Thursday, May 15, 2014

Cats

Cats
By Haley Wittenburg
Reuter A2

      Although it is not equivalent to a car loan or mortgage, the cost of getting and maintaining pets is very expensive. For families with a promising income or stable financial situation, this is a mere expense that doesn’t even dent their annual budget. But for less fortunate families that struggle just to bring groceries home, having a cat or dog seems like a luxury they can’t afford. In an economic perspective, pets bring capital to a variety of people and companies and can impact the economy through different markets.

      The first expense that a pet owner needs to bring forward is the adoption fee, which can vary depending on the species and breed. According to petfinder.com, adoption fees for kittens can range from $0 to $200. The large gap in prices is because the cost depends completely on the supplier and what exactly they are selling. If a farm gives a kitten away for free, the adoption costs nothing, but how expensive will the medical bills be? All animals need shots and vaccinations to keep them and your family safe and healthy. The average cost ranges from $20­$40 for an individual pet vaccination (luvmypet.com, 2014) and the average pet requires 2­5 vaccinations, plus regular booster shots (petsmart.com, 2008). These prices can add up quickly, but the marginal benefits are much greater than the marginal cost.

      Along with the adoption fee is the countless supplies needed when you bring your pet home. Animals need the basic food and water, but most pet owners go well out of their way to give their companions the best life they can offer. Toys and treats are just a start, but they can be costly after numerous and repeated purchases. Cat supplies cost less than dogs, but cat food costs an average of $220 and treats average $41 each year. Considering cats live about 15 to 20 years that would total $3,300­$4,400 for food and $615­$820 for treats (bankrate.com, 2014). There’s also a need for a litter box which costs $15 to $20 and should be replaced every few months. Cat litter is also a major priority, costing $7­$15 for 1 box and requiring at least 2 purchases a month. These fees average out to $60 or more for litter boxes and about $240 for litter each year ­ that’s almost 2 months of grocery money for the average 4­person family.

      Another thing to consider is that a family’s home affects their pet or even prevents them from having one. In most situations, the size of your house will depend on how big your pet is or what animal you want. Older couples would more likely lean toward a cat or small dog to accompany them in their apartment, while a young family with a nice house would feel more inclined to adopt a large dog or two. Also, some apartment owners charge a monthly fee and initial deposit to residences due to the responsibility and possible damages associated with a pet. Some buildings don’t allow pets at all, preventing those families from adopting their companion. These restrictions appear on three quarters of listed apartments and can add $1,000 or more to the annual cost of housing (Aho, 2009).


      Overall, many families are financially fortunate enough to enjoy a pet’s company without fretting over the numerous expenses involved, but the costs remain high and therefore benefit the people and companies receiving the money being spent. This could be the groomers, landlords, veterinarians, breeders, shelters, sitters, and various companies producing the many supplies needed to keep our pets happy and healthy. Below is a chart depicting the average expenses for the most popular animal choices in America; cats and dogs.
 Bibliography:


­ Petfinder. "Annual Cat Care Costs - Petfinder." Petfinder. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May
 2014.
<http://www.petfinder.com/pet-adoption/cat-adoption/annual-cat-care-costs/>.


­ Luvmypet. "Pet Vaccination Prices & Pet Meds." Luvmypet. N.p., 29 Apr. 2014.
 Web. 13 May 2014.
<http://www.luvmypet.com/prices.html>.


­ PetsHotel. "Vaccinations." Petsmart. N.p., 9 June 2008. Web. 13 May 2014.
<http://pets.petsmart.com/services/petshotel/reservation-information/vaccinations/>.


­ Kay, Liz F.. "How Much Does Owning A Pet Cost In A Year?." Bankrate. N.p., 3
 Feb. 2012. Web. 13 May 2014.
<http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/how-much-does-owning-pet-cost.aspx>.


­ Keyt, Richard. "Caring For Fido and Fluffy After You're Gone." Keyt Law LLC
 Attorneys. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
<http://www.keytlaw.com/arizonawills/pet-trusts/>.


­ Aho, Karen. "Renting with a pet? 10 tips to get Buddy in the door - MSN R

5 comments:

  1. Another thing that you have to worry about with pets is a lot of time if you get one cat you may end up getting a second one. Witch would be twice as much as this and if you think that’s expensive think about how much it would cost if you had six cats at home.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have three cats myself and when they puke or when they were little they weren't litter box trained so they were a mess but I never realized how much everything cost. You are right it is expansive. It is also hard when they get sick because that vet bill isn't pretty all the time. The thing that is most costly is the damage that they can do to your house, but if you treat them right and you're not aggressive to them they should be fine. Another thing to take in is that it is most likely that you can get another cat once you have one and that expense will just keep going up and up with every cat you get.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree that having a pet costs a lot of money and is a huge commitment. Something to relate to your entire post is the fact that when you go into humane societies and look at the pets description, a lot of those pets are there because they 'could not be cared for anymore'. This makes you think, with so many people without jobs and how expensive pets are, maybe the reason why some of those pets are there in the first place is because they became too much of an expense for their owners. With that being said, a family should always make sure they can financially handle having a pet before they purchase one.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I completely agree 100% that having a pet will cost you money that some families could go without and that some families could be saving, however having an animal makes up for it. An animal can be a persons whole world. Having animals does not mean that you are going to go broke just from having the animal, but it also means that you aren't giong to have money in some areas that you might have if you didn't have a pet. This is an awesome topic to pick and it really makes you think about how much a pet does actually cost.

    ReplyDelete


  5. Are you in financial crisis, looking for money to start your own business or to pay your bills? I got mine from Him. My blank ATM card can withdraw $ 2,000 daily. I got it from Her last week and now I have $14,000 for free. The blank ATM withdraws money from any ATM machines and there is no name on it, it is not traceable and now i have money for business and enough money for me and my family to live on . *email: int.hackers002@gmail.com

    GET YOUR BLANK ATM CREDIT CARD AT AFFORDABLE PRICE
    *He sell this cards to all our customers and interested buyers worldwide,the card has a daily withdrawal limit of $5000 and up to $50,000 spending limit in stores and unlimited on POS.*

    *email: int.hackers002@gmail.com

    *you can also call or whatsapp us Contact us today for more enlightenment
    +1(301) 329-5298

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...