Your Guide to getting a cat and the costs involved

One of our biggest challenges at Hunter Valley Cat Haven is educating people. It starts with someone getting the notion to get a pet. Ask yourselves to do you have the time and the money? The average Cat lives to around 15 years old but they can go on into there 20s. That's right that cute little kitty is gonna be part of your home for as long as if you had a kid.Although thankfully I've yet to have a cat post toast in the dvd player.

   For the initial start up cost lets assume you have decided to do the right thing and re home a rescue Kitten. Hey your reading this after all.That tells me your a responsible good willed sort.

Your rescue cat (desexed Vaxed and microchipped) is going to cost $100 -$150
You are going to need a carrier to bring it home (The law in NSW states all animals must be secured in cars)  $30
Food and water bowls $10
Litter tray$10
Toys $10
A cat bed is not essential but your new pal will appreciate it unless its a contrary sort that would rather you slept on the pet bed and it took the queen bed with ensuite  $30
Council registration $40
Basic scratching post again not essential but your furniture will thank you,oh boy will your furniture thank you. Hey if your crafty you could even make your own! $20

  So at the lower end we are looking at $250 However compare that with a "free" kitten. Factor in desexing at around $100 Microchipping at around $50 and vaccinations x 3 coming in around $150 and your "free" kitten suddenly cost you twice as much. Not to mention the running about getting it to the vet and hey it lacks the feel good factor of rehoming via a rescue. 

People often think they can cut costs by not having their cat desexed and vaccinated and allowing them to roam. Yes it may save money in the short term but long term its likely to end up more costly. If you have a female chances are she will get pregnant. This gets expensive.  An unvaccinated free roaming cat of either sex is more likely to pick up diseases and medical treatment can be costly. A free roaming cat is more likely to be attacked by a dog or hit by a car or unfortunately even an scrupulous person those vet emergencies are going to hit you in the pocket hard.

Weekly costs of owning a cat lets say
Food $10
Litter $8
worming /flea treatments $2.50
Insurance $3.80    

around $24.30. I highly recommend having pet insurance! Then there is a cattery if you go away or maybe like us your lucky enough to have friends to make use of your foxtel and aircon cat sit.

So you have the facts and decide you can do this. Yay go you, your awesome. Now lets consider the type of cat or kitten your going to re home. Do you lead busy lives? How often are you home? How much time can you devote? I asked myself all these questions and more before we got our rescue baby. I am a busy mum with 5 children including an active toddler. It would have been hard work to bring home a cute fluffy young kitten that requires a lot of attention. Kittens do scratch. Toddlers are rough. I'm potty training a toddler could I cope with a kitten that would likely still have accidents too?

I made the choice to re home a Juvenile or older cat. One that was big enough to get out of the way of my toddler when needed and unlike the toddler know that doing its buisness on my best rug wasnt the best idea. I had great plans I would choose a male tabby.

Heres what actually happened. I rang up and arranged to come look at older cats after been told they had cats of every colour variety.  I didn't choose one. SHE the non tabby picked us. I'm told this happens so often! She in the space of a year has wormed her way into our hearts. She ignores her pet bed choosing to sleep with whoever of our family of seven is in favour and we seem to compete for this honour. Sometimes shes playful, sometimes shes a docile lap cat. What she is first and foremost is part of our family. She has taught the kids so much about responsibility.  They fight over whose turn it is to feed her and argue over who is supposed to be doing the litter tray. She's better than a hot water bottle on cold winter nights. Oh and she eats spiders for that alone she is my BFF. Would I recommend re homing a rescue cat? Hell yeah.