What Does it Cost Annually for a Cat?

The annual cost of owning a cat is figured by including the average costs of all necessary equipment, toys, food and preventative healthcare. While this cost can be more or less depending on the quality of those items, an average estimate can still be determined. One vital financial factor is the cost of the cat itself, the initial start-up costs of supplies, as well as annual upkeep costs. Additionally, there are unexpected expenses that can drastically increase costs as well.

  1. Initial Cost

    • The initial costs or first-year costs of owning a cat are much more than the annual upkeep because they include several one-time purchases. On average, the first-year cost to set up cat keeping for one cat is around $1,100. This price includes the purchase of the cat, as well as basic supplies such as litter and food. Additional start-up costs such as micro-chipping, neutering or spaying the cat and local licenses if necessary are also figured into this number.

    Annual Upkeep

    • After the first year, each additional year costs a bit less provided that the cat does not incur illness or injury. Replacing toys, purchasing food, litter and flea control methods can easily amount to $400 a year. Preventive veterinary care in the form of an annual check-up and vaccinations averages about $70 a year. As a result, the total annual upkeep can near $500 for the basic necessities that also include collars, leashes and sleeping beds.

    Unexpected Expenses

    • Unexpected expenses can alter both the initial start-up costs as well as annual upkeep costs. Long-term illness or injury can push veterinary bills into the thousands. As a result, many pet owners purchase pet health insurance, which will also increase the annual upkeep by the amount to cover the insurance policy, about $175 dollars a year. Additional unexpected expenses include scratching posts to prevent furniture damage and cat houses for outside playtime.

    Considerations

    • While some owners feel that they can reduce annual costs by feeding inexpensive food and skipping necessary preventive healthcare, this decision actually results in increasing the overall costs of owning a cat. A poor-quality diet results in nutritional deficiencies that create health problems such as urinary tract infections and diabetes. Unvaccinated cats are at risk of long-term illnesses such as leukemia, which can increase annual upkeep by several times more than the costs of preventive healthcare.