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First I would need to move into an apartment that allows pets. That would probably be at least $100 more than I'm paying right now, not counting the initial move-in fee. Then, I would have to pay the pet deposit (and / or in some cases the pet rent) and the adoption fee and initial vet care (probably just rabies and distemper vaccines). Also, I would need to buy puppy / kitten food (or maybe just kitten food if I have a dog and a cat, because cat foot is more nutritious and won't hurt dogs).
If I were to get a puppy, I would also need to pay for obedience training and find a way to fit it into my busy schedule. I would probably need to hire a private trainer, which would cost more money. If I were to get a cat, I would need to buy litter, cat food, and cat toys. Depending on the size of the apartment, I would possibly also need cat condos so that the kitty wouldn't decide to climb on the furniture, walls, or blinds. Then, with both animals, there's the matter of vet care. Some can be taken care of by livestock vets, which don't charge as much as pet vets.
Let's see, that would be:
$1,300 per month
$600 to the rent
$200 for car care
$100 for fuel
$100 one-time adoption fee
$40 vet bill
$20 pet food bill
$100 grocery bill
You are right; I can't afford a pet right now.
You forgot the cost of monthly heartworm and flea prevention. You're in the south, you need both of those for your pet. Not sure how you figure $40 for vet bills. Puppies and kittens need a series of shots to get them full immunity, more than $40 for sure. If it's a cat, you'll need to buy cat litter. $20 may be enough for food but it may not. There are also annual city animal registration fees. ou can take excellent care of pets and they can still get sick. I just spent $200 at the vet's because my dog has seasonal allergies. I appreciate the fact that your'e an animal lover but I don't see where you have it in your budget to properly care for one.
I'm sure there is a rescue organization that could use your help.
You obviously can't afford a pet, either financially or time-wise. I think you know that, and enough people have already pointed that out in case you didn't. I have to strongly disagree with your assertion that cared-for pets don't have large vet bills; I have had my kitty since she was a baby and she has always had the best in care. It didn't stop her from becoming diabetic at age 8, requiring about $200 a month in insulin supplies and another $50 a month in prescription food. This is on top of regular expenses like litter, shots, checkups, etc and after nearly 4 grand in veterinary ICU and hospitalization costs when her kidneys began to fail as a result of the treatment. (Kidneys are fine now, btw, but she will be on special prescription food and twice-daily shots for the rest of her life.)
So how about a solution? You are lonely, huh? Want to reduce your housing costs? Want to have a pet around? MOVE IN WITH A ROOMMATE! Pick someone who has a pet and it addresses all your issues. A couple of years ago before my partner moved in with me I was renting out a room in my house. The rent money was nice, of course, but my primary motivation was actually social rather than financial. I was new in town and didn't really know anybody; I picked someone I got along well with and we became good friends. It was nice to have someone to come home to after a long day at work or school, and even though we had our own things going on we would try to find time to cook a meal together every few weeks at least. She loved the fact that I had (and still have) a cat--it allowed her the chance to cuddle with a furry friend without being responsible for it physically and financially forever. And when I went out of town I had a built-in cat sitter living in my very own home. The icing on the cake is that a comparable 2 bedroom apartment is almost always cheaper per room than a smaller unit.
Edited to add: and WHAT THE H*LL is the deal with your tires? Even if you drive insane distances to work--which I am guessing is not the case if you are only bidgeting $100 a month for gas--you should still expect tires to last at least 3 or 4 years.
... and WHAT THE H*LL is the deal with your tires? Even if you drive insane distances to work--which I am guessing is not the case if you are only bidgeting $100 a month for gas--you should still expect tires to last at least 3 or 4 years.
Probably needs a front end alignment which you can get done for around $50 or less. Bloody sight cheaper than buying a new tire every few months ...
Yes, but first I need to save enough money to actually move. I've been thinking about teaching overseas, because it would cost the least to relocate and would provide the most benefits. I'm hesitant, though, because I've heard of a lot of things going wrong.
Then definitely don't get a pet...what would happen to it if you took a job overseas? A pet is a commitment for life.
Then definitely don't get a pet...what would happen to it if you took a job overseas? A pet is a commitment for life.
Depending on what I get, that could be just a few years, though. Hamsters don't live longer than five years. I think I'm ruling out dogs and cats for now.
Also, I would need to buy puppy / kitten food (or maybe just kitten food if I have a dog and a cat, because cat foot is more nutritious and won't hurt dogs).
No! Dogs need dog food and cats need cat food. They are two different animals and have different nutritional needs.
No! Dogs need dog food and cats need cat food. They are two different animals and have different nutritional needs.
Cat food is more nutritionally dense than dog food; a dog on cat food will be fine, but a cat on dog food, if that's all it eats, will end up malnourished.
There are those who claim that dogs are not obligate carnivores, like cats, but omnivores, but why, then, do some people advocate feeding their dogs a diet consisting primarily of raw meat? I've never seen a dog eat a plate of uncooked vegetables.
Glad I'm not the only one that caught that one. I've given up giving this person any advice, of any kind, because it's like talking to a brick wall.
I don't know how to respond to this. I said that it looks like I'm not financially able to care for a pet right now.
I'll have to talk to a veterinarian about the cat food is not okay for dogs thing, though. I've always heard it the other way around. I'm pretty sure I've brought it up before, and I was told it's a lot better to feed a dog cat food than to feed a cat dog food. Dogs are carnivores like cats, right, so a protein dense diet is probably good for them? Dog foods often contain a lot of fillers, like grain and vegetable protein. Cat foods usually don't contain a lot of this, because cats are much more sensitive to it.
Last edited by krmb; 05-01-2015 at 05:03 AM..
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There are those who claim that dogs are not obligate carnivores, like cats, but omnivores, but why, then, do some people advocate feeding their dogs a diet consisting primarily of raw meat? I've never seen a dog eat a plate of uncooked vegetables. 