Cheapest way to own a cat?

Owning 2 is cheaper then one.

Medical procedures won't ever be cheap, the only place is Toronto Humane Society where they subsidize the pricing but there is a long waiting line, and they've also currently in dire need of financial help and donations.

With pets, you can't really cheap out. You have to cheap out on yourself first lol.

Cat litter from Costco
Cat food from TLC
Litter box from the Dollar Store
Toys from the Dollar Store

Spaying/Vaccinations go to the Toronto Humane Society
Vet care go to the Toronto Humane Society

Cheapest way? Have someone else's cat over as a casual part-time owner (or rather, employee/servant).

thriftshopper wrote: ↑ Cheapest way? Have someone else's cat over as a casual part-time owner (or rather, employee/servant).

Offer a free cat sitting service. Can one really "own" a cat anyway ?

6060842 wrote: ↑ Offer a free cat sitting service.

That's a way. Can even get free housing thrown in.

Can one really "own" a cat anyway ?

Those who know know that a cat owns you.

For a litter box, I'd recommend an enclosed one. There's a standard brown/beige two-piecer that you can get at Loblaws, Walmart, Canadian Tire, etc..
I started by leaving it with the top off in the middle of the room. Over the course of a few days, I slowly moved it to where I wanted it to be, then put the cover on (with the "door" detached), then eventually put the door on while demonstrating to my cat that if you push it, it opens.

Please don't have any pet if you are going to cheap out.
Being cheap is not the same as being frugal and providing good care for the animal.

Can you handle an out of the blue 5K vet bill? 10K?
A pet is not the same thing as a car that you can just take to the scrapper.

I consider myself a hardcore RFDer, and yes, call me cheap, but I don't go cheap on my pets. I'm not saying that I will buy fancy costumes for my pets - no, save that money, put the money in good use - better food, better litter, better anything that conducive to their health, something makes them happy, not something you take pics and upload to instagram.

one of my cats cost me nearly $4000 for surgery 8 years ago and he is 20 years old now, I have never regret a penny that have spent on him, sure i have been ripped off by vets - they all do, but as long as they can treat my cats well, I will suck it up.

forgetpwd wrote: ↑ I consider myself a hardcore RFDer, and yes, call me cheap, but I don't go cheap on my pets. I'm not saying that I will buy fancy costumes for my pets - no, save that money, put the money in good use - better food, better litter, better anything that conducive to their health, something makes them happy, not something you take pics and upload to instagram.

one of my cats cost me nearly $4000 for surgery 8 years ago and he is 20 years old now, I have never regret a penny that have spent on him, sure i have been ripped off by vets - they all do, but as long as they can treat my cats well, I will suck it up.

Well, for the litter/litter box it doesn't really matter to the cat. It's up to you whether you're willing to spend extra for extra "features" (lightweight litter, self-cleaning box, etc..).

ConsoleWatcher wrote: ↑ Well, for the litter/litter box it doesn't really matter to the cat. It's up to you whether you're willing to spend extra for extra "features" (lightweight litter, self-cleaning box, etc..).

litter box, maybe, litter does make some difference on cats, and on owners too, some just way too dusty, just to mention one of disadvantages

owning a cat doesn't have to be expensive, but it can be.

diy cat toys are just as good as store bought.. your cat won't care at all and will enjoy either or just the same.
do buy a cat tree or some sort of cat furniture though.. you could also buy good condition used to save money. cat's like to get up high, you could install a few cat shelves for cheap.
a basic litter bin costs $20, buy wood pellets not kitty litter, a bag costs $7 and lasts at least a month for a single cat.
cat food is the most expensive part.. i've heard repeatedly that the most important is feeding your cat wet food.
on the cheap end you could probably feed your cat for $1 per day on wet food (friskies), or $2 (fancy feast). if you go up to the mid grade quality stuff then its $3+ per day.

So lets say you spend $200 to get all the basics... carrier, litter bin, furniture..
then after that you'd just need about $7 for litter and $60 for food per month..
still not dirt cheap but that's about what you could expect to pay in general.
then there is pet insurance or some sort of contingency fund in case the cat gets sick..

if you adopt from the spca or some rescue organization then it might cost you around $200 for the adoption, but it will also include the neuter/spay which if you do separately, costs more than the whole adoption.
i think for $100 per month, you can take care of one cat comfortably with decent food and put aside at least $20 per month in case something happens some day, or get the pet insurance.

OP, please do not get a cat, particularly in these times. I don't know what your reasoning is for wanting the cheapest way to own a cat - whether there are money issues, you just want to be a "real RFDer" or you just want to have a cat without the costs that come with owing a pet.

Owning a pet is expensive, much more so it seems these days. Pet Insurance is expensive (we had it). We were "employees" or "personal servants" to our recently passed dog and wouldn't have had it any other way. We really miss him.

Blanche123 wrote: ↑We were "employees" or "personal servants" to our recently passed dog and wouldn't have had it any other way.

Nah, you own a dog (condolences on the dog, my sister keeps the ashes of her late Chow and he's been dead much longer than he was alive). The cat definitely owns you.

thriftshopper wrote: ↑ Nah, you own a dog (condolences on the dog, my sister keeps the ashes of her late Chow and he's been dead much longer than he was alive). The cat definitely owns you.

thrftshopper - Normally I would definitely agree with you, except our breed of dog was very cat-like - and we have had cats. Actually many people where one wants a dog and another wants a cat get our type of dog and both were happy. Our vet and also our dog boarder mentioned that we were all there to serve our dog - and of course it was part of his charm! We really miss him. Thank you for your condolences.

We don't keep our dog's ashes (I don't want mine kept either) - but it is the memories that you have and make you laugh. I know that your sister despite her Chow being gone longer than he was alive, will feel his loss forever.

I know a woman who really misses her bunny rabbit who died 45 years ago. Pets really do become part of our lives.