How much do you spend on your cat every month? (Food/Litter/Treats, etc)

[2bcat]

I noticed that many of you don't include flea treatment in that number and I'm curious why. Is flea treatment considered optional if your animal's feet never touch the outside ground?
 

I've had cats at my house for 12 years and in other places for a total of nearly 20, and no flea problems, so I don't even consider it optional.  I consider it unnecessary.  My cats never go outside, ever, except the walk from the car to the vet inside the carrier.  At home the car is in a garage connected to the house.

Maybe I've been lucky.  I know there are cats that come by outside, and we do walk from outside directly in on occasion.  But Amber lived here nearly 10 years and never got fleas, and another cat lived here 3-4 years that all overlapped with Amber, also no fleas.  Current cats are going on 2 years with no sign of flea issues.  They would have had flea treatment in the shelter but since coming home they have had none.

It would actually get pretty frustrating if I suddenly had to put flea treatments on my cats regularly, as it would be something new and feel like I'm putting these chemicals on my cat all the time.  That may happen someday when I move, but for now it seems like I will not have to worry about fleas.

 

[kiwischan]

As one of my cats has crystals, i need special vet food... so for the 2 of them i'm usually around the $150-$200 mark monthly.

 

[crazy4strays]

Parasite preventative is not a monthly cost for me. I buy Revolution and Heatgard in bulk twice a year.

Just now reading back through this thread and seeing this. Where do you find Revolution in bulk?

 

[mingking]

Just now reading back through this thread and seeing this. Where do you find Revolution in bulk?

My vet sells 6 packs for $110 CAD, basically knocking off $10 since one treatment is $20. 

 

[louann jude]

I just added it up for Lil Bit alone I spend well over a hundred a month. That is food treats, banfield wellness plan. I am adding flea treatment this weekend to her plan which will add 13 a month to her plan. 

 

[supermax1943]

For all 50 cats the necessary  food costs per day For All 50 is: $30.00 a day

That cost includes both wet and dry food fed twice a day for all 50 cats.

I use only Friskies brand both wet and dry. You can see pictures of some of them on my GoFundMeSite: /Cmd+Vhttps://www.gofundme.com/protectferalcats

I think you can see how healthy they look living the "Friskies Life".

The $30.00 a day does not include litter since this is an all feral colony that lives outdoors, except for some nights and winters when they use the shelters which have litter boxes in them. Even though some of the cats were rescued/abandoned babies, even those cats stay outside almost all day, by choice.

I have not included the cost of treats, toys, meds, vet bills, medicine (like Lysine for some), or straw for shelter beds, which are added costs. I try not to look at my Vet costs which go on one credit card. I just pay the minimum regularly or more when I can. To be honest, I am not sure I want to know what the cost is of all the rest. I just know I have to pay it.

 

[di and bob]

I try not to look TOO close!!! 

 I feed three strays and two true ferals, all but two are neuterd/spayed now, and hopefully no more kittens unless someone dumps a pregnant mama like has happened before! I feed two cans of Friskies mixed with two cups of dry food and a little water twice a day, sometimes giving an extra can to Russell, who is my grizzled old man of 8 years and truly feral, when he shows up. I also have three house cats who usually just lick the gravy off of a can of food (which THAT one is given to Russell) and eat mainly dry by choice, and I have tried numerous times to get them on canned, I figured I spend around 150.00/mo. on cat food, but don't tell my husband that! That doesn't include spaying/ neutering and shots at around 145.00 each and any medical care necessary such as abscesses, or wounds. My vet is very good at giving me over the counter antibiotics, and for emergencies, like last summer with all our distemper, he comes to the house to vaccinate my herd. I take care of most injuries and wounds myself and consult with him when I need to, he's very understanding about bringing semi-wild cats into the vet and causing more trauma and distress. I really advise that at the first sign of an abscess on a stray or feral ( such as swelling and limping) to start antibiotics right away, ( after calling your vet and getting his advise) it saves a lot of pain and lessens the length of recovery. I have no trouble giving a liquid mixed in tuna juice which I save in the fridge and give to just that cat, although keeping the others away is a job in itself!

 

[crazy4strays]

I just wanted to say that you feral caretakers are amazing!

 

[stewball]

I spend about $150-200 every 5 weeks I think. Cat food is expensive here. It's imported.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Estimated just over $200/month for food, litter, and treats for five "mature" lady cats.  

 

[happypet6]

We don't keep up, scared to , but we have 26 cats in our care, both inside and out, so most of our income goes to them. We're retired and no other income, so sometimes it's a stretch. Truth is, we wouldn't have it any other way. Doesn't seem like a sacrifice at all, just lots of joy...

 

[sweetpea24]

Why does everyone's food cost so little? Probably not little to you but a case of food where I am is $65. Of course since I have the pickiest cat ever, I have buy a variety so a case is redundant. I live in Canada but even with the exchange, your prices are considerably lower. Grrrr.....just yesterday, I spent $42 on 3 of the big Wellness cans, 8 of the 5 Oz cans and a big can of dog food. And that is at the cheapest place around. I can't do fancy feast but do it for my picky cat if he is refusing everything else. I work at an animal hospital and it is just as expensive to buy food there (that is biying it at cost plus 10%!). I can buy a case of the big wellness cans for $37 + 10% so it is a little cheaper than a store. I wonder what the pet stores pay for the food because they aren't making a lot of money if they pay what the hospital pays

 

[cocobutterfly]

For just litter, food and treats, we estimate about $180-$200 per month for one cat.

A 40 pound bag of Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract (~$30)

Forty-five 5.5 ounce cans of Nature's Variety (~$3 per can)

Nature's Variety freeze dried raw mixer, Ziwi Peak dried food or homemade food with supplements (~$20) as treats.

The monthly estimate doesn't include her toys (which we buy a lot of), litter boxes, grooming supplies or vet visits. Also when we go on vacations, we have to hire an overnight pet sitter to stay at our house. Our cat is extremely social, and has to have constant interaction and play. 

 

[abby2932]

I budget $300 a month for my 2 cats but I don't actually spend all of it.

- $100 a month feeds my 2 cats. They eat a raw diet and since Malibu is allergic to poultry and beef, I have to splurge on more expensive proteins such as rabbit, mice, Llama, etc. If he could eat chicken & beef our food cost could probably be cut in half almost.

- The other $200 I put into a separate savings account monthly and that covers all medical expenses, such as their pet insurance premiums, annual check-ups and Revolution (heartworm & flea prevention). However, I don't use up the entire $200 so the savings account grows every month and I will use that for any emergencies that might arise in the future.

Oh and I only spend about $10 every other month on Petco's pine pellet litter.

 

[jessie gray]

 I spend approx. $150.00  every other month on cat supplies.  Since I buy the largest sack of grain free dry cat food, this lasts me 2 months at a time.  I also buy the largest sack of Worlds Best Cat Litter, which lasts a month with 2 cats.  In addition to this, I buy mostly Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried raw food to use as canned cat food, which saves me money (I also buy a couple grain free cans of cat food that my cats like).  I buy 4 bags of cat treats that last 2 months. 

Once a year, I do a large shopping trip for supplies like new collars, Advantage II flea drops, cat grass kits, new toys, hairball remedy, and cardboard scratching posts.

Jessie

 

[tarasgirl06]

Looks like you have cat-supply shopping down to a science!  Like that -- we've always tried to do that, too. 

 

[jessie gray]

 
Looks like you have cat-supply shopping down to a science!  Like that -- we've always tried to do that, too.  

I try to do that as much as I can, due to my income.  This way, I can afford everything and still pay bills easily too. 

 

[mingsmongols]

I don't think I even wanna know the total amount I spend in a month on them. I've got a Sphynx cattery with 4 hairless kitty's and a stubborn Siamese.... It's an insane amount.

Revolution --- $90

Truepanion Health insurance with a breeder rider----- $218

Precise holistic dry cat food 2 bags ---- $66

Precise holistic wet food 7 packs of 24 --- $196

Emergency/hcm testing/kitten/dental/show/ and routine vet care fund --- $350

 Swheat Scoop 2 36 pound bags, 8 boxes of baking soda, 2 rolls of mini trash bags, 1 pack of litter champ refills ---- $128

Shampoo, conditioner, antibacterial soap, coconut oil, ear cleaner, bio pore strips, charcoal scrubs, microfiber towelettes, q tips, ect.(estimate, some products last longer then others) . ---- $54

Toys, cat beds, Kitty towers, late night amazon.com cat shopping.... (estimate, they destroy things at different rates)----  $70

I'm gonna stop now... there's probably a few more. But i'm trying to fool myself into thinking I break even and I don't want to destroy my comfortable state of self delusion.

 

[raina21]

We have 3 cats in the house so one cat would cost much less than my estimate.

Food: We just bought 3 24 can cases of fancy feast+ 20 cans of Nutro grain free+ 13oz bag of blue buffalo for $90

Litter: $35 for a 35lb bucket of clumping litter and an 8lb bag of fresh step crystal litter (This usually lasts over a month).

Cat treats: $10 (16oz tub that lasts over a month)

Cat toys: varies $0-$25

Vet bills: $0 (normally)

ID tags: $15 (one time only cost for 3 indoor cats, about $5 individually)

Collars: I use Beastie Band cat collars they are about $5 each so $15 for all 3 (they only need to be replaced every once in a while, because beasie bands tend to get a little frayed).

Flea treatment: Advantage II every summer: $55 gets you 6 monthly treatments, so 2 months of treatments per cat for me.

 

[cheshirepuss577]

WHO CARES?! I LOVE MY CAT AND SHE'S WORTH $8000000000000000000000000000000000000 PER MONTH...who agrees?