How much does a new puppy or kitten actually cost?
Introducing a new puppy or kitten to your home is such a wonderful experience! They usually bring love, entertainment, a sense of purpose and schedule that has become even more valuable during the pandemic. This is also accompanied by the costs of taking care of a new family member. We understand that those costs can be hard to anticipate going into this adventure, and every pet needs different things, but we want to give you a ballpark for how much you can expect to spend on your puppy’s and kitten’s veterinary bills in their first year of life.
KITTENS
If you got your kitten when they are 8-12 weeks old, they will need a series of vaccines, a feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus test, a microchip and a spay or neuter surgery. A ballpark cost for your kitten for the first year is: ~$600 for males and ~$750 for females. This cost difference is mostly due to the difference in the cost between the spay and neuter surgeries.
What your kitten needs for a good start:
Vaccines
Feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus test
Deworming
Microchip
Spay or neuter surgery
The anticipated veterinary cost for your kitten in the first year:
Males: ~$600
Females: ~750
The cost of flea and tick (and possibly internal parasite) prevention per month:
$25-30 per month
If you got your kitten from a shelter and they had their kitten shots, spay or neuter surgery and microchip, then most of the above costs are covered in your adoption fee. Most shelters cannot afford to test and vaccinate all their cats for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus, so your cost for that in the first year would likely be around $200.
Other nonveterinary costs to consider with your new kitten are food, toys, treats and litter.
PUPPIES:
If you get your puppy when they are 8-12 weeks old, they will need a series of vaccines, deworming, a microchip and a spay or neuter surgery. The surgeries vary greatly in price depending on the age and size of the dog (for a more detailed estimate, please see your veterinarian) but you can expect to pay $900 in the first year of your male dog’s life and $900-1200 in the first year of your female dog’s life.
What your puppy needs for a good start:
Vaccines
Deworming
Microchip
Spay or neuter surgery
The anticipated veterinary cost for your puppy in the first year:
Males: ~$900
Females: ~$900-1200
The cost of flea, tick and heartworm prevention per month:
~$35-40 per month
If you get your puppy from a shelter, they likely will receive all their vaccines, microchip, and spay/neuter surgery for the adoption fee. Depending on their age, they may need a heartworm test which is $20-40 but most costs are already covered.
We recommend using flea and tick prevention as well as heartworm prevention every month. You can expect to pay about $35-40 per month for prevention. An annual heartworm test is recommended yearly which costs $20-40.
Other costs to consider with your new puppy are food, toys and treats as well as behavior training.
We hope this helps with your planning for your new puppy or kitten. The above prices are just a ballpark. We recommend consulting with your veterinarian for more accurate pricing. Regionally there are differences in what preventative care is required and the cost for providing those services. Nationally, the average amount of money that is spent on a pet dog during their entire life is about $5000, and that for a cat is about $3000.
