How Much Does it Cost to Own a Cat

Something that a lot of people never consider or think about it “How much does it cost to own a cat”? At first the answer seems simple. Maybe just some litter and cat food right? Think again! If you want to keep your cat (OR CATS) healthy and happy, then you may find yourself buying a lot more than just food and litter.

Do you know how people say “it costs as much as one coffee per day”? That’s an objective point of view, because you might buy a convenient store coffee and you may also buy Starbucks every day. Either way, the cost seems low when you spend it a few dollars at a time. When you add it up, though, you get sticker shocked a little.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m enrolled in the PawPeds courses for breeders. This is some of the best textbook information that I’ve seen offered by anyone when it comes to cats and breeding cats. I passed the G1 course, and I’m nearly finished with G2. While they’re NOT EASY, they’re worth the time and consideration for anyone who may be thinking about breeding cats.  The course isn’t specific to any breed, but cats in General.  If you see any breeder with G1, G2, and G3 Badges displayed on their websites, give them some additional credit for this! They’ve taken the time to educate themselves on the topic. While several people in the United States have passed G1 [70 as of May 15, 2019], only a handful have completed and passed G2 [22 as of May 15, 2019].  I’m on my LAST week of G2 and should earn my completion badge! I’m pretty excited.

Verify That Your Breeder Has Taken PawPeds Courses

You can verify if your breeder has completed the G1 course on this page. Just scroll down to the USA and check by name.

You can verify if your breeder has completed the G2 course on this page. Just scroll down to the USA and check by name.

Checklist of Items You’ll Need For Your Cat

During the G1 course, one of our assignments was to determine the cost of owning a cat. A  list of items was provided, and I had to research the cost of each item, and document that fact.  Then, all of the expenses were added up to reveal the actual cost of owning one cat. These expenses were calculated for a pet.  So not additional expenses that are incurred for a breeding cat were considered.

While you’re reviewing the document that I prepared for my assignment, you can keep in mind that I have a Litter-Robot which is an expensive litter box.  I also use water fountains and some other things that are just a little extra for the cats. There’s also no “emergency” vet visits factored in. These are just basic expenses for ME. This is just an example for your entertainment purposes. Not all pet owners but the same stuff.

If you want to calculate the same expenses for your cat, just plug in what items you’ll actually use. So my checklist won’t be the same as your checklist. This is still a very neat tool to break down the costs of owning a cat.

Here is the screenshot of my checklist called “How Much Does it Cost to Own a Cat“?

Take Care of Those Precious Maine Coon Babies

You can see once you start breaking down all of the required (and fun) things that you buy to raise a healthy and happy cat, the costs start to add up. I really did love this exercise because I’m analytical and love to see numbers and data. I actually live and die by spreadsheets.

Please notice that I didn’t include declawing on the expense sheet because I’m completely against declawing cats for any reason. If you’ve never taken the time to learn about why you should never consider declawing cats for any reason, then please read this article. If you’re considering a Maine Coon Breeding Program, then this article should help you gauge some of the expenses to expect.

Here are some other helpful articles you might enjoy:

• How to Introduce a Kitten to a Cat or Dog
• Why Do Cats Sleep at the Foot of the Bed?
• Ten Additional Items You Need to Go with your New Kitten
• Maine Coon Kittens for Sale