How Much Does a Cat Cost per Month?

The following estimations will not apply exactly to every cat and every situation. They’re just for orientation. There’s a detailed article about each topic to explain costs and give you useful information and tips.

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Monthly Costs

• Food: $8-120 a month

If all goes well, a cat won’t have to visit the vet often. However, food costs will have to be paid regularly and shouldn’t be underestimated. It always depends if you would like to give your cat very expensive food or fall back on cheaper food. You can find important information about food and costs in the article How Much Food Does a Cat Need, and How Expensive is it?

• Cat litter: $5-10 a month

This price can vary a lot. It depends how often your cat uses the litter box. Outdoor cats don’t use it as much. It also depends how many cats you have and how often you completely change the litter. As with food, there are cheaper and more expensive options. A lower price tag doesn’t automatically mean it’ll smell! It’s best to try out a few different litters.

• Vet: $30-130 a year

You can find out more about regular vaccinations, worming, illnesses and operations in the Costs for Veterinarian Treatments article.

One-Off Costs

• Basic equipment: from $86

What basic equipment do you need? A litter box and two bowls, of course. But a cat will only feel at home when it has a cat bed and a scratching post. Find out more about what basic kit your cat will need.

• Cat toys: from $2

Cat toys don’t have to be expensive, they just have to be interesting. Sometimes a piece of string is all you need, but you can also get challenging toys. Find out more about how much cat toy costs.

• Cat insurance: $120-240 a year

If you take out a pet insurance policy, you don’t need to worry about paying for surprise illnesses. A cat can develop serious dental problems, hurt its eye fighting another cat, or even get run over by a car. They could need expensive operations that a pet insurance policy would cover. In some cases, they will even pay for annual vaccinations.

• Vacation care: $12-20 per hour, $12-50 a day

You can find out more about cat sitters, all day care and catteries in the article Cat Sitters and Catteries.

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• Table of Contents:
• 0. Introduction
• 1. List of Monthly Expenses