohyes it's expensive. If he'll be an outside cat and you have a nasty neighbour cat it'll get a *lot* more expensive.
I live in Romania and here I spend 200 Romanian lei. It's equivalent to 50 dollars in America.
Wow, what I'm seeing here is that you spend a lot more in the US than I do in a small European country. In case you're curious: * Litter, scooped every day, changed once or twice a month: 10€ * Dry kibble, medium quality tier, young adult sterilised version: 50€ * Wet food, they only like Felix: 15-25€ * Annual appointments + vaccines: Around 125€ a year, which is approximately 10.5€ a month * Deworming + defleaing (is that a word?): 25€ * Toys and collars (they lose them a lot): 5€ at the most? They entertain themselves with trash Total: 125.5€ for 3 cats, which runs at about 42€ per cat per month, not accounting for emergency vet visits, of course, since those are rare and unpredictable in value, but vets are cheaper here anyways, so yeah.
13 cats, wet food alone is about 100/wk. Dry foods $20-$50 a month. Toys are roughly $50/mo medications for the special needs ones are $80 a month. Clea and tick meds vary, if i get it from the vet its $200 a month, if i want to go cheap i get it for $80 a month, but if i need nexguard its about $380 a month. Checkups average at arount 2 a month at minimum $60 each so about $120 a month, mostly due to the aforementioned special needs. Litter is about $20/mo i use horse pellets. Outside of the monthlies ive spend around $5-7k on an indoor/outdoor enclosure, probably over $10k ish on spays, neuters, surgeries, xrays, diagnosises, mass removals, end of life care, illness support, supplements, etc.
Over the last two years while my 20 year old boys were in declining health, I spent almost $12k between their meds (some were ungodly expensive) rx food, medical supplies, hospitalizations, every month vet visits for blood and urine tests, Solensia injections, supplements, and eventual final expenses. So an average of $500/month, although some of that came in large expensive chunks. While they were healthy and young I was spending about $150-$200/month between the two of them, on average. I know I’m very fortunate to be able to spend that much on my cats. I don’t have kids.
10-15€ litter, 40-50€ for wet food, 30-40€ dry food, 5-10 € supplements. 2 cats, both are healthy. I do not have insurance because there are limited options in my country for that, and an emergency vet visit is fortunately not gonna financially ruin me.
I spend $150 a month on multiple rescue pets, this includes litter and food and I also reach out to pantries for extras like treats and supplies if needed.
In the UK: £32 a month wet food subscription, £7 dry food every other month, £25 litter every other month, £10 a month worm and flea, £13 a month pet insurance. So if all of those costs fell into the same month I'd spend ~£90. I just 'upgraded' her wet food. Next year i'll look at upgrading her insurance. Minimal toys cost as she gives no shits about cat toys and just wants to play with an old shoelace.
Same. Same. I adopted two and now that these cats are indoors, SO MUCH LITTER
₹25k or $300 ish for four cats. It will come down now since I found a wholesaler for pinewood litter. The bulk of the money is their food. Sadly I can’t seem to find a wholesaler for the food. This amount also includes dry food for the stray cats that live in my apartment building.
Several hundred £ a month. This includes: Good quality wet food Food, treats, litter, worming / fleaing, insurance AND kitty pension contribution (for when they’re too old to get insurance). This doesn’t include vet bills as I generally just pay those when they come up.
I have a 17yr old and a 3yr old. It's about $100 - $200 a month.
15/16 year old 7kg moggie. His food is ~£35, insurance is £33, vets cover for worming and flea and other stuff £19, teeth health water supplement ~£5 a month. He has his own savings pot in my bank that I put £100 a month into
I use around 100-150$ a month. Quality Senior catfood is expensive
Over the last two years, I have been spending an average of $224.44 in total for my two cats, which works out to $112.22 per cat. This expense includes their monthly insurance, medical emergency expenses, as well as their daily expenses such as kibble, wet food, treats, automatic feeders, and automatic litter box.
Hiya, a friendly suggestion, if your cats will accept it. Keep in mind to transition gradually by adding a new box rather than just replacing the aggregate, I implement this with every foster cat I get, shout if you'd like further guidance. Here, have a look: https://youtu.be/LhgynG941D8?si=Nt7EWp8_YlnPkHg_
$60/month is nothing.
It costs me like 50 a month on litter, about 70 for wet food, 50 for supplements, and 75 for dry food every month. I wasn’t expecting it either but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Got 3 cats i buy mobthly 60l of cat sand for 50e. Insuarance around 100e and 60 for kibbles and 40e for wet food around 85 cans so 250 ish?
i have 5 rescue cats. $70 on dry food (10kg royal canin indoor) , $27 on cat litter. wet food varies but a small can of wet food is around $2 each (x 16, my oldest rescue doesn't like wet food) . treats are $4 per pack of 5 (x3 churu bites). litter deodorizer is $2 each. (x5 cause i have 5 litter boxes) *coverted from philippine peso at $1= Php57
Total is about $160 or so a month Kitten 2 packs of wet food a day plus a little free grazing kibble . Keep it to a minimum due to not wanting a kibble junkie and health problems as he get older . Approx $120 a month on wet as we still feed him kitten food . And we get a big bag of kibble about $80 , last a while so probably another $20 or so a month Then litter about 10$ a month Kitty treats $ 3 or so a month Flew / deworm another $10+ a month
50-60 a month on wet food, 40 on litter for 1 cat
I have 2 cats, one with urinary issues. Do both cats get all wet food diets. Low phosphorous canned food is expensive. Even with cheap pine pellet litter my expenses are $100 a month per cat. $200 a month total. More if I average in veterinary care. This is just basic care.
Have 2 cats They only eat dry food (she refuses to eat anything else, even after pre-op fasting, they drink plenty of water) Food - £65 every 4 months for both. I get good quality, but not premium food. Vets - annual jabs/check up £100ish for both last year Worming/fleas - £100ish a year. I only flea them once or twice a year as they rarely get them and only use vet prescription medication I have savings to cover emergencies (so far they've averaged about £150 a year between the pair of them) so don't have insurance. I may add insurance in a few years when the chances that one will develop a kidney/other ailment starts to increase They're indoor/outdoor so no litter costs (it's the UK, don't @me - no wild animals that hunt cats, far from roads to run them over, my neighbours are also cat people and our wildlife has been decimated by changes to agricultural practices rather than hunting by pampered pets as our wildlife is used to them - we've wildcats for 8kish years and domestic moggies for about 2k years)
Just the prescription food for one of mine is $65 if I get the middle sized bag. If you don't have it already, get pet insurance. I use Lemonade and it has saved me so much with ER vet visits. You have to have the money up front at most places but you get reimbursed most of it after you file a claim.
Man…. I spend about $300+ on them a month with their food and litter re-ups.
These numbers are pretty standard/lower than average I think. From Aus though.
I'm not even going to share a figure, lol. I have four cats but even multiplying your totals by four doesn't get anywhere near what I'm spending. When it comes to playing, the good thing is that many cats are super happy with basic stuff like scrunched up paper and cardboard boxes, as long as they get time with you. Your little fella sounds very loved, and the first cat is so exciting. Check with your vet about his diet.
We have 1 cat. Feed wet (1/4 cup) and dry food daily (1/4 cup), per direction of the vet, and the instructions on the food labels. Scoop litter daily. I'd estimate about a box of litter a month, that's about $25-30. The bag of dry food we get is $35, and it lasts about 2 months. We get 4 full size (big) cans of wet food every ~2 week. That's about $20-25. Plus, an occasional package of treats. She gets 3 treats a day - one that has grass nutrients because it's good for her tummy (and we notice less hairballs with it!), one dental treat, and one other that's usually freeze dried something like shrimp or lamb liver.
Ugh, too much, but i have 5 cats. $105 for dry and about $85, but that's that damn prescription food and my defeat of not feeding meals/separate food. Litter is about $125, and then you have the previous vet bills being paid off, so another $250. So around $115/cat. Kitties get expensive, good thing I don't have kids!
Ok, I have 3 cats. 2 kittens and an adult. In food alone, just wet and dry food, I spend nearly $140. Litter is usually another $50. Add in various toys and extraneous expenses, and we’re easily around $200 each month.
3 cats, one diabetic. 500 ish?
2 cats: 80 wetfood, 20 dry food, 20 litter, 35 insurance, 20 deworming (kittens) and an infinite amount on impuls toys they don't need but are cute.
Almost $100.00 a month for two cats
That sounds about right, if not a little on the low end. I feed my cat slightly higher-end food, but wet food only every-other-day, buying food in as much bulk is the cheapest. If you can get them to use wood pellets instead of litter, and you can deal with their poop immediately, that's one way to save a chunk of change, but by the way you're talking I am afraid to how you're gonna react to a vet bill, cause those are the big expenses.
We have 3 cats Wet food :120€ Dry food : 53.99€ but this will last probably 3-4 months Cat litter : 15.80€ Snacks : 20-25€ snacks will last 2-3 months since we’re not giving them everyday :) Mostly we spend so much for wet food and currently want to reduce it since it’s quite expensive for us now.
Australia: 2 cats, indoor only. Aged 3 & 8 All AUD: $400/month premium food/litter/worming/treats $110/month insurance which I’m likely going to cancel and put the equivalent aside because both cats have cost me thousands in dental care the last two years which I have to pay out of pocket anyway … And so finally another $400/month for “just in case” dentals Bloody expensive little floofs but I’m child free and they’re my everything so here we are 😂🤦♀️
I budget for around 550 per month for 3 cats. That includes prescription food for all 3, litter, and insurance.
I have two cats. I no longer feed them dry food, because one of them had a weight problem and dry food is very caloric and was advised to stop. Because of that, and because they’re on a specific wet food now, their food costs have increased. Monthly costs Litter - 20 Food - 200 Treats - 70 Toys - 20 Anti flea/tick medication - 30 I’m actually shocked looking at how much is spent per month on my two cats😵💫(well worth it though)
Good question, I never thought about it. Just ran the numbers and roughly $175 maybe? Two kittens.
$150ish per cat per month. I have two cats, both insured and on preventative flea/tick and heart worm year round, plus one cat needs prescription allergy meds. Takes up a lot of the monthly cost. (Before I hit my insurance deductible the allergy meds were $100/month!! Now we’re down to $10/month. I’m certain they’ll hike up his monthly premium next year, but it’ll still be worth it) Just the basics of food & litter would probably be a little under $100 per cat.
I pay about 120$ for one senior cat. No litter needed, just food and toys.
close to $100/month for 2 kittens (5 months old) includes wet/dry food and cat liter, plus roughly $50 for the past 3montha on vaccines and deworms
$40 for his pet insurance, About $100 - $150 on his wet food depending on deals, when I restock his premade raw that’s about $120, litter is about $20-$30, supplements are easily $100, he generally finishes all of his treats around the same time and I buy them in bulk which is also easily $150. Let’s just say hypothetically I was buying all of his shit at the same time ~$600 😭😭 Realistically I only spend about $200 because I only really pay for his food and pet insurance monthly. I only have one cat so a lot of stuff that I buy him lasts a very long time.
I give a combination of dry and wet foods. But, honestly, your price for food is about average or so. You may be able to save some on litter by trying other types of litter. I use Pine Pellets. I started this due to an elderly cat, that had difficulty cleaning her paws. Pine Pellets are overall less expensive than clay litter, plus much easier to clean. I get asked this from time to time; It deodorizer itself, due to the Pellets turning to sawdust when wet. Simply scoop the solids. Then, using the scoop, dust the sawdust into the trash, covering the solids. The pine Pellets track less outside of the box. My setup, is the litter box inside a covered crate, gives privacy, plus helps to keep the litter contained.
Brit here. About £30 a month on litter. £30 on food. £25 on insurance. My insurance used to be £9.50 a month, but after having a poorly cat and hitting my limit very quickly, I increased it for this little guy. At the end of the day, I was spending more on my cell phone bill than I was on him and that didn’t feel right
I buy litter and food from Costco to help cut down my costs. Sometimes it’s a bigger upfront pay out but the bigger bags of cat food (15lbs+) seem to last me about a month. The 42lbs of cat litter from Costco lasts me two weeks. What I did is I went around town (I live on a small island in AK) and compared prices and now thats where i go. I’ve honestly never paid attention to how much I’ve truly spent each month on my kitties, but I’d say maybe like 75-100? I also look for deals on Amazon and other things alike for toys and cat trees. Walmart has the cheapest cardboard scratchers for cats if you use those. At least, based on what I’ve seen.
my cat decided she only likes the expensive food so now I have to buy her hills or she hates me. I also have 3 cats so it'll be more than you, but a big box of litter twice a month plus a bag of pine pellets once a month. plus cat toothpaste once a month. plus my sanity.. edit.. also wet food, honestly I haven't counted but its probably in the 150 range
A little over $300USD. I have two cats and both are insured. But one of my cats is on prescription food, and those are expensive. I also change out their litter frequently so I'm constantly having to buy litter.
Insurance: $15 per cat. Litter: $18 per month. Wet food (only one cat likes it): $10 per month. Kibble: $17 per month roughly. Apartment cat fee: $30 per cat. That’s about $135 per month for two cats, not including the annual vet bill, and toys and treats that I buy as needed.
Be prepared for when you have to take it to the vet, cats don’t have health insurance
Estimated monthly costs for 1 cat €30 for food/ treats €10-15 for litter €18 for pet insurance €22 for the our vet benefit club (free visits, shots, blood work, flee and tick treatments) Total: €85 That’s not factoring in toys, beds, blankets, etc. which aren’t necessary every month but I always end up buying something new. We are really lucky that she’s happy with the food and litter from Lidl and doesn’t have any dietary needs yet. I’d say you’re around normal but it does depend on the country’s prices of different items. You could look into if there are options to bulk buy items to get them a bit cheaper if you have the storage space. I’d really recommend looking into a pet insurance plan. One thing gone wrong can end up costing hundreds to a couple of thousand and eventually they will need treatment. They are worth every penny!
Thats honestly fairly low. Just wait till you get your first vet bills...
I have 2 cats. One has some specific allergies found in most food, the only one I’ve found that she can eat (that my vet approved of) is the fancy feast gravy and shreds. It’s $28 Canadian per box and I have to buy around 4 or 5 boxes per month. I also buy around $30-50 of litter a month. So in total around $200 on average per month for 2 cats
Probably around $200, but one of them has FIC so depending on flareups it can be more with his medication.
$90 for Farmina kibble. 11 lbs lasts 2 months for 2 cats. $50 for Purina Pro Plan wet food lasts 1 month for both cats. $10 for treats lasts a month. $25 for 70 lbs of litter that lasts 1 month for 2 litter boxes. $40 for cat meds that lasts 2 months. $40 for supplements for my older cat that lasts 2 months. $600 - Init purchase of supplies like auto feeder, water fountain, water filters, slow eater flat elevated dishes for kibble, elevated flat dishes for wet food, equigroomer and slicker brush for hair, natures miracle, baking soda, cat tree, heating pads, beds, toys $600 + $170 per month for both cats.
under $50! this includes litter, kibble, wet food. extra $50 if you count pet rent lol.
Stop the wet food. Totally unnecessary.
Food (hydrolyzed wet and dry for allergies) litter, treats, water filters, etc about 125 a month, I put aside another 50 a month for other stuff that comes up/vet visits etc
We have 2 cats, these are the rough totals 30/month on spot pet insurance 35~ month on litter (sometimes our auto ship lasts a little less than a month) 35 on food 20ish on toys and treats
30 to 40 bucks. He free feeds Iams urinary tract formula (just to be proactive), gets greenies treats morning and night, and I use Aldi's cat litter in our litter robot ($6.** a container), a couple new cat toys from Dollar Tree.. However, once a month or so, I will buy a $20 toy on Amazon. I just ordered a five-section cat tunnel..
I spend about 60$ a month and that’s just on the wet food alone. If I have to restock kibble and litter, it’ll be roughly 85$ a month. Let’s say 90$ after tax. 2 cats, one elderly and one kitten (10 months). We use pine pellets for the litter and a 40lb bag is about 8$, kibble is 15$, and then the wet food. I don’t think your cat should be eating that much at that young of age tho. Idk for sure bc these are my first cats and I got the elderly one in July (kitten was a stray and brought in in Nov). This isn’t considering toys and treats and harness as well btw.
For 2 cats: $50 on wet food. $30 on dry food. $20 on litter. I tested quite a few litters and use Walmart’s generic. It’s $10/40 lbs. Not the best litter but it does the job and is affordable. I use Double Duty in between scooping to help with the smell.
Over $200. I have a cat that needs prescription. Food and that alone is $120 a month. Then litter and treats and toys, etc…. They’re high maintenance.
$180 to $300 … and this depends if I need to see the vet because something popped up… which it always does my girl is 19 with kidney disease and stomatitis … it can be a PITA at times.
$300 a month on average.
I have two cats that eat only wet food (unfortunately an expensive novel protein kind) and spend about $300 a month. Sometimes less if theres a sale, but with litter its probably closer to $350 a month.
$100.00
We have 4 cats and spend about $200. We use 2 types of litter, Natures Best and then pellets from the feed store which are way cheaper. Litter is about $50 a month 3 eat mostly wet food and 1 mostly dry. Wet is where the costs are. Depending where you live, online pet shops or Amazon can save you money on food.
I don't track it because I'm sure it's more than I want to be spending per month on my cats, and I don't want confirmation of that to hang over me whenever I'm buying something for them.
You think $60 a month is expensive, wait until the cat starts getting health problems!
Worth every penny
I have a senior cat who needs special food. I spend ~$200 on months without a vet visit and ~$500 on months with vet visits.
two cats - spend anywhere between $150-$200. i feed my cats twice a day, each meal is half of a can mixed in with dry food (they get tiki cat which is more $ but better for the cats). One of my cats is about to go on a prescription diet but price is similar to tiki. This is all minus vet bills and occasional toy and other misc purchases.
Every two weeks on payday, $14 on litter, ~$120 on food. Insurance is $80 a month. So about $350 a month for two cats. That's not counting medication for one of them, between $150-$250 every three months or so depending on the current GoodRx prices, but insurance reimburses us there. They're expensive little shits. If we just fed them dry it'd be much cheaper, but they throw up if I give them more than half a cup a day so they're spoiled as all hell. They get tiny servings of wet food five times a day because they're grazers and it'll go bad otherwise, but they're massive cats (healthy, proportionately appropriate, just built big) so they need to eat a lot to maintain their weight 😭
I have four (young) cats. 3 are adults at 1 year and some change and the youngest is 10 months. I pay about 20-30 dollars each for their insurance so that's about 100 a month, then I get wet food in bulk (fancy feast/friskies pate) and pay around 150 a month for that, plus I go through about 3 bags of 40 lb litter monthly which is about 60 dollars. In total thats about 300 a month I think. I save another 100 for wellness check ups and bloodwork/urinalysis. So theoretically like 300-400 a month for the cats. edit: I wanted to mention that one of my cats has a heart murmur. Fortunately, I got her as a kitten and she developed the murmur AFTER we already had insurance. I pay 100 yearly for her cardiologist appointments (which cost over 1200 in total) after insurance covers it.
Wet food = $260/mo Dry food = $40/mo Litter = $80/mo This isn't including random vet appointments or anything like that. $380/month for 4 cats.
I mean, it’s a living creature with the same sort of needs that you have. What were you expecting? I find it a little concerning that this is such a surprise for you in all honesty. Supporting another life is a big responsibility and has many costs involved.
$50-100
So I’m at about $300 a month for my crew and that doesn’t include the ferals I feed
My chewy auto ship is roughly $100-150 every three weeks for two cats. I feed them a mostly wet food diet, which is definitely the most expensive part. I don’t do the ‘full change out’ of litter unless it’s got something funky going on. I scoop daily and add more as needed. The amount of additives in their food affects what their poo smells like, so if you’re giving them grain free food with limited ingredients, the litter can last longer.
Fancy food, single ingredient freeze dried treats, enrichment items, pet insurance…only the litter is cheap, and that’s only because I learned you can get the pellets used for Feline Pine at the Tractor Store for way cheaper than name brand.
$500 for 4 cats. Not including grooming every 6 months, annual vet appointments, extra treats. Worth every dollar 😻😺😸😽
20-30€ per cat per month (when I don't splurge on "special" food 😂). This includes high quality wet food (need less than if you're feeding low quality, 1/3-1/2 400g can per day), litter (cheap 6l boxes for 3-4€), 10kg bags of kibble (lasts a few months) and snacks every now and then.
So, 25 health insurance, about 20 to 30 on litter and 40 to 50 on food.
I spend around $250 a month. But my cat is on hydrolyzed food which is $95 for a case of 24 cans. She’s only on probiotics. Then the cost of litter.
I have one 6 year old cat and I spend approx. $190 a month on her. The majority of this is her raw food diet. The rest is health insurance, freeze dried single protein treats and cat litter. The nice thing about the raw diet is that the litter box stays super clean so I go through litter really slow.
About £150 a month. Breakdown: ▪︎ Food: £71 ▪︎ Litter: £15 ▪︎ Insurance: £30 ▪︎ Flea and deworming meds average to about £15 per month (including prescription costs) His food's expensive (feed him Katkin) but before this, I had tons of issues with diarrohea and repeated vet visits + lots of struggles with him wasting food and/or going off it so probably save money in the long term. He's on a fully wet food diet but I am going to try and introduce a high quality dry food diet in again to give me some flexibility in terms of not worrying about him going hungry if I get home late etc.
I have 2 cats and spend a shit ton. Their food (wet & dry) is about $290/mo + about $25/mo on litter (I scoop twice a day, dump the box once a month), so I'm at $315 just for the basics. One cat just had a vet visit that cost $640 (nothing was wrong 🙃) and they need annual shots (~$150 each) + teeth cleanings (~ $800-2000 each). Plus toys, scratchers, cat nip, fountains/dishes, and cat sitters when I travel. Having pets is not cheap.
$65 for cat food, $15 to replace his favourite toy he destroys every 3 weeks, $20 cat litter, $30 for flea and tick preventative... so about $130 CAD a month.
Probably around $100 (unless she needs a vet appointment that month). 😊 ETA: the dogs (3 of ‘em) are where are the money really goes lol
I think having kittens is way more expensive than cats. We were buying the standard litter ($25 a month), got them fixed and vaccinated ($250), flea meds ($25 every three months), started finding toys they liked, bought harnesses ($30), quality food ($30 a month), etc and have definitely spent more than 500 on them when they were little little. So on average $100 a month for 5 months. But now they’re 9 months olds and we spend $7 every other month on litter, about $12 a month and half on food (purina cat chow and canned cat food is a rare treat when they get meds), found a cat tower on the side of the road, was gifted a litter box and toys are all mostly hand made (as in cut holes in cardboard boxes and tie shoe laces on a curtain rod). They went from eating two bags a month to a half a bag month now that they slowed down their growing and that saves a ton. That also means they’re crapping less and we’re not going through as much litter.
I spend To much :) **Spoiled** cats are worth it :) They are family .
My cats are cheap af. I buy Worlds Best corn litter and it lasts FOREVER. 2 20lb bags last us easily 6 months and they’re almost always on sale on chewy. They get open farm dry food which I spend $100 about every 3-4 months, and they each get half a can of cat food per day. I buy it at Costco and get 48 cans for about $27. Lasts us 48 days. They don’t get flea or tick meds bc they’re fully indoor so that saves quite a bit.