What it Costs to Raise a Kitten
Including Basic Needs, Vaccinations, and Spaying or Neutering
If you're thinking of adopting a new kitten, learn all about what it takes to raise a kitten and what the costs will be from 8 weeks to 8 months old.
Basic Kitten Needs
When you are preparing for your new kitten, you will need a few basic things, like a scratching post, a litter box, a litter scoop, cat litter, food bowls, and food. There are such a wide variety of cat accessories available today that it may be difficult to decide what your kitten really needs. They certainly don’t need to have the most expensive items, and the most expensive items are not always best.
A litter box, for example, should be simple. You don’t need the Genie or a self-cleaning litter box. The self-cleaners are a lot of trouble to maintain. Your kitten simply needs a nice sized covered litter box, possibly with a ramp coming out of it to catch litter. The ramp is a good investment, and you can get the whole set-up for around $25.00. You can get a nice hooded box for as little as $10.00. Litter scoops can be found for as little as a dollar or two.
When looking at food bowls, small stainless steel bowls are excellent. You can get a set for $5.00. If your budget allows, kitty fountains are a favorite of cats everywhere! They can be found for as little as $20.00.
A scratching post is a necessity if you don’t want your furniture and curtains destroyed. A good scratching post can be found for about $20, too, and though it may seem to fall into the “toy” category, you’ll never regret the purchase.
When looking for the best cat litter, Tidy Cats is an excellent litter and a good value. You’ll start your kitten out on plain clay litter, which will run about $4.00 a week. After 6 months old, you can change to a clumping litter. A 27 lb pail costs about $11.00 and will last one cat a month.
When choosing the best food for your kitten, simply choose the best food that falls within your budget. Purina One and Pro Plan are excellent foods that will only cost about $18.00 a month, but if you can afford $30.00 for Royal Canin cat food, there’s nothing better. If your kitten has any special dietary needs, your veterinarian can recommend options, but most kittens simply need a quality dry cat food.
So, your costs are:
- Litter Box - $10-25.00
- Litter Scoop - $1-$3.00
- Litter - $4-11.00
- Scratching Post - $20.00
- Dishes - $5-20.00
- Food - $18-35.00 or more
Initial Costs - $36-69.00 for litter box, scoop, scratching post, and bowls
Monthly Costs - $22-46.00 (or more) per month
Costs of Kitten Vaccinations and Vet Visits
The cost of office visits, fecal exams, kitten vaccinations, and Feline AIDS and Leukemia tests range widely from veterinarian to veterinarian. The prices reflected below are a mid-range average gathered from polling twelve veterinarians. These costs reflect a kitten adopted at 8 weeks old.
- Office Visit and First Shot - $40.00
- Fecal Exam - $26.00
- Wormer (most kittens have some worms) - $18.00
- Combo Test for Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS - $36.00
- 2 Follow Up Visits with Vaccinations - $58.00 x 2
Total - $236.00
Cost to Have Your Cat Spayed or Neutered
Every kitty parent is aware of the importance of having your cat spayed or neutered! Not only do you want to avoid adding to the pet population, you also don’t want to risk losing your female cat during delivery of her kittens. The cost to raise a litter of kittens can also be very expensive. It is much less costly in the long run to have your kitten spayed at around 5 to 6 months old. The average cost to have a male kitten neutered is $60.00, and the average cost to have a female spayed is $110.00.
A Few Extra Pet Cat Considerations
Of course you’ll want to buy your cat toys, but a few fake mice, a couple of balls, and maybe a turbo scratcher are all it will take to make your new baby perfectly happy! You can get plenty of kitty toys and still spend less than $20.00. You might also invest in preventive flea treatments like Frontline, Advantage, or Revolution, as well as Heartworm prevention. Revolution takes care of everything and is less than $25.00 a month.
A kitten may not seem like a huge responsibility, but simply considering the costs, it is important to make sure you can fit kitten care into your budget before adopting. Their first year is much more expensive than their continuing care, but it is always a good idea to have budgeted money for annual vet visits ($65.95) and emergency vet expenses.
If you have any questions about raising your kitten, feel free to drop by Kitten Question and Answer in the discussion area!
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