Are you prepared for a companion animal?

Pets are expensive. When I lost one cat to illness, leaving me with one 16-year-old cat in early stage kidney disease, I saw my food, water and litter expenses nearly cut in half. However, the veterinarian visits remain about the same as I need to monitor how quickly the kidney disease is progressing. Having a robust emergency fund is helpful when your pet is sick as debating cost of treatment versus current resources is a difficult choice when you would rather consider is the treatment going to add to your companion's quality of life?

Here are a few strategies for keeping pet costs from sinking your spending plan:

Put pet costs as a line item in your budget. I quickly noticed that without a category for "Cat care", I easily blew my budget when I had to purchase anything for my cats. When I did put in a category, I found that costs were less troublesome to manage and I was less stressed about that large purchase of cat litter or treat of canned food. Make sure veterinary visits are covered. Hopefully, your pet is in good health and visits will be no more than once a year. Add a little extra to the spending plan for chronic diseases or unexpected illness. This amount will need to be adjusted if there is prescription food or medication is required for continued health.

Start a savings fund. If I had any money left from my "Cat care" category, I put it in a savings account. This would help with the vet costs or if anything changed in the pet's treatment. My cats have undergone teeth cleaning, surgery, antibiotic treatment, overnight visits to the vet and various diagnostic tests. These costs really add up, another argument for funding a pet expense fund or reinforcing your emergency fund. I have raided my emergency fund more than a few times due to cats visiting the vet, undergoing a battery of tests and dealing with the diagnosis. Save more than you think you will need. Depending on where you are, pet treatment can get very expensive.

If you are in the "considering a pet" stage, start saving now so you have a cushion when you select your companion animal as expenses can quickly add up.

Keep fewer or smaller animals. I could afford two cats without too much trouble, but it was definitely harder in graduate school when I less income. However, there is a big difference between one and two cats when it came to expenses. I have had a rat, several lizards and fish in previous years. All of these animals were less expensive to keep than my furry felines and rewarding companions in very different ways.

Make sure the animal is right for your lifestyle. A cat is a better choice for someone who is not home during the day rather than a dog that needs regular attention, letting outside and walking. A smaller animal requires less time for cleaning and caring than a large one. Be sure the animal suits your interests and time commitment.

And finally, a piece of advice:

Commit fully to taking care of your companion animal. By taking in an animal, you are committing to his or her well-being. Are you ready to see your pet through to the end of her life? Aging animals become more expensive and can develop chronic, expensive illnesses. There may come a time you will have to consider euthanasia. Becoming the caretaker of any living creature is a great responsibility. Make sure you are ready, both emotionally and fiscally, for all that is involved in dealing with your animal companion.

Knowing how expensive my cats can be, I am still glad I was able to care for them. Both have given me unconditional love and I am committed to being with them for their entire life's journey. As with everything in life: hope for the best, prepare for the worst and love your life's companions whatever form he or she takes.

Exposed! The truth about my spending plan

Today I asked my cats their thoughts on our finances, our housing situation and our spending plan. A. is my nearly 15-year-old calico and C. is my approximately 13-year-old tortishell (she does not like to reveal her exact age). They had plenty to say on the subjects discussed and their comments are transcribed by me below. The lack of opposable thumbs is a challenge for typing although my friend W. insists he has received e-mails from the cats.


F.P.: You two have been living with me for over 13 years [A.] and nearly 12 years [C.] now. How would you compare our finances from when you first met me to our circumstances now?
A. [yawns and stretches from where I disturbed her with my questions while napping]: Meraaow. Meow-meow.
Translation: Far superior. You were only a graduate student when I first came to live with you and you make tons more money now. Finally I can get the good stuff.
C. [walks into the room]: Merow.
Translation: The sink in the first apartment was better for stretching in. Of course, I have gotten bigger over the years...


F.P.: Speaking of apartments, how do you like the house compared to our previous rental residences?
A. [starts licking paw and washing her face]: Merow. Marraow, meow. Mew.
Translation: The places have gotten bigger over time. I did not like it when you first brought C. home and frankly, I am still not fond of her. Still, I put up with the imposition for the many sunny spots and high places from which to leap on C. I need many soft, squishy spots in my elder years.
C. [places front paws next to me and noses my hand inquisitively]: Meow. Mew. Meow.
Translation: When will you get off the computer and pet me? I do not care where I live as long as there is fresh food and water, clean litter boxes and someone to clean up after me.


F.P.: Over the years, you two have become more expensive. With prescription diets, surgery, teeth cleanings, annual check ups, kitty litter, cat toys, scratching boards and medications, it adds up every year. When will you two get a job to help me pay for all this?
A. [looks out the window at cars passing by]: Meyaow. Mew, meow. Meraaow.
Translation: You have kept me in the lifestyle to which I am accustomed. Now that I am a geriatric queen, you want me to work? Foolish human. I have better things to do like napping.
C. [stretches out in the floor in a sunny spot]: Meraow, meow. Meroow.
Translation: I would rather not take those nasty pills you keep shoving down my throat. That is a $10 savings right there! Besides, you were the one to choose the more expensive wheat and pine litter. And stop buying Swheat Scoop. I do not like it anymore.


F.P. : I have been telling my readers about saving for a new car, a new MacBook Pro and for a small farm in the country. What do you think of my future plans?
A. [jumps down from the commode onto the chair and settles in]: Meow, mew. Meraow, meaow.
Translation: You know I do not care for the outdoors so whatever about the farm. I hate cars because you only take me in one to torment me. As if you need another computer to distract you from paying attention to me. Now leave me alone. I need my beauty rest.
C. [stares at me waiting for something more interesting to come along]: Mew. Meow, mew. Meraaow.
Translation: I hate your computer. Like you need another attention-stealing device! I hate your car. Nasty, torturous metal box. The farm could be interesting. I do like playing with mice and if you have chickens, I would love to chase those!

Well, the girls are getting rebellious so I will end our conversation now. The cats have seen me through debt and savings, financial worries and triumphs as well as costing me a pretty penny to maintain their cushy lifestyle and pay their vet bills. If you have any questions for them (or me), just comment and I may broach the subject later. Preferably after they have had their required 18 hours of sleep.



Happy April Fool's Day!

Cat toy creativity

I have purchased many toys for my cats over the years: roly-poly balls with bells inside, fur-covered mice, catnip-stuffed items, faux-fur snakes, fish with ribbon tail fins and a tennis ball. However, the many years with my cats have yield some consistent favorites: a well-mangled fabric mouse stuffed with catnip, a partially mangled burlap mouse stuffed with fiber-fill and catnip, and for my older cat, her Pound Puppy. How do I know these are their favorites? I have a basket in which I place all the cat toys and the favorites are the ones consistently retrieved and used. (The Pound Puppy migrates from room-to-room in the house.)

Since I needed to pick up some Hairball Remedy for the cats at the pet store, I was exposed to all the potential cat toys an owner can purchase for her cats. I stared at the variety of items and knew my cats really liked catnip toys. I almost bought another one since that mangled mouse was several years old and looking to be perforated in the near future. Then I recalled I am trying to be more self-sufficient. I have catnip at home and lots of fabric scraps. I could sew my cats a new catnip-filled toy.

So rather than buying new, I patched the burlap mouse that had fiberfill exposed (not great for cat digestive systems) with some leftover denim. I had some worry the cats would now ignore the toy, but was happily proven wrong. Then I found a nearly full bag of catnip that had not been touched for some years, explored my stash of fabric and used my sewing machine to create a 2 inch by 2 inch square bag in which to dump the found catnip. One more row of stitching to keep the catnip from flying around and I tossed the new toy on the floor. Within seconds, my cats were licking and drooling all over the newest catnip toy. Success!

These two toys, repaired and new, cost me some time, fabric and thread. I kept what my cats had in good shape, added to their (addictive) entertainment and kept $5.59 plus tax in my pocket. With this achievement behind me, I plan on considering other ways to add to the cat's collection by using what I have on hand and some creativity rather than buying new. I could even grow my own catnip!

Saving money on a cat expense

While there are many things about cat ownership that I am less-than-pleased with, my cats do use the sisal scratching boards I provide them. I try to have at least two on the living room floor to minimize any territorial issues between my two cats. Since declawing means essentially removing the equivalent of the first knuckle on human hands, I refuse to subject my cats to such mutilation. In my experience, any damage to furniture is minimized with access to acceptable outlets (e.g., Sisal Scratcher) and by covering vulnerable furniture.

However, even cat scratchers, sisal or otherwise, become worn out. Since the scratching posts I use are sisal rope wrapped around a wooden board, I figured out a way to reuse them. I removed the frayed sisal rope and added it to my composter (sisal is a grass and therefore, biodegradeable). After studying the construction of the sisal scratching board, I purchased sisal rope from the hardware store and borrowed my mother's staple gun. I secured the ends of the rope with three staples and then tightly wound the sisal rope around the board. Reaching the end of the board, I secured the end with staples and cut off the excess rope. Although it took me some time and I ended up with lots of twisted rope (and tired hands), I managed to reuse the scratcher boards to create a new scratching surface for my cats.

Reluctant kitties can be lured with catnip, but my geriatric cats (nearly 13 and 15) recognize that the sisal rope boards on the floor are theirs to use as needed. My older cat has used the revived scratcher without any issues and I am proud of my handiwork. Again, I minimized my garbage footprint by keeping the boards out of a landfill. With a small outlay of cash ($5 for rope) and about 30 minutes of my time, I generated two scratching boards for my cats to use that should last another few years before making them again. Since each new sisal scratching board costs $12 a piece, I saved nearly $20 with this project. I wish I had figured this reuse project sooner!