The Unexpected Costs of Owning a Dog or Cat

I’ve recently encountered a situation with a pet that made me run the numbers. Now, before you alert PETA, please get through the post. As a twenty-something, this is my first time encountering this situation as the ‘paying’ owner of an animal. Warning – don’t read this if you’re about to eat.

The ‘Crappy’ Situation – A Cat Can Cost a Lot

About two months ago, one of our cats began to have uncontrollable diarrhea. It was here, there, everywhere. If you’re a non-virtual friend, you might want to watch where you sit when visiting (I kid, I kid). So we locked her in a bathroom, took her to a vet the next day, and got a diagnosis that it was a bug of some sort. Vet bill = $180.

To make a long story short, 1 more vet, 4 more messy ‘incidents’, 4 more vet visits, 3 diagnoses, 2 months, 4 different cat foods, and another $200 later, we’ve come to the conclusion that she has ‘Kitty Crohn’s’ – the most glamorous of the inflammatory bowel diseases. This is a chronic condition that we’ll have to treat from here on out, so long as she’s alive.

The Buck Doesn’t Stop There, Pet Meds Galore

Armed with some new meds, we’re crossing our fingers that we’ve finally diagnosed this thing and know what’s ahead (although we thought that we did after each of the previous 3 diagnoses as well). What we do know is that if this most recent diagnosis is dead on, then we will pay $2 a day for a pill for the rest of her life.

If we’re wrong, surgery and a biopsy is need, which surprisingly would only be an additional $100. From there on out, who knows. As I see it, there are three ways of looking at a pet’s expenses in the grand scheme of life.

The Rational Way of Looking at a Pet’s Expenses

Before I go into the humane way to look at a pet’s expenses, I have to show the other side of the coin when it comes to chronic conditions in your pet that must be addressed. Just to be clear, this is not how I look at a pet, but I can imagine there are some/many who do, and for good reason:

1. Figure out the cost per year to keep your animal alive, healthy, and happy.
2. Figure out your pet’s average life expectancy, subtract your pet’s age, in order to come up with a ‘he/she has probably this much time left number’, in years.
3. Multiply the cost per year by the number of years of life expectancy to get a ‘grand total to keep this pet alive’ number.
4. Find out how much your species or breed costs on the open market and compare your ‘keep the animal alive’ number to the cost for a new pet. If the ‘alive’ number is significantly more, put the pet to sleep and get a new one.

The Humane Way of Looking at a Pet’s Expenses

1. Get assurance that if the expenses are paid the animal will be able to live healthy and happy. If the animal is not going to be happy and healthy, then you may want to consider putting it to sleep.
2. Is the amount needed to keep the animal happy and healthy within reason and not going to alter your financial situation?
3. If yes, pay it. If no, actively seek a kind soul who is willing to take the animal and care for it. There are people out there with money who are looking to do just this.

The Inhumane Way of Looking at a Pet’s Expenses

There’s a third option out there. There are those people who pay the money knowing full well that the pet is probably not going to be happy and healthy afterwards. They may do this out of guilt, greed, or whatever reason just to keep their animal alive. I think this is the least preferred method of addressing a pet’s health situation, but to each his own.

Doing the Math on my ‘Crappy’ Situation

Back to the situation I’m in. I’m already out $400, which is a sunk cost, so I’m not going to worry about it. The cat is 4 years old, and an indoor cat’s life expectancy is 12-15 years. Running the math, it’ll cost me $730/per year to keep her happy and healthy. If she lives to the bottom end of the life expectancy number, it’ll cost me a grand total of $5,800. At the upper end, it’ll cost me $8,030.

I’m looking at this thinking that I really love my cat. She’s friendly, smart, and a good companion. I know that I can go down to the humane society and get a new cat right now for ‘free’. But so long as I’m paying the $2 per day, I know that I can keep my cat happy and healthy, and that seems to be a small price to pay for the good companionship. Should the expense be a one-time $8,030 hit, I would most likely re-evaluate the situation, but it’s not. She’s in good hands. By the way, she’s laying on my lap and purring while I type this.

Pet Expense Discussion

• Do you look at pet expenses rationally or humanely?
• What’s the max you would pay to keep your pet alive?
• What pet expense or other fun pet stories do you have?
• Whatever else is on your mind regarding this topic.

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