I love animals, and have had dogs and/or cats my whole life. Many panel members also love their pets. According to NCP data, approximately 46% of panel members own at least one dog, while about 34% own at least one cat. While we love our pets, they do come with a cost. Sometimes it seems we spend more on the pets than we do the kids!
Overall, 54% of U.S. households currently own at least one pet, representing 68 million households across the country, according to Packaged Facts. Dog and cat owners make up the vast majority (94%) of pet-owning households in the United States.
Part of owning a pet is taking good care of them. And that means $$$. Money.com recently surveyed 2,000 participants to get a sense of what they spend on their pooches and kitties.
Do you have a pet? What do you purchase for your pet(s)? (food, treats, toys, etc.) Overall, how much does your pet(s) cost you? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
Cats Rule!
Well, at least cats are a little less expensive to own. According to money.com, the survey shows people are more likely to spend no more than $50 a month on feeding, grooming, and entertaining a cat than a dog. Pet insurance also costs less for a cat than a dog.
Monthly Expenditures For Pets
| Less than $50 | $51 to $100 | $101 to $150 | $151 to $200 | More than $200 | Not applicable | |
| Dogs | 35% | 33% | 14% | 8% | 5% | 6% |
| Cats | 41% | 31% | 12% | 8% | 4% | 6% |
Vet Care
There’s also a gap in annual medical costs, according to money.com. Respondents with dogs took their pet to the vet a little more often than did cat owners, for both routine care and acute care (such as a medical emergency).
| Acute Care (Annual) | Routine Visits (Annual) | |
| Dogs | $426 | $214 |
| Cats | $212 | $160 |
Record Purchases For Your Pets
If you have pets in your household, please remember to scan all of your pet-related purchases. It’s important that you record all of your household’s purchases, including those made for your pets!
I hope you and your furry friends have a great weekend!
Best wishes,
Taylor
Also see:
- Pets Are Providing Comfort During The Pandemic (August 14, 2020)
- Taking Good Care Of Your Pet’s Nutritional Needs (May 3, 2019)
I have recently moved into a cottage from my car for 9 months in my car. (HOMELESS).
When I moved I adopted two Border Collie/Blue Healer one year old puppies in December and I love them like my own kids(I don’t have kids).
They are brother and sister. They have been fixed. I gave them my bed and I sleep in a chair. I feed them dry Alpo.
They aren’t all that interested in it because my landlord feeds them frozen chicken tenders.
What can I do?
I adopted a cat from a local shelter 8 years ago. She has been the absolute best. I convinced she thinks she is a dog. She can regularly be found sleeping on her back with her feet in the air. She growls when someone knocks at the door, and I have been able to teach her several tricks.
Shes touched my heart in many ways and I would pay whatever I could to make sure she’s gets the care she needs. She is just 8 year old and started having seizures. It was expensive to figure out what was going on with her. Since finding out she had a tumor on her thyroid and putting her in medication 2x a day the seizures have stopped! Were still doing blood work find the exact right dose which is $100 each time and we have been every 2 weeks for awhile. The medication is $20 dollars a month. It’s likely she will need surgery or some other treatment in the future. It’s all part of being a pet parent.
These things should be taken into account when people are deciding if getting a pet is right for them. You just never know what could happen. 💕
Had to take one of my senior Yorkies to the Emergency Vet (the worst always happens on a weekend) and they decided to put him in an oxygen tent. When I picked him up the next morning, the bill was $1555.00. Thank God the credit card accepted the payment. Everything here is a racket (South Florida).
Ever think of getting Care Card Credit? (Need I say pet insurance?) You can pay that off as you do other cards. We adopt them and they expect and deserve to be treated as one of our family members. Their loyalty and love is invaluable. The problem is that some people that adopt need to know the expenses of adopting an animal prior to taking them home. There are many places where shots are free. Some Vets Spay and Neuter at a discounted or no fee. I get it…my Sister who adopted our precious Sidney as a pup for “the kids” didn’t realize until she got older that brushing her teeth early on, etc..might have prevented Sidney loosing quite a number of her teeth. Ya’ think Sidney wanted to go under anesthesia twice, only, to have her teeth pulled and cleaned only to have the followup care the first time not be done that lead up to the second time shortly before she turned twelve for more teeth needing to be pulled. They need their checkups annually just as we do to prevent and catch anything we can head off that can save their lives. Too many folks, after years of loyalty, return animals to shelters. This is traumatizing. Instead of seeking a family member or someone else close to take over, if needed, some so-called family pets are left stranded and it breaks my heart hearing of the stories. Actually it passes me off.
Two dogs $50 month 3 cats $20 month. 1rabbit I sugarglider 50 fish and 1 bearded dragon and 1 iguana. We put out a lot in animal food but love our pets
Owning a Dog or Cat is very expensive.
Do you include vet appointments in our recording?
Hi, you do not have to record services like vet or doctor appointments, etc.