A dog is forever, they say. Or, well, we say. They love us so much, the least we can do is commit to them for the rest of their lives, right?
Anyway, our staff often volunteer at one or two animal shelters in Cape Town, and one of them mentioned how a permanent staff member dedicated to helping homeless cats once blurted out that she wishes people would plan before adopting a dog or cat.
We know how she feels.
She ranted (quite rightly) about how so many shelter pets adopted by impulsive people end up being ‘surrendered’ – which is a kinder way of saying “dumped” – back to the shelter they were adopted from.
What a horrible experience to go through if you’re an animal. Who wants to lose family more than once? And this happens all over the country, apparently. But why?
A lot of the time it’s about money. Isn’t everything?
Except love. Many haven’t had full salaries for a while and some have even lost their income entirely.
But we do feel strongly that if you want to add a member to your family, whether it purrs or barks, or has wings or scales, you should take a good hard look at the finances of it first.
List of Potential “Pay Zones”
Here’s a list of potential “pay zones” that we’ve come up with:
To start with: some pets cost a lot to buy. Especially if they’re purebreds from a limited line.
Pet shelters do amazing work to reduce the costs of getting a pet, and usually throw in the following: overall medical to check for contagious diseases and other medical issues, deworming, parasite treatment, vaccinations, sterilisation, and if the pet is injured, treatment.
But even if you find an orphaned kitten in the street, you will be spending something from the start.
Then: Annual or bi-annual vaccinations. General medical check-ups. These can be annual, or more frequent if your pet needs more careful attention.
Some pedigrees can have health conditions that need to be monitored throughout their lives, or become more likely as they grow, and individual pets may also just have an issue that requires a close (medical) eye. That’s going to cost!
If you didn’t sterilise at the start, it’s time to “fix” it. Do it before your doggie goes on heat, which can be very very soon in some dogs.
The pet medical when you first get your new best friend can warn you when this might be. Better safe than sorry!
We have enough animals without families – don’t let yours make more! Please. So many homeless pets end up being put down. But there’s more…
Think microchipping. It might not be a high price for a lifetime of identification that can help if your pet gets lost, but it all adds up. Watch out for specials at your vet on this one.
Food is a biggie, even if your pet is small. The better quality food you can afford, the more that food contributes to your furry friend’s overall health (or handling of health issues).
What’s more, a kitty or puppy might develop an allergy and need specific food for this. Kibble, fresh meat, tinned food, prescription food… it costs more than my own food sometimes!
Behaviour classes (usually dogs) can really help you handle confusions or concerning behaviour (but also traumatised kitties whose past you don’t know).
Nope, they’re not cheap. They’re trained experts, after all. Or, they should be. (We like checking Google and Facebook reviews).
Then again, if it helps your pet be happier, what you gain is invaluable. You might also do an online course in understanding animal psychology now that we’re all learning remotely.
The list is loooong. Kennel. Bedding. Fencing. Cat beds. Cat litter trays. Cat litter if you don’t have clean soil or you do have human kids who eat soil! Doggie parlour. Pet sitters. Pet boxes. Are you getting the picture?
And then the uncomfortable stuff – accidents. Hospitalisation. Surgery.
The expertise and equipment in animal hospitals costs a lot to make available to your animals, and those costs get passed on to you.
Forgot chronic medication. Possibly Trauma therapy (for you, too?).
Okay, we’re spent. ‘Scuse the pun.
But you know what? We do it all with a smile for those cuddles, their company, their warmth and strength and attention. Pets are priceless.