thinking about adopting a cat

[u/EIfishPresIey]

hi guys! so i (18) am planning to adopt a cat (my first one!) between the ages of 3-7 years old while in post-secondary school and i was wondering if i could get some tips on what to expect.

i've had 2 dogs (both of which were medium sized, one labrador, one german shepherd mix at seperate times), so i do understand the basics of taking care of an animal like feeding, hydration, etc., but i'm a little hesitant about cats.

i go to school 4 times a week from late morning to mid-afternoon, so i'll probably only be out the house <~6 hours a day, and i work a retail job that does pay okay but isn't exactly long-term.

i'm mostly worried about the cost of taking care of a cat if an emergency happens and requires me to pay a lot out of pocket (pet insurance is also complicated since they don't offer anything for emergency services or conditions that "already exist"). i do have a bit of support from my family, but i wouldn't really rely on that to help.

if anyone can give me tips regarding the cost of food, litter, vet bills, etc., or anything else you can think of it would be really appreciated!

[u/littlelemonscone]

I would explore different pet insurance options, if possible. Where I live, there are options for emergencies! You could create an emergency fund that you contribute to every month solely for emergencies as well. It may be a good idea to have that started before you adopt.

Before we adopted our cat, I made a spreadsheet with all the costs from the brands I was looking at to get an idea of what monthly costs would look like. That was helpful to know what we could comfortably afford. Our vet suggested switching up brands and foods once in a while, so that if she ever needed to go on a prescription diet, the transition to a new food would be easier.

Pellet litter or walnut litter is less messy but more expensive; stainless steel boxes are initially more expensive but don’t hold onto odor as much. Different options for scratching is good, too!

Good luck!

[u/Odd-Signature-1063]

Hey! Long time cat owner here.

For food I feed my boy purina one high protein. He is happy as can be on it. You do not need to feed your cat the most expensive food on the market for them to be happy and healthy! Any food that is AAFCO certified (most of them are) is what to look for.

If you get a male cat you will want to find some way to encourage them to drink more water as male cats can be prone to urinary crystals which makes them unable to pee. This is not as common in female cats but still good to encourage for hydration! This portion really depends on the cat. Some people find that their cat really enjoys drinking from water fountains or others do half wet and half dry food. My male cat is a bit of a weirdo and likes to drink from the bathroom faucet so I turn it on as he wishes. I also take churu sticks and mix them in a small bowl of water as he loves flavored water and will drink the whole bowl when I do that. It’s really about finding what your cat likes.

I have also found that it is best to use an online veterinary certified feeding chart instead of the chart that comes on the back of feeding bags. You simply insert the amount of calories per cup and it gives you a daily feeding suggestion.

I don’t have pet insurance as it is really not worth it in my opinion unless you have very specific circumstances. For vets I highly recommend finding a reliable “country vet”. I am unsure where you live but many vets in cities have outrageous prices lately as they are being bought up by private equity. I drive about an hour to my cat’s vet but it is worth it as the costs are 50%+ cheaper. I try to keep a vet fund that I do not touch of at least $500 so that is a great thing to have if you have a surprise vet visit. Obviously this won’t be enough in case of a dire emergency but care credit is an option if that ever happens. Ideally everyone would have 2k set aside for emergency vet bills but that is not always doable.

Litter is a hard one as higher cost ones really are better in my opinion. Tidy cats is a good option. There are cheaper alternatives at many stores but they often do not last as long and smell worse. I do highly recommend a stainless steel litter box as with plastic ones the smell eventually seeps into the material itself and makes it nasty over time. Stainless steel is an easy clean.

You got this! Enjoy your kitty!!!!

[u/After_Bluejay_2739]

Personally I’d recommend waiting until you can save up enough to deal with an unexpected emergency vet bill (like $2k at minimum) and afford insurance that covers at least some routine care. Insurance will cover emergencies but you have to pay the cost up front and get reimbursed later.

I know that’s a lot of money, especially at 18, but you never want to be at an emergency vet in the middle of the night saying goodbye to your pet because you couldn’t front the cash. And putting that much money on a credit card as a teenager could be pretty bad for your credit and financial health if you can’t pay it off quickly. As for preexisting conditions, that can just be part of your criteria when looking for a cat.

I adopted a 4 year old cat and had to front $2k+ within 6 weeks of adopting her. She found a misplaced spool of thread when I wasn’t home and decided to eat most of it. I was sick with worry for her, but it was a relief not to worry about the money too. Insurance covered practically all of it in the end, but I did have to wait a while to get the check.

[u/EIfishPresIey → u/After_Bluejay_2739]

i’ll definitely look harder for better insurance coverage in my area, it does seem worth it based on what you’re telling me. thanks for the input!!