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Thread: Pet Expense

  1. #1
    Serpent of Flame Keilyn's Avatar
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    Default Pet Expense

    When I started living alone again, I kept track of all my expenses in every area out of curiosity to see how much everything cost. I remember always having cats growing up and so I brought in a cat for a small period of time because my mother was going to go on vacation. After her vacation was over, the cat remained here for six months before returning the cat to her.

    The truth of the matter is that taking care of pets has become expensive, contrary to what the MSPCA, where adopting a cat is harder than adopting a baby. MSPCA is "Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals." This organization is all about animal rights and to my experience with all my pets are a very intrusive organization and misleading organization.

    They argued that one should adopt a cat and that it would only cost a household roughly $200 a year.

    Below are the real costs associated for actually having a cat:

    Avg. Monthly Consumption of Dry Cat Food (18lbs) - $24
    Avg. Monthly Consumption of Wet Cat Food (60 cans) - $30
    Avg. Monthly Cost of Cat Litter - $11

    Deodorizer and Disinfectant cleaning agents (per three months) - $16

    Areas of cost I did not factor, but exist:

    The Cost of water fed daily to a cat
    Animal Health insurance (some states one has to have it to claim ownership)
    Catnip and Cat Structures
    Protection for Furniture
    Damages to Property and Furniture
    Labor (Picking up after the cat)
    Patching one-self up (In case the cat does bite or scratch you)

    Changing my own schedule in order to make it home every 12 hours in order to actually feed the cat.

    After six months I said "I love cats, but I don't want them anymore....because taking care of them actually costs more money than it does taking care of another adult human being... and I also hate the propaganda caused by the Animal Shelter and the MSPCA along with the discrimination.....

    If an individual receives food stamps, the shelter will ration and give out cat food and supplies to the family for free. However, if the individual does not get any governmental benefit, they have to actually pay full price for the food which is more expensive than buying the food at the store, but they have everything there...

    One thing I tried, which lowered my costs was that I ordered a lot of things online and paid a bulk-rate shipping and I also joined different wholesale clubs that are kinder towards the prices of Pet Food.

    However, the lowest I ever spent on taking care of a cat per month after all the math was taken care of was $42.51 per month, not counting everything else I had to penny-pinch for. Interesting enough is that I noticed that for myself as one person I spend $20 -$30 a week on food. I was spending at least $10 a week on Cat Food at the marketplace simply because the food pets eat are specific. If it was another person, I could just make a bigger portion of food to be divided among two people and it becomes simpler and less expensive.

    However, there are a lot of foods that are for 2+ people like those blasted PIZZA boxes that one can get for $4 - $8, which I remember I stopped buying those because I was just a single person....

    The very best way I lowered my own food costs to $20 - 25 a week is simply that I know how to cook and do prep work and I actually prepare a lot of things to be used for the week on Sunday. From Sauces, to Broths, to bread-dough, to Sofrito, and even slicing up vegetables that I put in vinegar and oil to use for recipes. I knew where to shop and found that last month I spent $70 on food for myself and was pretty happy about it due to improving efficiency. (The average household wastes a third of their money spent on food. A lot of food is thrown away and not used)

    I do like animals, but the Nazi-Like MSPCA is very demanding and the food costs associated with pets are always on the rise. Once I returned the cat to my mother, life became far easier and believe it or not, I don't miss the cat that much anymore because it means that I actually don't have to chase after it.....

    I wonder...
    How much does it cost for anyone reading this to take care of your pets? Is it as expensive as what I am paying? I know a person who spends nearly $100 a month on their dog. I don't know if that is cheap or expensive, but then again it does vary on breed.
    PSO-2 Info: Ship: 2; ID: セツナヤキ; MCN: ケイリン
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  2. #2
    Space Hobobo Bo Bobo yoshiblue's Avatar
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    For several dogs and cats, uh...
    $24 x 2 for dog food
    $20 for cat food
    $15 for litter

    That's without coupons or anything. So around 84'ish dollars a month, depending on how fast they go through everything and if I don't try to cut any corners. Like store brand foods and stuff. Having scratching posts and cardboard to claw helps prevent damage to everything else. Picking up after a cat isn't as bad as a dog, or at least it shouldn't. Also helps when your family has been into pets for years, so you get handed down bowls, bins and posts. Guess it all depends on your pet's temperament as well.

  3. #3

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    I've got my Buddy, an 11 year old cocker spaniel. Had him since he was a puppy.

    But he's getting on in years.

    He has to have certain food, which is not cheap. That's about $50 every couple months.

    He has to have his ears checked out for ear infections every 3 months. That's $40 a visit, even more if they find anything.

    He has arthritis. So he takes pain meds, and a vitamin supplement to boost his joint strength. That's $100 every 120 pills, and $50 for 25 vitamin supplements.

    The amount of water he drinks really doesn't add to much to my water usage(Hardly use any water so it's hard to really single it out), but it's not cheap.

  4. #4
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    I don't have any pets, so I just settle for looking at cat/dog pictures online.

    Best of all... it's free!
    Quote Originally Posted by Keilyn View Post
    She goes into the boy's room and finds a shrine of herself there. The boy appears and tells her that her entire family is dead, where he chains her up....commits a rather heinous crime. Proceeds to murder her and leave her for dead...and then the game closes with a graphic representation and sounds of her being buried and seeing herself from the heavens being buried.

  5. #5
    Serpent of Flame Keilyn's Avatar
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    The thing is that I always end up with a cat.....

    Usually is taking turns with taking care of my mother's cat. Though I usually train these animals on certain things. There are certain elements to consider from cats. I am back to having my mother's cat again..

    Strengths:

    Felidae have faster physical healing that human beings and can smell and hear better than humans. The felids have amazing speed and agility for a creature their size.

    Weaknesses:

    felids have virtually no immunity to toxins, but they are able to smell the toxins that we can not (monoxide) but will be subdued by them relatively quickly. They will usually run in the opposite direction. All my felids will run the opposite direction of a heavy toxin to escape its smell. Even Bleach can have an effect on a small felid.

    note: If you are wondering what I mean by Felids...

    Felidae is the species/genus name for the family of cats
    Canidae is the species/genus name for dogs.

    However, Canidae are subspecies of Canis Lupus (Gray Wolves) and other wolves. That idiotic commercial that tells you that Cats are subspecies of Lynx are WRONG. Felidae are split into two types. One type is large cats, the other is smaller cats. Lynx do have resemblance but it is far more complex.

    I took an interest to dogs and cats and I learned some of their history and I can treat up to moderate skeletal wounds on dogs and cats, but anything beyond that is way beyond my own skill to heal.
    PSO-2 Info: Ship: 2; ID: セツナヤキ; MCN: ケイリン
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  6. #6
    Space Hobobo Bo Bobo yoshiblue's Avatar
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    Relax, Mr. Spock. I'm not sure if you're trying to find a reason to avoid owning a cat or not, but dog or cat, if they receive a serious injury you take them to the vet, or a trained professional. Which costs money, but hey. It also depends on the environment you're living in. Toxins and broken bones shouldn't be a serious issue unless your enabling them to do crazy stuff or constantly cleaning your house with bleach or something. Are you afraid it will get into fights with other animals?

  7. #7

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    I spend a moderate amount though I probably need to find a second job to fully be able to support myself. =/

    I love my cats though so even though they hate the trips to the vet I'm doing this for their own good. Good thing my radio in my car is working. lol
    --------------------------------------------------
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    Planning to replay PSU (ep1 and 2) for story and gameplay, PSZ and PSP2 offline mode Only Also I'm keeping my FC for psz up though the Network Mode is closed.

  8. #8
    Serpent of Flame Keilyn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by yoshiblue View Post
    Relax, Mr. Spock. I'm not sure if you're trying to find a reason to avoid owning a cat or not, but dog or cat, if they receive a serious injury you take them to the vet, or a trained professional. Which costs money, but hey. It also depends on the environment you're living in. Toxins and broken bones shouldn't be a serious issue unless your enabling them to do crazy stuff or constantly cleaning your house with bleach or something. Are you afraid it will get into fights with other animals?
    Right now I am on the fence about owning cats or dogs due to the way that pet food has been increasing in price. I love animals and have always had a cat. but it got to the point where taking care of a cat here costs just as much as feeding and taking of a human being. 15 years ago, it cost $25 a month to take care of a cat. I remember buying a litter box and cat litter for $5 and a month supply of cans and dry cat food would cost under $20.

    My neighbor has two dogs and two cats and it costs her $150 - $200 a month to actually take care of them. I asked her "Is that little or alot? I know mostly about cats" and she said it used to cost her under $100 and the food was a lot better 10 years ago...

    What I currently do is that since I live on my own, sometimes I take care of my mother's cat for months at time, and we go back and forth in taking the expense to take care of the cat.
    PSO-2 Info: Ship: 2; ID: セツナヤキ; MCN: ケイリン
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  9. #9
    Space Hobobo Bo Bobo yoshiblue's Avatar
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    Well for the choosing part, what kind of pet do you want to have? Do you want a dog who tend to show more direct affection, lingers around you more, requires a bit more training (potty training) and occasional exercise (or walks) to stay healthy? Or do you want a cat, which you understand better, and for what I know shows passive affection, are more willing to spend time apart, less training (more expensive options though), and exercise of a different method to keep healthy (cat structures as mentioned and a common theme of letting them roam outside for a while)?

    This next bit will be iffy because it depends on how much you want to spoil your pets. One way of saving costs is to feed them less dry/wet food and give them more "human" foods. While i'm more willing to do this with dogs than cats, it could help cut costs by allowing you to use up fewer bags and pick up more ingredients for your refrigerator. So more meats and vegetables for yourself and your pet depending on how picky your cat or dog is. I often forget how potentially unhealthy this is to a pet, so it may explain why i'm more willing to give my pets extra meats/meat strips and such. That said, it should be a gradual thing and not something you switch to right away; and if you're unsure which foods work or not, you could always ask a vet.

    All 'n all, this also really depends on if you want to make this investment or not. From the sounds of it, sharing a pet sounds like a great idea. It allows you to fill that pet need while also strengthening the bond between you and the other person, and you ideally won't have to spend more than you have to. If you no longer wish to continue this though, I wouldn't mock you. Since it would allow you to save on gas and redirect your time on other things.

  10. #10

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    You did the right thing. I won't push the money issue to my gf anymore because she doesn't mind covering for it and I figured I don't mind living with a pet around if it means living with her (it's still a big compromise, but I still very much love her, so it more than breaks even in the end). And the thing is, to me? Even if pets would be zero-cost, the sum of every potentially positive aspects of owning a pet do not outweigh any singular negative aspect of owning a pet. Yeah, that's how little of a pet person I am.

    Don't get me wrong, I still like the (60lbs) dog and love to play with it from time to time (gotta make do with whatever positive there is to get, after all), but it's hard for me to stomach all the drain on our individual lives - financial or not - it has at times (gotta love when it feels like barking every 45 minutes for random shit from 7PM until 1AM when I have to go to work AT 1AM and lose every semblance of a chance to get any sleep at all before guard duty. Especially great when it can take me between 45 to 120 minutes to fall asleep).

    And we currently live in a remote community in the arctic, so whenever it flies, that's 100$ extra PER plane. And the most direct flights back home are 3 planes away, so that's 600$ extra per year just there IF we don't fly out anywhere on school breaks or to travel in the summer (because if we do, gotta either ship him somewhere or having it be taken cared of which, either way, will come up to extra cost there).

    It's covered with a pretty decent life/health insurance, but I think it comes to just 12$ per month. It's getting decent food, so that's 70$ per month there... hmmm, toys and all probably comes down to 5$ per month if you spread it over, and dental hygiene (because screw paying for a dog dentist, those are super expensive) is about 6$ per month. Treats are probably 2$ per month total (we go easy on them). And ALL IN ALL, it isn't a bad dog, super well behaved (for the most part, not great at NOT barking), so I wouldn't even imagine myself being able to deal with worse, or, you know, cat-nonsense (I've lived with cats that friends took care of, and NOPE).

    Total* cost per month for our current condition:
    145$

    Take 50$ off that if we wouldn't fly the dog around.

    *expenses NOT accounted for: medication that isn't covered, inevitable accidental damage to clothes/furniture/items from action or "existing" (dogs sure can shed), cost of various devices for transportation which some might only last a year or two max (for the car mostly, but to be able to fly your dog you gotta have an approved crate for it; it doesn't come with the plane ticket cost), SOLID loss of value of any and every vehicle attempted to be sold after having been "exposed" to the dog for a period of 3 months or more.

    P.S.: all costs shown in CAN dollars.

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