How much do you spend on your furry friends each month?

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

Companion animals, pets, fur babies - whatever you call them...

How much do you spend on them each month?

This of course will vary greatly, depending on where you live, what types of animals you have and if they have ongoing medical problems/vet fees, etc.., but I still thought it'd be interesting to see how much people spend on average...

*Oh, and this isn't a thread to argue what brands of food are superior or whether we should be feeding our dogs vegetarian diets - take that to the pet forum, thanks :)

[Brandon]

I spend $10-$15 on cat food and around $8-$9 on fish food. The fish supplies are more costly though (filter cartridges and water treatment chemicals), running around $15-$20.

So, on average: $35-40/month.

[~Wonder]

We have 4 cats here, they're not mine and I don't pay for them. We spend $4 a month on litter, we use wood stove pellets. The cats probably go through a bag of food every month which can't cost more than $20. I grow them wheatgrass, but that costs pennies. So I guess on 4 cats it's about ~$24 or $6 per cat a month. It's probably more. We don't have any sick kitties anymore, but we did have one that needed a $1700 surgery and several emergency room visits. We do have toys for them, but we haven't bought them anything new in a long time.

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

OK, since I started the thread:

So, we have three cats (two outdoors) and a small dog. I buy a premium brand of food but get it at the farm co-op in HUGE bags every other month, (we get the catlitter this way too) so I had to do a little math... we spend about 14$ on the cat's food, 6$ on the dog's food, 9$ on litter and 18$ on flea/tick products = 47$ a month.

I was actually shocked I spent that much and I am sure I spend a lot less than average for the number of animals we have.

[evan_fabiani]

$10 a month on my gecko
25-30 on my kitty
70-80 on my puppy?

[Bonoluvr]

We have 3 large dogs, 1 cat, and 1 beta fish.
i dont even know, but i think the average not including vet visits would be approximately......$60......give or take.......

[thebelovedtree]

I've always found it's better for our relationship if I never do the math. I have two cats I feed good quality wet and dry food and are picky about litter :( an iguana who eats all fresh produce (specific fresh produce not sale stuff) uses lots of water and requires my room be kept in the 80's during the day and hight 70's during the night (energy bill). Then the fish tank, which isn't too bad but is about to become larger. I'd say I easily spend $100+ on all of them total, not including vet visits and that sort of thing.

[queenfluff]

I have three cats. The bags of food I buy them only are available in the 4 lbs bag at around $10 each?- I think we go through two of those a month.

Kitty litter - I buy two kinds in the huge bag size - $12 and $22 which last for about 4 litter changes. I change the entire box every two weeks.

No one medicines or anything. Some canned sardines as treats every once and a while - $2

So, maybe $40.

[jenna]

i have 3 cats and one 115lb. dog. so i try to buy the biggest bags of food at a time. i have them on prairie, but i just started shopping around a day or so ago on buying an extra freezer so i can start making their food myself. the dog is on regular prairie, two of the cats are on regular prairie and callie is on the raw instinct. this last food run was about $100 -falls over- it was a lot cheaper than that when i had them all on nutro. i think once i've switched them all over to raw food, it won't cost more than maybe 30$ a month for the 3 cats and 1 dog.

the food right now definitely isn't frugal. it's been hard finding something that works really well for all of them.

i don't know how much we spend on litter - we always get the cheap brands. my father goes out and buys those.

callie goes to the vet about twice a month for ongoing progress reports and treatments. the medicine she's on lasts about a month. so i spend about $60 a month on those, plus the cost of each vet visit. the vet i go has been really nice about it. he doesn't always charge full price, even though the practice isn't his. i don't know what they've worked out. i just have to put everything on the credit card and pay it off little by little.

[karenlovessnow]

I have four cats. I spend around $20 on litter a month. Two are outdoor/indoor but they almost always use the litter first and THEN go outside....go figure.

Approximately $30 a month on food and $30 a month on Mandi's meds.

So I guess my total is $80...sheesh, thanks, now I'm depressed....

[hnybny91]

I've always found it's better for our relationship if I never do the math.

I hear you there! I have 3 cats, 2 dogs, 2 ferrets, 1 bunny, and 1 iguana. I don't know the exact figure but somewhere in the ball park of, oh let's say, A BOAT LOAD!!!

[Marie]

No idea. Probably a lot.

[MorningCalm]

Most things pet-related are at least double the cost here that they are in the States. Dog food alone runs me $40+ a month for a Maltese and a miniature poodle. Grooming averages $20 a month. Treats and piddle pads, probably another $25. Most months, the total stays under $100.

We're getting ready to move, though, so I've spent a small fortune in the past few days. Citronella bark collar, refill and batteries to try to cure my barker cost $140. Doggie play pen and new bed to try to help w/ housebreaking in the new place cost another $60. Last night, I placed a $60 toy and treat order in the hope that treat balls help keep them entertained while I'm at work. (They'll be staying alone longer than they're used to for a couple of weeks.) Hubby would love to have a cat, but I'm not sure our budget can handle any more children at the moment!

[Random]

I have a 90 lb dog. Not including vet bills, the monthly cost of keeping him is quite high. We buy huge bags of dog food (Eagle Pack) that last us about a month and a half. They cost about 65$ per bag. We also have him on Revolution (flea and heartworm preventative) for about six months a year, which costs (probably?) 10 dollars a pop. We also spend about 10 dollars per month on treats. Right now, I'm working extra long hours and it's too cold in the dark to walk for long, so I have a dog walker coming in 3 times a week, which costs way too much.

So for food, Revolution and treats, we spend about 55-60 dollars per month.

And in February/March, when I need the dog walker, Chase costs me upwards of 250 dollars per month. (gasp, shock, goes into cardiac failure)

But you can't put a price on the love I get in return!

[CatLadyVT]

With six cats and a bird, I end up spending about $150 a month.

[avocado]

i have a 100lb dog on a raw diet. we buy his food in bulk. so $40-$45 per month for food and supplements.
the 4cats get dry food for now(im working on a raw diet for the cats)
3 of the cats get one kind. of food about $25 per month.
our little katrina kitty has sturvite crystals so she is on dry food from the vets $25 per month.

litter for the cats $10 per month.

a few times a week, we take ozzie(dog) to a doggie bakery and get him cookies, $10 per month.

i was just thinking, this almost sounds like one of those mastercard commercials.

- best friend....priceless.

[Kidneylust]

i spend about $3 every other week for crickets for my gecko and my doggies i don't buy their food, so about $6 a month

[SuperChicken]

Oh man, this is a post I never wanted to make as the final results will surely scare me half to death!

4 dogs on raw, their food is mostly free as I have "connections" at a grocer who gives me their meat which will be disposed of that day. Thank god, or I'd be in the poor house. 1 dog I supplement with a premium dry kibble, $40/mo.
Heart medication for 1 = $37/mo

I am currently taking care of 18 cats, between my indoor cats and the outdoor ferals.
Indoor cat's litter = $25/mo
Indoor cat's food (Solid Gold) = $45/mo
Outdoor cat's expenses (canned & dry food, medicines, heat lamps) = $55/mo

Horse = $200/mo board
Farrier = $30/mo
Feed, Thyroid medication & Supplements = $20/mo

SO, if everyone is healthy, $452/mo.

AUUUGHHH!! I knew I didn't want to see the results of this post!!

[animallover7249]

Easily a couple hundred..Not including vet visits.

[eggplant]

More than I care to calculate. We have three cats, all of whom eat premium food (Royal Canin), one who needs prescription food (big bucks). Although his health is pretty stable now, a couple of years ago we spent at least $5000 on vet costs for one of them (lots of tests and a few overnight stays). Then there's the cost of litter and yearly checkups. Anything for the kitties!

For my snake I just have to buy mice, which are about $1.50 each, but he only eats one a week, if that.

[Fromper]

My fine feathered friend is cheaper than most of yours. I buy a bag of food for $5 that lasts about 2 months. I also buy crackers that he likes, but that's like $3 for a box that he and I share for a month or more. His cage and playpen were bought by my mother more than 15 years ago, so I don't even know what they cost.

The expensive part is that he's getting old, so I take him to the vet every 2-3 months, which is $65 per visit. So figure I spend about $73 every two months or so.

--Fromper
:juggle:

[pikato]

Porter gets his haircut once a month: $40
Paxil (the smaller of the two) has doggie insurance because of severe health issues: $30
Dog Food & Wee wee pads: $30

Grand total of $100 a month.

This doesn't include the occasional chew toy or new collars that I buy.

[Tempeh-Tantrums]

Two outdoor cats. 45$ a month in food and treats. 35$ a month for flea and tick prevention. Several catnip plants planted on my porch every year @ 5$ each....

[rabid_child]

$8-$10/ea in health insurance
Atticus goes through a case of cans every 2 1/2 mos (he gets 1/3 can/day and its a case of 24) and the case costs me $30, so lets make it easy and say $10 in cans
Then he goes through a $20 bag of dry food in a little under that time, so lets say another $10
Monchichi eats about $20 in dry food every other month, so about $10 on him there..
I buy a bag of cat litter a month, thats $4.50
Providing no one does anything dumb (i.e. Atticus whapping his face on something so hard it was swollen and needed meds)....

I guess it averages out to $50/mo.

[donnajorn1]

Most things pet-related are at least double the cost here that they are in the States. Dog food alone runs me $40+ a month for a Maltese and a miniature poodle. Grooming averages $20 a month. Treats and piddle pads, probably another $25. Most months, the total stays under $100.

We're getting ready to move, though, so I've spent a small fortune in the past few days. Citronella bark collar, refill and batteries to try to cure my barker cost $140. Doggie play pen and new bed to try to help w/ housebreaking in the new place cost another $60. Last night, I placed a $60 toy and treat order in the hope that treat balls help keep them entertained while I'm at work. (They'll be staying alone longer than they're used to for a couple of weeks.) Hubby would love to have a cat, but I'm not sure our budget can handle any more children at the moment!


I'm curious what kind of food do you use? I thought the food we buy from RadiantPet.com was kind of spendy. Your $40 per month makes me feel less guilty, lol. Anything for the kids, eh?