After reading an article in the Orlando Sentinel about the annual costs of owning a pet, I got curious about how much I spend on mine. According to the article the average annual cost for a dog is $695 and for a cat is $670. I had a hard time believing that, I thought the dog average would be higher and the cat average would be lower. Here's my breakdown:
Mia's total cost for the year (from February 2010 - February 2011) = $1523!
To be fair, it was the first year I had her, so there were a lot of "start-up" costs, such as her crate, bedding, collars, leashes, bones, etc. I also calculated the totals for "essentials" and "non-essentials."
Mia's essentials = $1031 These items included things such as those pesky "start-up" costs, medical expenses, food, toys and treats
Mia's non-essentials = $492 These items included things such as extra treats, leashes and collars, accessories, trips to the groomer, etc.
The cats' total cost for the year (January 2010-December 2010) = $505 (or about $250/cat)
Unfortunately for them, their "non-essential" column remained empty the whole year. Maybe this year I'll spoil them more :P All of their expenses were on food, litter, medical, new food/water bowls and 2 new scratch pads.
Sooo, my suspicions were correct! I'm curious to see how much Mia will cost me this year...
are those "out of pocket" expenses, or before coupons? poor Peanut and Nick!
ReplyDeleteand that was AFTER coupons ;)
ReplyDeleteA pet's cost per pound is high! :-) If you've budgeted for it, the rewards are great, though!
ReplyDelete