How much do you spend on your cats per month!

[Gwen]

For the two cats I have I spend on average £60 a month,sometimes more but it works out generally about that

[Ellie]

OMG I cringe at thought of adding it all up 

Four times wet food, dry food, litter, fish, flea & worm treatment, Insurance and annual boosters plus toys etc. 

No way I can post how much incase my hubby reads it 

[Bazsmum]

Eek.....this topic makes me feel physically sick lol! Really never added it up (i dare'nt!) if my OH new the real amount i think we'd have issues 

Love shopping for the cats more than for myself 

[Desley (booktigger)]

I think I have forgotten something, cos I only got to £70 a month - maybe that is how much I should spend, but invariably spend more!! It was conservative with the vet visits though, I just based it on their blood tests and boosters, whereas in reality they do cost more. Admittedly I dont buy large activity centres (waiting for my friend to make me one) and I dont have to pay cattery fees.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Forgot Cat litter which is £11 a go, not much used in summer.................what summer!..................but go throuigh a bag a month in winter. Also never thougyt to put simple solution on..........a must have 

[blackcat]

.......... and of course free p+p.

Even if the P does not withstand P (tee hee)

[Millys Mum]

I refill my tubs with golden master, they fit under the bed just perfect! 
Its the only place i could find that type any bigger than 5kg and of course free p+p.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Susanne, you currently pay £19.96 for 20kg of sophisticat litter, zooplus sell golden grey for £8.99 for 14 kg. Its the same type, ultra fine clumping 

Ooh - is it?  I  must try that then.  I do like the plastic tubs the sophisticat comes in (easy to handle and I store them in the same cupboard as my water tank so like the fact that it's not a problem if the water tank leaks) but I guess they're not good for the environment, and if it saves me money it's worth a try.  Next time I order from zooplus I'll try some of that. 

Teresa - I dread to think how much you spend a month!

[Teresa Pawcats]

Just a little 

[Millys Mum]

Insurance about £40 a month (increase to come?! ARGH)
Litter, i buy several sacks at a time between £15 and £20
Food 150 pouches a month at least £60 depends on brands/offers
30 tins a month £20
Dry food £10.
Cystaid £5 a month

Vaccinations about £150 a year
Wormers £48 a year
Frontline £70 a year
Stronghold £30
Plaque Off £7
Canikur/pro kolin for tummies £20
Hairball paste £10
Simple Solution £20

£155 a month for basics
£1975.00 maths is wrong its £2215.00 a year not counting toys/catnip/raw food/new scratching posts and taxi fares to the vets   


Susanne, you currently pay £19.96 for 20kg of sophisticat litter, zooplus sell golden grey for £8.99 for 14 kg. Its the same type, ultra fine clumping 

[Gillian Harvey]

Come on - be brave - how much do you spend?  And I mean really spend 

I don't even wanna go there! LOL!  please don't make me think about how much I spend - its just tooooo painful 

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

Here goes.............

Box of 48 whiskas pouches £10.98
Box of 12 whiskas pouches (to top up) £3.00
Bag of litter £7.50
Bag of Purina One £12.00

£33.48 a week on food and litter

Frontline per month about £30

FOOD, LITTER AND FRONTLINE A MONTH COMES TO  - £163.92
THATS WITHOUT WORMING EVERY 3MTHS AND YEARLY BOOSTERS AND VET VISITS

THIS YEARS CATTERY VISIT IS COSTING ME £400

[ccmacey]

CC i think the larger bags of go cat works out a good bit cheaper than the boxes.

I know but I like to get them different flavours  

When I first got Ted and Renie I used to buy the cans of Whiskers and thought I would give them a treat by getting them the Gourmet pearl, 4 years later they wont eat out of cans and have Gourmet for every meal  

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Just bought Lexy's Obesity food. Still can't write it out without cringing.... me baby is a porker... takes after her mum then! 

8.99 for a 1.5kg bag of it.. wanted to buy small bag of dry in case she hates it.

[CurlyCatz]

Well its a bloomin good job my big boys eat normal tins of food as with the prices you lot paying for pouches they'd go hungry 

[Susieh]

My 3 get through 2 pouches of wet food a day each. This adds up to costing about £50 a month
On top of that they also get quality dried food for one meal (royal canin or JWB) which costs about £15 a month
They also have a small amount of cheaper dried food down all the time which costs about £5 a month
No they are not fat cats - although looking at that I wonder why not?

Insurance is about £12 a month
Worming and fleas £10 a month
Collar and magnet replacements (usually lose 1 every couple of months) £5
Boosters £7.50
Litter (not very much as they go outside mostly) £10 a month

So that makes about £115 a month.  That is without any other vet visits or toys or treats. No wonder my student loan doesn't go very far 

[CurlyCatz]

CC i think the larger bags of go cat works out a good bit cheaper than the boxes.

[goatboy]

Fishing rod cat toy link
http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=40&pf_id=6615

My landlord was very cool when I asked if I could have a cat. He said yeah no problem. No extra deposit or increase in rent. Mind you I am the perfect tennant, and I am his IT geek for his company, so he has to keep me sweet.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Might have to look into chick crumbs.  Where do you get them from and what is the texture like?  I'm wary of changing from clay clumping litter as me and the boys both like what we're currently using (meaning I like it for them, not that I use it!  )

I've over-estimated what I pay for dry food - it's £5 a month not £7 - wow, a £2 saving!    Unfortunately I buy the small bags which cost more because the 2kg lasts forever given how little I use. 

[Tiggy's Mum]

helen did you actually have to produce that extra deposit at your landlords request ? 

Yep, my last house was privately rented and we asked permission before we moved in to have Tiggy, if they had said No we wouldn't have chosen that house.  We didn't have to pay an extra deposit there but last June I moved to a keyworker rented property.  Tiggy was 'smuggled in'    I couldn't risk them saying no to permission to have her there as obviously she was already with me.  Before I got the boys I asked permission to have them and had to pay the extra deposit.  I'll get it back when I move though.

and also how are you finding the chick crumbs ?

I'm a chick crumb convert, clumps really well, poos get flushed so no smelly bins.  My only complaint is that it tracks a bit but the fullers earth stuff Tiggy used to use did aswell.  The boys are the most ferocious diggers, despite having hooded trays they always manage to kick some litter out.

[ccmacey]

12 boxes of pouches £4.48 and 2 big boxes of Gocat which is over £2 now, every fourtnight. So near enough £60 really.

[CurlyCatz]

cody food per month £22 ish (hills dry + hi life pate tins)
big boys food per month £20-25 (felix tins + go cat complete)

codys insurance £10 (well just under)

cat litter prob around 20 ish quid per month.

cant be bothered working out all the rest  but dog food also costs around 40 ish pounds per month.

[CurlyCatz]

helen did you actually have to produce that extra deposit at your landlords request ? 

and also how are you finding the chick crumbs ?

CC .. thats a bloomin lot of money on food, i certainly couldnt afford that purely on food each month    (what an earth do they eat and how much ? )

[littleKitten_(alex)]

Oh, I am really impressed by those of who are brave enough to actually work out how much you spend! There is no way I'm doing that... 

Worth every penny, though. 

[Tiggy's Mum]

For two big kittens/mini cats:

Natures menu kitten food - £21.95 for 60 pouches
PAH Dry kitten food (has virtually identical ingredients to JWB) - £7 for 2kg
Kitten milk £10 - 20 bottles
Chick crumb litter £7.50 per sack - lasts one month
Insurance £13
Boosters £5
Flea/worm treatments £8.50  (24 Frontline - treated once a month / 8 Drontal - treated every 3 months / 1 can Indorex as a precaution)
Toys/treats £5

£77.95 so around £40 per cat so not too bad

The start up costs were more scary for me:

£120 Adoption x 2
£97  Neutering when old enough x 2
£40 Microchipping when old enough x 2
£83 Vaccination course x 2
£115 Tall scratcher
£85 Beds & Toys
£420 Extra deposit (rented property)
£28 Carrier x 1 (already had one)
£24 Hooded litter trays x 2

That's £1012 for two kittens 

But you know something, its a drop in the ocean compared to the joy she brings me.

Couldn't agree more 

[carl (billy and baggys dad)]

Not buying her anything next month.... but I have seen a great fishing rod toy that allows me to cast a toy up to 20feet and reel it in  wow

  Wow! You can't resist that! Where did you find it? I could go Baggins fishin' (Bilbo is far too grown up) 

I ran out of fingers adding my list up, but as goatboy said above, it's nowt really when you think of the perpeual smile you get from them.

[goatboy]

I have only had Ozzy for 2 months, but I have spent £100+ on injections, worming paste, and her ID chip vet fees.
Then there is the toys I have bought her, scraching posts that she doesn't use, water fountain, cat bed, cat carry box, cat pee remover.
Oh and insurance, and missing pet beareu, littler tray feeding bowls....
Not to mention the food...

Not buying her anything next month.... but I have seen a great fishing rod toy that allows me to cast a toy up to 20feet and reel it in  

Yes I know I am buying the toys for me and not for Oz

But you know something, its a drop in the ocean compared to the joy she brings me.

[ccmacey]

My goodness having 4 cats is expensive, nearly £150 per month, thats more than I spend on anything else. 

[ccmacey]

Right let me think 

On the "cats shopping" food and biscuits - £50 every fortnight. My cats are addicted to Gourmet.

Catsan, 4 bags a month (sometimes more) £20 a month.

Frontline, £15 a month but as I buy 6 packs I get let off for a month, phew!

Ollie vets, £10 a month.

I buy cat toys if I see something they would like while I'm out. Ive had my cat trees for a while and they are still in good shape.

[Queen-Penguin]

Olli catfood (pack of 12 - lasts 12 days!!) £4.99 each
plus other treat tinned food every Friday from Tesco (£2 a week)
plus dry food (£2 max a month)
plus litter (1 bag per week@95p)
plus cat litter tray liners
equals around £25

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Susanne brave of you to work it out.... I however, won't... too scared!!!

I try not to think about it, so.....no idea

I daren't work it out actually

Chickens!! 

[Desley (booktigger)]

I daren't work it out actually, I do know I spent £20 on food last week just for them (And I had change from the £10 note for my own shopping!!), and have to buy litter this week. Biscuits are the only cheap thing, as the 2kg bag of JWB lasts months (Even with giving some of it to the fosters!!). Molly's insurance is due for renewal this month or next, am not looking forward to that either.

[JackSpratt]

I try not to think about it, so.....no idea!

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Susanne brave of you to work it out.... I however, won't... too scared!!!

[swampmaxmum]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. 

Wasn't too bad until late last year when Swampy got so sick. Now every cc statement seems to have vet all over it and 3 figures. Plus the insurance won't pay for prescription nosh and I pay 35% of every claim cos they are officially "old". Painful subject.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Toooooooooooooo much 

I am currently using the cheap stock of food I  bought 3 months ago or was it two and its gone down far too quick grrrrrrrrrrr, all I can say I am better off not having to buy cat food.

I used 4 pouches a day which is about 12 boxes of 12, noooooooooooooooooo it cant be, its 10 boxes lol and they are now over £3 each unless you can get an offer so thats £30 just on pouches plus two types of buscuits and its just cost me nearly £50 for one lot which will last about 6 months.

Insurance is a sore subject cos its currently costing nearly £40 a month and Rosella said her new price is 40 % higher than last year.......out rageous.

Other sorta buisciuts cos £12 a month unless a deal comes up......................how am I doing ummm ummmmmmm 1, 2 , 3,  ummmmmmmm so thats nearly £90 already and dont know how much its gonna cost for boosters etc in Aug but it wont be cheap for 4 of them so could be another £100, hope not more!!

Now this doesnt cover any little toys oh and Misas whiskers topping which is £1 a throw now.

So I reckone the bill for the 4 of them is over £100 a month......Ok I know its 4 but its still a lot of money when you on a pension and owe a morgage to the card companies ............sigh.

Oh and this doesnt include the cost of petrol to buy all this lot and nearest Spermarket a 25 mile round trip.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Ok, I know we've had this before, but I've just been calculating my monthly expenditure on the cats and got a bit of a shock.  I had previously done this and it came out at £100 per month for the 2 of them, but now it's coming out at even more!  Yikes!  So - do I spend loads more than everyone else?  Or is that about par for the course?  I know when we've done this before some people have come up with really low figures, but remember that your real monthly outgoings aren't just the obvious food and litter, but annual and occasional expenses should be included (callculated on a monthly basis) in order to show what you really spend.  Here's my expenditure broken down

Wet food - 135 pouches per month @ 25p per pouch = £33.75
Fairly conservative estimate as although I buy lots in bulk and pay less than 25p per portion, I also feed stuff like applaws which is 59p per tin, unless I get a special offer at a cat show

Dry food - 700g JWB - £7

Litter - 4 tubs Sophisticat Premium Choice @ £4.99 = £19.96

Insurance - £22

Vet - 1 visit per year for vaccinations = £4
      - 1 misc visit per year per cat @ £35 per visit - £5.80
I dont always need any vet visits but it's worthing budgeting for one routine visit - consultation charge plus some medicine - per year

Large toys/items eg carriers, cat tree - £100 per year = £8.33

Toys = £5

Cattery - 1 visit per year for 2 cats - £8.33
Can't remember exact cattery costs so budgeting £100 per year

Miscellaneous items (toothpaste, probiotic, furball treatment, supplements etc) - £10
At first I thought that was a lot then I realised how often I put in an order to vetuk!

Flea and worm treatment - £2.24

That comes to almost £130 per month.  I really dont see where I could make savings tbh, as I'm not prepared to buy cheaper food.  Litter maybe.  Oh well, at least I'm not kidding myself they dont' cost much!

Come on - be brave - how much do you spend?  And I mean really spend