Can you afford to get a pet in London?
By Chandralekha Mukerji
Wondering how much that puppy in the window cost? Well, it might not cost too much to buy one. Depending on the breed, you can easily get a kitten or a small dog from £150-£300. Or you can always decide to adopt (a better choice, in our opinion). What you should be really worried about is the cost of ownership, the recurring costs and a lifetime commitment to food, pet care and insurance premiums.
A recent research report by People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), one of the UK’s leading veterinary charity, found that 98% of pet owners underestimated the lifetime pet ownership costs. A 12% of 2.6 million dog owners said the cost would be around £500 when the true cost is between £21,000 and £30,000, depending on size and breed (see infographic). A cat would cost between £15,000 and £20,000. Even rabbits cost an astonishing £9,000 to £11,000 over a lifetime.
PDSA suggests you shouldn’t even think of a small pet (such as birds, mice and fishes) if you aren’t willing to spend at least £100 per month. To own a small dog or feline, you must have a monthly budget of at least £150 to £200. With pets generally living for 10-13 years, that adds up to £2,000 or more a year.
And these averages are just for regular expenditures such as food, equipment, toys, flea and worm treatments. There will be some expected additional costs such as pet insurance, some trips to the veterinary clinic and medication and then there will be some unexpected ones too, such as replacing a chewed-up bed or sofa, serious illnesses especially as they grow older, a higher rent (or at least deposit) because landlords usually prefer tenants without pets. It all adds up to quite a significant amount over the lifetime of the pet.
Even if all the unexpected costs are ignored, a breed cat can cost up to £16,000 and a pedigree dog up to £30,000 over its lifetime. These costs are at present rate. So do not forget to add the cost of inflation to this. If we consider the last 10 years (2001-2017) inflation average, you will have to further bump up this ownership cost by another 2% (approx.) every year.
Then there is a list of hidden costs of owning a pet in London which, according to a Business Insider report can add up to £10,000 over its lifetime.
