primitives discuss the cost of a cat

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018568216

Oh my.

DebJ (5,843 posts)    Fri Feb 7, 2014, 09:39 AM

How much does it cost to own a cat, as far as vet bills or pet insurance?

I've been wanting a cat again, but I really can't afford to take on more expenses.
 
The cat food and litter wouldn't be an issue, but I am concerned about outrageous vet bills. How much is pet insurance? Is it worth it? What do deductibles run?

If I get a cat, I would have it as an indoor cat only. Part of me objects to this as unnatural; the other part of me remembers the $1000 in vet bills twenty years ago (before pet insurance) when my cat was attacked by a fox, and that was in an even more urban setting than where I am now in Pa. We have two groundhogs, some skunks, and yesterday, a really large fox trotted through the neighborhood in full daylight hours (wish I'd had my camera...all I recall was that he was light-colored and much much larger than smaller red foxes I've seen before in my life). Our house does have lots of windows for sunlight, something my previous apartment cats didn't get to enjoy as much as could be done here. Plus, I'm home almost all the time; before I worked crazy hours...which is to say I'd feel less guilt /less leaving the cat alone. I used to have two cats so they had company from each other.
 
Thanks for any input.

If one has to ask, one can't afford it.

And besides, primitives shouldn't be allowed to own live animals anyway.

<<<has never found veterinarian bills "outrageous;" has instead found demands of primitives about what's to be done for a cat outrageous.

Sanity Claws (13,811 posts)   Fri Feb 7, 2014, 09:51 AM

1. Cat food, chronic diseases

I know you wanted to focus on vet bills and insurance but food is a related item.
 
Get high quality cat food and make sure that the cat eats canned food, not just dry food. I had my cats on high quality dry food and it turns out dry food is not that good for cats. Dry food is high carbs. Cats need high protein.

That's why cats on dry food can get so obese. My orange k***y developed diabetes and the vets attribute it to his obesity, which I attribute to his food.
 
Once a cat develops a chronic condition like diabetes, the vet bills and medication get very expensive.
 
Before that (for about 12 years of their lives), my cats had low vet bills, not worth getting insurance for. If I had to do it earlier, I would have switched the cats over to good quality canned food years ago.

<<<would not want to go into this ^^^ primitive's house without wearing a gas-mask.

Canned cat food, no matter what kind, makes for an abominable mess in and around the litter box.

Dry food only; nothing wrong with Friskie's.

<<<does give the cats a treat on holidays; canned tuna in water, canned white chicken meat in water, but that's not often enough to make any issues around the cat-litter box.

<<<has no control over what the cats dine upon outdoors, though; natural wildlife.

<<<has never had a "fat" cat.

DebJ (5,843 posts)   Fri Feb 7, 2014, 10:00 AM

4. Thanks. I learned that the hard way several decades ago.

I have always in the past fed my k*****s a mix of dry and wet food. But I also had been using Purina Cat Chow.

When my last cat had urinary problems that ultimately were going to be her demise, the vet THEN told me that Purina has a very high ash content that destroys cats' kidneys.

From then on, our entire family has only fed the cats the high quality cat foods like Iams.

<<<has owned lots and lots of cats; not one had any urinary problems.

sammytko (2,402 posts)    Fri Feb 7, 2014, 09:56 AM

2. If there is any doubt about expenses - don't do it

I have seven cats. None have required major surgery besides the usual spay and neuter. But there is always the possibility. Only two venture outside during the day, but they were born feral and the others were always indoor. They are fine.
 
I have dogs also. I spend about 5-700 [sic!] a month on their food and care.

They live a long time. My oldest is almost 14 years old. I will not be replacing any pets once they start to die off. I figure I have 10 more years of being a pet owner. I will be involved in different ways.

Sweet Freedom (3,353 posts)    Fri Feb 7, 2014, 09:58 AM

3. I typically pay

$200 per year in vet bills for each cat (yearly check up with shots). I don't bother with pet insurance because my vet takes Care Credit and gives me 0% financing for six months. (Even when I didn't have CC, I never had pet insurance.)
 
One of my kittehs [sic!] was a Humane Society rescue, so I think it cost me $100 to adopt, spay, vaccinate and microchip her.

franksolich suggests the DebbieDo primitive take up a different hobby, like model railroading or something.

[Carl]

Get high quality cat food and make sure that the cat eats canned food, not just dry food.

BS,we had a house cat from 1979 until 1993 that only hate Chefs Blend dry food.
She would turn her nose up at a can of tuna unless somehow was literally starving.

[thundley4]

<<<Has paid vet bills for cancer surgery and chemotherapy, it's expensive. Would do it again if I had to.

[franksolich]

<<<Has paid vet bills for cancer surgery and chemotherapy, it's expensive. Would do it again if I had to.

I never had a cat with that problem; I dunno what I'd do, have the surgery and chemotherapy done, or if it got unbearable, have the cat euthanized.  I know though I'd seriously consider the latter as much as the former.

Two times, I was confronted with a cat--the then-14-year-old Gustav and the then-1-year-old Ellie--each with a leg nearly snapped off.  (Two things that happened about four years apart.)

The veterinary quoted me three things that could be done, at a cost of $400, $225, and $60.

A primitive of course would go for the most-expensive option.

In both cases, I told the veterinary, oh, just put a splint on it.

(When I broke my elbow, that had been my choice for repair.)

I wouldn't have said this to a novice veterinarian, but this guy'd been one for forty years; he didn't need a whole lot of exploration and guidance to figure out how to fix something.  Neither cat was even x-rayed.  He just put splints on them.  The cost in both instances was $42.

Gustav was pretty old, but he lasted another three years, and that leg never got stiff.

Ellie's still in this time and place, and one would never discern she ever had a leg problem.

[dutch508]

Cat Insurance?

I can pretty much insure you the cat is going to be a royal pain in the ass.




Look, I have a cat and I love that cat. However, the cat merely puts up with my presence in the house.



My cat. Taking selfies. At 2.30 in the morning.

Don't get a cat. You will make it miserable.

[thundley4]

It was caught reasonably early and the vet had given Addie a good prognosis. She lived another two happy years, before the cancer came roaring back and was untreatable. 

[franksolich]

It was caught reasonably early and the vet had given Addie a good prognosis. She lived another two happy years, before the cancer came roaring back and was untreatable. 

Yeah, that would be my criteria, about which choice to make--how far along is it?

[BlueStateSaint]

Oreo came to us with a preference for both dry and wet cat food.  She gets about 1/4 of her food wet; the rest dry.  I have caught her, on several occasions, dipping dry food pieces into her water bowl with a paw.

[DumbAss Tanker]

DebJ (5,843 posts)    Fri Feb 7, 2014, 09:39 AM
...yesterday, a really large fox trotted through the neighborhood in full daylight hours (wish I'd had my camera...all I recall was that he was light-colored and much much larger than smaller red foxes I've seen before in my life)...

We call that particular kind of fox a "Coyote" around here.

 

[seahorse513]

The cats get dry food, and a fresh bowl of water everyday. I give them a cheerful GoodMorning and a cuddle, before work. I tell them to be good(HAHA , in Jingles case) India is pretty low key. I will try to get pics of her. Tell them I love them and go on my way....

[Tucker]

<<<Has paid vet bills for cancer surgery and chemotherapy, it's expensive. Would do it again if I had to.

I just put $6,500 into my Dog (about 3 months ago). She's 12.

[thundley4]

I just put $6,500 into my Dog (about 3 months ago). She's 12.

It's hard not to when they have been with you so long.

[seahorse513]

It's hard not to when they have been with you so long.

I agree, you just look into their eyes, and your heart plummets...

[Tucker]

It's hard not to when they have been with you so long.

She's my baby.

[thundley4]

She's my baby.

Our beagle loves to bury her nose in the snow.

[seahorse513]

She's my baby.

Is She a cairn terrier?? She looks sweet!!

[Tucker]

Is She a cairn terrier?? She looks sweet!!

Pure bred Yorkie. She has lazy ears though. Look at her size in relation to the tire tracks. She's a little thang.

[thundley4]

Pure bred Yorkie. She has lazy ears though. Look at her size in relation to the tire tracks. She's a little thang.

She looked bigger until I looked at the tracks.

[seahorse513]

She is adorable!!

[BadCat]

frank - was it EarlG or Elad that tried to turn his cat into a vegetarian?

DUmmies SHOULD NOT have cats.

[franksolich]

frank - was it EarlG or Elad that tried to turn his cat into a vegetarian?

DUmmies SHOULD NOT have cats.

It was the elusive enigmatic Elad, who's on record as being an enthusiastic vegetarian.

[vesta111]

It was the elusive enigmatic Elad, who's on record as being an enthusiastic vegetarian.

Insane to expect a meat eater to eat no meat. 

My two Coons will not eat fish of any kind or raw meat, has to be dry and I believe they are Jewish cats as they will not eat pork or beef & milk or butter.

Too darn domesticated to survive outside, when a mouse gets into the house they do not eat it, they carefully bury it under a throw rug, smooth it out so I will not see what they have done. Sneaky cats,  killer cats and they try to hide it from me.

Years ago my two cats caught a small mouse in my apartment and early morning watched just how devilish cats are.    I walked into the kitchen to see both cats playing Soccer with the poor mouse.   They batted the mouse about and finally one cat took the mouse over to its water dish and dumped it in.    Both cats as the poor mouse tried to climb out batted it back into the water, they were playing with their victim for no reason but their own enjoyment. This was Animal behavior that mirrored human behavior ????

Cost for a house cat is much less then a dog that goes outside, they do not get fleas, no rabies shots needed or what ever that can be brought into the house on the bottoms of ones shoes.   

When one gets from the SPCA a Coon Cat, or one mix that will grow really big, mine weigh over 20 pounds most is the hair as I get my male the matter a Lion Cut once a year and he comes home much smaller from the Vets.

 Be prepared to buy a devise that automatically cleans the kitty litter.  The big cats will leave poop as large as a small dog.    These devises are a God send to people who cannot for some reason ---say pregnant or with breathing problem to place the poop into enclosed containers.

Some cats can be as we humans are different personality's,  some are the scared cats , hide when anyone comes into the home, others are watch dogs and have no fear of strangers, they are the ones that are there to check out any danger to the family. 

Never know when one comes will come across a watch cat. Just 2 in my life and both were when I had small kids.  One would insist on walking the kids to the school bus stop and demand to be let out a few minutes before the bus returned.  Really Freaky, and one day this cat planted itself on the face of a Great Dane running loose as the kids came home.

Cats are interesting, never know what one will get when they add a cat to ones family.   

[GOBUCKS]

I don't have a cat, but when I was a kid, we had cats, lots of cats. A couple were allowed in the house.

We kids would get attached to them. They would be around, sometimes for years, and then just go away.

I only remember one whose demise was known, and he's the one who liked to sleep against the tire of a parked car.

We fed them scraps, and as far as I know, my parents never spent a penny on any of the cats.

In fact, until I was an adult I'd never heard of anyone spending a penny on a cat.

I think it's a product of all the disposable income generated by the Reagan Boom.

[JohnnyReb]

If you have to ask how much it costs to keep a cat....you can't afford one.

Shame democrat voters don't apply that to having kids.

Ooops, I'm sorry, they don't ask. They just have them and demand someone else keep 'em up.

[Penfold]

pet ownership must include an initial cost of neutering, although there are a lot of places now that do it for under $100.

if you feed your cat a quality cat food,  health problems caused by nutritional deficits can be avoided.  Something like cancer, however, cannot be anticipated or avoided. 

I would suggest asking yourself if you NEED a cat for some personal satisfaction or emotional gratification.  If not, don't spend the money.