# Do You Think Cats Are Less Expensive Than Dogs?



## Alex Harris (May 4, 2012)

I've heard some people say that it is cheaper to have cats than dogs. I think many different variables play into this,but my dogs are definitely incur more costs with the rescue. I think having cats can be just as expensive or inexpensive as you want it to be.


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

Many dogs will eat more food than a cat does because of their larger body size, and they're more likely to have added costs like flea and heartworm preventative. So all other things being equal except the species, I would say that yes, owning a dog would cost more.

That said, all other things are _not_ equal most of the time.  A chronically ill cat, for example, will incur more vet bills than a healthy dog. A dog that eats the cheapest grocery store food will cost less to feed than a cat that eats a higher quality primarily wet diet, even if the dog is consuming more total food volume. And so on.

So I'd say that in general, dogs are more expensive, but not always because it depends on the individual pet and/or owner.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Jake weighs 20 lbs and eats commercial raw food...it's actually cheaper per day than the 5.5 oz can each cat eats. Frontline is more expensive than litter, he eats more treats (and more expensive treats) and gets chewy things like bully sticks. And his toys are more expensive. My cats don't need collars, ID tags, a harness, a regular leash, a Flexi leash...all initial expenses, but will need to be replaced every couple years. And he needs a bath every couple months...I'm not consistent with how that gets done...sometimes at home, a self wash, a groomer or even just a touch up with a waterless bath product...but all some level of expense. And if I have to be away from home all day, I have to hire someone to come in and let him out.

So...a dog is definitely more expensive than a cat.


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## builder (Sep 2, 2012)

I don’t have big dogs and I haven’t weighed them in a while, but they fit through a medium dog door. The two of them together eat 2 cups of dry dog food twice a day for a total of 4 cups daily. I buy the diet stuff because they are both fat, but they are never sick and I never have to take them to the vet except for shots.

Now the cats have to eat special food that’s expensive and when you add in the kitty litter, its expensive to have a cat. Plus they are always going to the vet, so at my house the dogs are the least expensive by far and if I ever lost my job the cats would have to go because I simply could not afford them.


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## Zephyriddle (Mar 28, 2012)

My mom's mini poodle is probably less expensive than her cats as she's healthy and eats 4oz of raw a day verses the canned food and EVO dry that the cats get. 
In my house, no way. The Danes eat almost 120lbs of Orijen a month. I don't use chemical flea preventative, but a monthly all in one would be almost $30 a dog. Everything costs more with giant breeds. The pup had a growth issue and spent 24 hours at the vet and racked up a $1200 bill. Not to mention all three cats were free and Riddle, as a show prospect was $3000 plus travel expense to drive from Atlantic Canada to Wisconsin. 


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Dog require more work too!


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Mitts & Tess said:


> Dog require more work too!


I disagree with that, but then it depends on the dog...Jake doesn't chew anything so I don't have to worry about what I leave lying around in his reach. On the other hand, the cats are on every surface...I have to make sure there's nothing they can get into. I have to make sure I don't leave anything out on a table or counter that will be ruined if puked on. He doesn't get under my feet, he doesn't feel the need to 'help' me with everything I do, from brushing my teeth to doing laundry (and I don't have to double check to make sure he's not in the dryer), he doesn't open the door to my closet, pull clothes onto the floor and lay in them, or lay in laundry baskets of clean clothes or...or...or. The cats in my house are definitely more work than the dog, even if it's just keeping things put away so they don't get into them. Jake can be happy with a 10 minute walk each day...I spend more time than that just shooing Holly out of the sink when I'm doing dishes. 

Oh...and when the dog is being a nudge...I can say "go lay down" and he does. Although my cats understand perfectly when I say "off" (the counter) if they do happen to humor me, they get right back up 2 seconds later.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

I think so, even if the dog and cat are about the same weight (i.e., no extra food cost). For dogs you need more vaccines (heartworm, flea/tick), unless your cats are outdoor as well. You need to buy cloth/boots for them in winter (at least in cold areas). Many dogs need regular grooming done by professionals. Pee pads if you are not walking your dogs 3 times a day. Also I think on average, dogs break more things by chewing


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

It depends on lots of factors. Mainly the health of the animals would be the main factor in cost. If they were both healthy with no allergies or anything...

Own a toy? They weigh less than a cat. A cat would likely cost more, their litter can get expensive. 

The dogs in this family are 15.5 and 16.5 pounds, over double the weight of the cats. They cost more simply because they wreck toys easier and eat more. 

I don't need to replace leashes/harnesses (one of the harnesses is like over 20 years old - a previous dog wore it! It's unfortunate I don't see dog harnesses built like this one in stores today...), food dishes or anything. Some people might.

Tara needs to be groomed... that's 60 dollars every few months. If she was a large dog it would be double that.

Dogs likely, being outdoor, need shots up to date and flea treatments. Not necessarily every month, but in flea season.


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

My cat costs way more than my dog. He has a lot of health problems & goes to the vet all of the time. My younger cat seems healthy so far. My dog only goes to the vet once per year. She is 10 & weighs 50 lbs. I buy an 18 lb bag of Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul Senior dog food & I pay $27 per month for it. She is on Revolution for heartworm, flea & ticks but I get an 8 month supply for $100. She is very healthy for her age.


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## soccergrl76 (Dec 1, 2010)

I forgot to mention that my dog only needs a bath 3 times per year because she is a Norwegian Elkhound & her coat stays naturally clean with regular brushings.


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## Zephyriddle (Mar 28, 2012)

Carmel said:


> Dogs likely, being outdoor, need shots up to date and flea treatments. Not necessarily every month, but in flea season.


That's not necessarily true. I use diatomacious earth and a garlic based product for fleas in the summer and I've never seen a flea or tick. I also only do puppy shots, booster a year later and that's it. Titer tests every few years. Rabies after 6 months and then every three years after. I'd never do yearly vaccines for dogs. 
I think time wise it really depends on what you do with your dog. My dogs are walked at least an hour a day and get individual training time as I compete with them. Zephyr is currently the number one dane, number two working breed and number ten all breed rally obedience dog in Canada, so I spent a lot of time working with him and preparing for trials and spending weekends competing. Riddle needs conformation training and he's being trained for rally as well. I don't spend anywhere near that much time with the cats. 



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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

kayla baxter said:


> I also only do puppy shots, booster a year later and that's it. Titer tests every few years. Rabies after 6 months and then every three years after. I'd never do yearly vaccines for dogs.


Not necessarily yearly vaccination, but vaccinations in general are more than many cats get. I know some people don't vaccinate their dogs at all, which may be fine if they don't get out much... but our dogs go to dogs parks (along the river and beaches -- we have awesome huge dog parks) but they're the worst place to go when worring about dogs passing along disease. We also go to our cabin where there are hoards of raccoons. Every once in a while the raccoons die out due to something, so it's better safe than sorry.


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## jadis (Jul 9, 2011)

I don't know, it would be hard to calculate...I keep my cats and dogs both on monthly preventatives since the dogs are in and out and I foster. They go to the vet about the same amount for this and that and get the same amount of vacs. The dogs preventatives cost a bit more and the dogs eat more food but the cats wet food is more expensive, so that evens out. The cats have the added cost of litter and I use liners too, which is a big one, so I think the cats might actually cost more, but it's close.


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

Carmel said:


> Not necessarily yearly vaccination, but vaccinations in general are more than many cats get. I know some people don't vaccinate their dogs at all, which may be fine if they don't get out much... but our dogs go to dogs parks (along the river and beaches -- we have awesome huge dog parks) but they're the worst place to go when worring about dogs passing along disease.


In the town where I used to live, a major kennel cough epidemic started that was centred around the local dog park. Unvaccinated dogs were coming into contact with each other there, and it spread like wildfire. It eventually died down, but it had caused a lot of illness and even some deaths.

Not to say dogs necessarily have to be vaccinated yearly to prevent disease, but yeah, something on that scale would never happen with domesticated (especially indoor) cats because we don't congregate them in the same place like people do with dogs. There's definitely a difference there.

I would also point out that in most places titer tests cost _more_ than vaccines, which tilts into the "costs more" column - which is the whole reason vaccinations were brought up in the first place.


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## builder (Sep 2, 2012)

I’m fortunate because we don’t have fleas where I live and my dogs are small enough that I can give them a bath myself. As far as license and shots, we are required to license the cats which usually also require shots as well.
From what I’m hearing here is that all boils down to the type of dog and how much it eats. 

I don’t think toys should even be considered because that is completely up to the owner. My dogs will play with an old rope or shoe just as much as an expensive toy and although I have bought expensive toys for the cats, they would much rather play with a hair band or a shoe string.


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## Zephyriddle (Mar 28, 2012)

I should probably also factor in the cost of showing the dogs. I'll probably be spending $3000+ this season just on entry fees for two dogs. On the other hand, my show pup won't be neutered for at least another two years, so the cost of neutering two and spaying one cats did cost about the same as the emergency vet bill for the pup. I also do preventative gastropexie surgery on the Danes to prevent bloat and torsion of the stomach, so that's an extra $500 a dog. 


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## 3furbabies (Dec 7, 2011)

For me it's hard to say because I have three cats and a large breed dog. I spend a lot on both but per animal I would have to say my dog is more. Vet visits in general cost more for dogs. She needs grooming a few times a day... The place I go to charges $65 which is cheap for a large breed. Food is a lot since she eats more, but 2 of the three cats get wet only so their food is more, Her toys are more expensive, she goes through them faster than the cats. I probably get a new leash and collar once a year but get them on sale so they arnt more. The cats condos and all their little stuff add up but I think my dog is more in the end. Plus she's way more work. 


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## spidermilk (Jan 12, 2013)

I feed my 70 lb dog raw which costs about as much as his Acana kibble. I feed my extremely picky senior cat all better quality/grain free canned food and it is about twice as expensive as feeding my dog (per day).

I am working on researching raw for cats so I can get my two kittens eating it (I am not sure it is suitable for my senior because he has the beginnings of kidney disease and is extremely picky/unreceptive to new foods) because it would save me a ton of money.

My dog only needs lots of brushing and doesn't wear any clothes. I only give him raw bones to chew and other than a few balls make him fleece toys. None of my pets have ruined any furniture or other items that needed to be replaced.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

I think dogs are more work than cats. For me dogs are like a child. I tell my husband if he wants a child why can't we just get a dog instead.. They don't talk back lol Dogs you have to take out in all elements. Cats pretty much take care of themselves.... Besides the feeding part. That's the way I look at it. As far as costs just depends. In general I would think dogs cost more. Especially big dogs. I couldn't imagine feeding something like a Mastiff :|


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## builder (Sep 2, 2012)

spidermilk said:


> None of my pets have ruined any furniture or other items that needed to be replaced.


Oh I didn't think of furniture. Now that a huge expense for the cats. My cats have ruined a $2000 leather couch, destroyed all the upstairs carpet, curtains and our very expensibe bed spread with matching drapes. I never had a dog do that. the worst a dog as ever don was chew some bedroom slippers and dig a hole in my garden


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## Alex Harris (May 4, 2012)

Zilla said:


> I couldn't imagine feeding something like a Mastiff :|
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Try 4 Mastiffs.My husband had 4 English Mastiffs when we were dating.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

gharrissc said:


> Try 4 Mastiffs.My husband had 4 English Mastiffs when we were dating.


GOOD LORD..... :lol: what did you smash through 4 fifty pound bags of food a month?? Haha I can only imagine 


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## Zerafian (Feb 19, 2013)

well if Im comparing a 14-16lb cat, which is large to a german shepard or something Id say the dog would be way mroe expensive. If the dog is the same size or smaller then no, probably near the same in cost. In a single feeding my cats get 1/2 cup of food in the morning and 1/2 cup at night each, if not slightly less

I mean its mainly food and regular vet visits that are the main costs.


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

i don't know if they're cheaper than dogs but they're certainly cheaper than kids. 

a woman working at a pet store told me that people tend to spend more money on their dogs. i don't know if that's true or not but one thing i can think of that's a much bigger expense is grooming. you can probably take a cat to a groomer but i never have. one of my friends with a yorkie-poo used to bring her over, and i don't care how much you wash them, they still have that doggie smell (which isn't noticeable usually, unless they get in bed with you).

and cats don't need doggie day care.


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## Zephyriddle (Mar 28, 2012)

Zilla said:


> GOOD LORD..... :lol: what did you smash through 4 fifty pound bags of food a month?? Haha I can only imagine
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


With two great Danes, one still under a year, I go through a 30lb bag of Orijen every 8.5 days. At $82.99-$85.99 plus tax a bag, it adds up, but I wouldn't feed any other kibble to them. It probably costs me more to feed the dogs for a month then it costs some people to feed their cats for a year. 


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Your dogs cost you 350 dollars a month?

I guess it depends on your tax rates too...


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## Zephyriddle (Mar 28, 2012)

Carmel said:


> Your dogs cost you 350 dollars a month?
> 
> I guess it depends on your tax rates too...


On food alone, yes, around there. Plus another $45 for insurance on the BYB one, at least $50 on treats and bones and close to $50 on toys. Compared to maybe $100 a month to feed two cats raw, one canned, plus toys, treats and litter. 


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