Loving My Animals

There are many cat lovers who want to take the next step and adopt a cat. Realistically, the responsibility of owning a pet means significant expenses over the lifetime of the animal. Before you bring home your new cat, consider ways you can keep your cat healthy and stay within your budget.

Adopt From Animal Rescues

Adopting your cat from a local animal rescue is always the best choice. Most importantly, when you adopt, you are not giving your adoption fee to breeders or shops that only make the number of unwanted animals higher. Also, you reduce the number of cats that will be euthanized, just because there is not enough space for them all. The cat you adopt will also come fully vetted, which includes all necessary shots, spay/neuter, and a clean bill of health. Since all this is covered by your adoption fee, you save money upfront, and there is no risk of your cat adding to the growing number of kittens born each year.

Consider Pet Insurance

Once you have adopted your cat, you will have approximately one year to decide the most affordable way to pay for their next vet visit (assuming they don't need emergency care). Having pet insurance is one of the best way to give you peace of mind about caring for your cat, especially as they grow older and face more medical challenges. Before purchasing any insurance, make sure you speak with local veterinary clinics, like Cat Care Clinic, in your area to determine which insurances they take. Just because an insurer's website claims they work with certain veterinarians, it doesn't mean this is true. Often times, cat owners do not see the value in pet insurance because it costs more out-of-pocket than a simple yearly visit. This can be true, but accidents and illness can happen, and these costs can be extremely high. Having pet insurance now likely means any high-cost veterinary visits will be more affordable later.

Shop Around

Ask veterinarians in your local area about prices for routine care and vaccinations. You can compare prices, and they might suggest ways to keep costs more manageable. For example, some routine vaccinations can be given as multi-year vaccines, although it doesn't mean your cat should not receive a checkup each year. Another option might be pre-paying for your next appointment over time. A veterinarian might be willing to let you pay some each month for your cat's next appointment. This way, your veterinarian knows the bill is mostly or fully paid before the appointment, and you do not have the burden of paying a large sum of money at once.

Being a responsible pet owner means factoring in the costs of routine and emergency care before adopting a cat. There are several ways you can make these necessities more affordable.