6 Potential Costs to Consider as a First-Time Cat Owner

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If you’ve recently decided to get a cat, congrats! Cats are wonderful companions that add so much joy to our lives, but if this is your first time owning a cat, then you probably have no idea what costs are involved in welcoming this wonderful pet into your home.

It’s, therefore, crucial to do a bit of research before bringing a cat home so that you will have no big surprises when you need to cough up some money for a vet bill or something that you weren’t expecting in the first year of owning your cat. Here, we have listed most of the potential expenses that go into bringing a cat into our home.

Cat Adoption Expenses

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You might be planning on buying a beautiful pure-breed cat, but before you do, we’d love to urge you to ‘adopt instead of shop’ a cat. There are so many homeless animals hanging around in shelters, waiting to find a good home

Each to their own, but instead of making the pedigree cat industry wealthier, it would be far better to help all the overcrowded animal shelters. Adopting a cat can cost anything from $20-200, depending on several factors.

You may even be able to get one for free but bear in mind that no animal is free since it would be in your best interests to vaccinate them and get annual checkups with your vet, which costs money.

Pet Insurance

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Pet Insurance is not mandatory, but it may be worth it if your fur baby has either a medical condition or an accident further down the line. If you put money aside for your own health insurance, then it could be just as good that you set money aside for your pet’s health insurance.

Just like us humans, animals also need to get medical attention from time to time. Depending on the pet insurance policy you choose, these different plans can cover chronic conditions, accidents, hereditary and congenital conditions, and even alternative therapies.

Food and Litter

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This is a no-brainer, but we all need food to survive, and the same goes for cats. If your cat happens to get a medical condition, then you may have to fork out extra money for a particular type of veterinary food that can treat the medical condition.

Usually, food for a cat will cost around $10-60, depending on the quality of the food and how much they eat. Cat litter can cost around $20-40 per month and will be necessary if you have an indoor cat.

Vet Visits and Grooming

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Annual vet checkups are crucial to ensure that your cat’s health is in good shape. These checkups can detect any potential health issues and hopefully catch any potential medical conditions in time. You can expect to dish out an average of $50 for an annual medical check, but this figure could be higher if you need to do additional tests.

Emergency Visits

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Just like us humans, cats may also need an emergency fund if something goes wrong. Never underestimate the power of an emergency fund when it comes to a cat!

Cat Equipment

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Cats need litter boxes if they are indoor cats; they will also need toys for stimulation and, of course, one or multiple comfortable beds that you put in different areas of your home. All of these things will also cost money, but these will mostly be once-off fees, except for the occasional toy you may spoil them with.

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