Caring For Your Cat Without Breaking The Kitty: Inexpensive Cat Care

Posted on: 10 September 2015

Share

Being a pet owner is a wonderful experience, but it can also get expensive quickly. If you're trying to find ways to maintain your cat's health without breaking the bank, this guide can help you to find ways to do so.

Inexpensive Shots

Vaccinating your cat against diseases like feline leukemia and rabies is one of the best things you can do to protect their health. However, vaccines can be expensive, especially if your cat needs booster shots. Thankfully, there are some options to get vaccinations for less money.

Try contacting your local ASPCA shelter to see if they provide vaccinations to cats. Many shelters will gladly vaccinate your cat to help keep the general cat populace healthy, and they charge less than a typical veterinarian would. You may also be able to find clinics that offer vaccinations for free or a low cost, like the mobile vaccination unit in Northern California. Whatever you do, don't skip the shots, because the treatment for the actual diseases can be extremely expensive, or the disease can be fatal.

Spaying and Neutering Clinics

Fixing your cat is another must when it comes to cat health. A spayed or neutered cat has a lessened risk for various kinds of cancer, like testicular cancer for boys and breast cancer for girls, and you won't have any unwanted litters of kittens being born. However, if you're struggling to find the money to pay for the surgery, that's understandable. With after-care, pain medications, and intubation, it can become rather expensive.

Thankfully, there are many resources for people looking to have their cats fixed for little or nothing. Ask your veterinarian, or the local ASPCA, if there are any programs that are based on the idea of fixing feral cats. For example, Fix Our Ferals and many programs like it offer to fix all cats at a low cost in order to keep the population of unwanted kitties down.

Kitty Insurance

Finally, consider insuring your cat while they're young and healthy. Many pet insurance companies exist, but the one thing they tend to have in common is that a cat can't be insured for a medical disorder they already have. Meaning, if you insure your cat now and they develop a kidney problem down the road, it'll be covered by the insurance company. If you wait until they already have a kidney problem, your insurance company won't cover it, or any other problems that occur because of it. Cat insurance is relatively inexpensive and costs far less than the alternative of an uninsured visit to the vet, so it's a good idea to get covered ASAP.

Cats have a reputation for being self-reliant creatures that don't need a lot of special treatment, but you should still take steps to keep them from getting sick. With these tips, your cat will be protected from some of the most common communicable diseases, various cancers, and you'll have a safety net if they develop an unforeseen problem down the road. Contact a local vet, like Gettysburg Road Animal Hospital, to find some options in your area.