Annual Pet Costs and A Money Saving Tip (Get a Bird)

As promised in my post titled Annual Pet Costs and A Money Saving Tip (Get a Cat), I'm continuing to look at independent sources to try and verify the cost of having a pet. (For those of you who don't know, I have a whole, complete set of posts on the subject of the cost of pets.) Today's article comes to us from the Consumer Credit Counseling Service who starts with the following thought on the cost of pets:

Ask anyone who owns a dog or cat, and they will likely tell you that their pet really is part of the family. It's no wonder the most crowded stores in any mall is the one with all the puppies and kittens on display. Unfortunately, many people take a pet into their home without really considering the cost.

This is what I've found to be true. People love pets (how can't you?), but they really don't think about the financial implications of getting a pet. All I'm trying to do is bring awareness to the issue.

The piece goes on to list all of the associated costs of having a pet: purchase price, spaying or neutering, visits to a veterinarian, shots, tags, food, boarding, and toys. Boy, it sure can all add up!

The article ends by making a recommendation on owning a cheap pet:

Probably one of the lease expensive pets to maintain is a small bird, like a parakeet or cockatiel. For less than $5, you can buy enough bird seed for a month or more. And while they can create quite a bit of dander, most people keep birds in cages, so they don't create as much of a mess as other pets that roam around the house. Although they're not nearly as cuddly as a puppy or kitten.

Not as cuddly as a puppy or kitten? Wow, there's a revelation.

I'm not really the bird sort of guy (at least not indoor birds), so if I were to get a pet, I'd have to opt for a cat -- the cheapest alternative of the most popular pet options. Alas, my kids are allergic to the hair, my wife is allergic to the litter, and I'm allergic to the cost, so we're petless. We do, however, enjoy the neighbor's cat who I spied the other day in our woods catching a field mouse. I like that cat. ;-)

Comments

[Dale]

You might consider a chinchilla. You'll spend a bit more up front to get one, but there are a lot of expenses you'll avoid. If you just get one, you don't need to worry about neutering. Our vet bills for our chinchilla have been almost non-existent. They don't eat a great deal and their food isn't terribly expensive. Although most of them don't like to be held, there are exceptions, and many of them like to be petted or scratched. One of the big advantages is that as far as I am aware, no one is allergic to them.