I absolutely love animals- I really do. And I am too softhearted, which gets me in trouble with animals. I live in an area that has a ton of field mice. Personally, those are one type of animal that I am not fond of- definitely not in my home. I also do not like snakes, and where there are mice, you can usually find snakes.

My solution was to get a cat. It did not take much work. In fact, a stray kitten kept hanging around my home- probably because I kept feeding her- and when I was sure she was a stray, I let her into my house. My baby girl named her Cherry. It worked well as I immediately saw a decrease in mice. However, Cherry was fond of being outside, so she only came in at night time.

Someone offered me another cat a few weeks later and I decided to go for it so I would have two. Double the cats, double the decrease of mice, right? The problem was that this person had four cats, and I have four children, each of whom begged me for their own cat. I gave in. And then we ended up with two more.

Here I am going from one cat to seven. Fortunately, three of them did not like being inside, so there were only four to live with. I thought that it was over, then two of my cats had kittens before I could get them to the vet, so I suddenly have five more mouths to feed. On the upside, I have not seen a mouse in months. I would rather have a houseful of cats than mice and rats.

The problem is that one pet is expensive enough. Oh, they are lovable and cuddly and precious, but goodness gracious they can put a hole in the wallet. If you are going to take this step, you have to have a budget for your pet. As I have a million cats running around, I have learned a few things that can help you out with this. Keep reading for some handy budgeting tips for pets.

Can You Afford a Pet?

For starters, you have to decide if you can really afford a pet. Do you have space in your budget? Are you willing to make space or work a little harder to afford one? If you are anything like me, the tradeoff of keeping nasty mice out of my house and decreasing the chances of my children running into a snake in my yard is definitely worth the cost of the pets. Therefore, I am willing to work harder to take care of them. You have to decide if the benefits of having a pet are worth the cost of your life.

Cost Of Pets

So, let’s talk about how much pets actually cost. When someone has never had to pay for a pet before, they may think the only thing you really have to pay for is food. Sadly, that is not the case at all. There is actually so much more to it. Here is a breakdown of common costs, though these can vary depending on the animal you have and what you choose to pay for. These costs will be what you have to fit into the budget for your pet.

Adoption Fees

If you are getting your pet from a pet store or animal shelter, you will likely owe an adoption fee. The ones around my area are usually $100 and pay for the initial vaccinations and dewormings.

Vaccinations

Vaccinations are needed at regular intervals for a period of time.

Spay or Neuter

Unless you want five little furry surprises like me, get your pet taken care of as soon as they are old enough.

Food

This one is constant and adds up quickly. I spend a minimum of $40 per month on cat food, and that is the really cheap stuff.

Sick Vet Visits

Pets get sick just like humans, and while every little sneeze does not require a trip to the vet, there will be times it is necessary. If you are not prepared, these visits can throw your finances off tremendously.

Toys

Ok, so toys are not really necessary. In fact, pets are often like kids- they would rather play with the box a toy comes in than the toy itself. However, it never hurts to have a few around. I do not want my cats scratching up my furniture, so I try to keep a scratching post around. My kittens end up playing with my pens all the time, but I still try to find them something to bat around. It is never a bad idea to add a little room for toys in the budget for your pet.

Heartworm, Flea and Tick Medications

The worst part about fleas and ticks is that they can actually transfer to you and your kids, so you do not want them on your pet. Heartworms can really do a number on your pet, too, so it’s best to keep them medicated.

Deworming

I will not go into detail here, but you definitely want to take care of this.

Grooming

Pets start stinking if they do not get a bath. Their hair gets matted and they shed like crazy. Oh, my goodness, one of my cats is the furriest thing I have ever seen. She looks so fat until she gets wet and you realize that she is really skinny and it is all just hair. That hair gets everywhere. You absolutely have to keep your babies groomed to prevent irritation for you both.

Insurance

When I first heard the term “pet insurance”, I thought, “Are you kidding me? This is going too far now”, but then I learned a little about it. The purpose is, just like medical insurance, to help you pay for vet visits without killing your pocket. I have heard that it actually costs less than $100 per month.

This is one of those things that is not necessary. I do not care if it is only $15 per month. If I am going to pay more for the insurance over the year than I would out of pocket, I am not paying for pet insurance. However, if I had a sickly animal, I would consider it. This is something that requires you to weigh out the costs. Call around to local vets and determine how much you would pay for regular visits and compare that to the cost of insurance.

Obviously, you will not have a full understanding until you actually go to the vet, but you should be able to get a good enough idea to make a decision about insurance.

Boarding

If you travel, you may decide to board your bet. This can cost as low as $10 and go up as high as the boarder wants to charge. This price will also depend on whether or not the animal needs any vaccinations or a flea bath.

Dog Walking

Some people pay for others to walk their dogs. This seems to occur more in bigger cities and with people who work all day.

Collars and Leashes

Collars and leashes do not have to cost a ton, but I learned with my previous dogs that it is much better to invest in a good harness than to use a simple collar. They could not get out of the harnesses but could slip out of the collar and runoff.

Puppy Training Pads

When you are housebreaking a puppy, training pads are almost a necessity- unless you have time to watch your pup and get them outside on time every time.

Bed or Crate

I tried buying beds for my first cat. She hated it. So do the rest of them. They actually all end up in my bed or on the couch, so a bed is not necessary. I know many people, though, that have crates- especially for dogs- for when they are at work or sleeping. This is another one of those “up to you” situations.

Food Bowls

You could just pull bowls out of your cabinet, but really, you can buy them for pretty cheap.

Travel Supplies

If you will be taking your pet with you when you travel, you will need a carrier and other pet traveling supplies.

Training

I always thought it was a waste of money to pay for someone else to train my dogs. I am a big DIYer, so I figured I could do it on my own. I am sure I could have- had I not had four children to care for, a business to run, a home to manage, a degree to pursue, and everything else that goes on in my life. If I were to do anything different when I had my dogs, I would have paid for someone else to train them. It would have saved me time and irritation.

Pet Deposits

Hotels charge deposits, as do most apartment complexes and rental houses. Unless you own your own home, deposits are a strong likelihood.

Potty Bags

Be sure you pick up your fur baby’s poo. Nobody wants to step in it. If you are going walking, you need poo bags with you.

Litter and Litter Boxes

I honestly think that litter is the biggest expense when it comes to my cats. I spent a pretty good amount initially for the litter boxes, but that is because I wanted the covered ones (I have a very sensitive nose). The litter costs me as much, if not more, as the food does, so it is the biggest part of budgeting for pets that I do.

Setting a Budget For Your Pet

I want to make something very clear: pets are, in fact, animals. Yes, they are family members, but they are still animals. I say this because, as you make a budget for your pet, it is only necessary to factor in things that keep them clean, alive, and fed. If you choose to buy your fur baby sweaters, tutus, Christmas presents, and so on, that is completely up to you.

Just remember that it is not necessary. And if you are on a tight budget, it is a good idea to forego such items, at least for now. Priorities. You have to set and follow your priorities.

To set your budget for your pet, you have to figure out which of the above expenses you will be taking care of. You need an idea of how much you will be paying out for the year in order to set an easy to manage budget for your pet. Here is how to do so:

1. Determine Your Monthly Pet Expenses

These will include:

-Food

-Litter or training pads

-Potty bags

-Grooming supplies, such as shampoo

-Toys, treats, etc.

-Any monthly medications that they need

-Dog walking, grooming services, boarding, hotel fees, etc. that fit your particular lifestyle

2. Determine Annual Expenses

These will also differ depending on the pet and the owner. Annual expenses include but are not limited to:

-Vaccinations

-Routine visits

-Flea and tick prevention

3. Include Unexpected Expenses

Add some padding, what you can call your miscellaneous budget. Here’s the deal: you never, ever, ever, ever know what is going to happen. At the same time, you never, ever, ever, ever want to be put in an unexpected situation that can cost you the rent, or make you choose between getting your pet important medical care or paying your power bill. The best thing you can do is to figure out how much at least one to two major medical issues would cost at the vet and add that amount in.

Add All These Expenses Together

Once you have all of these items listed, add them up. Your total and my total will look completely different because we are different people with different pets. For the sake of simplicity, though, I am going to say that my total came to $1200 in yearly expenses.

The next thing I need to do is divide that by 12, which would come to $100. This means that I need to budget $100 each month for my pets. For clarification purposes, this does not mean that I need to spend $100 each month, just that I need $100 to come out of my monthly income for pets.

If I only need $50 on a regular month, I need to put the other $50 away. For me, this would mean me setting up a goal in my Simple bank account that is titled “Pets”. To simplify the process, I can set up automatic transfers for my paydays. If I get two checks, I set up $50 to transfer from each check. When I need to purchase cat food, I just transfer the needed amount back to my “Safe to Spend” category and leave the rest put away. Doing this means that I do not have to worry for the most part if something happens.

Now, find the monthly budget for your pets. Set up a system and process where you will put the money to keep it separate from other bill money.

Pet Emergency Fund

If you know anything about budgeting, you know that you need an emergency fund or a “rainy day” fund. This is true for everything you have to pay out, including your budget for your pets. You do not want your four-legged friends to go hungry if you lose your job, do you? I did not think so. No one does.

This means that you need three to six months of your budget for your pets put up, as well. For me, I would try to put up $600 in a completely separate category and leave it alone unless that emergency came. If it does come, replace that money as soon as you can. Doing this means that unexpected things will not turn your world upside down. When emergencies or rainy days do come, they bring enough stress with them. The last thing you need is to worry about how you will pay for them.

Ways to Save

Owning a pet does not have to be the most expensive thing that you have ever done in your life. And the expenses do not have to keep you from owning a pet. You simply have to know how to save money doing so. There are always ways to save, but here are a few to get you started:

Conclusion

If you own a pet or are considering getting one, you have to consider the expenses that come with them. Pet ownership is a commitment, one that you need to be sure that you can carry through till the end. At the same time, though, pet ownership can be a very positive experience as they provide many physical and emotional benefits.

By setting up a budget for your pets and finding ways to save cash, you can enjoy your pets without adding stress. If you are about to become a pet parent but do not have the funds for initial expenses, or if you are facing an emergency issue and need the cash to pay, take a breath and calm down. Try looking for a personal installment loan- you can pay for the items or service upfront, then pay back the loan over time.

This not only eases the burden at that moment, but personal installment loans are also much cheaper than most credit cards. They tend to be the wisest move when you are in a jam.