Well Cat General Health Care
Setting aside money for pet insurance, vaccinations, routine cat medication and regular check ups can save you money in the future. It is important to create a cat health care budget before you adopt a pet.
Vaccinations And Booster Shots
If your cat is basically healthy, she still needs 3 to 4 vaccinations and booster shots every 6 to 12 months in the first year and boosters every 6 to 12 months thereafter. Each visit to the vet with the shot will cost anywhere from $50 to $100. A good vet will not give the shot without the basic physical exam.
Preventative Cat Medication
Another important part of your cat health care budget is flea and other parasite control for your cat. Sticking to a life-long regimen of flea medication can prevent skin infections and lesions later on in your cat's life. Feline flea medication generally costs $35 to $45 for a 3-month supply, depending on the age and weight of your cat. Some websites offer discounted cat medication and will even pay shipping costs. Looking for flea medications that also kill the flea larvae as well as other parasites such as chewing lice and mites keeps your cat the healthiest. They are often close in price to treatments that only address killing adult fleas.
Costs In An Emergency And For Feline Disease
Providing care for a cat who is seriously ill or in an emergency can require quite a bit of money. Most vet offices have emergency appointments available during normal working hours. It's also a good idea to know the exact location of the 24 hour emergency vet services closest to your house.
The appointment itself may only cost $40 to $50, but that's not the only cost; in most emergencies, the vet will need to run a blood or fecal test on your cat. Many emergencies require more than one test, and each test often costs at least $20. Cat medication can be as costly as human medication. A regular course of antibiotics may cost as much as $100.
Learn how to interpret your cat's pain before you have to make a decision about emergency care in the moment. In the case of serious feline disease such as cancer or obstructed bladder, costs may range up to $2,000 or more. Some serious diseases require inpatient hospitalization which often costs approximately $50 a day alone.
Pet Insurance
It is a mistake to wait until your cat is ill to get pet insurance. Most vets will give a diagnosis even for minor types of feline disease. Once your cat has a diagnosis, many pet insurance plans will exclude any symptoms or syndromes related to that illness from your pet's coverage.
For approximately $100 a year, you can find some plans that will cover 80 to 90% of regular check ups, vaccinations and booster shots. Many plans will offer that coverage only after you pay a $50 to $100 deductible per incident. Other plans include many aspects of general cat health care, such as a yearly physical exam, several boosters and preventative care for worms and ear mites.