By Jade Carpenter
Do you have a pet? Do you feel this economy makes it hard nowadays to maintain a happy and healthy pet?
Students from many different colleges and universities have reached out to me after I asked if they would be willing to tell me what their animal is and what they pay for. I also asked what their opinions were on products and pricing.
From one of our own here at NCCC, “I spent about 575$ on a package to get my cat, Thumper neutered, his vaccines and first checkup. I spend about 75$ on litter and food for him every two-three weeks not including his treats and toys(which I’ve just been using household items because he likes those) only complaint I have is that litter boxes being so expensive because I need to get him a new one but like some of them are so expensive. i mostly just buy target brand things for him because it’s always the cheapest.”
And now from a student at the University of Buffalo, “When I used to have a bunny, pricing for everything was so expensive. The cage I got, the one I had to get because I had a big bunny and he needed a lot of room, cost more than $400, his food was outrageous if you wanted to get natural stuff, and so was his bedding. It is so hard to be able to take proper care of your pets while on a budget. The economy makes it practically impossible to live on a budget while also having the proper equipment and necessities for happy, healthy animals. Also pet insurance, my parents dogs are old and cost a lot for meds and pet visits, I don’t know how much it is exactly but I know my parents pay at least 100$ a month to only get a discount off of grooming, medications, diet food and appointments for the dogs.”
From an Alfred State Freshman, “ I have a rabbit, I don’t have an estimate unfortunately but I spoil that baby I’m sorry, no complaints here everything is pretty affordable, high prices make it so that an animal is harder to care for, and if you can’t afford these expenses you should not get an animal. Low cost stuff I buy includes hay (depending on the bag size) $10-25 and puppy pads on amazon like $20 for a 100 count.”
Everyone’s experience is different but our pets take a lot of our money whether we like it or not. I personally believe that prices are rising, and that it is harder to provide the best for our pets. I have two rabbits, Thistle and Thumper. Real cuties. Really expensive however. I spend about roughly $100 just for feed and litter. I also bought them a very fancy $300 hutch. Of course, I do not mind doing it for my babies but as a college student on a budget it gets tough at times. I pay $40 for food, another $30 for their litter, and $15 for pee pads. I also try my best to spoil them by buying treats and toys for them. But the toys and such can get up to $20-30. I will say treats have a good price ranging from about $3-6. I personally love to get my things from chewy.com.
If you ever find yourself struggling with taking care of your beloved pet, please reach out to others, and know you are not alone. Feel free to take the ideas of shopping from some places that people I have quoted use. I personally love to get my things from Chewy.com, Amazon usually has some good prices or deals as well as Target. Hopefully down the road, prices will drop for our beloved pets.