Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)
  • Insurance and other expenses for a cat
  • SaxonRider
    Full Member

    My daughter really really wants a cat, and to be honest, I don’t mind the idea. As a former owner of 3 dogs, and having taken care of other people’s cats from time to time, we are pretty comfortable with animals around the house.

    When it comes to cats, however, I would have no idea whatsoever when it comes to costs.

    How much is something like pet insurance, for example, and would you suggest it is necessary? If one didn’t get it, what sort of situations could a person end up facing?

    What about cat food? What sort of monthly costs would their care entail?

    What sorts of problems do they present (aside from them bringing in creepy crawlies from time to time)?

    Any ideas will be most welcome.

    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    Just get the basic Furred Party, Fire and Theft.

    SaxonRider
    Full Member

    She enjoyed that one, thanks! 😀

    (She’s reading this over my shoulder, and awaiting your helpful responses.)

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    Nipper99
    Free Member

    Just think:

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/V2DQTx]C_iSvXTU0AEWxNV[/url] by jamesanderson2010, on Flickr

    I wouldn’t be without them though. We just put away some money each month toward vets bills and costs rather than insurance. Normal annual inoculations flea treatments worming etc. Check your local Cats Protection who will have loads in need of a good home.

    iain1775
    Free Member

    Our insurance (Tesco) is about £105 a year I think, that’s the more expensive covered for life policy
    Got £45 topcashback so only £60 this year
    Food about £5 a week, pouches of meat from either Costco or B&M, gets through 3 pouches a day at about £3’for 12
    Cat litter and dry food bought in bulk and kept in garage about £10 every month or so
    Allow another couple £ a week for flea and worm treatment (every 3-6 months)
    Initial costs £100 adoption fee, injections, spaying etc from RSPCA factor in a cat carrier to get them home/to from vets, bed (not that they will use it),litter tray (get a covered one to minimise smell) scratching post,food/water bowls and a few toys and your about £180-200 initial costs

    cranberry
    Free Member

    If you like dogs, get a bengal – they are often described as dog-like cats – they will be involved in everything you do, may well play fetch, turn your house upside down for giggles.
    http://www.bengalcatforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5238

    z1ppy
    Full Member

    mainly what Iain said, though I persisted in locating tinned food, when the all the major supermarkets cat food isle went to pouches (no fricken joke, I was miffed). £3 for 6 tins, lasts 12 days

    (I suggest you glance at these before showing your daughter these, well at least the 2nd one..)
    http://theoatmeal.com/comics/baby_vs_cat

    http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cats_actually_kill

    I love my cat, she was abandoned by her mum, so hand reared from a very early age, she is death to small furry/feathered creature incarnate. It’s ugly, but I love her more than those other creatures 😈 though bringing them back alive to play with isn’t funny (but then neither are the dogs [sight hound] rabbit/squirrel/pheasant encounters)

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/jWRux8]Pisci[/url] by Paul, on Flickr
    (she’s 4 years old this year but tiny)

    bensales
    Free Member

    Our ‘feckoffyoulittlesodthatsmychair’ 10 year old female moggie costs:

    £20 per month insurance. Pre existing leg/hip condition results in this.
    £10 per month dried food.
    £10 per month litter.
    £10 every couple of months for flea treatment.
    £55 per year vaccinations and checkup.

    Basically we pay £50 a month to be ignored by a small furry thing. Children are cheaper.

    chickenman
    Full Member

    We have a rescue tom whom we’ve had for 12 years. He has visited the vet three times over that period, mainly from infections following bites (he has since exchanged fighting for eating as his favourite activity). I think people are far too sentimental about their pets and that vets milk that for all its worth (our local vet however is not like that at all; doesn’t push all sorts of expensive treatments, just cares about animals). I just don’t get spending thousands on an operation to give a pet a few more months of life.
    I know this will anger some folk (“our pet is one of the family!”), we do actually adore our cat, but a bit of common sense is necessary I feel.

    deadkenny
    Free Member

    Food – if you don’t feed it but let it out, it will just go find food elsewhere. Probably at your neighbours and will move in with them.

    Litter isn’t required if you let it out also (once you’ve done the kitten bit, though I recommend a shelter cat), and bonus is it will do its business in your neighbours gardens and tidy up after itself 😀

    If you want to keep it though, then yeah vaccinations and medical bills. Maybe insurance to cover it. Plus food costs, and replacement furniture they shred and scratch.

    nathb
    Free Member

    We’ve just signed up to a scheme at our local vets for £12.50 a month that covers flea & worming products (12x flea, 4x worming), a bag of premium food (our cats now on a special diet), two checkups a year and the annual vaccinations. Insurance is about £8 a month and even her special food is only £30 for 5kg (just over 2 months worth). Only ever bought 1 big bag of litter, a few toys and a scratching post.

    So circa £35 a month all in.

    Highly recommend this toy: Catit

    In two years of having her around she’s only ever caught one mouse, and I was able to save it from her.

    Oh and as our cat is outside all day, she sleeps at the end of our end all night. If she gets hungry we have one of these downstairs that we put a couple of portions of food into: Feeder

    I’d do your research on breed traits though before committing. For instance my cat is a cross between a British short hair and British blue, which means she forgets her size and can be a little feisty 😆

    Butter wouldn’t melt though:

    loddrik
    Free Member

    We pay about £7 a month each in insurance. Never really worked out food cost but we go through a couple of tins a day, a box of dried stuff a week and a bag of litter a week. Probably £10-12 a week for 3 cats.

    DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON ANNUAL VACCINE BOOSTERS. It’s a con dreamt up by vets and the vaccine companies. Get them done at the beginning of their lives and that’s it. When was the last time you went into the doctors for a vaccine booster? You have one and then your body builds up a natural immunity. It’s no different for cats. I’ve been a multiple cat owner for most of my adult life, trust me on this.

    Don’t forget flea stuff, needs doing every 6 weeks or so, not really needed over the winter though. Cats are brilliant. I have a dog too but I’ll always be a cat person.

    Sadly the bottom one no longer with us…

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I think soft ground is in short supply at SaxonRider’s place, so you may well need a litter box outside or put in a load of raised beds with vegetation and so on outside.

    Also if you need a catflap we have a spare one that we never fitted. If you do use a catflap (I like them) make sure you can seal off the whole house from it. E.g. if you have one in the back door then keep the kitchen door closed at night, so it can get in and out but only to the kitchen. That way, if it brings in a little friend, it won’t be dismembered in the living room or on your bed etc. And it won’t be cuddling up to you at 4am asking for food.

    sprootlet
    Free Member

    Our cat flap responds to their microchips so no danger of other cats getting in. Its called sureflap and it has been faultless.
    I buy a years supply of flea and worming products for about £55. Food has already been mentioned and both of ours go outside so they get 2nd breakfasts/dinners at our neighbours.
    As they’ve got older the death to small things seems to have diminished. It was quite impressive to see the big boy cat come over the back fence with a squirrel that he’d caught though. He was less than impressed when I took it off him…..some dreamies helped ease his pain.
    Ours are not insured and not vaccinated on a yearly basis. They don’t go in a cattery, they just visit the neighbours more when we’re away. She’s never been to the vets in 7 yrs and he’s had 3 visits each costing about £150/200

    footflaps
    Full Member

    We pay £10 a month which covers Flea & worming tables, inoculations and annual vet visit.

    Microchip detectig Catflap (Petport) was probably £80.

    Food is probably £10 a month is kibbles.

    We didn’t insure re vet bills, for one cat this has been a good saving so far, the other had lots of issues, was put down last week :-(, and cost a few £k over his short 6 years with us.

    cranberry
    Free Member

    The Catit toy that Nathb recommends is Ada-approved:

    [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aqtEJ2je1w[/video]

    Nipper99
    Free Member

    Please don’t go buying from a breeder:

    http://www.cats.org.uk/adopt-a-cat

    TheLittlestHobo
    Free Member

    We have had ours for 21yrs. Lucy didn’t need anything vetwise for 80% o her life. A few jabs, a few checkups and that was it.

    Until she developed an underactive (Might be overactive, cant remember) thyroid. By the time it developed she was about 16yrs old and tbh we didn’t want to put her through the op so we agreed to drugs.

    Its cost me about £35-40 per month for the last 6yrs and still continues. I don’t begrudge a penny of it tbh and will happily pay it for another 6yrs.

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