How expensive is it to keep a dog or cat?

[Joe the Liberal]

I've never had either I'm just wondering how much it costs to keep one, food, vet, accessories ect, lets say on a monthly basis.

is a dog or a cat cheaper? or are they about the same?

[pipi_k]

1. Costs for two German Shepherds

littermates/sisters, one year old.

There was the original purchase price: $800.00 (for both) from breeder (got a discount because they were 10 months old at the time and we took them both at the same time)

Spaying: over $800.00 (total bill for both)

Followup with a couple of shots: $300.00 (total for both)

Monthly food bill: $80.00 (total for both)

Toys, etc. $20.00 per month (they like to chew)

Flea medication and heartworm meds: about $30.00 per month

Obedience school: $125.00 each dog for an 8 week Basic Manners course.


So the initial expenditure of money was $2150 for two dogs

and the monthly expenses are around $130

If you only get one dog you would spend roughly half that, more or less depending on what size dog you get, what you feed it, and what certain things cost in your area.

Cats might be cheaper...I don't know. I haven't had one in years.

[Joe the Liberal]

2. That's perfect thank you....

now I need some input like that from the the cat owners. :D

[Sanity Claws]

3. Cats are available at shelters

Shelters will charge enough to cover spaying/neutering and if applicable licensing fees. If I remember correctly, it's around $80 in Seattle.
Sometimes when the shelter is filled with kittens, the fees will be reduced. This is prime kitten season so this is a good time to check for reduced fees.
If the cats are kept indoors, you really don't need certain shots. I don't remember how much the shots are.
Food can range greatly in price, depending on what you feed them. Mine eat a premium dry food, about $19 every three weeks or so. They also get canned catfood as a treat each day, about two tablespoons each. My guess is that canned food cost about $13 a month, making for a grand total of about $35 a month to feed two cats.
You need kitty litter. Depending on how often you replace the litter, my guess is that it is $18-35 a month.

You have to buy litter boxes and food bowls when you get the kitties but they last. We've been using the same ones for nine years.

If you want to save your furniture, get a couple of good scratching posts; expect to spend $20 to $80 per post, depending on how fancy you get it. Again, they last for years. We have two for the last six years or so.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you need me to clarify something.

[Joe the Liberal]

4. Hmmmm cats seem to be cheaper.....

and less maintenance perhaps, but you can't walk it like you can a dog which can be good or bad depending on whether or not you like going for walks, which I do. With that being said cats also seem more independent while dogs need you to be around more. I plan on getting one or the other sometime in the future but I'm torn on which one to get. Dogs seem more expensive but not by that much so money wouldn't really be a big deciding factor.

Anyways thanks for your input. :)

[Why Syzygy]

5. Cats are cheaper, imo.

And a LOT less "maintenance". I'm a cat lover. First time owning "part" of a dog.

You don't have to bathe cats. That's one of their leisure activities. They go inside the litter box effortlessly. If they are allowed outside, they'll probably find a place out there to do their business. You can leave them alone with plenty of food and water for a couple of days without coming home to a mess. Maybe a lecture at the worst. They don't dig in the trash and leave the place littered with whatever they can dig out, including as many tissues as possible. They don't chew up your shoes. They don't chew on unidentifiable foreign objects. They don't start barking every time there's an emergency vehicle siren or the neighbor's dogs start up.

Mine takes an interest in visitors, but doesn't sniff them, jump on them or bark the entire time someone is over. No obedience classes required. :rofl: (imagine) A spray bottle with water is all you need to train them. Soon the very sight of it results in immediate behavior modification. If you get a young one or one that has been fostered, and have them sleep with you, they will follow the habit. For the most part. Many older ones will too. They understand English much better than dogs. "Num-num" gets them to the food dish in an instant. I think they understand humans better than dogs. You don't have to enforce any kind of alpha dog pecking order with them. They are excellent judge of character and will let you know if some shady person enters your life. I'm no expert, but it seems to me that dogs either love everyone or hate everyone.

If you really have no preference (many of us do), it may just depend on how much time AND money you want to invest.
Or, why not get one of each?

[Joe the Liberal]

11. They certainly have some nice qualities....

Not having to bathe them is nice and a big plus, so is the litter box but I don't think that matters all that much. You have to clean the litter box every now and then anyways, what's the difference between that and cleaning up after your dog outside, ya know? I don't think I'd be able to handle both though, I've never had experience with either so I'm going to start with just one at a time for now. Which will probably be a cat as they seem cheaper/easier to deal with overall. Thanks for sharing. :D

[Why Syzygy]

12. Full disclosure..

I've been thinking about your thread and have come to the possible conclusion that maybe the reason I'm a catter and not a dogger is because I'm a little on the high strung side. Could be that dog owners are much more laid back than I am. For example, having a tv on all the time drives me NUTS. I don't like a lot of chaos around me. Cats do not cause chaos. Dogs do. :shrug:

Everyone comments on what a "calming" nature I have. But, I have to maintain that by avoiding over stimulation, or I go into fritz.

edit to add: I could figure this out because I have been pet sitting for two dogs and a puppy for several weeks. They are not getting nearly their usual doses of 'get them worked up and jump around and bark and run around crazy' as they do from their owner. I give them scratches and talk to them. And sing to them. Dogs probably find me B.O.R.I.N.G.

[Sanity Claws]

6. Other factors to consider

How much time do you have to devote to your pet?
If you work outside the home, this should be a real consideration. When I had a dog, I had to keep a regular schedule every day, so the dog would know when he could go out to go potty. That meant I had to go home every day after work, even when I would prefer to meet a friend downtown for dinner or drinks. This problem can be resolved by money spent on doggy day care or a neighbor's kid to walk the dog out in the afternoon
Yes, you can take a dog on a walk. But really you HAVE to take a dog on a walk. That's not so much fun on a snowy, rainy, or cold day. Or on a day when you are sick and would prefer to hunker under the covers.

Can you afford the destruction level of a dog?
This may be more of a problem than you think. Carpeting will be stained until the dog is fully house trained.
Dogs love to chew. My dog chewed probably two hundred dollars worth of shoes. (One day I didn't close my closet door as completely as I thought.) He also chewed the corners of kitchen cabinets. Anything at mouth level or below, he put in his mouth.

What do you want the pet for? Companionship? Either a dog or a cat is good for that. Protection? Only certain dog breeds are good for that.

One last thing -- dogs generally like car rides. However, if your dog rides in your car a lot, the car takes on the odor of the dog.

[Why Syzygy]

7. Yeah, that routine issue

has ruled me out as a good dog owner. The puppy's co-owner is the reliable one for that. She has had to adapt to his schedule for the other two dogs. I have a sleep disorder which prevents me from maintaining even a persoanl sleep routine. If she is ready to get up and go outside in the morning, and I've only been in bed a few hours, it is impossible for me to wake myself enough to take her out. Thankfully, for her, I didn't take her on as a solo owner.

[MadMaddie]

9. For our dogs we we went to the fabric store and bought some

durable cloth, cut it the lenght and width of the wagon seat and the Nissan back seat. Just tuck them in real good and pull them out and wash them regularly. Cars really don't take on the bad smell.

[WatchWhatISay]

13. Borrow one from a friend for a week

They can use the time away from the repsonsibility and go on a trip somewhere without have to pay to board thier pet, and you can get a real taste of what its like to have such a pet.

Your basic instincts are good. But I would add that a small dog costs a less than a big dog, especially for food but also for meds such as heartworm and flea products.

[Joe the Liberal]

14. Ah good idea.....

I may just do that, thanks. :)

[MadMaddie]

8. Well both of mine are rescues

One was spirited away from a bad place....Free
My other one I adopted from a Vet and he only charged me $150.00 (he spent a couple of thousand on my Maxes broken hip and leg, vacinations etc)

Yearly vacination costs: $150.00 each includes vet visit of $45.00
Max has icky ears so that is about 3 visits a year: vet visit $45.00, medication pills and liquid for his ears $80.00

Dog Food plus treats: guessing around $300.00 a year.

Shit that we really don't need to get the dogs: Halloween, Christmas costumes. Brand new collars and other stuff. $300.00

Satisfaction with our dogs: "Priceless"! Wouldn't change a thing.:party: :loveya:

[meow2u3]

10. Cats are less expensive to keep than dogs

I took in Ruby as a stray when she was a kitten--at her insistence! She had worms and the first time I brought her to the vet cost me over $100--for the office visit, rabies shot, and deworming pills that cost me $22!

Cost of first shots for each cat: $49 ($15 for rabies shot, $17 for first 3-in-1; $17 for 3-in-1 booster)

Cost to neuter my male cat, Max: $40 (a total of done when he was 6 months old)

Cost to spay my mother cat, Ruby: $50

Total cost for Ruby was $99 and for Max was $89.

Food costs annually: $175 for both.

Annual kitty litter cost: $180

Annual rabies and 3-in-1 booster: $32 (I go to the SPCA to get the cats their shots.)

[Tab]

15. Cheaper than horses, that's for damned sure.

There's time cost and financial cost. Dogs need more one-on-one time. IMO, they're worth it.

Dogs physically will eat more food, both kinds will need vet visits; you may need some kind of a fence if your dog is likely to bother your neighbors.

Generally, though, whaddaya like? A companion who will hang by, keep you company, always there for you? Or do you want a stupid cat?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. Not to start a dogs vs. cats flame war or anything, but

my "stupid" cats hang by, keep me company and are always there for me. They are wonderful companions. I won't say they are necessarily better than dogs; it just depends on what you are looking for in a pet -- a drooling, slobbering, yapping animal who smells bad and eats its own poop, or a graceful, clean creature who doesn't drool or yap and NEVER eats its own poop?

Seriously, I like dogs, too; but do NOT insult my cats.

[FloriTexan]

17. Prices aside...

They can all be expensive. If you are on a budget, get an hamster.

I have cats and a dog, cats vs. dogs....

Down sides:

Dogs have to go out to potty - get a dog door if you can - I highly recommend it.
Cats have litter boxes and can use the dog door. Either way you will be picking up poop. Dogs sometimes eat their own and the cats. Gross either way.

Dogs and cats will bite people. With dogs, you mostly get a warning. With cats (especially in males i've noticed) no warning. Cat bites are worse than dogs bites. I had a neighbor can come up to me when I was watering the yard one day, purring and rubbin on my legs, I went to pet him and he attacked my arm. Bled profusely, got infected. Antibiotics and tetanus shots were required. I was lucky. In my experience, cats are far more unpredictable than dogs.

Upsides:

Dogs need companionship and a friend, buddy. They need and require attention. Cats want a caregiver who they can boss around. They are generally in their own world and may or may not want anything to do with you.

Regardless:

If you are considering a new pet. Decide what you want to put up with, what you are looking for and what you definately do not want to deal with. We researched carefully the kind of dog we wanted. Since it was our first dog we wanted to get something that fitted our lifestyle. If you have kids, you'll want dogs that are good with kids. Some breeds are definately not good with kids unless they are raised with kids. If you get a mutt you won't know for a while.

If you are getting a pet for a child, rest assured you will probably be the one to end up caring for it. My neighbors got a puppy for their dog. It now lives its poor sad life alone in the back yard.

Getting a pet should be a commitment for their life. Make sure you are ready and willing.