Americans LOVE their cute puppies and kittens!

Annually Americans spend over $60 billion per year on their pets. The average American household spends just over $500 per year on their cute puppy or kitten. Two-thirds of all U.S. households own a pet.

Having spent three years as the Executive Director of a local Humane Society in Ohio, I learned a few things about cute puppies and kittens. In honor of Spay Day USA and all the cute puppies and kittens, I made a call to a long-time friend and retired Humane Officer, Brenda Austin. We batted around some ideas for you on what to consider for your household budget when it comes to your cute puppy or kitten.

Cute puppies and kittens aren’t ‘free’

Cute Puppy Facts:
Dog’s Life Span: 10 – 15 years
Average Cost Per Dog: $600 – $900 each year for each Dog
Cost Over a Dog’s Life Span Approximately: $13,500+ for each Dog

Cute Kitten Facts:
Cat’s Life Span: 15 – 20 years
Average Cost Per Cat: $700 each year for each Cat
Cost Over a Cat’s Life Span Approximately: $14,000+ for each Cat

So you are looking at budgeting somewhere between $50 to $75 each month for each pet you own.

Here are a few other items to consider for your cute puppy or kitten:

$ Have money in your emergency fund for pet care issues, especially as your pet ages.

$ If you are adopting from a shelter (which I highly recommend), consider purchasing pet insurance for the first couple of months. Pets can incur shelter stress which can lower their immune system. In the short-term the low-cost of the pet insurance would more than off-set the vet bills for simple things like kennel cough, upper respiratory, or intestinal parasites.

$ In the long-term set aside money in your emergency fund to self-insure against any vet bills.

$ Some shelters, humane societies, and other groups include spay/neuter, shots, tests, vet check-up, and even several months of pet insurance in their adoption fees.

$ When visiting a vet, set clear expectations about your family’s budget regarding your pets. If an issue arises ask for your choices and the related costs and possible outcomes. Advocate for yourself based on your financial situation. Look at the time frame for any treatments – is the treatment for one day or a life-time – as this will significantly affect the cost, and your budget. And as always, assess your pet’s quality of life.

$ Ask for and look for low-cost spay/neuter programs and vet care.

$ Some mobile vets are very reasonable since they have lower overhead.

Remember: Your pet is completely dependent on YOU! All pet issues are human issues. Pets love unconditionally and live for you. YOU are responsible for your pets.

PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR CUTE PUPPY AND KITTEN:

WHY?
~ A single cat can produce 420,000 kittens in 7 years
~ A single dog can produce 67,000 puppies in 6 years
~ Every year approximately 3 million cute puppies and kittens are euthanized in the US
~ Depending on the area 25% – 40% of all shelter animals are pure breeds

*If you are going to donate to an animal organization, PLEASE donate locally and PLEASE check out the facility’s conditions*

Per Wikipedia:

Spay Day USA is an annual observance on the last Tuesday of February that was created by the Doris Day Animal League in 1994 to bring attention to the pet overpopulation problem in the USA, and to encourage animal population control by neutering pets. In 2002, the event’s goal was to spay and neuter 200,000 pets across the United States.  Spay Day USA has helped in decreasing the population of street dogs and cats throughout the US, which is very helpful as it decreases the number of unwanted animals. Many are encouraged to participate in this event.

A few cool links for more information about cute puppies and kittens:

World Spay Day & Other Pet Info

Spay & Neuter Info from AdoptaPet

How Much Does Owning a Pet Cost? @ Bankrate ~ a pretty cool site for budgeting