The Many Problems of Getting a Pet You Can't Take Care of or Afford

Three years ago, I was convinced that getting a cat was the right decision for me. I grew up all my life with cats and I knew how to treat them. I mean, I love cats! And anyone that knows me well teases me a lot about how much I talk about kitties.

I am one of those people that will sit on Youtube and watch kitty videos and laugh and go, "Ohhh I want another kitten!"

But was getting a cat really right for me?

I got my first cat when I was a sophomore / junior in college. I knew I would be in college for another two years so I wasn't worried about moving and traumatizing the cat every 6 months for moving. The cat I got was very mellow and sweet.

However, after having him for about 6 months (I adopted him from this woman who couldn't keep him) I found out that he had cancer. The hospital bill to do all the tests to see what was wrong with him cost almost $400.

Then I found out that if I wanted to do the surgery to remove the tumor I had to give him a blood transfusion over the weekend of the emergency clinic which was about another $200. The surgery itself was well above that.

I was willing to do what I had to do to save he cat. It was probably going to cost me $1,000. Problem was, I was a college student and had absolutely no money.

My mom and dad had to pay for his first visit to the vet and told me that if it was a tumor, I should just put him to sleep because he was very sick. He was also anemic, that was why he had to have the blood transfusion.

This should've been my first sign that I was not at a good time in my life to take care of a cat. It was more work than I had bargained for.

Well my cat died a day later. I had tried calling vets all over to fit him in for the surgery that day. The vet that my parents go to for their animals did not have the staff on hand for that surgery on a Saturday.

I felt like I still should be able to have a cat though. I was now on my last year of schooling and I decided to get a kitten versus adopting an older cat.

But then my life took a turn. My boyfriend moved across the state and now I was faced with having to have someone watch my cat when I made extended visits. It cost too much to make just a day trip down there, so I always planned my visits to be around four to five days long. Well now who was going to watch my cat?

My parents lived two hours out of the way from my travels, so it was very difficult to go drop him off. I only had one friend in town I trusted with my apartment keys and my cat, and I hated always asking him that favor for me.

Now this was another sign that maybe I wasn't at the right point in my life to have a cat. I can handle the responsibility behind having the cat, but the fact was I was traveling almost every weekend either to visit my parents or my boyfriend, having my cat around was just very difficult to plan around.

I realized that perhaps getting a cat when I was in college was a bad idea. Not only was I not financially ready to take care of a cat but also the type of lifestyle I had was being able to get up and go whenever I wanted.

Cats are very low maintenance animals. They sleep almost all day, and as long as they have food, water, and litter they are usually just fine.

But if all you can afford is the food and litter, it's not a good time to get a cat. Having a pet is like having a child. You can't just get up and go anywhere you want anymore. Yes, having a cat is easier than a child, but it still shares some of the same responsibilities.

So when is it not a good time to get a cat?

I would have to say that if you are not planning on living where you are for a long time, you should not get a cat. If you're one of those people that are moving apartments every 6 - 12 months, wait until you are more settled to get a cat.

I remember my move day. My cat hid behind the refrigerator and I spent hours looking for him, thinking he ran away before I found him.

Another reason to hold off from getting a cat is if you can barely feed yourself or have emergency money. If you are buying 10 cent Ramen Noodles for lunch because you are extremely poor, hold off for a while. You never know when you will have an emergency. When I got my first cat, I had no idea I would be facing hundreds of dollars of bills. I had the assumption that if they were healthy when I got them, and kept them inside and did routine check-ups and shots, they'd be fine. But I was wrong.

If you are the type of person that likes to leave your place for days at a time, or go on vacation perhaps wait.

Sometimes it's hard enough to plan for something, but then to know what to do with your pet. You can't always depend on people to always be there.

At this point in my life I kind of wished I would've waited. I can't always bring my cat with me, and right now I feel restricted to dates of when I can go places because I need to have someone to check on my cat or take care of him.

I can't afford boarding him either for those days.

I believe that when you get an animal, you shouldn't just give them away just because you don't want them anymore and don't want their responsibility. That is why I think you should seriously consider a lot of the possibilities and if you are really ready for one.

I always felt like I was ready for one, just because I always had a cat in my life. Living on your own and having your own house cat is a lot different than farm cats at your parents house.

So take a step back. You may love dogs or cats, but are you ready for one? You may need to wait a year for your life to be settled. You want to give them the best life they can have, right? Consider your finances and lifestyle before making the big commitment of a new pet.