I've recently become the owner of a kitten. I've always been a dog person my whole life so this all a bit new to me.
The cat is doing great and is adapting to it's new home, and us, very well and I've been watching plenty of cat behavioural videos to help ensure we raise a well mannered cat.
What I'd like to know though are what everyone's best tips and hacks are for reducing the day-to-day costs of cat ownership?
How to OzBargain Cat Ownership?
Cheaplikethebird on 31/12/2021 - 09:48
Last edited 31/12/2021 - 09:50
Last edited 31/12/2021 - 09:50
Comments
Kmart Cactus scratch post! Buy a couple of these, and place them around the house. Will save you in the long run with the cat not scratching the shit out of your furniture.
Also, I use breeders cat litter which is on regular sale on Amazon for about $16-17.50 for 30litres.
Another option for a scratching post is this one. We've got 5 cats (long story š) and this is by far the most durable one we've ever had. Takes a lot of punishment, and if it's against a wall, it's very easy to turn around so the cat can use the other side.
Curious what cat litter used for?
As in what is it's purpose?
Yep
@ATTS: "Cat litter is an essential supply for all indoor cats. It is used instinctively by a cat to bury its urine and feces, but some owners have preferences for what type of litter they'd like their cats to use."
Basically just to cover the waste:)
@iNeed2Pee: "It is used instinctively by a cat to bury its urine and feces"
oh so if you put cat litter in a box does that mean the cat will go to the box to pee and poo?
@ATTS: You need to trained it by putting it in the litter the Kitten will start digging in the litter. You need to put it in the litter several times and the Kitten will catch on and will do its business in the litter.
You have Cat to be Kitten meā¦
Asking for cat advice on ozbargain can only CATastrophe.
The comments will just be full of people Kitten around.Iāll see myself outā¦
Should have ended it with
"I'll meow myself out"
Sorry, Iām a bit off my game today.
Not Feline myself.
I'll see meowself out?
.
Please dont ozbargain her food + health + medicine.
As the others said, boxes and simple stuff suffice as toys. KMart has great stuff for less. But please do pay attention to what she likes to eat. Chances are she will change eating habits as she grows up. You can get great deals even for the "premium" cat food.
For example both our cats love Hill Science Weight Management dry food. I always watch out for sales and usually online only stores like Pet circle and pet post have it for less. But the cool thing is we can walk into Pet barn and ask for a price match with those as well. Try to avoid cheaper supermarket brands if you can.
Yeah donāt worry theyāll be spoiled
My advice, in regards to diet, is to stay away from commercially produced cat food. Its absolute rubbish.
Ideally, the diet should consist of natural food, that is, as close to as possible to what cats ate during their evolutionary history, such as red meat, poultry and fish. A kitten can easily be trained on natural diet, but it is difficult, if not impossible as an adult. Good luck.
If you feed raw you need to add stuff to it to make it a complete diet (google for cat raw diet additive). As you can't buy whole prey items with stomach contents etc.
Much simpler and likely healthier for your cat (as you can't make a mistake) to buy a commercial food, as it is already calculated to be perfectly balanced with all nutrition needed. Just get a decent quality one.
Get plenty of scratching posts, they will save your furniture/walls/carpet, get them while the cat is still young and encourage the cat to use them. We leave one in each room at the entrance. It works and will save you alot.
https://www.kmart.com.au/product/cat-scratcher-pole-with-balā¦
As others have said boxes/bags work better than toys made for them.
In my experience dry food is the way to go, but make sure water is available - need to watch for constipation (mega colon is a thing), you can leave them out all day so the cat can eat whenever, wet food will have the cat meowing at you for food and they become super fussy. This also helps with fur balls. My cat never/rarely got them (assuming the dry food helped take them through) but the wet food she gets them quite often now. You can also get dry food thats better for their teeth - the food is bigger. If you are doing wet food, good idea to rotate these in. Get the wet food that is in chunks and not the pate, as the pate will be pushed down next to their teeth and will rot them.
Anyway hope that helps, its been my experience with my cat of 8 years now and it is information i wish i had known when i first got her. While alot of that is general information, it is great advice to reduce trips to the vet so i guess in that way reduces costs.
Keeping it as an indoor cat reduces vet visits from fights, accidents etc. Also saves native animals lives. Start as a kitten and have a happy indoor cat for life.
Cheap food can equal health problems. (Think junk food vs a healthy diet)
Agreed Kmart has a good range of toys, beds and scratchers. Even expensive ones don't last for life. Just like puppy items but cats can be a bit less destructive.Yep will be an indoor cat. Not letting it attack wildlife is a big thing for me.
Get a harness and use it while your cat is a kitten so they get used to it. Walking a cat is fun (though it is more the cat walking you as you have to just follow while they explore where they want to). It is also good for an indoor cat to know what the surrounding area looks and smells like so if they accidentally get out one day they can more easily find their way home.
Also don't bother with pet insurance, just set aside money in a separate account each week to save for future vet bills. You'll likely have nothing to worry about for the first ten years except for desexing and yearly vaccinations but after that you'll probably be visiting the vet a few times a year. If you have plenty saved up you won't have a problem. Pet insurance won't cost too much as a young cat but they are very unlikely to have anything to claim. When they get older and you finally have something to claim it gets too expensive to retain the policy.
Some vets also have a membership where you pay a set amount per year and you get all consultations free plus your vax. I think that's worth it as then you can take your cat in for the slightest cough or going off their food or anything like that without wondering if it is really something wrong and worth paying $100 consultation fee. Then if there is something wrong you get to it early and less cost in the long run also.
Oh yeah thatās a good idea re the harness and yeah I reckon weāll put money aside instead of getting insurance. Thanks for the tips!
As fun as this sounds, once your cat gets a taste for being outside they will complain non stop until you let them out. I told my partner this but she was convinced it would be fine. She now Regrets ever letting them experience the outside world.
Keep them 100% inside & they wonāt know what theyāre missing out on.
@Cadian Munkey: very true ! this happened to my kitten
he only stopped giving a shit when I got him a girlfriend lol (desexed ofc)
Befriend the neighbours cat. Put some food out and one will show up. No ongoing costs such as registration, food, vet bills etc.
Back when my grandparents were alive, they were convinced that their missing cat was eaten by their neighbour. This sounds like the beginning of that story.
Damn it, too late. Great idea though, definitely the true OzBargain method.
Don't buy Whiskas and especially Woolies no frills cat food, Coles basic cat food and Elevate isn't the best for the cat either. Cachet at Aldi is ok ish. Just avoid foods where the protein is less than 10% of the whole food and desirably buy food that is 30% crude protein and first ingredient is meat and not cereals or wheat. I food that Costco Cat food (sounds dodgy) but the 32.99 Chicken & Rice 11kg ish bag is actually ok enough, first ingredient is meat, has 30% protein and my cat likes it. My cat also likes Wet food too, Fussy Cat and Applaws are pretty enticing for him (he will inhale it) compared to the kibble and other wet food
Definitely get some toys and some lying around like cat scratchers, maybe a tunneling thing if you have space around and the dangling string toys and smaller mouse ones/balls so they can chew on it and play with it. I think all my Toys are from Kmart and Target. Also try not to get all toys when they are in the kitten stage because they can outgrow the little houses and things like that later and will stop playing with them
For litter I don't have much suggestions but I think most cats should be able to use any litter unless its super scented. Kittens can start with a uncovered litter tray and then you can progress to the covered hatch ones later when they grow up. But I think clay litter or paper litter is the cheapest. I think all litter will smell unless you cover it, I'm just using Crystal Litter right now (Catsan, a bit better than the Kmart one). A tip would be to clean the solid waste out everyday, every week I dump all the litter out and then wash the box with dish detergent and refill it with some baking soda at the bottom for odour control, then litter on top.
Whatever you do, don't get her Felix cat food.
What's wrong with Felix? Mine prefer it, even over Royal Canin (they get about 60/40 Felix/Royal Canin)
Mine will only eat felix seafood varieties and also Vertoglia dry food Never took to the meat varieties of Felix though
Mine only eats felix too. Last time I gave him Hills science wet food, he gave me the "wtf is this shit" look.
I've recently become the owner of a kitten. I've always been a dog person my whole life so this all a bit new to me.
Cats are surprisingly similar to dogs, experience in raising dogs tend to transfer pretty well to raising cats.
If your cat is an inside cat he/she will need cat grass (aka cocksfoot) for their digeston/when they're feeling sick. You can grow it in little pots but you need to sow a lot of seeds in one small pot to get a decent amount of grass growing and you need to keep at least one pot growing and one ready to eat. Or if you have a garden you could cut some grass for them and bring it inside like my friend does but make sure it hasn't had contact with weed killer, etc, been in the vincinity of it, because of drift.
You can buy the cat grass seeds online or the pet shop might have them. Mitre 10 used to sell the fully grown pots years ago but I don't know if they used anything on them, so I grew my own.
Love it. Seriously, way too many people get a pet and ignore it. Itās part of your family now, youāll pick up exactly what it needs, and though Iām not a cat person, I do know that theyāre very adept at communicating their needs.
Oh and please keep it inside at night at least.
best cost savings would be let them go potty outside, litter only for nights
worst false economy- cheap food
2 other tips, feed both wet and dry food. When a cat only eats 1 type it can be a pain and all dry isnt good for them
Last tip, yearly blood work. If you catch kidney failure early or any other problem early they have a better chance to survive.
oh sorry 1 more, multiple water bowls, clean them regularly. The $20 water fountain from kmart works well and holds like 2L
Behaviour tip which leads to a happier and healthier cat: keep your cat amused and happy by playing with them every day, even if just for 5 minutes. It will stop them becoming a fur rug that just sits around waiting for food and sleeping all the time. Cats need to be kept stimulated. Hide little toys around the house and get a mouse on a string for them to chase. The first day I got my cat I twisted a piece of paper and tied it to some dental floss and the cat chased it for ages. Over time this sort of attention is repaid with a cat that looks forward to seeing you for more than just food. Lasers can be fun too. I see so many people with cats that just sit around doing nothing. Thatās just neglect. Enjoy your new family member!
Our cats eat Hills prescription dental food as prescribed by our vet. I only buy it when I get a good special at pet circle or budget pet products. We use the kitty litter from Costco and try to only buy it when its on special and stock up.
A raw chicken wing twice a week is great to help keep a cat's teeth clean. My cat loved her chicken wing and knew what days I would be giving it to her. Cut the wing into 3 pieces (at the joints) and that's it. My cat would eat the majority of it with only one bone left over. My vet suggested this and he was always happy with her teeth.
Just get the cheapest food you can - your cat will be just fine. All those people hand feeding their pets top of the range cat food and stuff are simply throwing money away, all pet meat must conform to the Australian Standard for Manufactured Pet Food.
When it moves past kittenhood, get yourself a cat brush to de-shed them. You'd be amazed how much comes right off, and better in the brush than around your home - also can cause them to vomit, probably on fabric and not the hardwood floor(…), or cause serious problems if it gets lodged internally and they can't remove it this way.
Try small quantities of only a few of each type of food to figure out their likes/dislikes. We have two, one's a bit more open-minded (greedy?) than the other, who won't touch turkey/chicken/mince/etc. Tuna is the only thing she's guaranteed to gobble, with the occasional other fish.
Don't go overboard with the kitty treats, or they'll come to expect it!
You now own a baby with claws. Leave out expensive cabling, velvet furniture/cushions, etc, out at your own risk - the feistier bugger cost me a pair of hardwired Sennheisers in her kittenhood.
The box hype is real.
Cheap food no no. Raw food can buy already mixed for cats from pet shops, chicken wings and necks for teeth, sardines for taurine. Laser light torch shine on walls love chasing. Keep indoors or have cat enclosure preferable with cat flap into house. Spend time playing with your kitten. Kitty litter l prefer pine wood pellets buy from stores that sell pellet stoves Kmart have the trays for wood pellets need the one with sifting tray. Need 2 trays. Give your kitten baths so it is used to them makes it so less stressful if it requires one as a adult. Google ideas for cat furniture you can make yourself like shelves up a wall carpeted. Make sure you have a cat carry cage and get kitty used to it and take for car rides so it is used to travelling. Microchip and vaccinate yearly.
It's possible to train your cat to use a toilet bowl. It's not hard, but requires time and small incremental changes. The earlier you start (a few weeks old is ok), the easier it is for your cat. If you can do this, it's the ultimate OzBargain cat hack, because you'll never need to buy and lug cat litter, and your cat will never have to deal with a smelly litter tray (which should be cleaned daily, but some people don't, a problem in itself).
There are plenty of web pages and youtube vids on how to do it.
Note there are also many people who don't recommend doing this, and it's worth reading those pages too, but having seen it in action, cats are adaptable, and those who have learned to do it are totally fine with it.
Suggestion 1. Possible choking hazard for kids
If anyone in your household uses roll-on deodorant, pop out the plastic ball when empty.
These specific ones, pretty sure ball sizes are standardised across the 50ml range.Give it a thorough rinse and dry. Now roll it towards your cat…
Just a ball, right? Sure, but kinda "free" as you'd otherwise recycle the packaging anyway. Do recycle the rest though.
They're a unique combination of perfect size and weight. Our cat can bite, but can't swallow it. She can bat them for good speed and distance. She can pick one up between front paws and walk on back legs and kinda chuck it. She's 14 but goes bananas when a ball's out. We have 8 in "circulation" (lost) around our villa, under or behind stuff as the cat pin-balled them about.Suggestion 2.
Pringles plastic tops. Hold them between two fingers and fling in their general direction. They're quite flexible, but obviously don't launch aggressively at cat. I float them just above her and she either watches it fly over or goes for a catch.
Note that Vegeta plastic lids are also pretty good, but feel slightly heavier to me.Suggestion 3. Moderate kiddy hazard
Woven elastic from clothing/shoe purchases. Also ribbons from gift hampers etc. Self-explanatory.Have fun! Cats are a trip.
You sound like Dennis from Philly š¤·āāļø
1) Food
Fancy Feast was found by Choice as one of the few cat foods that met the daily intake requirements for cats. You can find sales on it every 2 months - currently it's Seafood Pate at $0.62 cents per can (24 pack for $14.95 on Amazon - free shipping with prime). It caps at 5 packs per day, but just buy more the next day.
Half my kittens like this flavour/texture, the others just tolerate it. I usually have 2-3 flavours in the cupboard stocked up (2-3 months until the next sale), and I mix it up.They get 1 can a day (half in the morning, half at night) and I basically free feed them Costco Salmon & Sweet Potato out of a puzzle feeder. Apparently grains are bad for cats, and this is grain free + it's good value ($5 per kg). All 4 of my kittens love the biscuits.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/search/node/fancy%20feast
https://www.costco.com.au/Grocery-Household/Pet-Supplies/Catā¦
https://www.petcircle.com.au/product/afp-cat-treat-maze/afp3ā¦
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2.LitterIf you are looking for something cheap, look into getting a wood pellet (horse bedding) system going and a cat litter with a sifter + bonus it is biodegradable, but not flushable. Initial cost is a bit more, but long term is the cheapest.
If you are lazy (like me), I get tofu litter from kmart. It's the cheapest tofu litter I can find, but more expensive than other litter types. It's clumpable, hides the smell of pee and flushable which saves me time and effort.https://www.kmart.com.au/product/cat-litter-tofu-2.4kg/37248ā¦
$6 = 1 bag = 1 tray. I have 4 kittens, 5 litter trays. I change it out completely at least once a month, and pick out everything throughout the day (usually in the morning and once before I go to bed, and if I see/smell anything interesting lol)
Daily cost per kitten roughly comes to about $1.60 which would easily be under a dollar if I went with a cheaper litter system, but alas, the price of laze.. lol
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3.Cleaning
Robot vacuum cleaner - you can pick one up for less than $200 these days which is decent for the amount of time they will save you, especially if your kitten sheds a lot and/or has long hair (2 of my cats are medium haired). It's also cute to watch them sit on it - mine haven't yet, but I can dream...
4.Moar CatsI started with 1 (my neighbour was too old to look after him, so I took him). He started to want to escape the house, and was yowling a lot, even though I spend the whole day with him - so I decided to get him a friend. It was the best decision - he doesn't want to go outside anymore. The first 2 weeks were rough, but less than a month later, they were sleeping together. I still play with them, but they are often too tired from playing with each other. It honestly frees up a lot more of my time than when I just had the one. Plus, it's not that much more cost wise for just one more cat. It's a lot easier to introduce kittens together than when they are older, so it's something to keep it in mind while yours is still young. :)
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Food for thought
+ Especially if you have carpet - careful with peeing & spraying if they are not desexed. When I got given my cat, he was not and my god - nothing goes unpeed on. Nothing.
If they do pee, go to bunnings and get an Enzyme cleaner. It can be the septic cleaner concentrate - it's cheaper and does the same thing (as long as it's enzyme). Don't use disinfectant, or any other cleaner before or during the cleaning process with the enzyme cleaner - it can make things crystallise and then bad things happen (mostly perma smells)
To save the stress, I recommend the snip/spay. It's better for them health wise (statistically live longer) and will save you from the pee-mageddon + a whole other host of interesting behaviours. I felt bad at first too, but after cleaning and drying my blankets 5 times in 2 days… it changes you lol and in the end is a lot cheaper than replacing things and continually buying all those cleaners in the first place.Either way, I hope this helps :) Good luck with your kitten journey!
Since I have a newspaper subscription I use them in the litter tray and change it everyday. Free.
Personal tips for the Ozbargain cat ownership way :
Don't waste money on cat toys. Literally anything in the house can be a toy. I made the mistake of buying quite a lots of toys (from Kmart) for my kitty and she ignores them after 2 mins. Her favourites are still cardboard boxes, long ribbons (supervised play only), the cardboard insert in loo rolls (bats them around like mad), aluminium foil balls
Recommend getting the cardboard scratcher wave from Kmart for $5. My kitty absolutely loves scratching/sleeping/generally chilling on this. https://www.kmart.com.au/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDiā¦
Get a clumping litter for easier daily scooping. I previously used paper litter but scooping is not fun as you will always miss quite a few pee soaked litter and scoop out a lot of clean litter in the process. Tofu is awesome. Clumps well, flushable, long lasting and not sandy like clay (they are 98% pellets with a little bit of dust). Also recommend a front entry/top exit type litter box as it contains flying pellets very well when your cat digs to bury their pee/poop.
Brush your cat often. To get fur off fabric surfaces like your couch i highly recommend getting this $2 window squeegee. Trust me, it's stupid but it works. https://www.kmart.com.au/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDiā¦
Never buy anything from Petbarn without price matching. Guaranteed an online store like Petcircle or others are cheaper. The nice thing about Petbarn is they pricematch all Australian retailers including online only stores
If your kitty is young, I recommend training! You can train your cats not to jump on certain tables/kitchen benches. I got my cat as an adult but it was still pretty easy to train her where the no-go zones are.
If you want to bathe your cat, start them young.
If you find your cat scratching your furniture, place the scratching post directly in front of the sections they scratch to divert them so they learn to scratch on the pole instead. You can then move the pole slowly to the intended location and they know to still scratch there. Daiso also sells large furniture stickers for $3.10 which sticks well to couches!
Start touching your cats toe beans and paws asap to get them used to it so nail cutting time is easier. Invest in a good quality, small pet nail clipper (Avoid Daiso ones tho)
Empty Amazon boxes > any toy you can possibly buy. Still need some cat scratchers around though.