Cat Care Cost Per Year

One of the biggest issues with pets is the monetary costs involved with their care. This is especially pertinent right now because so many people have given up their pets because of the housing crisis. But how much does it really cost to take care of cat for one year? A recent New York Times article, Speaking Strictly Financially, Stick With the Hamster, reported the following

The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association asked 580 dog owners and 402 cat owners to record the amount they spent in the last 12 months on specific pet-related items.

The dog owners spent almost $2,000; cat owners about $1,200. If you want a real deal, small animals came in at just under $300.

Those numbers seem a little high to me. The following is a list of costs associated with caring for one cat, and is based up my personal experience. I do not count in this list the initial fees involved with first getting a cat, as they aren’t not strictly yearly care costs, and are only paid that one time.

Cat Food

An obvious expense, cat food can also be one of the most costly. Most veterinarians that I have talked to suggest a mixture of wet and dry food. For the wet food most cats seem to enjoy Friskies (assuming your cat isn’t too finicky), which is $14 for a 32 pack. With a cat eating one can a day, you will need to purchase 12 cases per year, for a total of $168. Dry food is considerably cheaper, with an 18 lb. bag of Friskies Indoor Delights Dry Cat Food selling for about $16. It is Molly’s personal favorite, and we get her the smaller 3.15 lb. bags for around $4, which she eats in about a month and a half, meaning she goes through about 8 bags for a total of $32 a year.

Cat Food Total Cost = $200

Cat Litter

A good standard litter box (that does not have all of the bells and whistles of the expensive self cleaning ones) will be about $15. And the Tidy Cats Scoop is $7.00 per 20 lb. jug. We probably go through one of those every month and a half as well, so the total litter price per year is $56.

Cat Litter Total Cost = $71

Veterinarian

It is hard to assign a solid number to this, as it certainly varies from pet to pet, and what kind of illnesses they may have or medications they require. I have seen averages that ranges from $112 to $244. For the purposes of this post lets a assume a fairly healthy cat with a yearly veterinarian bill of $150.

Veterinarian Total Cost = $150

Miscellaneous Cat Costs

This includes the cat toys, cat nip, specialty cat jungle gym and cat treats that a cat owner will purchase in a year. I would estimate that it would run on average about $50.

Micellaneous Cat Costs = $50

Cat Care Total Cost = $471

This is considerably less than the $1200 that was reported by the New York Times. Of course you can spend much less (only feeding them dry cat food) or much more (pet grooming). What do you think? How much are your yearly cat care expenses.